UBD DESIGN TEMPLATE

During Creating Significant Learning Environments (5313), I’ve had the opportunity to learn about, and create, an Understanding By Design Model template and a three column table for my online wellness blended learning initiative. There are benefits to using both the UbD Design and the three column table. The thing that I liked about creating my UbD Design template was that it was more detailed which would be beneficial to organizing and carrying out the program. I love that you begin the template with the desired results, which prompts you to think with the end in mind. Because this wellness initiative is not a class given for a grade, there has to be something to make people buy into the program and take it seriously. I would like every learner to think with the end in mind because that is how they will become successful in the program. I love that there is an area for essential questions because it gives the course a “why”. It also gave me a space to differentiate the goals of physical health from the goals of mental and social health. This is how this model has impacted my innovation plan.

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The UbD Design and the three column table are alike in that they give you a space to plan for and create significant learning environments. I did like the three column table’s ability to give an educator more room to be creative or have flexibility. It lets you focus on steps to achieve goals and I also appreciated the part called “Learning How To Learn”. "Learning how to learn" has definitely impacted my innovation plan because it helps me to remember that not everyone has the same learning style. Some learners really do need the apps and extra resources to be able to internalize what they are learning. The three column table also helped me to become organized with my planning for the wellness initiative. Although it wasn’t as detailed as the other, it did help me to outline different goals of the initiative. I also appreciated that there was an area dedicated to my BHAG.

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If I had to pick one or the other, I would pick the UbD Design Model.  In my opinion, the three column table was a little more complex than the UbD Design Model, but also, I loved the attention to detail that the UbD Design Model offers. This model would be very beneficial to use with my innovation because it organizes my plan. It makes my innovation plan easy to understand to anybody. I also have an appreciation for the part of the model called “transfer” because it’s about real world application and how learners will use what they are learning.

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The three column table is beneficial to my innovation plan because of the use of the BHAG. It was nice to be able to give my big goal upfront which assisted me with creating my other goals for the wellness initiative.  It is a great resource for educators who are planning  their learning outcomes and creating significant learning environments.