Learn

ing D

esi

gn

Rachel Ellaway (ACETS)

Learn

ing D

esi

gn

Learning DesignIdeas from Scotland and the North X4L

John Casey (L2L)

Learn

ing D

esi

gn

Learning can be designed

Learning is causal

Learning is individual

Learning is a product that can be delivered

Learning is separate from any other dimension of human activity

Learning is the same as teaching

We all know what we are doing

Some myths …

Learn

ing D

esi

gn

What is Learning Design? o IMS specification vs general conceptso notation language for teaching activitieso really about teaching designo rather abstract yet still algorithmico a way of recording the ‘choreography’ of the

people, resources and online services etc involved in learning activities

o therefore heavily metaphorically structured - metaphors are useful but limited - they can both liberate and constrain thinking

Learning Design

Learn

ing D

esi

gn

Learning Design Elements

• Objectives and prerequisites

• Triggers

• Persons and roles

• Learning and Support Activities

• Environments and/or scenarios

• Tool, knowledge and/or test objects

• Search, communicate and/or announce services

Learn

ing D

esi

gn

• There is a gap between current teaching practice and Learning Design

• Current practice iso Deeply contextualisedo Embedded in institutional environments

(literally built into the bricks) o Content delivery oriented dominated [1]o Difficult to abstract and therefore reflect upono Emergent, performed and adaptive

Learning Design

Learn

ing D

esi

gn

• This gap between current practice and Learning Design is our ‘problem space

• Mapping and crossing the problem space• Should we doing this?• Who should do it? • In which direction?• Validation, transparency, re-use issues?• How, at what level?

Learning Design

Learn

ing D

esi

gn

• Characteristics of the problem space• Teachers find it difficult to conceptualise,

communicate and share their pedagogic strategies. [2]

• Lack of training in HE & FE to support this type of activity

• Is Learning Design is too abstract for everyday use?

• Where does LD fit in to the bigger picture - why bother?

Learning Design

Learn

ing D

esi

gn

• Suggested areas for attention• developing a well-structured expressions of teaching

designs in ‘plain-english’ [3], [4] and use of graphical formats [2], [5]

• we should also be investigating:o using design patterns [1], [6] o using artefacts or fragments as ‘boundary objects’ [7]o innovative ways of capturing teaching expertiseo What happens when we do thiso testing LDs for completeness, representativeness and

vaildity

Learning Design

Learn

ing D

esi

gn

We should be prepared for surprises!o Learning Design (instructivist ?) is colliding

with the constructivist philosophies of the higher educational sector

o Received orthodoxies are being challenged in both camps. (see the Don Morrison slides about changes in ID at http://www.morrisonco.com/speaking.htm)

o Teaching practices and learning communities are evolving at this interface

o how - who wins?

Learning Design

Learn

ing D

esi

gn

Benefits of tackling the LD problem area: 

o addresses the human infrastructure requirements which is of critical importance to e-learning development

o simplifies and bridges the educational and the technical and can be incorporated into staff development activities

o benefits in terms of developing reflective practice, pedagogical interoperability and learning design skills

o empowers teachers and others to deal more effectively with media designers and technical staff and with teachers from other cognate disciplines

o introduces and makes possible reuse and sharing of pedagogic strategies in the ‘analogue’ world without requiring a large technical capital investment

o better accountability, audit and transparency - for staff and students

Learning Design

Learn

ing D

esi

gn

Hazards of tackling the LD problem area: 

o Red herring - no practical useo Diversion of time and resourceso Over-simplification and homogenisation of teachingo LD metaphor breaks in practiceo Balancing tech with traditional f2fo Transfer of power and control away from teacherso Managerial control - audit economieso Desensitised contextso Squashes improvisation and creativityo Mono-modal approach - if not in LD then not at allo Hidden curricula issues

Learning Design

Learn

ing D

esi

gn

So, what next?

Learning Design

Learn

ing D

esi

gn

[1] Koper, R. 2003. Combining reusable learning resources and services with pedagogical purposeful units of learning. In Reusing Online Resources: a sustainable approach to e-learning. Ed. Littlejohn, A. Kogan Page, London.

[2] Littlejohn, A 2003. An incremental approach to staff development in the reuse of learning resources. In Reusing Online Resources: a sustainable approach to e-learning. Ed. Littlejohn, A. Kogan Page, London.

[3] Ellaway, R Semistructured Language article released through CETIS

[4] Beetham, H. 2004. Review of developing e-learning models for the JISC practitioner communities version 2.1. http://www.jisc.ac.uk/elearning_pedagogy.html

[5] Conole, C, et al 2003. Use and reuse of digital images. In Reusing Online Resources: a sustainable approach to e-learning. Ed. Littlejohn, A. Kogan Page, London

[6] Bartolucci, S. et al 2003. E-LEN project: Working towards an e-learning design pattern language. In Learning Technology, October 2003. http://lttf.ieee.org/learn_tech/issues.html

Learning Design