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Learning Design Workshop

Professor Gráinne Conole

gconole@gmail.com

e4innovation.co.uk

Learning objectives This is an intensive design workshop to help participants make pedagogically informed design decisions that

make appropriate use of digital technologies . This might include the design or re-design of face-to-face,

blended or online courses. A ‘course’ could be an individual module or a whole course. It is suggested that

participants have a course in mind, for which to design and storyboard the teaching and learning, in this

workshop. By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

conceptualise the learning design process from different perspectives

apply a range of learning design resources, tools and methods to a learning intervention

critique a range of pedagogical approaches and the role played by different technologies , in

supporting these

review and debate the theoretical underpinnings of learning design

develop a storyboard, with associated learning activities and assessment elements.

The workshop’s activities are part of the 7Cs of learning design framework, which consists of seven components:

1. Conceptualise – which initiates the design process and consists of imagine, design and prepare. 2. Create – which covers the ways in which search engines, Open Educational Resource (OER)

repositories and social bookmarking can be used to find and collate relevant resources and activities,

as well as strategies for creating resources . 3. Communicate – which covers the different ways in which communication can be fostered, this

includes how to moderate asynchronous and synchronous forums , as well as use of social media. 4. Collaborate – which considers how collaboration can be fostered and a review of the different tools

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that can be used to support collaboration. 5. Consider – which considers how reflection can be fosters and how students can demonstrate

achievement of the learning outcomes, i.e. the assessment elements. 6. Combine – which enables the designer to step back and look at the design from different

perspectives, this includes creating an activity profile of how much time students will spend on different types of activities, as well as creating a storyboard of the course.

7. Consolidate – implement the course in a real learning context and evaluate how effective it is.

Course Description The participants will engage with a range of learning design conceptual tools . They will work in groups and will periodically share back their discussions with the rest of the participants. They will benefit from having a laptop by which to join in activities. Artefacts produced will be captured and made available online. The workshop can be run face-to-face or online. Ideally it should be run as a one-day workshop, but a condensed

half-day workshop is also possible. Longer two- or three-day workshops, allow for flexibil ity and customization of material to meet participants needs.

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Activities Components of the 7Cs framework

Title Purpose and Description

Overview Overview of 7Cs of Learning Design workshop

To provide an overview of the 7Cs of Learning Design framework. Participants will also have the opportunity to share what they hope to get out of the workshop.

Conceptualise How to ruin a course

To consider ten ways in which technologies can ruin a course and then to identify strategies to avoid these.

Conceptualise Course Features To consider the features you want to include in your course, which will affect not only the look and feel of the course, but also the nature of the learners’ experience.

Conceptualise Student Personas To imagine the type of students who are likely to take your course. Students on a first-year undergraduate course will be very different from those doing a post-graduate certificate in teaching for example. The nature of your students will influence how you design and support the course.

Create Resource Audit

To decide how you will source the content for your module/course, including the possibility of incorporating existing content. Think about the time and expertise needed to do this.

Combine Course Map

To start mapping out your module/course, including your plans for student support, assessment, communication and collaboration. This provides more detail to the design following on from your use of the course features cards.

Communicate Tools for Communication

Three typical tools available in Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs)/Learning Management Systems (LMSs) are considered: forums, blogs and wikis.

Combine Activity Profile

To consider the balance of activity types that will be included in your course.

Combine Storyboard

To develop a storyboard for your course in which the learning outcomes are aligned with the assessment events, topics (contents) and student activities.

Consolidate Evaluate

To develop an evaluation rubric to evaluate the effectiveness of the course and how it might be improved.

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Activity: How to ruin a course

Image source

Purpose To identify ten ways in which technologies might ruin a course and then to identify strategies to

avoid these.

Task

With your group or team, list tens ways in which technologies could ruin a course for

learners.

Now think about strategies to avoid these.

Take a picture of your flip boards and load to the shared space for your course.

Template Ten ways technologies can ruin a course Strategies to avoid them

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Activity: Course Features

Purpose To consider the features you want to include in your course, which will determine not only the look

and feel of the course, but also the nature of the learners’ experience.

Task 1. Think about the course you are going to design. What would you like the experience to be

like for your learners? Think of this in terms of the following:

Principles

Pedagogical approaches

Guidance and support

Content and activities

Communication and collaboration

Reflection and demonstration

2. Work with your team members. Create the following three columns:

This will be a key feature in our course

This will feature but in a minor way

This won't feature in our course

3. Add the cut up course features cards to the three columns. Ask if a feature is unclear. There

are blank cards for you to add your own ideas.

4. Once you have finished take a picture and upload to the shared space for your course.

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Activity: Student Personas

Image source

Purpose To consider the types of students who are likely to take your course. Students on a first -year

undergraduate course will be very different to those doing a post-graduate certificate in teaching.

The nature of your students will influence how you design and support your course.

Task 1. Think about the types of students who are likely to take your course. Understanding the

types of students on your course and their motivations, along with the challenges they face

is an important part of the design process. More information on personas can be found

here.

2. Fill in the persona template. An example of a completed template is given on the next page.

3. Complete two student personas for your course.

4. Take a picture of your personas and upload to the shared space for your course.

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Student persona

Image source:

https ://www.123rf.com/stock-photo/math_cartoon.html

Name: Daniel James Age: 19 Lives: Birmingham, UK with his parents Likes: Computer games and Suduko

Education and experience Daniel has had a standard British education at a local comprehensive source. He secured nine GCSEs and three A levels (Maths – A, Further Maths B, Physicist B)

Responsibilities His father works full-time and his mother works on Mondays and Wednesdays so he needs to pick up his younger brother from school and look after him until his parent get home.

Technical skills He has excellent computer skills and knows a number of computer programs. He is an active gamer and particularly enjoys playing online World of Warcraft.

Subject domain skills and knowledge

He has a good secondary education and in particular an excellent foundation in Maths.

Motivations and desires He wants to go to university to do Maths and get a student experience. Ultimately he wants to teach Maths at secondary level.

Goals and expectations To achieve a first-class Maths degree and secure a good job.

Obstacles to their success His parents cannot support him financially, so he will have to take out a student loan and get a part-time job whilst at university.

Unique assets He has excellent logical skills and is a good communicator.

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Activity: Resource Audit

Image source

Purpose To decide how you will source the content for your module/course, including the possibility of

incorporating existing content. Think about the time and expertise needed to do this. To decide how

you will source the content for your module/course, including the possibility of incorporating OERs

produced elsewhere. An example of a completed resource audit is given on the next page.

Task 1. Working with your team members, open the Learning Design Resource Audit. The second

page of the document contains an example of a semi-completed resource audit.

2. Brainstorm your ideas for gathering or creating content for your course.

3. Include in brackets in each of the sessions, what equipment you will need and the

anticipated time to complete.

4. Once you have filled in your Resource Audit, take a picture and upload it to the shared area

for your course.

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Example of a completed Resource Audit

Format

Content (under

the appropriate

licences)

Text & graphics Audio Video Slides (e.g.

PowerPoint)

Other (e.g.

Adobe

Presenter)

What I find and

reuse as is

OER for section 1.

Reflective task from

source Z.

Guidelines on

assignment writing.

Podcast for section

3.

iTunesU resources

for sections 1 and 7.

Slideshare resource

for section 5.

Organisation X’s

website.

What I find,

tweak and use

OER for section 2.

Assessment rubric

from W.

What I find,

repurpose and

use

OER for section 3. New podcast based

on X.

Slides adapted from

resource Y.

What I create

for this module

Introduction to all

sections of the

module.

5 activity

summaries.

Assessment rubrics.

5 to 8-minute

summaries of key

points per section.

Advice and

guidance for

assessment.

Feedback on draft

assignments.

[Record using

iPhone, 2 hours to

prepare script and

record]

A 5-minute talking

head to introduce

the programme and

the academic team.

[Get a member of IT

to record, 2 hours

to prepare script

and record]

Support slides for

sections 4, 7 and 8.

Detailed

presentations for

sections 2, 3 and 6.

What I get

students to find

and collate

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Activity: Tools for Communication

Image source

Purpose Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs)/Learning Management Tools (LMSs) have a number of tools for

fostering communication. This activity explores this and gets you to brainstorm how these might be

used.

Task 1. In your groups brainstorm the different ways in which the following VLE/LMS tools can be

used to foster communication: forums, blogs, and wikis.

Forums Blogs Wikis

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Activity: Course Map

Purpose To start mapping out your course, including your plans for guidance and support, content and the

learner experience, reflection and demonstration, and communication and collaboration.

Task 1. Working with your team members, open the Course Map document. You can transfer items

from the Course Features activity to start filling in the boxes for:

● Guidance and support (orange)

● Content and learner experience (blue)

● Reflection and demonstration (purple)

● Communication and collaboration (green)

2. The colour coding of the Course Features cards will help you.

3. An example of a completed Course Map is provided on the next page.

4. Reflect on the balance of features in your course, from the students' point of view, and add

or modify anything you think would help to make the learning experience more engaging.

For help in deciding whether to use blogs, wikis, discussion forums or other tools, see "What

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technology can I use for...?" (from the University of Oxford's Phoebe project). You might also

find the 7 things you should know about guides from EDUCAUSE useful.

5. As you are working through the four categories, fill in any notes in the "roles and

relationships" columns. You can comment here on what the experience will be like for

students, and briefly describe the relationship between teacher, learners and materials.

6. Take a picture of your Course Map and upload to the shared space for you course.

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An example Course map

Course: Post-graduate module on accessibility in online learning and teaching

Course summary: This online postgraduate module has been designed to promote accessibility and improve

access for disabled students. The module is structured around a series of activities that ask students to

collaboratively read, think, debate and write about the subject with reference to their own, or an adopted,

context and practice.

Key words: accessibility; teaching and learning; postgraduate; professional; international; online; collaborative

learning; activity based

Guidance and support Content and activities Tools & resources Comments Tools & resources Comments

1. Student support portal

2. Programme website 3. Course website 4. Course Guide

5. Assignment Guide 6. University Library website 7. General forum

8. Technical self-Help forum 9. Café forum 10. Specific guidance

and information (i .e. Delicious bookmarks)

It is expected that students will already be

using graduate level study skil ls.

A spirit of mutual encouragement and support is encouraged.

Tutors use a developmental mentoring approach.

1. Three blocks of study activities

2. A set of detailed learning outcomes 3. Module material

(categorised as core, further and background) which includes articles, reports, readings.

4. One set book 5. JISC TechDis website 6. Delicious bookmarks

Students study for approximately 15 hours

per week (Incl. course- & self-directed study and the completion of

assignments) Variety of activities include reading,

discussing, practical tasks and collaborative activities

Students will use a real or adopted professional perspective throughout

to frame their discussions and reflections and in their assignments

Reflection and demonstration Communication and collaboration Tools & resources Comments Tools & resources Comments

1. Personal reflective blog

2. Tutor group wiki 3. ePortfolio (student optional)

4. Tutor group forum (10% of module marks) 5. Assignment 1 (1500 word report 15% of

module marks) 6. Assignment 2 (3000 word report 30% of module marks)

7. Final assignment (6000 word report 45%) 8. Assessment guide

9. Marking criteria for each assignment

Use of a reflective personal blog is

encouraged throughout the module

Assessment of the module integrated with the teaching and learning activities so that all

assignment work is a learning experience Assignments relate to

personal context and practices

Students and tutors use a shared marking criteria

1. 4x Asynchronous online forums

2. Live online discussions via Elluminate (optional

student) 3. Telephone (optional tutor) 4. Email (optional tutor)

5. Delicious (optional student) 6. ePortfolio (optional student)

7. Personal blog 8. Tutor group wiki 9. Access to an

international professional student community

Strong emphasis on peer communication and

collaboration, and learning from one another's experiences

Wide variety of communication methods and tools used with an

emphasis on the use of the tutor group forum Student activity on the

forum is supported, guided and assessed

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Activity: Activity Profile

Purpose To consider the balance of activity types that will be included in your course.

Task 1. Working with your team members, look at the Activity Profile in the Excel

spreadsheet.

2. Read the key so that you understand the terminology being used for the six

categories. Feel free to change any of the terms if you want to.

3. Now decide whether you want to use the tool to analyse the existing balance

between activity types in your course, or to determine the ideal balance.

4. Fill in the spreadsheet, indicating the amount of each activity type either in hours or

as percentages of the whole course.

5. Take a picture of your completed Activity Profile and upload it to the shared space for

your course.

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Activity: Storyboard

Purpose To develop a storyboard for your course in which the learning outcomes are aligned with the

assessment events, topics (contents) and activities.

Task 1. Working with your team members, use the ideas from your Course Map to develop

your storyboard, adjusting the Course Map if necessary.

2. Map out on a large sheet of flipchart paper, use a number of different coloured pens.

3. Start by indicating the time frame for your module/course in days or weeks across the

top.

4. Next, use a different coloured pens to represent the assessment events. Indicate

how each assessment elements addresses the learning outcomes.

5. If you want to review your learning outcomes, see the Cogen-T outcomes tool

produced by the University of Gloucestershire.)

6. Divide the “content” into a series of discrete topics and write each in a box.

7. Add learning activities appropriate to each section using a third colour post-it note

8. Take a picture of your completed storyboard and upload to the shared space for your

course.

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Activity: Course Evaluation

Purpose To develop an evaluation rubric to evaluate the effectiveness of the course and how it might be

improved.

Task 1. In your group brainstorm some criteria to evaluate the success of the design in a real

learning context.

2. Try and focus on measurable/observable things.

3. Think about what data collection you might use – classroom observation, surveys,

interviews:

a. Use the LTDI Evaluation Cookbook to get ideas

b. You might also consider using post it notes around the following four topics: things I

liked, three words to describe the session, room for improvement and action plan.

4. Take a picture of your flip board and upload to the shared space for your course.