Designing engaging courses in the Digital Age

Mari Cruz García

Current context in HE ?

Technology supports new delivery models and pedagogical approaches: blended and distance learning, flipped classroom, formal and informal learning, etc.

Economic pressure and unprecedented competition

(Internationalisation, new niche and segment markets, lack of

resources)

Challenges for academic staff: are they ready to embed digital literacies in their modules? Is innovate teaching valued as a scholarly activity?

Leaners expectations: personalisation, flexibility, interactivity, ubiquity and

accessibility of learning

Postgraduate and undergraduate programmes

Key factors to consider

Online course

Pedagogical ModelAccessibility and inclusion

Online designTechnology

Facilitators (academic and support staff)

Role of learners

• How can the course’s aims and learning outcomes be embedded in the activities and course topics?

• Who are our students?

• How do the learning activities set the digital narrative of the course/module?

• Synchronous or asynchronous activities?

• Assessment strategy: Formative, summative or peer assessment?

1) Pedagogical modelModule

aims

Learning outcome

sStructure

(topics)

Activity

Resource

2) Accessibility and inclusionUniversal design for learning (UDL) as a development framework

Choice of formats to support different learning needs

Accessibility guidelines: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) 2.0 (September 2015), Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA)

Multiculturalism: Learning materials should reflect the diversity of our students

3) Online design

Matching University/College/

School branding

Simple and straightforward

Content

Copyright legislation and creative

commons licenses

Interactivity Theme

Share! (Release, reuse, repurpose)

o Project Management is king: define clear roles, responsibilities, timelines and deliverables

o Define a clear assessment strategy : criteria, grade ranges, plagiarism detection rates and actions, quality and quantity of feedback

o New delivery models (e.g. blended learning, distance learning) should be seen as an opportunity for innovative teaching and educational research

o QA procedures to standardise the development of new online modules (course format, online design and educational resources)

o Evaluation and programme reviews: capturing and sharing accurate feedback from learners and staff

4) Facilitators

5) Involving learners as creators of content

Transforming

assignments into

exciting game-based

tasks (Gamification)

Connecting learningexperiences across

locations, times, and technologies

(Seamless Learning)

Supporting sharing of

progress and active

project-based learning

(Flipped Classroom)

6) TechnologyCan the software/web technology support:

Any learning environment (Moodle, Blackboard, Canvas)?

MOOC platforms (Coursera, FutureLearn)?

Alternative publishing formats for assistive technologies ?

Any browser and OS (iOS, Windows, Linux?)

Low-speed internet connections?

Tablets and mobile phones?

o The technology should support the pedagogical model

o PLE as a choice of web-based technologies in opposition to a central VLE

o Open Source technologies and open source standards to facilitate interoperability

o Open Educational Resources (release, reuse, repurpose)

6) Technology

Take away messages:o Educational scaffolding: Tutors are ´architects of learning´ who

work in collaboration with ´builders´ (digital experts/content developers). Students bring the furniture/decoration.

o We need to promote active learning versus passive learning

o We need to develop meaningful activities, not meaningless interactions