Design and development of a large Business School core interdisciplinary unit to foster blended learning during the pandemic

Abstract

The paper provides a process and design overview of a large Master of Commerce unit (from hereon referred to as 'The Unit') at a University in Australia. The skills flowing from a creative and analytical mindset have been noted as crucial in the future. The Unit develops these two mindsets as complimentary by taking a multidisciplinary approach to curriculum design. By outlining the theoretical frameworks applied in the curriculum design and development and the approaches to teaching and learning, especially during the Pandemic, it is hoped that other academics and learning design teams will be able to draw inspiration that they can apply to their contexts. It is possible that the challenges that have arisen during this process may be applicable and have been experienced by other teaching teams in higher education institutions and certainly during the emergence of online learning during the Pandemic. This paper first discusses the approach we took in the curriculum design, informed by the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Principles and Biggs' 3P's model of teaching and learning. The paper then focuses on design principles utilised to create the online learning management system for students.

Effectiveness of the Capacity Development Programme on the Creation of IMFUNDO Modules by the University Teachers

“…These programmes were created within the Faculty by means of the incorporation of technology in the curriculum, and constructive alignment. This argument supports Razeed (2021), who stated that it is believed that in explaining the theoretical frameworks used in curriculum design and development, as well as teaching and learning methodologies, other academics and instructional design teams would be afforded the ability to draw inspiration, which could be applied in their own contexts. The researcher can argue that when the initial COVID-19 pandemic lockdown restrictions were implemented at national level, as the instructional designer in the Faculty of A, she was actively engaged in the curriculum integration and interactive IMFUNDO modules redesign.…”

Effectiveness of LMS Digital Tools Used by the Academics to Foster Students’ Engagement

“…It was imperative that during the design phase, constructive alignment be emphasized so as not to deviate when developing the LMS module. Razeed and Werkhoven [34] argued that, based on the course's overall objectives, each topic should have its own set of learning outcomes. Simelane-Mnisi [35] emphasized that constructive alignment with the authorized curriculum design should be adhered to in an online module.…”

“…In terms of Implementation 2, it was found that the majority (90.5%) of the academics agreed that the learning activities on the LMS motivated students to interact and engage. It was imperative that academics develop online materials that encouraged students to be actively engaged with online tasks that instilled creativity by developing creative ideas and problem-solving [34]. The results revealed that in Implementation 3, the majority (93.1%) of the academics agreed that they presented online lectures/online classes/live lecturers' webinars on Collaborate/Zoom/Google Meets.…”

“…It was discovered that the assessment tools applied by the academics comprised grade centers, assignments, assessments, and Microsoft Forms. The application of these assessment tools supports the development of online assessment activities that encourage a student-centered approach [34]. Peer or self-evaluation systems and relevant feedback are some of the tools that can be used to increase students' engagement [6].…”

“…It was found in this study that the LMS assessment tools were applied with different assessment types, such as the assessment as, for and of learning, formative assessment, and formative and summative assessment [42]. Several studies that investigated the effective use of LMS applied formative and summative assessment [34,37]. Assessments are conducted to support learning, enhance learning, certify students, and determine prior knowledge [41].…”