This session highlights how Generative AI technology can be leveraged to support the Backward Design process. We include practical examples and explains how Generative AI enhances course design and development, and gives practical tips for Instructional Designers or Course Developers of all skill levels to implement in their practice.

Course developers from faculty to instructional designers are constantly seeking ways to increase learner success, enhance understanding, and create outcomes that will be the building blocks for learner success for years to come. One mainstay of course design is Backward Design, a key framework for course creation that has been a foundational model for course development in the 21st century.

Enter Generative AI, and now what used to take months of planning can take weeks, days, or minutes. Course outlines and even course content can be created in less than a day. But can this technology really serve to be an enhancement in course development? Without careful attention, AI-generated outlines can drift off course, and learners are left without central outcomes to guide them through their courses, programs, and careers.

How can we leverage Generative AI in course development to the learners’ benefit?

In this session we will show how Generative AI can be utilized within Backward Design to support the course development process, reduce timelines in the development stages, and act as a design assistant to better serve the needs of our students. This session focuses on keeping the human in the loop and reducing hallucinations in AI-Generated content so that AI serves to amplify our vision, not replace our agency.

Session Features:

Part 1: Presentation. Initial presentation from practitioners who balance learning theory and Generative-AI in their day-to-day work. In this part we will explore methods and tips for leveraging Generative AI in Backward Design course development.

Part 2: Panel Q&A. Throughout the session the presenters will receive questions in the chat about their methodology and then open the panel to answer common questions live during the session, offering real-time feedback to participants. The presenters will invite audience members to share their experiences in developing courses with Gen-AI and Backward Design in mind so that there is a community learning opportunity.

Interactive: This session engages participants through three interactive activities. We’ll begin with a live poll on which stage of Backward Design participants find most challenging, tailoring examples to their responses. Next, attendees will analyze short AI-generated course outlines to identify misalignments and “hallucinated” elements, reinforcing the human-in-the-loop approach. The session concludes with a brief “AI Prompt Hackathon,” where participants share Backward Design-related prompt ideas via chat or Padlet to inspire continued collaboration and creativity.

During this session we will cover:
1. How Generative AI complements Backward Design
2. Strategies for AI utilization to keep learner understanding and outcomes at the forefront of the design process.
3. A step-by-step framework to prompt for the results you want.
4. Methods for mitigating hallucinations in AI-enhanced course design.
5. How to leverage stream-of-consciousness prompting in course design


Together, we will explore how we can utilize Generative AI in the Backward Design framework as an assistant in the course development process to achieve innovative results in course design.

Jessica Clark, MSIDT

Learning Experience Designer at Indiana Wesleyan University-National & Global

Jessica Clark, MSIDT, has over 10 years of experience working in online education in private industry and in higher education. She specializes in AI and multimedia integration into course creation and design, and has a passion for designing online courses that integrate active learning principles into online, asynchronous learning environments.

Jessica's work has included being the team lead of a group of online ESL coaches, an editor of published academic works, and a Polish-English translator of texts for both business and academic contexts. She is also an academic researcher, with her current research focused on Generative AI Course Assistants and their application in higher education. After living in Europe for several years, Jessica has developed a passion for languages and is currently working on mastering her fourth language.

She currently works as a Learning Experience Designer at Indiana Wesleyan University where she creates learning experiences that leverage technology and AI to improve student outcomes and engagement. Her Master's Degree is in Instructional Design and Technology (MSIDT) from LAPU and her Bachelor's Degree is in Web & Digital Design from UMGC.

Annie Els, M.Ed.

Learning Experience Designer at Indiana Wesleyan University-National & Global

Annie Els, M.Ed., is a Learning Experience Designer in the Office of Academic Innovation at Indiana Wesleyan University. She specializes in instructional design, gamification, artificial intelligence in education, and Universal Design for Learning, with a strong interest in creating equitable, authentic learning experiences. Annie’s recent projects include developing AI-powered course assistants, designing competency-based learning pathways, and spearheading interactive design to improve student success. She continues to build on her background in K–12 education and award-winning online course design to explore how emerging technologies and neuroscience-informed strategies can transform teaching and learning.

Jonathon Isham, Ph.D.

Learning Experience Designer at Indiana Wesleyan University-National & Global

Dr. Jonathon K. Isham is an accomplished instructional design leader and learning experience strategist with more than 20 years of experience shaping online education, higher education leadership, and workforce training. His career has been defined by innovation at the intersection of pedagogy and technology, including pioneering AI-driven course design, assessment automation, and instructional process optimization. He has led national and international initiatives for universities and organizations, guiding the development of executive and professional education programs, and has consistently delivered measurable gains in learner engagement, efficiency, and satisfaction. With a PhD in Instructional Design for Online Learning, Dr. Isham brings both scholarly insight and practical expertise to advancing the field of digital education.

Beyond his leadership in higher education, Dr. Isham is also an educator and musician who has taught at the graduate level and performed widely as a vocalist, pianist, and conductor. His experience as a music teacher and community conductor reflects his belief in the transformative power of both education and the arts. Whether developing online law programs, advancing executive MBA curriculum, or directing large-scale music festivals, he is dedicated to creating meaningful learning experiences that inspire growth, collaboration, and innovation.