Learner-Centred Course Design

a role for learner-centred models and

frameworks?

Dr Alan Masson
Head of Technology Facilitated Learning
University of Ulster
 Session overview
1. Introduction
2. Curriculum development issues
3. Viewpoints project overview
– Interactional based principles
– Overview of the workshop process
• Benefits of developed resources
• Benefits of the workshop format
• Q&A / discussion
 Some drivers for change in course
design within HE (UK)

1. Institutional reputation – National Student

Survey / KIS
2. Learners as consumers – value for money
3. Increased competition among course
providers – flexible provision
4. Generational changes in educational and
social expectations / experiences
5. And a lot more……..
 Curriculum Documentation
Focus on outputs:
•Learning outcomes
•Assessment criteria
•Reading lists
•Timetable
•Plus supporting narrative

Provides an overall framework but doesn’t capture

the “essence” of a course for a learner.
Essence (for the learner) – can be

OR
 Viewpoints Project Overview

 Viewpoints is a JISC-funded curriculum design project.

 Its remit is to create a series of user-friendly reflective

workshop tools to promote and enhance effective
curriculum design.

 The tools use a learner timeline with established principles

to help staff consider key interactions of the learning
process (i.e. essence)
 Timeline framework
Guideline intervals are used that can be locally
interpreted (and extended).
i.e. for semester:
•Induction
•First few weeks
•Mid Semester
•Final Phase
Supports course or module perspectives
 Identified Learner Interactions
• Reviewing progress and understanding (Assessment
and Feedback)

• Discovery, consumption and creation of information

(Information Skills)

• Who do they interact with, why and to what “benefit”

(Learner Engagement)

Are there closed lists of principles we can use to describe

these interactions?
Principles to describe these interactions?

Assessment and Feedback – REAP Principles

Information - SCONUL 7 Pillars (extending to

place in a more Digital Literacy context)

Learner engagement - 8 Learning Event Model

(8LEM)
 Assessment and Feedback – REAP
Principles
ADDED VALUE OPPORTUNITY
• Clarify good performance
• Encourage time and effort on For each principle – provide
task examples of effective practice for
• Deliver High quality feedback consideration
• Provide opportunities to act on
feedback
• Encourage interaction and
dialogue
• Develop self assessment and
reflection
• Give assessment choice
• Encourage positive motivational
beliefs
• Inform and shape your teaching
 Information Skills – SCONUL
Pillars
ADDED VALUE OPPORTUNITY
2.Define the task and understand
the topic For each principle – provide
3.Identify appropriate resources examples of effective practice for
4.Search effectively consideration
5.Find and extract information
6.Compare and analyse
information
7.Organise and share information
ethically
8.Interpret information and
create new content
 Learner Interactions – 8LEM
ADDED VALUE OPPORTUNITY
2.Creates For each event –
3.Experiments •who does the learner interact
with?;
4.Imitates
•what levels of feedback the
5.Practices learner could get from each
6.Debates identified “stakeholder?”.
7.Explores
8.Receives stakeholders: self, tutor,
formal group, informal group,
9.Meta-Learns
employer, other
Example workshop “card”
Inform – Inspire - Plan
 Typical workshop format
• Consider key challenges and agree an objective for
the session
• Explore the set of principles provided and choose
those that may help address the objective set
• Map relevant of principles to timeline and prioritise
• Select possible implementation ideas that could
support priority principles
• Review and annotate worksheet with a plan
• Agree any action points and final reflections
Workshop outputs
• Form basis of an
Assessment &
Feedback (or other
theme) strategy
• Provide reference for
future course team
discussions (planning
resource)
• Key information
currently transcribed
into table (Word or
other format)
• Note: online tool to be
developed to capture
structured outputs
 User defined outputs

Outputs can be orderly Or Messy – it’s up to the team

Personalised
outputs
• Annotated
• Easily reviewed and
developed
• Include a planning
aspect
• Act as a focus for futher
conversations
 Workshop experiences to date
Course teams
•Pre-validation – course planning workshops
•Annual course review – course enhancement workshops

Subject teams
•Away days – pedagogic focus workshops

Staff Development
•PGCHEP (Student Centred Learning module)

Students Union
•Development of a course / support environment for course reps
 Benefits of Viewpoints approach
Outputs - valued by course teams

But also

Feedback – workshop process delivered a number

of key benefits for course leaders / subject co-
ordinators (social dimension)

This social dimension – transformational

Viewpoints Resources - creating
an environment for change?
Workshop
Environment
1. Informal room layout sets
tone for activity;
2. Flat surface – people
cluster around worksheet;
3. Tactile resources –
encourage
experimentation /
enquiry;
4. Open and flexible format–
facilitates “ownership”;
5. Customisable resources
and “user interface”–
promotes creativity;
6. Storyboard structure –
focus on low risk
conversations.
Use of action
based principles
• Structured choice
provides support and
promotes reflection;
• Provide a more consistent
meaning v conceptual
entities (i.e lecture);
• Defer decision making re
“how” to end of activity;
• Focus on storyboarding -
encourage a more
dynamic creative process;
• Timeline and principles –
focuses attention on
learner experience.
Benefits observed from
workshops to date
Shared meanings and priorities
Interactive and engaging
Facilitated discussions
Informative and
supporting
Building effective
teams
In a short period of time
through:
•Informal environment
•Establishing shared
meanings and priorities
•Facilitating discussions
and the sharing of ideas
•Consensus building
•Collaborative
development of the
workshop output
 Quotable quotes…………

Curriculum Development / creativity benefits

•“Providing a simple yet comprehensive approach to the

priorities of curriculum planning”

•“A good starting point for the curriculum design and

development”

•“It assists you to step back from the course/module you are
delivering and assessing if it is fit for purpose”
 Quotable quotes…………
Social / communication benefits

•“Improving communication and introducing different ideas”

•“….allowed a range of different opinions from colleagues to

become discussed in an open forum, to enable the team to
take stock of what elements of the current course to retain
and which ones to reform or innovate”

•“Getting people together to consider what needs to be done

next, even if that’s not part of the prescribed process”
 Quotable quotes…………

Learner perspective benefits

•“The workshop appears to put the ‘experience of the learner’ at

the forefront of discussion which inherently drives the workshop
along that perspective – a good trick when working with a room
full of jaded and cynical lecturers who all too often think that, in
the first instance, there is ‘always something wrong’ with the
students”
 Summary
Learner-centred models and frameworks (such
as the Viewpoints tools) appear to:
•Promote reflection and raise awareness of key
learning opportunities;
•Promote creative discussion and sharing of
ideas;
•Focus attention on the learner experience;
•Help course teams to reach consensus about
key objectives and strategies.
 Q&A….. More Information
Viewpoints Project
•http://viewpointsproject.blogspot.com/
•http://www.flickr.com/photos/viewpointsproject/

Resources downloadable from:

http://www.slideshare.net/Viewpoints/

E-mail: aj.masson@ulster.ac.uk