33
Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement Rebecca Galley Open University (UK), Dr Phil Alberts and Natalie Parnis Brunel University Maria Papaefthimiou, University of Reading

Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

Embed Size (px)

DESCRIPTION

Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement. Rebecca Galley Open University (UK), Dr Phil Alberts and Natalie Parnis Brunel University Maria Papaefthimiou , University of Reading. Project aims. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Citation preview

Page 1: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

Designing the curriculum: from innovation to

enhancement

Rebecca Galley Open University (UK), Dr Phil Alberts and Natalie Parnis Brunel UniversityMaria Papaefthimiou, University of Reading

Page 2: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

“Specifically, we need to shift from the traditional craft-based teacher-design (where design draws on belief-based practice and is essentially implicit) to a more systematic, explicit design approach, drawing on empirically derived and validated tools and methods for design”.

Conole (2010)

Project aims

Page 3: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

• a conscious process

• a dialogue with materials

• a creative process• a communicative

process• a social activity

Key aspects: Design as...

juhansonin http://www.flickr.com/photos/juhansonin/2250554147/

Page 4: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

How, when and who with?

The OULDI project sees ‘learning design’ as an all encompassing term to cover the process, representation, sharing and evaluation of designs from lower level activities, right up to whole curriculum level designs.

We are interested in providing support for the entire design process; from gathering and sketching out initial ideas, through consolidating, producing and using designs, to sharing, reuse and community engagement.

Page 5: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

Scope...

• Workshops• Recruiting

champions• Facilitation/

mentoring• Guidance materials• Communities and

networks• Case studies

• Detailed curriculum process mapping and feedback

• Identification of process ‘touch points’

• Engagement in curriculum process review

• Recruiting and training support units

to support and influence shifts in professional practice and institutional process

Page 6: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

Implementing change

Establish a sense of urgency

Create a vision

Communicate the vision

Empower others to act on the vision

Institutionalise the new

approaches

Consolidate improvement

and keep change moving

Plan for and create short term

wins

Kotter’s 8-step change model http://www.kotterinternational.com/KotterPrinciples/ChangeSteps.aspx retrieved Feb 25, 2011

Recruiting champions

Workshops

Facilitation and mentoring

Guidance materials

Communities and networks

Case studies

Curriculum process mapping and feedback

Identification of process ‘touch points’

Curriculum design process review

Recruiting and training support units

Form a powerful guiding coalition

Page 7: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

Evidencing and communicating impact

Awareness

Effects on student learning

Individual Practice Institutional Process

Curriculum maps

Focus groups

Process documents

Staff surveys

Interviews

Process documents

Curriculum maps

Staff surveys

Workshop feedback

Workshop mid-term surveys

Interviews

Student satisfaction

Student satisfaction

Case studies

Designs and representations

Reactions

Application

Engagement

Learn and develop

Page 8: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

Aims of Brunel’s Learning Design Initiative

• Blending face-to-face teaching with e-learning within the context of student needs, the programme, the teaching style of the lecturer and available technologies

• Encouraging lecturing staff to think profoundly about the best blend at the initial stages of the design process

• Detailed consideration of pedagogic principles in programme design

Page 9: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

Mapping the Curriculum Design & Review processes

Use of Soft Systems Methodology (SSM)

Learning Design Initiative

Cloudworks Social Networking site for Learning & Teaching

Learning Design Tools : Cloudworks & Compendium LDBlended Learning Design

Workshops

A visualisation map (using Compendium LD) of a new course designed during the workshop by one of the Business School Teams

Brunel University

Compendium LD Learning Design Visualisation Tool

‘A process of enquiry that leads to action’ to enhance the situation (Rosenhead & Mingers (2002))

Page 10: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

Blended Learning Design Workshops

Purpose: Introduce staff to a new methodology for learning design, providing support and guidance for creating blended learning modules / learning activities

Objectives1. Awareness of range of resources / tools / methods available

to support learning design 2. Experience of thinking about the blended design process

from different perspectives3. Transferring the experience gained from the design

challenge to participants’ own context

Page 11: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

Scope…

Course design teams were given the opportunity to reflect on the design of their programmes and their personal design practice

Page 12: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

Workshop Recommendations

• Organise workshops at times when School teams are developing or modifying a programme to allow the workshop activities to be more focussed on the development of the programme.

• Retain the format of the workshop components that the participants found most useful, namely:– The opportunity to ‘try out’ more creative or unorthodox

ideas – Working with colleagues on an activity – Having support staff on-hand to answer questions– Learning about support and advisory services at Brunel

• Follow the teams up after a workshop

Page 13: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

Curriculum Mapping @ Brunel

Aim

To review existing curriculum processes at Brunel to discover how best to ensure in-depth consideration of technologies during quality approval and review; namely the ‘Programme Approval, Review, Monitoring and Audit’ processes.

Page 14: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

Method

Adaptation of Soft System Methodology

Source documents and semi-structured interviews, to identify ‘touch points’ within Brunel’s quality life cycle - for the provision of consultation to staff in relation to blended learning

Curriculum Mapping @ Brunel

Page 15: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

Brunel’s Adaptation of SSM

Define project requirement

Define project requirement 1.

1.

2.

3. 4.

Compare models with real-world

processes

Compare models with real-world

processes

Define possible changes which

are both desirable and

feasible

Define possible changes which

are both desirable and

feasible

Recommend action plan to

areas for improvement

Recommend action plan to

areas for improvement

5.

6.

7.

Real World

Systems Thinking about the Real

WorldBuild revised visual model to reflect proposed systems

Build revised visual model to reflect proposed systems

Express current situation

Express current situation

Formulate definition of

proposed systems

Formulate definition of

proposed systems

2.

3. 4.

Page 16: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

Data Gathering Approach

Semi-structured interviews with stakeholders

Institutional Level Pro Vice Chancellor for Student Experience Director of Academic Programme DevelopmentSenior Assistant Registrar for Quality and StandardsAdministrative Officer in Quality & Standards School & Programme Level5 Deputy Heads (Learning & Teaching)3 Programme LeadersModule Level2 Module Leaders

Page 17: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

Mapping the Current System

Page 18: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

Proposed ‘Touchpoints’

Page 19: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

Recommendations... • Establish the principle of design teamwork within School

context

• Involve the Learning Technology Team in the provision of guidance and advice to programme teams within Schools

• More detail in relation to innovation, creativity and delivery in the design strategy document (for approval purposes)

• More detailed section on alternatives for course delivery within the module specification outline

• Offer induction sessions and workshops on any aspect of the curriculum process, as well as resources

Page 20: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

• Schools to invite their Learning Technology adviser to participate in the annual monitoring process, or alternatively make reports available to the person

• Schools to invite their Learning Technology adviser to be an observer during their Academic Process Review events, or be involved in preparation for it, or alternatively make reports available to the person

• Strengthen the communication channels between the course development teams in Schools and their Learning Technology advisers

Recommendations…(Cont)

Page 21: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

OULDI @ Brunel project website

http://www.brunel.ac.uk/about/acad/apdu/researchprojects/ouldi

Page 22: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

Project AimsUniversity of Reading

• Does the Learning Design methodology promote thinking, reflection and discussion

• Do representations and visualisations of courses or modules promote sharing and collaboration?

• Does a Learning Design approach meet academic needs in a changing context (e.g. feedback, managing workload etc)?

Page 23: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

How?

• Change process– Research culture– Bottom up– Champions

• Selection of pilots

Page 24: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

Selection

• Identifying academics– Championing technology, innovations in teaching

• School e-L coordinators, Directors of T&L– New enthusiastic staff

• engaged in a project/committed to a project• PGCAP• Reward

– Identified a particular area for engagement with each.

Page 25: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

Collecting evidence

• Encouraging thinking and reflection – Reflective account proforma around evaluation questions sent to pilots

• Case study proforma– to present evidence collected by project– gaps

• Interviews– semi-structured

Page 26: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

Case Studies

• Following workshop participants• Following individuals academics

Page 27: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

Angela

• Angela (Workshop participant)– Used tools on her own– Communicating course

designs to stakeholders using visualisations• colleagues teaching

the same course• learners

Page 28: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

Joe

• Visualisations aid the thinking process of the course team– Framework to refine

existing design practice– Focus minds of staff on

key benefits to students– Aided collaboaration– Positive feedback

received from students at the end

Page 29: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

Andrew

• Module redesign to include PBL– Visualisations identified gaps in the design– Promoted thinking and reflection on course design

• Video diaries

Page 30: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

Kleio

• Design of a module that would be delivered by a team of tutors– Identifying the tutors’ different conceptionalisations

– Communicating the teaching concept

– Share understandings about content and process• rather than micro-

management focus is on students learning

– Reflections and evaluations

Page 31: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

Summary of findings

• Thinking, reflection and discussion• Sharing and collaboration• Meeting challenges

Page 32: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

Success Factors

• An existing team work and collaborative ethos within groups of academics teaching together

• Positive attitudes to technology, design and educational innovation

• Levels of pedagogic competence within the school level

• New enthusiastic staff• Championing the use of technology in T&L• Structured Opportunities for course design• Time and resource available to lecturers to invest in

their teaching

Page 33: Designing the curriculum: from innovation to enhancement

Further readingProject blog: http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/OULDI/Reading University (2010) OULDI Pilot Interim Project Update, 32pp Brunel University (2010) OULDI Pilot Interim Project Update, 6ppAlevizou, P., Galley, R. and Conole, G., (forthcoming) Collectivity, performance and self-

representation: Analysing Cloudworks as a public space for networked learning and reflection in Exploring the Theory, Pedagogy and Practice of Networked Learning. Ed. Dirckinck-Holmfeld, L., Hodgson, V. and McConnell, D. London: Springer

Cross, S. and Conole, G. (2008), Learn about learning design, Learn about guides series, The Open University: Milton Keynes, available http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/OULDI/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Learn-about-learning-design_v7.doc

Conole, Grainne (2010). Facilitating new forms of discourse for learning and teaching: harnessing the power of Web 2.0 practices. Open Learning, 25(2), pp. 141–151.

Conole, G. (forthcoming). Designing for learning in an open world. New York: Springer Conole, G. and Jones, C. (2010). ‘Sharing practice, problems and solutions for institutional

change – comparing different forms of representation’. In P. Goodyear and S. Retalis (Eds) Technology-enhanced learning: Design Patterns and Pattern Languages. Rotterdam, The Netherlands.: Sense Publishers B.V.