Learning Design
Good teaching does not happen by chance. It is based on deliberate decisions that the teacher or curriculum developer makes. At SIT Teaching and Learning Academy (STLA), we view learning design as the basis for all good teaching.
As a design process, you can approach it using an iterative process, allowing experience to improve the process. It can also be designed purposefully, guided by broad principles (outcomes and competency-based pedagogy and andragogy), tools (blended learning environment and educational technology), and a good understanding of the learners.
What Learning Design is About
We define learning design as the process of putting together a course of study to achieve an educational outcome. This involves making decisions about various aspects of your teaching, such as:
- What do we want our learners to achieve (learning outcomes and competencies)
- What content to include (expert knowledge)
- Who the learners are (design thinking and motivation theories)
- Where the learning takes place (blended learning environment)
- When to teach what (curriculum design and lesson planning)
- How to teach (pedagogical models and classroom management)
- How to know if the learning is effective (assessment and analytics)
- What technology can be used to support learning (educational technology)
Role of Educational Developers at SIT
Our educational developers draw on their expertise in teaching pedagogy and educational technology to partner academic staff in various aspects of their teaching. Here are some ways they can help.
Sounding board
Discuss and enhance your curriculum, lesson and assessment plans with our educational developers.
They will work with you to realise ideas, resolve challenges, and adopt a student-centred approach to applied learning. This can include areas of competency-based education, authentic assessment and coaching of learners in both academic and work-integrated learning settings.
Independent observer
Invite an educational developer into your classroom to observe your classes and give feedback on the learning environment, the learners and the lesson. This can extend to the broader blended learning environment and how it scaffolds towards active and applied learning, both in online and physical contexts.
Source of support
Educational developers provide support when you need help with adopting and applying a new teaching method or new technology. Working closely with education technologists, we encourage innovation and continual improvement of our teaching and assessment in the age of new technologies, such as generative AI tools. We also support production of blended learning resources with the Digital Learning Xperience team, and evaluation of learning with the Educational Research team.
Academic development
Partnering academic staff, educational developers help sharpen SIT’s academic development in applied learning. We fulfil this through co-developing policies and guides, facilitating training and dialogue on good teaching practices, and working closely with academic staff on teaching and learning projects.