The purpose of this case study was to demonstrate the role of technology in course planning. In this case study, backwards design (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005) was applied to an online graduate career counseling course. Through the use of backwards design (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005), the course development becomes easier and a more effective way to share content with students. Backwards design is comprised of three steps: 1) identifying learning goals 2) proof of learning mastery 3) learning activities (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005). In traditional classrooms, it may be easy to focus on weekly content and dissemination of information. However, faculty may be overwhelmed or excited by technology when transitioning to online classes and allow technology to become the focus of course design. Using a backwards design keeps the content at the forefront when teaching online. In this paper, backwards design is described in a step-by-step process by using an online course as an example to demonstrate its application. [This paper was published in "Innovations in Teaching & Learning: Inaugural Proceedings of the 2017 Pedagogicon."]