Assessment Aim

This assessment task will provide you with opportunities to engage with the initial steps of unit learning design as you create learning design elements that can inform either a new unit proposal, or a change unit proposal for internal accreditation. The task is designed to promote a culture of reflective and collegial practice, including giving and receiving feedback.

Assessment Context (Scenario)

Your discipline leader has informed you that as part of a faculty response to student feedback and recent changes in your discipline area, a decision has been taken to create new units and redesign several current units in the course into which you teach.

You have been asked to be part of this process by creating a proposal to redesign an existing unit, or design a new unit. You may choose whichever of these options applies best in your circumstances.

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/supervisors 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/supervisors 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 Assessment 1 submission will be a collection of unit design elements, presented in 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/genre (e.g. Quiz, Exam, Viva, Report, Essay etc); and a brief description of the task.  Include as well a rationale that explains the design choices that you have made (i.e. why you are assessing this way).

Unit Alignment

• Ensure that your Unit Learning Outcomes are aligned to the Course Learning Outcomes of one course.
• 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.

1. 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.
2. Has completing this assessment task caused you to rethink the importance of learning outcomes and curriculum alignment? If so, in what way?

Additional Notes If your submission relates to a unit offered at an institution other than CQUniversity, then please include your institution’s generic skills requirements, and relevant frameworks, policies and procedures with your Assessment 1 submission.

1. Learning outcomes developed are:
• measurable;
• unambiguous;
• distinct;
• scaffolded to appropriate levels (Blooms Taxonomy);
• aligned to relevant course learning outcomes; and,
• appropriately mapped to your institution’s generic skills
2. 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.
3. Unit design elements meet your institution’s frameworks, policies and procedures
4. There is evidence of collegial activity in the design and development process undertaken.
5. Critical reflection on the design process is evident.
6. Accurate and consistent referencing throughout.

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:

1. Your unit profile (or analogous document for your institution); and
2. 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 are any suggestions for improvement noted from the feedback provided (unit coordinator marking feedback) to strengthen your design.

Your discipline lead has asked you to proceed with the development process so that the unit is ready to teach this year. 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, supervisor and/or fellow GCTAE students in your unit design, in particular, asking them to review and provide feedback on the design elements that 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, not your 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 (i.e. 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.
The requirements of the Unit Alignment Section shall be completed using the given Unit Alignment pro forma and submitted as a separate file.

Unit Design Matrix

A week or topic-based Unit Design Matrix (using a template provided in the Moodle site) that will include:

1. A list of existing resources you wish to use to support the learning outcomes and assessments, noting those you have identified as requiring creation;
2. At least two learning activities each week to consolidate knowledge, understanding and skill development; and
3. 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 critically 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:

1. What important lessons have you learned from the Design for Learning Unit?
2. 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 and demonstrate your understanding about the nature of diverse learners in your context, and how to engage them in their learning. 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. You will also need to include other activities that require students to actively engage with new knowledge and skills.

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.

1. A submission that meets the requirements explained in the Assessment Details section
2. Creation of a learning design:
   1. informed by the scholarship of learning and teaching and current developments in tertiary education;
   2. that engages and challenges students;
   3. using contemporary practices; and
   4. that is learner-centred.
3. Principles of reflective practice have been applied in the formulation of the learning design.
4. Sources of ideas, information and feedback received are acknowledged.
5. There is evidence of collegial activity in the design and development process undertaken.
6. Evidence of critical reflection on one’s practice in designing curriculum.