What needs to change in curriculum design?

Simon Cross, Alan Masson, Jim Everett, Paul Bartholomew,

facilitated by Peter Bullen

Innovating e-Learning 2011Learning in Transition

Facilitator

Peter Bullen is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Hertfordshire and a Critical Friend to

a number of Universities involved in JISC and HEA supported projects and until very recently

was the Director of the Blended Learning Unit at the University of Hertfordshire.

Presenters

Simon Cross works in the Institute of Educational Technology at The Open University and is

project manager for the OULDI (Open University Learning Design Institute) JISC curriculum

design project.

Alan Masson is Head of Technology Facilitated Learning at the University of Ulster with

responsibility for the development and delivery of innovative tools and support services to

enhance the teaching and learning experience of staff and students.

Jim Everett (University of Strathclyde) has been working in universities and colleges for over 15

years, developing and promoting online and technology enhanced learning across a wide range of

subject areas and academic levels.

Paul Bartholomew is the Head of Curriculum Design and Academic Staff Development at

Birmingham City University. He is also the Academic Lead / Project Manager for his institution's

JISC-funded T-SPARC (Technology-Supported Processes for Agile and Responsive Curricula)

project.

Text-chatting

Elluminate layout

Audio

Whiteboard

Technical problems

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Session practice

What Needs to Change in Curriculum Design?

Cluster C and B project teams from the Curriculum Design Programme:

University of Ulster; Alan Masson & Catherine O’Donnell (Viewpoints)

The Open University; Simon Cross & Rebecca Galley (OULDI)University of Strathclyde; Jim Everett & George Macgregor (PiP)Birmingham City University; Paul Bartholomew & Oliver Jenkins

(T-SPARC)&Peter Bullen – Critical Friend

Objectives of this session

• An opportunity to learn more about the 4 projects

• To stimulate discussion about the challenges of introducing new approaches to curriculum design and ensure relevance of the work to the sector

• To enable participants to consider how this work can be transferred into their contexts

Plan for the session

• Introduction

– Peter Bullen

• Short presentations on each project (Including some interaction through polling)

– Viewpoints, Alan Masson

– OULDI, Simon Cross

– PiP, Jim Everett

– T-SPARC, Paul Bartholomew

• Discussion – responding to your questions

3 Themes or Clusters:

c

Cluster C

www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/curriculum

Cluster B

TSPARC – Birmingham City

UniversityOULDI PiP

Cluster A

Why?• Curriculum Design is a complex process

involving all areas of the Institution

• Existing processes focus on quality assurance and not on ‘design for learning’

• There is much duplication in exisisting processes

• Effective use of learning resources (including learning technology and OER) requires a more structured and supported approach to curriculum design

• Greater focus on the learner ................

What is your primary interest in this session?

A. Designing courses/programmes

B. Teaching

C. Quality Assurance

D. Supporting learners

E. Other – please enter details in the text chat box

What do you think the greatest challenges of institutional approaches to Curriculum Design are?

A. The lack of a common language of Curriculum Design

B. Curriculum Design is currently ‘owned’ by the wrong people

C. A fully integrated Curriculum Design process is too complex

D. Limited opportunity to share useful curriculum designs

E. Other – please enter details in the text chat box

The Viewpoints project

Alan Masson

facilitated by Catherine O’Donnell

• Card Card sorting approach

• Mapping key sets of

principles to a learner

timeline-Assessment and Feedback

(REAP)

-Information Skills and Literacy

(SCONUL)

-Learner Engagement (8LEM)

Viewpoints Project – Information Framework

• Card Cards timelines facilitate reflection and “brainstorming”;

• Resources provide prompts for ideas and practices to consider;

• Worksheet – challenge / issues / plan (i.e. strategy)

Viewpoints Inform, Inspire and Plan workflow

A. Card sorting workshop environment –

promotes discussion, reflection and

debate

B. Resources facilitate shared meanings,

agreed priorities and consensus building

C. Group participation – builds team

ownership of course vision

D. Information model – can be used with

range of stakeholders (learners,

employers, support staff etc.)

Key Benefits of the Viewpoints approach

What do you think participants would say they found most

useful about the Viewpoints approach if you used it in your

institution?

A. Exploration of creative ideas

B. Considering the learners’ experience

C. Provision of an open and honest environment within

which the group could engage

D. Creation of simple models of a key aspect of

curriculum design

E. Being able to work effectively as a member of the

group

Viewpoints Poll

Viewpoint’s Findings

The OULDI project

Simon Cross

facilitated by Rebecca Galley

Project Team

Grainne Conole

Rebecca Galley

Simon Cross

Juliette Culver

Andrew Brasher

Paul Mundin

Martin Weller

What does a quality design

process look like? and what

needs to change to get

there?

In what ways can the

efficiency and effectiveness

of time spent designing be

improved?

OU Learning Design

Initiative – JISC

Curriculum Design

Project

Key questions

Design methods,practices and discipline

Design

Communities

Resourcesand representations

Tools for designand representations

Institutional

Process change

FORMAL

STRUCTURES

INFORMAL STRUCTURES

1

2

3

4

5

1

2 3

4

5

6

7

What’s on the table?

Where is there the most potential to make effective headway in changing practice in your institution?

A. Defined institutional design processes

B. Staff understanding and skills in relation to the designing of courses

C. Tools, resources and representations for helping designers

D. Design community to share experiences

E. Other (please add in the chat box)

The PiP project

Jim Everett

facilitated by George Macgregor

Principles in Patterns (PiP)

Does your institution have a comprehensive online curriculum approval system?

A. Yes

B. No

C. Don’t know

Principles in Patterns (PiP)

Issues and bottlenecks

Completing forms creates a teachable moment

Principles in Patterns (PiP)

Figure: PiP architecture

Principles in Patterns (PiP)

Which of the following PiP features do delegates consider to have the greatest value for an institution?

A. Focus on the teachable moment

B. Single point of truth

C. Transparency

D. Explicit workflows

E. Other

The T-SPARC project

Paul Bartholomew

facilitated by Oliver Jenkins

Technology Supported Process for Agile and

Responsive Curricula

T-SPARC

Technology Supported Process for Agile and

Responsive Curricula

T-SPARC

Technology Supported Process for Agile and

Responsive Curricula

T-SPARC

Which of the following statements most closely resembles curriculum design at your institution?

A. All stakeholders (including students and employers) have a great deal of influence in shaping curriculum design activity

B. All stakeholders have some opportunity to influence curriculum design activity

C. Some stakeholders have reasonable opportunities to influence curriculum design activity but some stakeholders are excluded

D. Stakeholders only have tokenistic opportunities to input into curriculum design

E. Stakeholders are offered no opportunities to input into curriculum design

Discussion

What do you think the greatest challenges of institutional approaches to Curriculum Design are?

A. The lack of a common language of Curriculum Design

B. Curriculum Design is currently ‘owned’ by the wrong people

C. A fully integrated Curriculum Design process is too complex

D. Limited opportunity to share useful curriculum designs

E. Other – please enter details in the text chat box, e.g. ‘constrained thinking about curriculum design’

What do you think the greatest challenges of institutional approaches to Curriculum Design are?

Please enter a short phrase to describe the ‘greatest challenge’ in the text chat box → we will produce a WORDLE.

To see the WORDLE and to continue the debate please join the asynchronous discussion.

Follow-on activities

Asynchronous discussions

You can continue the discussions in the asynchronous discussion area:

http://www.online-conference.co.uk/WebX?230@@.eedd498

Thinking Space

Sally Graham and Joy Jarvis will chart the developing story of the conference,

creating a virtual thinking space to visually present ideas, common themes,

connections, views, issues and questions that arise from the conference.

You can access the online Thinking Space at http://bit.ly/tieV01.

As Sally and Joy develop the Thinking Space during each day of the conference,

please contribute towards the Thinking Space by tweeting your ideas and feedback

using the tag #jiscel11space.

Sally Graham

Joy Jarvis