Viewpoints is a project that aims to simplify the course design process and put learners at the center. They create reflective tools to help staff design courses from the learner's perspective. Their tools will ask questions about learners and use the responses to provide prompts and feedback to help plan better course documents. This focuses on key issues like understanding the student cohort to tailor courses to today's learners. The output can then be used to inform course redesign or revalidation and to provide information to students.

1. ABOUT VIEWPOINTS
At Viewpoints, we believe that learners should be at the heart of teaching and learning. But how
does this apply when designing a course?
Viewpoints, a JISC-funded project in the University of Ulster, are creating a series of simple, user-
friendly reflective tools for staff to use, promoting and enhancing good curriculum design.
All our services aim to simplify the course design process, bringing key curriculum information and
prompts together in a simple, succinct way. Our tools and workshops will help staff think about
course development from a fresh new perspective - putting the learner firmly at the centre of any
course.
WHAT WE CAN DO FOR YOU
Viewpoints can help staff develop any part of a course - from re-working a module, right up to new
course design or course revalidation level.
We help you to figure out what's important to your course, zooming in on areas such as assessment
and feedback, resources and information management, communities, teaching and learning and
module pathways. We also help you focus on different key points in the student life cycle - from
induction to course completion - and consider how these might affect students' learning experiences.
Above all, we help to focus attention on a course from the student perspective.
HOW IT WILL WORK
We will ask staff some simple questions about learners or learning perspectives. Based on these
responses, they will be given some prompts and feedback that will help them plan and create better
course documents.
Tools like the Student Profiler will focus on key issues, such as: who exactly are your students? What
cohort issues (such as size of group, academic issues, etc.) might affect the course and how it is
designed or delivered?
The output documents from Viewpoints sessions will let staff reflect on and plan their curricula from
a new perspective, helping them to tailor courses to the needs of today's learners. These outputs can
also be used to inform students about their particular course.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Viewpoints project - http://viewpointsproject.blogspot.com
Dr Alan Masson Fiona Doherty Karen Virapen
Project Director Instructional Technologist Instructional Technologist
aj.masson@ulster.ac.uk fp.doherty@ulster.ac.uk k.virapen@ulster.ac.uk