The Understanding by Design Exchange is a subscription website that can help educators design effective curriculum, assessment and instruction that leads students to deep understanding of content. The Exchange "infrastructure" is drawn from the work of Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, authors of "Understanding by Design" and related publications. The website contains an electronic template for unit design and short tutorials and self-checks to guide curriculum designers. A searchable database of curriculum units created by educators from around the country allows you to download and adapt units for your classroom. Units posted to the database can be peer reviewed by subscribers and UBD experts. There's also an interactive forum with an "ask the authors" section. A teacher we know says the Exchange makes planning easier and even "not so good" examples can give you a starting point. She advises that you "keep your search broad because you won't always find all the relevant units using keywords." Individual memberships are $45 a year and other pricing plans are available for schools and districts.

Citation: Understanding by Design Exchange. Retrieved on March 19, 2008. Website: http://www.ubdexchange.org/