Learning Design aims to provide tools and information to support a student-centered approach to qualification and module design. It introduces a consistent design process to help teams create cost-effective, high-quality offerings that engage students. The tools include a Module Map, Activity Planner, and Performance View to visualize the design and assess costs and outcomes from the student perspective. An interim solution will provide online and Excel versions of the tools to enhance the design process, with a full integrated system to follow.

1. Learning Design
(née Curriculum Business Models)

2. Aim
To aid the qualification and module design
process by providing a set of tools and
information sets that support a student-
activity based approach

3. Drivers for change
• New technologies, pedagogies and flexible models of delivery are
making the design and production of qualifications more complex,
however there are no practical tools which support the development
of cost effective, sustainable, interesting and engaging learning
• A changing HE context means the university will need to be able to
respond more quickly, more effectively and continue to deliver high
levels of quality
• There is no existing framework for validation (QA) and verification
(QC) to assure ‘quality’ of pedagogical design and build
• The process of module/ qualification design and specification is
inconsistent across the CAUs and best practice is not well shared
• Current design focus can often be centred on content and delivery
rather than student experience

4. How LD supports
curriculum processes
"I found the pictures/diagrams an especially helpful way of 'seeing' the module [and]
make me think about all sorts of aspects of the current module which I wouldn't have
done before (am sure I would probably have only thought about the academic content!)
But 'seeing' the assessment patterns, the different types of task we ask the students to
engage with really made the module come to life and definitely presented it from a
student's point of view”
Module Team Chair, 2011
• Introduces a consistent, structured design, specification and review process
to support the new approvals process
• Provides a set of simple tools which help teams understand and design
qualification and modules, and the relationships between them
• Reveals the costs and performance outcomes of design decisions
• Puts the learning journey at the heart of the design process
• Enables the sharing of best practice
• Supports faculty teams in choosing and integrating a range of media,
technologies and pedagogies in OU offerings

5. Products
Core design representations Support for design
• Module Map • LD pack (Box 1&2)
• Activity Planner • Software tools
• Performance View • Website
• Cost Effectiveness View
• IET support process

6. LD in the Stage-gate
process
Incorporate
Investment Governance Qualification Governance
into unit Specification Production
Case decision Life decision
plan End
Specification Withdrawal
Models Learning Design Exemplars
Basic data ‘inherited’ by A student-activity based approach to design. LD High-
qualification and modules tools provide graphical views on design and performing
performance that can be scrutinised, discussed qualifications
and shared. and modules
From Qualification To Module
design and design and
specification specification
Quality enhancement process

7. Development plan
• January 2013 interim solution
• Performance View
• Learning Design pack
• Improved Excel versions of tools
• Module level website and support
• May 2013 interim solution
• “Pretty but unintegrated”
• Enhanced online/Excel versions of Module Activity Profile and
Module Map
• Qualification level versions of Activity Profile, Module Map
(Student Journey Planner) and Performance View
• Agreed data solutions
• Full solution
• Integrated with Stage-gate and data solutions