Overview
In Design for Learning, you will study learning design principles and processes within the context of tertiary and adult education. You will have the opportunity to critically analyse and reflect on evidence and/or experiences of a previous unit offering to inform ongoing curriculum improvements. On successful completion, you will have prepared a range of learning design artefacts that underpin a new, or redesigned unit of study. These artefacts will adhere to workplace quality and/or accreditation requirements and ultimately inform a unit profile and a Learning Management System presence. You may prepare these artefacts for a unit of your choosing.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Pre-req = OLTC20003 - Nature of Learning and Teaching or OLTC20005 - Adult Learning in Practice
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2017
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a pass/fail (non-graded) unit. To pass the unit, you must pass all of the individual assessment tasks shown in the table above.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from T1 Unit Evaluations
Moodle site difficult to navigate
Redesign the Moodle site. This has been completed, with no subsequent complaints in T2.
Feedback from T1 & T2 Unit Evaluations
Review weekly materials for grammar and spelling issues.
The materials will be reviewed and re-written to improve readability.
Feedback from T1 Unit Evaluations
Assessment templates weren't made available at start of time preventing some students from moving ahead of schedule
Ensure templates are published at commencement of each term. This was also done in T2 offering.
- Design engaging and challenging units of study that are informed by scholarship
- Analyse the impact that policies, procedures and governance frameworks have on learning design
- Apply the principles of reflective practice to enhance units of study.
N/A
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | |
1 - Written Assessment - 0% | |||
2 - Written Assessment - 0% |
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | |
1 - Knowledge | |||
2 - Communication | |||
3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | |||
4 - Research | |||
5 - Self-management | |||
6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | |||
7 - Leadership | |||
8 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures |
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
1 - Written Assessment - 0% | ||||||||
2 - Written Assessment - 0% |
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- CQU Google Docs
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing styles below:
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
s.richardson@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Learning Design Fundamentals
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Government, Industry and Institutional policy requirements
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Writing Learning Outcomes
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Learning Outcomes for your unit
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Theories of how learning happens
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Designing Challenging and Engaging Learning
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Your Unit Proposal
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Your Learning Design Approach
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Stage 1 of your Learning Design Project
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Stage 2 of your Learning Design Project
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Stage 3 of your Learning Design Project
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Reflection on your unit
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Written Assessment
Assessment Aim
The aim of this assessment is two fold:
- Take you through the initial steps of unit learning design by creating learning design elements that can inform either a new or change unit proposal for internal accreditation.
- Promote a culture of reflective and collegial practice, including giving and receiving feedback.
Assessment Context (Scenario)
Your discipline leader has informed you that there are several current units that need to be redesigned and that they have ideas for a couple of new units. They have asked you to redesign, or design a new one of these units. Which you choose is up to you.To ensure that you prepare a strong proposal that has the best chance of approval through the internal accreditation process, your discipline leader has insisted that you solicit feedback from colleagues throughout your (re)design process. Timelines are tight, and your discipline leader wishes to avoid delays resulting from rejected unit proposals. Thus, feedback from your colleagues will assist in formulating a quality unit proposal.
You will submit your proposal to the reviewer (Unit Coordinator) for approval. Feedback from the reviewer will then inform your preparation of a complete learning design for your chosen unit (in Assessment 2).
Assessment Details
Your first step will be to select a new or existing unit to work with, which you will do in your first two weeks of term. Ideally, your chosen unit will be part of your staff workload allocation and be one that you are able to teach after its development.Your Assessment 1 submission will be a collection of unit design elements as explained below using a Unit Proposal proforma.
Unit Context (100 – 200 words)
Provide a brief overview of the unit you have chosen and its relationship to its course/s of study. Ensure that you include:
- the modes of study possible with this unit (e.g. on-campus, on-campus metropolitan, distance, mixed mode);
- the typical student demographic (e.g. mostly school leavers or partly school leavers and mature age part-time);
- expected student enrolments; and
- teaching resources available (e.g. how many staff and their roles in delivery of the unit).
Rationale for Creation/Change of Unit (100 – 200 words)
Explain your reasons for choosing this unit. Your thematic analysis of past student feedback for example would inform this section of your document, if you are redesigning your unit. It may include issues such as: poor student retention; not meeting accrediting authority requirements; you were allocated to teach the unit; adverse student feedback; or low percentage of student feedback etc. If this is a new unit, outline why the unit is required for the course.
Learning Outcomes (300 – 600 words)
Provide a list of your new or updated learning outcomes for your unit, including enabling objectives as covered in week 4. Your learning outcomes should be measureable; unambiguous; distinct; and scaffolded to appropriate levels of Blooms Taxonomy. You must also identify which assessment/s will test each learning outcome.
Assessment Outlines (300 – 600 words)
Your assessment outlines should include: weighting; type (e.g. Quiz, Exam, Viva, Report, Essay etc); and a brief description of the task. Also include a rationale that explains the design choices you have made (i.e. why you are assessing this way).
Unit Alignment
- Your Unit Learning Outcomes should be aligned to the Course Learning Outcomes of at least one course your unit contributes to.
- Your Unit Learning Outcomes should be aligned to CQUniversity (or your institution’s) Graduate Attributes.
- Your assessments should also be aligned to CQU (or your institution’s) Graduate Attributes. The requirements of the Unit Alignment Section shall be completed using the given Unit Alignment pro forma and submitted as a separate file.
Reflections (300 – 600 words)
You are required to reflect upon the process of creating your unit design elements in Assessment 1 and write a summary based on the following leading questions.
- Based on the feedback that you received from your GCTAE peers, the unit co-ordinator and/or workplace colleagues, what changes or improvements did you make to your learning design? Explain how they improved your design.
- Has completing this assessment task caused you to rethink the importance of learning outcomes and curriculum alignment? If so, in what way?
Additional NotesIf your submission relates to a unit offered at an institution other than CQUniversity, then please include with your Assessment 1 submission, your institution’s generic skills requirements, and relevant frameworks, policies and procedures.
Week 7 Friday (1 Sept 2017) 11:00 pm AEST
Week 9 Friday (15 Sept 2017)
- Learning outcomes developed are:
- measurable;
- unambiguous;
- distinct;
- scaffolded to appropriate levels (blooms);
- aligned to relevant course learning outcomes; and,
- appropriately mapped to your institution’s generic skills
- Assessment outlines
- are mapped to learning outcomes;
- are mapped to your institution’s generic skills
- have minimal duplication in terms of measuring the learning outcomes across assessment tasks; and,
- can meaningfully measure the learning outcomes.
- Unit design elements meet your institution’s frameworks, policies and procedures
- There is evidence of collegial activity in the design and development process undertaken.
- Reflection on the design process is evident.
- Accurate and consistent referencing throughout.
- Design engaging and challenging units of study that are informed by scholarship
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Self-management
- Leadership
2 Written Assessment
Assessment Aim
The aim of this assessment is to incorporate feedback from your Unit Proposal and prepare a complete Unit Learning Design that can inform the future creation of:
- Your unit profile (or analogous document for your institution); and,
- Your implementation into a Learning Management System
Assessment Description
Your discipline team approved your unit proposal and your colleagues thanked you for your contribution to the course. Your next step is to confirm if there is any feedback or suggestions for improvement noted from the meeting minutes (unit co-ordinator marking feedback) as is customary from discipline team meetings, to strengthen your design.
Your discipline lead has asked you to proceed with the development process so that the unit is ready to teach either next term or the one after. This will involve making any necessary refinements to your existing design proposal elements, along with the creation of new design elements – in particular, a unit design matrix, as explained below.
Assessment Details
It is an expectation that you will seek to collaborate with your colleagues and/or fellow GCTAE students in your unit design- in particular, asking them to review and provide feedback on the design elements you have used. Providing evidence of this will enhance the quality of your submission.
Your Assessment 2 submission will be a collection of unit design elements as explained below using a Unit Proposal proforma.
Unit Overview
Provide an overview for your unit, such as those found in CQUniversity Unit Profiles. Your audience is your students, notyour workplace colleagues, so it should be written in plain language avoiding jargon students are not yet familiar with. It should also be written ‘to’ the student, for instance, use the word ‘you’ rather than ‘the student’. It should also be succinct – using only enough words to highlight the key points of the unit.
- Unit Context (100 – 200 words)*
- Rationale for Creation/Change of Unit(100 – 200 words)*
- Learning Outcomes *
- Assessment Outlines (300 – 600 words)*
- Unit Alignment *
- Unit Learning Outcomes aligned to Course Learning Outcomes;
- Unit Learning Outcomes aligned to CQUniversity (or your institution’s) Graduate Attributes.
- Assessments aligned to CQUniversity (or your institution’s) Graduate Attributes.
Unit Design Matrix
A week or topic-based Unit Design Matrix (using a template provided in the Moodle site) that will include:
- A list of existing resources you wish to use to support the learning outcomes and assessments, noting those you have identified as requiring creation.
- At least two learning activities each week to consolidate knowledge, understanding and skill development.
- An explanation of the design each week, making special reference to how you have maximised the opportunities for learning for all students regardless of their mode of study.
Reflections (300 – 600 words)
You are required to reflect on your journey through Design for Learning in the creation of your new/updated learning design, and write a summary based on the following leading questions.
- What important lessons have you learned from the Designing for Learning Unit?
- What changes will you make to the way you design units in the future?
* Items marked with an asterisk (*) should include any improvements based on marking feedback from Assessment 1 to enhance the quality of your submission.
Other Requirements For Your Learning Design
Your design must be learner-centred with a variety of learning resources and activities to cater for individual differences in learning. It must also be engaging for the learner. For instance, if you specify didactic face-to-face lectures are required, you will need to provide a strong argument and evidence that this is the most effective approach.
Additional Notes
If your submission relates to a unit offered at an institution other than CQUniversity, then please include with your Assessment 1 submission, your institution’s generic skills requirements, and relevant frameworks, policies and procedures.
Week 12 Friday (6 Oct 2017) 11:00 pm AEST
Exam Week Friday (20 Oct 2017)
- A submission that meets the requirements explained in the Assessment Details section
-
Creation of a learning design:
- informed by the scholarship of learning and teaching and current developments in tertiary education;
- that engages and challenges students;
- using contemporary practices; and,
- is learner-centred.
- Principles of reflective practice have been applied in the formulation of the learning design.
- Sources of ideas, information and feedback received are acknowledged.
- There is evidence of collegial activity in the design and development process undertaken.
- Evidence of reflection on one’s practice in designing curriculum.
- Analyse the impact that policies, procedures and governance frameworks have on learning design
- Apply the principles of reflective practice to enhance units of study.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
- Leadership
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.