The document discusses learning design methodology, which is a pedagogically informed approach to making the instructional design process more explicit and shareable through tools and visualizations, with the goal of helping educators make more informed decisions about course design and encouraging reflective practice and collaboration through communities. It outlines the foundations of learning design in activity theory and mediating artifacts and how tools have co-evolved with practices.

1. Learning design: an overview
Gráinne Conole,
Leicester University, grainne.conole@le.ac.uk
ASLD workshop, London, 13th October 2011

2. A new learning design methodology 2
A Research-Based Design
approach to creation and
support of courses
Simon Cross, Juliette Culver, Nick Freear, Rebecca Galley, Richard Lovelace, Paul Mundin

3. A new learning design methodology 2
Shift from belief-based, implicit approaches
to design-based, explicit approaches
A Research-Based Design
approach to creation and
support of courses
Simon Cross, Juliette Culver, Nick Freear, Rebecca Galley, Richard Lovelace, Paul Mundin

4. A new learning design methodology 2
Shift from belief-based, implicit approaches
to design-based, explicit approaches
A Research-Based Design
approach to creation and
support of courses
Encourages reflective, scholarly practices
Promotes sharing and discussion
Simon Cross, Juliette Culver, Nick Freear, Rebecca Galley, Richard Lovelace, Paul Mundin

5. Definition 3
A methodology for enabling teachers/designers to
make more informed decisions in how they go
about designing learning activities and
interventions, which is pedagogically informed and
makes effective use of appropriate resources and
technologies. This includes the design of resources
and individual learning activities right up to
curriculum-level design. A key principle is to help
make the design process more explicit and
shareable. Learning design as an area of research
and development includes both gathering empirical
evidence to understand the design process, as well
as the development of a range of learning design
resources, tools and activities.

6. Learning design: defining the field
Open Learning Design Methodology
Conole, G. (forthcoming), Designing for learning in an open world, Berlin: Springer

7. Learning design: defining the field
Open Learning Design Methodology
Theory and Related Social and
methodology fields participatory media
Conole, G. (forthcoming), Designing for learning in an open world, Berlin: Springer

8. Learning design: defining the field
Mediating Open Learning Design Methodology Affordances
Artefacts
Theory and Related Social and
methodology fields participatory media
Conole, G. (forthcoming), Designing for learning in an open world, Berlin: Springer

9. Learning design: defining the field
Design representations Communities and
Openness
and tools interactions
Mediating Open Learning Design Methodology Affordances
Artefacts
Theory and Related Social and
methodology fields participatory media
Conole, G. (forthcoming), Designing for learning in an open world, Berlin: Springer

10. Co-evolution of tools and practice
Affordances (Gibson)
All "action possibilities"
latent in an environment…
but always in relation to the
actor and therefore
dependent on their
capabilities.
For instance, a tall tree
offers the affordances of
food for a Giraffe but not a
sheep.

11. Co-evolution of tools and practice

12. Co-evolution of tools and practice
Representation
Communication
Connection
Interactivity
Affordances of
technologies

13. Co-evolution of tools and practice
Representation Preferences
Communication Interests
Connection Skills
Interactivity Context
Affordances of Characteristics
technologies of users

14. Co-evolution of tools and practice
Representation Preferences
Communication Interests
Evolving
practices
Connection Skills
Interactivity Context
Affordances of Characteristics
technologies of users

15. Foundations: Mediating Artefacts
Vygotsky, Activity Theory

16. Foundations: Mediating Artefacts
Teacher
Vygotsky, Activity Theory

17. Foundations: Mediating Artefacts
Creates Learning activity
Teacher or Resource
Vygotsky, Activity Theory

18. Foundations: Mediating Artefacts
Creates Learning activity
Teacher or Resource Has an Design
inherent
Vygotsky, Activity Theory

19. Foundations: Mediating Artefacts
Creates Learning activity
Teacher or Resource Has an Design
inherent
Other teachers and learners
can use or repurpose
Vygotsky, Activity Theory

20. Foundations: Mediating Artefacts
Mediating
Design Mediating Artefacts
Artefacts (MA) 1. Concepts
2. Tools
3. Dialogues
4. Activities
Creates Learning activity
Teacher or Resource Has an Design
inherent
Other teachers and learners
can use or repurpose
Vygotsky, Activity Theory

21. Foundations: Mediating Artefacts
Mediating
Design Mediating Artefacts
Artefacts (MA) 1. Concepts
2. Tools
3. Dialogues
4. Activities
Creates Learning activity
Teacher or Resource Has an Design
inherent
Research focus
What Mediating Artefacts do teachers use?
Other teachers and learners
What Mediating Artefacts can we create to guide
the design process? can use or repurpose
Vygotsky, Activity Theory

22. Visualisations - making design explicit

23. Visualisations - making design explicit
Course map

24. Visualisations - making design explicit
Learning outcomes
Course map

25. Visualisations - making design explicit
Learning outcomes
Course map
Pedagogy profile

26. Visualisations - making design explicit
Learning outcomes
Course map
Pedagogy profile
Course dimensions

27. Visualisations - making design explicit
Learning outcomes
Course map
Pedagogy profile
Course dimensions
Task swimlane

28. Collaboration

29. Collaboration
Design challenge
Create a course in a day!
Carpe diem
2-day design workshop

30. Collaboration
Design challenge
Create a course in a day!
Carpe diem
2-day design workshop
Cloudworks
Space to share and discuss

31. But does it work? Evaluation data
9

32. But does it work? Evaluation data
I find the document quite thought-
provoking, especially as a starting
point in this journey for developing
good understandings
9

33. But does it work? Evaluation data
I find the document quite thought-
provoking, especially as a starting
point in this journey for developing
good understandings
It is iterative and so
helps with ironing out
any issues
9

34. But does it work? Evaluation data
I find the document quite thought-
provoking, especially as a starting
point in this journey for developing
good understandings
It is iterative and so
helps with ironing out
any issues
I could understand the
learning design process
and would feel able to
use this when designing
some learning activities
9

35. Questions
 What would a coherent learning design language
look like and how might it be shared?
 What other Mediating Artefacts do we need to develop to
enable learners and teachers make more effective use of
technologies to support learning? What are the different ways
in which learning interventions can be represented?
 How can we foster a global network and Community of
Practice to enable learners and teachers to share and discuss
learning and teaching ideas?
 What tools do we need to guide design practice, visualise
designs and provide a digital environment for learners and
teachers to share and discuss?
10

36. Questions
 What are the implications and likely impact of social
and participatory media for education and how can
they be harnessed more effectively to support
learning?
 What will be the impact of new emergent
technologies on the stakeholders involved in
education?
 What new pedagogies are emerging as a result of
these new technologies?What are the implications for
learners, teachers and institutions of new social and
participatory media?
11

37. Questions
 How will the processes of supporting learning
(design, delivery, support and assessment) change
as a result of new technologies?
 What social exclusion issues are arising with the
increased use of new technologies? How can we
promote more socially inclusive practices?
 How are Open Educational Resources being design,
used and repurposed?
 What are the implications for formal institutions of
the increasingly availability of free resources, tools
and even total educational offerings, such as
Massive Online Open Courses

12

38. Questions
 What digital literacy skills do learners and teachers
need to make effective use of these technologies
and resources? To what extent are they evident and
how can they be developed?
 How are the ways in which learners and teachers
communicate and collaborate changing with the use
of these technologies?
 How can we create effective new digital learning
environments to promote the use of social and
participatory media and OER?
 How can informal learning using OER be assessed
and accredited?

13

39.  What kinds of policy directives are in place to
promote social inclusion through the use of OER and
how effective are they?
 What new methodologies and theoretical
perspectives will be needed to address these
research questions and to interpret the findings?
14

40. Next steps
 A map of current learning design research
 A refined set of research questions
 Development of visualisations and tools
 Consolidate existing resources and activities
 DesignNet: towards a global network of learning design
researchers
15

41. URLs
• http://robwall.ca/2009/03/10/creativity-is-the-new-technology/
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvIQP-EBPqc
• http://vimeo.com/3365942
• http://blogs.hbr.org/video/2010/05/andrew-klavan-on-
how-21st-cent.html
• Questionmark http://www.flickr.com/photos/crystaljingsr/
3914729343/