Learner-Centred Course Design - Greenwich presentation, March 2011

Learner-Centred Course Design a role for learner-centred models and frameworks? Dr Alan Masson Head of Technology Facilitated Learning University of Ulster

Session overview
Introduction
Curriculum development issues
Viewpoints project overview
Interactional based principles
Overview of the workshop process
Benefits of developed resources
Benefits of the workshop format
Q&A / discussion

Some drivers for change in course design within HE (UK)
Institutional reputation – National Student Survey / KIS
Learners as consumers – value for money
Increased competition among course providers – flexible provision
Generational changes in educational and social expectations / experiences
And a lot more……..

Curriculum Documentation
Focus on outputs:
Learning outcomes
Assessment criteria
Reading lists
Timetable
Plus supporting narrative
Provides an overall framework but doesn’t capture the “essence” of a course for a learner.

Essence (for the learner) – can be OR

Viewpoints Project Overview
Viewpoints is a JISC-funded curriculum design project.
Its remit is to create a series of user-friendly reflective workshop tools to promote and enhance effective curriculum design .
The tools use a learner timeline with established principles to help staff consider key interactions of the learning process (i.e. essence)

Timeline framework
Guideline intervals are used that can be locally interpreted (and extended).
i.e. for semester:
Induction
First few weeks
Mid Semester
Final Phase

Supports course or module perspectives

Identified Learner Interactions
Reviewing progress and understanding (Assessment and Feedback)
Discovery, consumption and creation of information (Information Skills)
Who do they interact with, why and to what “benefit” (Learner Engagement)
Are there closed lists of principles we can use to describe these interactions?

Principles to describe these interactions?
Assessment and Feedback – REAP Principles
Information - SCONUL 7 Pillars (extending to place in a more Digital Literacy context)
Learner engagement - 8 Learning Event Model (8LEM)

Assessment and Feedback – REAP Principles
Clarify good performance
Encourage time and effort on task
Deliver High quality feedback
Provide opportunities to act on feedback
Encourage interaction and dialogue
Develop self assessment and reflection
Give assessment choice
Encourage positive motivational beliefs
Inform and shape your teaching
ADDED VALUE OPPORTUNITY
For each principle – provide examples of effective practice for consideration

Information Skills – SCONUL Pillars
Define the task and understand the topic
Identify appropriate resources
Search effectively
Find and extract information
Compare and analyse information
Organise and share information ethically
Interpret information and create new content
For each principle – provide examples of effective practice for consideration

Learner Interactions – 8LEM
Creates
Experiments
Imitates
Practices
Debates
Explores
Receives
Meta-Learns
For each event –
who does the learner interact with?;
what levels of feedback the learner could get from each identified “stakeholder?”.
stakeholders : self, tutor, formal group, informal group, employer, other

Example workshop “card”

Inform – Inspire - Plan

Typical workshop format
Consider key challenges and agree an objective for the session
Explore the set of principles provided and choose those that may help address the objective set
Map relevant of principles to timeline and prioritise
Select possible implementation ideas that could support priority principles
Review and annotate worksheet with a plan
Agree any action points and final reflections

Workshop outputs
Form basis of an Assessment & Feedback (or other theme) strategy
Provide reference for future course team discussions (planning resource)
Key information currently transcribed into table (Word or other format)
Note: online tool to be developed to capture structured outputs

User defined outputs
Outputs can be orderly
Or Messy – it’s up to the team

Personalised outputs
Annotated
Easily reviewed and developed
Include a planning aspect
Act as a focus for futher conversations

Workshop experiences to date
Course teams
Pre-validation – course planning workshops
Annual course review – course enhancement workshops
Subject teams
Away days – pedagogic focus workshops
Staff Development
PGCHEP (Student Centred Learning module)
Students Union
Development of a course / support environment for course reps

Benefits of Viewpoints approach
Outputs - valued by course teams
But also
Feedback – workshop process delivered a number of key benefits for course leaders / subject co-ordinators ( social dimension )
This social dimension – transformational

Viewpoints Resources - creating an environment for change?

Workshop Environment
Informal room layout sets tone for activity;
Flat surface – people cluster around worksheet;
Tactile resources – encourage experimentation / enquiry;
Open and flexible format– facilitates “ownership”;
Customisable resources and “user interface”– promotes creativity;
Storyboard structure – focus on low risk conversations.

Use of action based principles
Structured choice provides support and promotes reflection;
Provide a more consistent meaning v conceptual entities (i.e lecture);
Defer decision making re “how” to end of activity;
Focus on storyboarding - encourage a more dynamic creative process;
Timeline and principles – focuses attention on learner experience.

Benefits observed from workshops to date

Shared meanings and priorities

Interactive and engaging

Facilitated discussions

Informative and supporting

Building effective teams
In a short period of time through:
Informal environment
Establishing shared meanings and priorities
Facilitating discussions and the sharing of ideas
Consensus building
Collaborative development of the workshop output

Quotable quotes…………
Curriculum Development / creativity benefits
“ Providing a simple yet comprehensive approach to the priorities of curriculum planning”
“ A good starting point for the curriculum design and development”

“ It assists you to step back from the course/module you are delivering and assessing if it is fit for purpose”

Social / communication benefits
“ Improving communication and introducing different ideas”
“… .allowed a range of different opinions from colleagues to become discussed in an open forum, to enable the team to take stock of what elements of the current course to retain and which ones to reform or innovate”

“ Getting people together to consider what needs to be done next, even if that’s not part of the prescribed process”

Learner perspective benefits
“ The workshop appears to put the ‘experience of the learner’ at the forefront of discussion which inherently drives the workshop along that perspective – a good trick when working with a room full of jaded and cynical lecturers who all too often think that, in the first instance, there is ‘always something wrong’ with the students”

Summary
Learner-centred models and frameworks (such as the Viewpoints tools) appear to:
Promote reflection and raise awareness of key learning opportunities;
Promote creative discussion and sharing of ideas;
Focus attention on the learner experience;
Help course teams to reach consensus about key objectives and strategies.

Q&A….. More Information
Viewpoints Project
http://viewpointsproject.blogspot.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/viewpointsproject /
Resources downloadable from:
http://www.slideshare.net/Viewpoints /
E-mail: [email_address]

http://viewpointsproject.blogspot.com	55
http://viewpointsproject.blogspot.co.uk	12
http://blogs.gre.ac.uk	1

Learner-Centred Course Design - Greenwich presentation, March 2011

by Viewpoints, University of Ulster on Apr 05, 2011

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Learner-Centred Course Design - Greenwich presentation, March 2011 — Presentation Transcript