Content-based curricula which require students to have facts at the tip of the tongue has had its day. Multiplication tables, historical dates, scientific formulae and so on are all important, but they are never further than a search engine away. More important is the application of facts in real world scenarios. Their application gives them context, makes them useful to the learner and makes the concepts transferable. The challenge for education is to move from content-based to practice-based curricula. Technology will be an enabler in this process delivering content and the communication medium for students to participate in disciplinary learning projects.

1. The Future of Learning
Project-based teaching and assessment supported through new
media technologies

2. Education

3. Our interest in education
Are you currently studying?
Have you children at school?
Are you thinking of returning to education?

4. What is bad about education?
What could be improved?
Education

6. University Education

7. Formal learning

9. Formal learning

10. 14thcentury: University of Bologna

11. Dante - conscientious

12. Guillerme– hard up

13. Francisco – makes his own nettle wine

14. Formal learning curriculum
Content-heavy
Extrinsic motivation

15. My Research

16. Criticality
Assess validity of concepts

17. Resourcefulness
Find information

18. Inquisitiveness
Curious & bright

19. Criticality
Resourcefulness
Inquisitiveness

20. Critical, Resourceful and Inquisitive
students are creative

21. Tutors
(anonymized)
Dr Traditional
Science Tutor
Dr Tech
Teacher
Prof Peer
Engagement
Students
(composites)
Miss Dependent
Student
Mr Cue-
Conscious
Learner
Mr Personal
Journey

22. Teaching methods
Formative assessments
Blended learning
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23. Criticality
Resourcefulness
Inquisitiveness

24. Dr Traditional Science Tutor
Content-heavy No peer engagement

25. Hard Science Module
Formative assessments:
Online Multiple Choice Quizzes
Laboratory practicals
Mid-term short written essays uploaded online

26. Content-heavy curricula
Rote learning
Lacked resourcefulness and curiosity
“Lazy”
26

27. The Dependent Students
Entered enthused
Exited defused

28. Dr Tech Teacher

29. Technical Module
Practical project
Anonymised peer assessments (anyone tried?)
Examination

30. The Cue-conscious Learners

31. Ultimately unsuccessful
Critical?
Resourceful?
Inquisitive?
31

33. Disciplinary experts or experienced students?
Verbatim regurgitation
Verbatim regurgitation

34. Knowledge is many things
“Our education system has mined our minds in the way that we
strip mined the earth for particular commodities and for the
future it will not serve us.”
Ken Robinson

35. Why won't it serve us?
35

36. Context has changed
Content is only a click away
Students have complex histories

37. 20thCentury Media

38. 21stCentury Media

39. Hidden Curriculum
Passing assessment

40. The academic contract

41. Align assessments with what you want
the students to learn

42. What are we going to do next?

43. Lets value Creativity
“My contention is that creativity now is as important in
education as literacy and we shoul d treat it with the same
status”
Ken Robinson
Follow a dream

44. Creativity is supported through
developing criticality, resourcefulness
and inquisitiveness

46. Work-based learning

47. Prof. Peer Engagement

48. Soft Science Module
Teaching
●Students specialism
●Peer to peer activities
●Peer review
●Presentations to peers

49. Assessment method
Assessments
●Students built a portfolio for assessment which
would include an
oEssays, peer reviews and a presentation which they
delivered
●And optionally:
oSeminar contributions, forum discussions, and a journal

50. Project-based curriculum
Different for each student
Concepts built on specialisms
Learning and assessments linked through portfolio
50

51. The Personal Journeys

52. Achieved the Holy Grail
Curriculum covered
Maintained and developed learning autonomy (using
peer collaboration)
52

53. The future of learning
1 Supporting creativity
2 Through developing CRI
3a Through using experts to teach us
Inspiration
3b Peers to develop skills & motivate
Constructive criticism
3c Becoming experts and teachers
Reflection

55. A widening spiral of knowledge
Need to know basis
Context
and
Relevance

56. Top tips for developing project-based
curriculum
56

57. Specialism
Give your students a specialism at the start of the course
Expect them to apply the concepts of the curriculum to their
specialism

58. Portfolio of knowledge and practice
Expect a portfolio
Optionally include elements of their learning
Reflections of learning include learning
•WhatI did
•What I contributed
•What I learnt
•What I shared
•What I taught others

59. Online multiple choice questions
A, B, C or D

60. Forum

61. Peer assessments

62. Journal

63. Blend it
Assess it
But don't forget to:
Align it
Make it personal
Make opportunities for students to
learn together

64. The Future of Learning
Change the infrastructure
Change of expectations
Opportunities for:
•Inspiration
•Constructive criticism
•Reflection

65. References
•Sambell, K., McDowell, L. & Montgomery, C., 2013.Assessment for Learning in Higher Education,
London:Routledge.
•Pryor, J. &Crossouard, B., 2010. Challenging formative assessment: disciplinary spaces and identities.Assessment
& Evaluation in Higher Education, 35(3), pp.265–276
•Lave, J. & Wenger, E., 1991Legitimate Peripheral Participation, Cambridge, UCPpp.
•Torrance, H., 2012. Formative assessment at the crossroads:conformative,deformativeand transformative
assessment.Oxford Review of Education, 38(3), pp.323–342.
•Snyder, B.R., 1971.The hidden curriculum, New York: Knopf.
•Sadler, D.R., 1989. Formative assessment and the design of instructional systems.Instructional Science,
18(2), pp.119–144.
•Nicol, D., 2009. Assessment for learner self‐regulation: enhancing achievement in the first year using learning
technologies.Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 34(3), pp.335–352.
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