This fourth topic Design for Online and Blended Learning has been such an interesting topic! I would have liked to spend at least twice as much time on the subject!
During my career, there has been a few occasions, where models/ways of working has affected my way of thinking/doing things profoundly for a long time. I found one of these basic principles while studying logistics; when making a change in a process, always start with analyzing what you can stop doing and after that analyze how to change the process. Almost twenty years have passed since I read the book and took the course but evaluating which steps can be eliminated is still a guiding principle for me when I want to make changes or simplify ways of working.
I believe that Martin Weller´s method for learning design will have the same type of impact on me. Learning design is “the practice of planning, sequencing and managing learning activities, usually using ICT-based tools to support both design and delivery” (JISC Design Studio). It is applicable at all levels of learning: activity, unit, module, curriculum, qualification. The aim with the learning design is to aid the course design process by providing a set of tools that support a student-activity based approach.
As a base for the learning design, Martin Weller divides student activities into six categories plus assessment:
Assimilative, e.g. Read, Watch, Listen, Think about,
Finding and handling information, e.g. List, Analyse, Collate, Plot, Find, Discover,
Communication, e.g. Communicate, Debate, Discuss, Argue, Share,
Productive, e.g. List, Create, Build, Make, Design, Construct, Contribute
Experiental, e.g. Practice, Apply, Mimic, Experience, Explore
Interactive/Adaptive, e.g. Explore, Experiment, Trial, Improve
Assessment, Include summative (graded) assessment only here e.g. Write, Present, Report, Demonstrate, Critique
He suggests to use an activity planner to map the course activities and how much time students are expected to spend on each activity. Thus, it becomes possible to evaluate if there is a mix and balance between the different types of activities in a course. The tool is also used to map workload in order to, either re-design the course for a more even workload or informing students in advance about variation in workload. To explicitly map course content based on activity is something I will bring with me for the future.
One conclusion in the video with Martin Weller is that it really doesn´t matter which model is used for mapping the course, what´s important is to start the dialogue with colleagues about course content and course structure. Another important aspect he mentions is that in the dialogue; discover what are the hidden assumptions about the course, and to agree on a common view on the course. I also found his idea of ranking skills in a course very useful.
(In our small group work, we also discussed the ABC-learning design, and Gilly Salmon’s model and Community of Inquiry.)
Martin also addressed developing courses based on personas. I find that to be a very interesting way of working and I could see how using several different personas to evaluate if the course will match different personas or will exclude some would be extremely useful when developing a course.
Don´t miss Martin Wellers´s lecture on Youtube! (link below)
References
Webinar Design for online and blended learning, Martin Weller
#ONL212 Topic 4 webinar recording with Martin Weller – YouTube
https://www.gillysalmon.com/five-stage-model.html
ABC Learning Design – Sprint design your courses and programs in just 90 minutes (abc-ld.org)
