Creating advising curricula through backward design ensures that learning objectives remain central to the process and enables those in advising units to design comprehensive assessment plans for continued curricular improvement. By incorporating measures to observe student learning directly, advisors can evaluate their curriculum objectively to ensure students achieve desired learning outcomes. An advising unit created a proactive advising curriculum for academically at-risk students through backward design that includes multiple assessment measures. Students in four categories of academic risk were targeted for intervention. Through the evaluation of direct-learning evidence gathered through assessment, the advising unit improved the advising curriculum, showing the process for intentional curriculum design and assessment to improve student learning.