Learning Design: reflections on a snapshot of the current landscape

The mounting wealth of open and readily available information and the swift evolution of social, mobile and creative technologies warrant a re-conceptualisation of the role of educators: from providers of knowledge to designers of learning. This need is being addressed by a growing trend of research in Learning Design. Responding to this trend, the Art and Science of Learning Design workshop brought together leading voices in the field and provided a forum for discussing its key issues. It focused on three thematic axes: practices and methods, tools and resources, and theoretical frameworks. This paper reviews some definitions of Learning Design and then summarises the main contributions to the workshop. Drawing upon these, we identify three key challenges for Learning Design that suggest directions for future research

A review of ten years of implementation and research in aligning learning design with learning analytics at the Open University UK

There is an increased recognition that learning design drives both student learning experience and quality enhancements of teaching and learning. The Open University UK (OU) has been one of few institutions that have explicitly and systematically captured the designs for learning at a large scale. By applying advanced analytical techniques on large and fine-grained datasets, the OU has been unpacking the complexity of instructional practices, as well as providing conceptual and empirical evidence of how learning design influences student behaviour, satisfaction, and performance. This study discusses the implementation of learning design at the OU in the last ten years, and critically reviews empirical evidence from eight recent large-scale studies that have linked learning design with learning analytics. Four future research themes are identified to support future adoptions of learning design approaches

Learning design Rashomon I – supporting the design of one lesson through different approaches

This paper presents and compares a variety of approaches that have been developed to guide the decision-making process in learning design. Together with the companion Learning Design Rashomon II (Prieto et al., 2013), devoted to existing tools to support the same process, it aims to provide a view on relevant research 20 results in this field. The common thread followed in these two contributions is inspired by Kurosawa’s Rashomon film, which takes multiple perspectives on the same action. Similarly, in this paper, Rashomon I, a lesson on ‘‘Healthy Eating’’ is analysed according to five different approaches, while the Rashomon II paper is used to exemplify the affordances of different tools. For this reason, this paper does not follow the conventional structure of research papers (research question, method, results and discussion), but rather it moves from an introduction providing the rationale for the paper, to a description of the five different approaches to learning design (the 4SPPIces Model, the 4Ts, the e-Design Template, the Design Principles Database and the Design Narrative) and then to a discussion of their 30 similarities and differences to inform the choice of potential users

Analytics in online and offline language learning environments: the role of learning design to understand student online engagement

Language education has a rich history of research and scholarship focusing on the effectiveness of learning activities and the impact these have on student behaviour and outcomes. One of the basic assumptions in foreign language pedagogy and CALL in particular is that learners want to be able to communicate effectively with native speakers of their chosen language. Combining principles of learning analytics and Big Data with learning design, this study used a student activity based taxonomy adopted by the Open University UK to inform module design. The learning designs of four introductory and intermediary language education modules and online engagement of 2111 learners were contrasted using weekly learning design data. In this study, we aimed to explore how learning design decisions made by language teachers influenced students’ engagement in the VLE. Using fixed effect models, our findings indicated that 55% of variance of weekly online engagement in these four modules was explained by the way language teachers designed weekly learning design activities. Our learning analytics study highlights the potential affordances for CALL researchers to use the power of learning design and big data to explore and understand the complexities and dynamics of language learning for students and teachers

Sociomaterial perspective of learning design practice and Its implications on learning design software development

Research in Learning Design (LD), a subfield of Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL), aims to enable teachers to design and share pedagogically informed teaching ideas that make effective use of technology to enhance learning. LD is a widely researched field with numerous LD tools and LD approaches. However, despite its richness, there are several challenges to be addressed, including the low adoption of a plethora of LD tools that do not meet adequately the requirements of HE lecturers and practitioners. The thesis presents a sociomaterial design framework and design principles for LD tools to fill the gap between the Learning Design Practice (LD-P) of HE lecturers and existing LD tools and LD approaches. Design-Based Research (DBR) was employed as the primary paradigm and method in this thesis. A sociomaterial design framework was developed and the design principles for LD tools were derived through iterative design phases of DBR: analysis, development, two cycles of testing and reflection. The study was structured as follows. An extensive analysis of the LD field, existing LD approaches and LD tools, their weaknesses, strengths, and challenges are presented in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 presents the methodological design details of the thesis. The open issues and challenges are further explored from experts’ perspective using interview protocol, and from HE lecturers’ perspective via a survey in Chapter 4 and Chapter 5, respectively. The findings from Chapter 2, Chapter 4, and Chapter 5 helped to triangulate data that constituted the foundation-stones for a sociomaterial design framework and verified the need for introducing a new conceptual framework. In Chapter 6, an analysis of the LD-P of the experts from the sociomaterial perspective is presented, whilst an analysis of HE lecturers’ LD-P from a sociomaterial perspective is presented in Chapter 7. Chapter 8 presents the novel sociomaterial design framework and uses it to examine available LD tools and LD approaches. Chapter 9presents points of overlap and misalignments and design principles derived from the analysis of Chapter 8 and also it presents the sample implementation of the design principles. Finally, Chapter 10 gives a summary and findings of this thesis, thesis contributions and directions for future works

Supporting and representing Learning Design with digital tools: in between guidance and flexibility

Producción CientíficaThe research field of Learning Design (LD) has been active for some time now, but several questions remain open for the scientific community. In particular, the article tackles issues that have been core concerns in LD over the years: (1) how to support the different phases of the LD process; (2) what representations should be used in the various steps; and (3) to what extent should digital LD tools be structured or flexible, either guiding the teacher/designer or leaving them free to pursue their own design path and style. The authors investigated these open questions through an LD tool called the Pedagogical Planner. This tool has been evaluated in authentic contexts with the goal of providing input for the ongoing debate. Evaluation has focused on the perceptions and actual usage by teachers, generating significant evaluative data to be used as a spur for further reflection on LD.Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (Project TIN2017-85179-C3-2-R)Junta de Castilla y León (Project VA257P18)European Commission (Project grant 588438-EPP-1-2017-1-EL-EPPKA2-KA

Examining the designs of computer-based assessment and its impact on student engagement, satisfaction, and pass rates

Many researchers who study the impact of computer-based assessment (CBA) focus on the affordances or complexities of CBA approaches in comparison to traditional assessment methods. This study examines how CBA approaches were configured within and between modules, and the impact of assessment design on students’ engagement, satisfaction, and pass rates. The analysis was conducted using a combination of longitudinal visualisations, correlational analysis, and fixed-effect models on 74 undergraduate modules and their 72,377 students. Our findings indicate that educators designed very different assessment strategies, which significantly influenced student engagement as measured by time spent in the virtual learning environment (VLE). Weekly analyses indicated that assessment activities were balanced with other learning activities, which suggests that educators tended to aim for a consistent workload when designing assessment strategies. Since most of the assessments were computer-based, students spent more time on the VLE during assessment weeks. By controlling for heterogeneity within and between modules, learning design could explain up to 69% of the variability in students’ time spent on the VLE. Furthermore, assessment activities were significantly related to pass rates, but no clear relation with satisfaction was found. Our findings highlight the importance of CBA and learning design to how students learn online

Investigación basada en el diseño de Co-CrehAs: co-creación de material educativo adaptado a alumnos de alta capacidad para mejorar su motivación

This study defines a process for co-creating educational materials (Co-CrehAs) which aims to improve the motivation of high-ability students, where not only do the students themselves participate, but so too their teachers and family. from the process defined here, a software platform, (also called Co-CrehAs), has been developed. This platform includes AdapthAs; the adaptation model that considers the numerous variables for these students. To develop CoCrehAs, a case study implementing five experiences was carried out using design-based Research (dbR) methodology. The results of the MSLQ-44 test (Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire) showed that the self-efficacy, selfregulation, use of cognitive strategies and intrinsic value aspects of motivation improved throughout the experiences. It was observed that Co-CrehAs and the use of AdapthAs helped high ability students focus on co-creating and group work since “assessment anxiety” diminished as the students went through the experiences. The results obtained allow us to see that co-creating educational materials that are adapted to the needs of high ability students helps them improve their overall motivation in the learning processEste estudio define un proceso de co-creación de materiales educativos (Co-CrehAs) que tiene como objetivo mejorar la motivación de los alumnos con altas capacidades, donde no solo participan los propios alumnos, sino también sus profesores y familiares. A partir del proceso definido aquí, se ha desarrollado una plataforma de software (también llamada Co-CrehAs). Esta plataforma incluye AdapthAs; el modelo de adaptación que considera las numerosas variables para estos alumnos. Para desarrollar Co-CrehAs, se llevó a cabo un estudio de caso implementando cinco experiencias utilizando la metodología de Investigación basada en diseño (dbR). Los resultados de la prueba MSLQ-44 (Cuestionario de estrategias motivadas para el aprendizaje) mostraron que la autoeficacia, la autorregulación, el uso de estrategias cognitivas y los aspectos de valor intrínseco de la motivación mejoraron a lo largo de las experiencias. Se observó que los Co-CrehAs y el uso de AdapthAs ayudaron a los estudiantes de alta capacidad a concentrarse en la creación conjunta y el trabajo en grupo, ya que la "ansiedad de evaluación" disminuyó a medida que los estudiantes pasaban por las experiencias. Los resultados obtenidos permiten comprobar que la cocreación de materiales didácticos adaptados a las necesidades de los alumnos de alta capacidad les ayuda a mejorar su motivación global en el proceso de aprendizaj

Tracing the creation and evaluation of accessible Open Educational Resources through learning analytics

The adoption of Open Educational Resources (OER) has been continuously growing and with it the need to addressing the diversity of students’ learning needs. Because of that, OER should meet with characteristics such as the web accessibility and quality. Thus, teachers as the creators of OER need supporting tools and specialized competences. The main contribution of this thesis is a Learning Analytics Model to Trace the Creation and Evaluation of OER (LAMTCE) considering web accessibility and quality. LAMTCE also includes a user model of the teacher’s competences in the creation and evaluation of OER. Besides that, we developed ATCE, a learning analytics tool based on the LAMTCE model. Finally, it was carried out an evaluation conducted with teachers involving the use of the tool and we found that the tool really benefited teachers in the acquisition of their competences in creation and evaluation of accessible and quality OER.La adopción de Recursos Educativos Abiertos (REA) ha ido en aumento y con ello la necesidad de abordar la diversidad de necesidades de aprendizaje de los estudiantes. Por ello, los REA deben cumplir con características tales como la accesibilidad web y la calidad. Así, los profesores como los creadores de REA necesitan de herramientas de soporte y competencias especializadas. La principal contribución de la tesis es el modelo LAMTCE, un modelo de analíticas de aprendizaje para hacer seguimiento a la creación y evaluación de REA considerando la accesibilidad web y la calidad. LAMTCE también incluye un modelo de usuario de las competencias del profesor en creación y evaluación de REA. Además, se desarrolló ATCE, una herramienta de analíticas de aprendizaje que está basada en el modelo LAMTCE. Finalmente, se llevó a cabo un estudio con profesores involucrando el uso de la herramienta encontrando que ésta realmente benefició a los profesores en la adquisición de sus competencias en creación y evaluación de REA accesibles y de calidad