Understanding the design context for Australian university teachers: implications for the future of learning design

Abstract

Bennett, S.; Kosta, Lisa; Agostinho, S.; Lockyer, L.; Jones, J.; and Harper, B., "Understanding the design context for Australian university teachers: Implications for the future of learning design" (2009 DescriptionBased on the premise that support for university teachers in designing their units will improve teaching and ultimately improve the quality of student learning outcomes, recent interest in the development of tools and strategies has gained momentum. This paper reports on a study that has examined the contexts in which Australian university teachers design in order to understand what role design support tools and strategies could play. It appears that Australian university teachers can exercise a high degree of choice in terms of design, indicating that there may be opportunities for teachers to consider using reusable learning designs. AbstractBased on the premise that support for university teachers in designing their units will improve teaching and ultimately improve the quality of student learning outcomes, recent interest in the development of tools and strategies has gained momentum. This paper reports on a study that has examined the contexts in which Australian university teachers design in order to understand what role design support tools and strategies could play. It appears that Australian university teachers can exercise a high degree of choice in terms of design, indicating that there may be opportunities for teachers to consider using reusable learning designs. IntroductionRecent interest in the development of tools and strategies to support university teachers design their units is based on the premise that such supports will improve teaching and ultimately improve the quality of student learning outcomes. This body of work includes a varied set of related approaches such as online collections that enable teachers to publish, search for and comment on learning and teaching ideas. Examples include the Technology-Supported Learning Database

The use of a visual learning design representation to support the design process of teaching in higher education

“…This is important to know so that we can better understand the contribution that describing practice through the use of a learning design can make to the design process. Findings from recent research is emerging (eg., Bennett et al, 2011;Kali, Goodyear & Markauskaite, 2011) which will further understanding about how university teachers design.…”

Technology tools to support learning design: Implications derived from an investigation of university teachers' design practices

“…Though relatively new, learning design includes a diverse array of activities, with an emphasis on technology-based tools and technical specifications to support the design process and the creation of online repositories to share good design examples and practices (eg. Agostinho, 2011;Conole & Culver, 2009;Hernández-Leo et al, 2006;Laurillard, et al 2013;Masterman & Manton, 2011;McAndrew, Goodyear, & Dalziel, 2006;Koper & Bennett, 2008).…”

Investigating University Educators’ Design Thinking and the Implications for Design Support Tools

“…There was a tendency for participants to work alone on the design of a unit they coordinated, while collaboration tended to occur more at the higher level of program planning. The nature of the context suggests there are opportunities for Australian university academics to innovate in their teaching without significant restrictions on their design decisions (see Bennett et al, 2011 for a detailed explanation).…”

“…These efforts have been complemented by investigations into different ways in which designs can been effectively represented, e.g. see Agostinho, Harper, Oliver, Wills, and Hedberg (2008), Agostinho (2009), Agostinho (2011, Agostinho, Bennett, Lockyer, Jones & Harper (2013); Conole (2013);and McAndrew and Goodyear (2013). Another line of work has sought to understand more about the fundamental design processes educators adopt in an effort to identify the context in which design occurs, the types of decisions that are part of the design process, and where support might be best located (e.g.…”

“…Another line of work has sought to understand more about the fundamental design processes educators adopt in an effort to identify the context in which design occurs, the types of decisions that are part of the design process, and where support might be best located (e.g. Bennett et al, 2011;2015).…”