For this topic, we shift our focus from participation in a learning environment to the perspective of the educator in the design for learning. Over this fortnight, you will have the opportunity to explore current practices in Learning Design including assessment, that have been informed by research to create engaging blended and online learning experiences for your students. Understanding how to design learning for student retention, active learning, collaboration, inclusivity, sustainability, and how to translate this into pedagogical action are some points to be be considered, as well as the value of building trust in the classroom. Enhancing community-building and promoting student engagement and ownership in learning becomes essential for blended and online learning. Learning design thus needs to be informed by a set of principles that considers approaches that focus on student engagement like Active Learning, Community of Inquiry, PBL, Collaborative Learning and Networked Learning. You will be encouraged to reflect on your own experience of what constitutes good learning design and assessment, as well as  consider how you can design and support flexible, active, networked and community-based learning by using new technologies in your own teaching practice.

Activities for all learners

Webinars

For this topic we will have two webinars with Rachel Forsyth and Lotta Åbjörnsson. The first one, 17 April, will be about generative AI tools and how they can  be used in learning design, the second, 24 April, on design frameworks.

Individual reflection
Towards the end of the topic, finalise and share your reflections in your individual reflection space and have a look around how others have captured their stories. Suggested themes for individual reflection:

• Reflect on your current practice and reason about possibilities for development of online and blended learning designs. You may want to use the “Community of Inquiry Educator Survey” as a tool for reflection on your own teaching practice. You can view the survey here).
• Reflect on how you can actively work to build trust to provide support, facilitation and scaffolding for students in online and blended learning environments, as well as how you can use new technologies for learning and assessment.
• Are there opportunities for further development in this area that you have identified as a result of your own experience as a learner in the ONL course and of your engagement in this topic?

Feedback on individual reflections
One essential aspect in designing and supporting learning is to regard the importance of feedback. We would therefore like to encourage you view and comment on other participants individual reflections – remember how motivating constructive feedback can be!

PBL group work

For guidance on PBL group work including the FISh design please see Learning activities.

SCENARIO:

“ I need to design a new course that is going to be mainly online. I have been learning about Generative AI and I want to incorporate it in a positive way but I am worried about the integrity of the assessment. I need to learn more about what these tools can do. I have seen several frameworks and models exist to inform our learning design practice, including how to integrate the usage of new technologies. I believe we need to stay focused on pedagogical aspects and draw on current best practice and review how we design blended and online learning to promote active learning and critical thought in our students. A challenge I have is to combine synchronous and asynchronous activities that encourage learners’ engagement and learning processes; and to change the nature and design of assessment accordingly!”

AIMS

By the end of this topic, you will have had the opportunity to:

• discuss pedagogical approaches, possibilities and challenges in designing online learning environments,
• apply models for design and facilitation of online and blended learning,
• reflect on how to design for learning and support learners in your own practice, and
• consider how GAI tools can be used for learning design and discuss implications of this.

COURSE SYNCHRONOUS ACTIVITIES

Webinar
Wednesday 17 April 11:00-12:00 CEST

Webinar
Wednesday 24 April 11:00-12:00 CEST

Check your local time

CHECKLIST

During this topic I have:

• Contributed actively to the group work on the scenario
• Commented on some colleagues’ individual reflections posts
• Written my individual reflections on topic 4
• Studied the recommended resources for this topic.