Once you’ve identified the big ideas, translate them into essential questions. These questions drive inquiry and stimulate student thinking. Essential questions: Encourage debate and reflection, avoiding simple right-or-wrong answers. Focus on significant issues, problems, or debates within a discipline. Are designed to provoke thought and inspire further questions, often crossing disciplinary boundaries.
Framing big ideas as essential questions can be especially helpful when collaborating with colleagues who are new to instructional design. Instead of getting stuck in abstract goals or content lists, essential questions give teams a clear, shared focus on what really matters—what learners should be able to think about, discuss, and apply in real-world contexts.
In my profession-workforce development, this approach will help shift conversations from “What should we teach?” to “What problems should participants be able to solve on the job?” That makes it easier for non-designers to contribute their practical expertise, align training with employer needs, and co-create programs that are more relevant, engaging, and outcome-driven.