1. Welcome to the University of Leicester
Innovations in Learning Design and Technology for Distance Education 3rd – 7th of June, 2013
Welcome to the University of Leicester

2. Developing distance learning programmes at Leicester
An overview and an example from the Institute of Learning Innovation
Dr Palitha Edirisingha
Institute of Learning Innovation
University of Leicester, UK
Learning Innovation Workshop - Delegates from the Open University of China (OUC) – 3 – 7 June 2013

3. From an ‘idea’ to delivering
Proposal
Management
Delivery
Students and teachers
Duration can be as long as one year.
Proposal stage involves 4 – 5 stages / steps and can take up to 6 months.
This is the stage at which decisions are made about:
Whether there is a market for the course / the business case
Its name
Fees
Who is going to be involved in developing and delivering the course (also recruiting new staff)
Course outline, assessments, learning outcomes, how students’ progression is going to be managed/supported
Innovations that are going to be built into the course [the character of the institution and its members of staff]
Opportunity to put research into teaching [in terms of content and approach to teaching]
What we are talking today is the delivery stage. But it is important to consider the Proposal stage too, especially in the context of distance learning.

4. Developing a new programme – 7 steps
Initial concept
Early decisions
Outline Business Plan / Academic Rationale
Approval Process (FSPDC)
Further Market Testing
Advertising and Applications
Final Approval (PDC)

5. MSc Learning Innovation

6. Programme characteristics
Full-time
(from Oct 2014)
Distance, Part-time
(from Oct 2013)
Campus-based
Distance
Part-time
One year
Two years
Two modules (courses) per Term
One module per Term
35 – 40 learning hours a week
14+ learning hours a week
180 credits
1,350 learning hours

8. MSc in Learning Innovation – structure of the full-time programme
Module 1: Technology Enhanced Learning (30 credits)
Module 3: Research Design and Methods (30 credits)
Module 5: Dissertation Research Project (60 credits)
Module 2: Learning Design for the 21st Century (30 credits)
Module 4: Case Studies of Learning Innovation (30 credits)
Oct – Dec 2014
Jan – Apr 2015
May – Sept 2015
CERTIFICATE in Learning Innovation (Modules 1 and 2 = 60 credits)
DIPLOMA in Learning Innovation (Modules 1, 2, 3, and 4 = 120 credits)
MSc in Learning Innovation (all 5 modules)

9. Designing for learning
Learning outcomes
Learning and teaching
Assessment
Learning
What is constructive alignment?
'Constructive alignment' has two aspects. The 'constructive' aspect refers to the idea that students construct meaning
through relevant learning activities. That is, meaning is not something imparted or transmitted from teacher to learner,
but is something learners have to create for themselves. Teaching is simply a catalyst for learning:
'If students are to learn desired outcomes in a reasonably effective manner, then the teacher's fundamental task is to get students
to engage in learning activities that are likely to result in their achieving those outcomes... It is helpful to remember that what the
student does is actually more important in determining what is learned than what the teacher does.' (Shuell, 1986: 429)
The 'alignment' aspect refers to what the teacher does, which is to set up a learning environment that supports the
learning activities appropriate to achieving the desired learning outcomes. The key is that the components in the teaching
system, especially the teaching methods used and the assessment tasks, are aligned with the learning activities assumed in
the intended outcomes. The learner is in a sense 'trapped', and finds it difficult to escape without learning what he or she
is intended to learn.
There are thus four major steps:
1. Defining the intended learning outcomes (ILOs);
2. Choosing teaching/learning activities likely to lead to the ILOs;
3. Assessing students' actual learning outcomes to see how well they match what was intended;
4. Arriving at a final grade. [
Bigg’s (2003) Constructive Alignment

10. Considerations in design a module for distance learning
225 learning hours 14 weeks 14 hours per week 30 credits, and allowing for: - catch-up time - synchronous activities

11. Considerations in developing module specifications
Matching:
Learning outcomes
Assessments
Activities, and
Content / topics to be learned

12. Module: Research Design and Methods
Learning outcomes
Teaching/learning methods
Student workload
Assessment

13. Module: Research Design and Methods
Learning outcomes
Teaching/learning methods
Student workload
Assessment
(= 6,000 words)
(= 225 hours)

14. Learning outcomes
By the end of this module, successful participants will be able to:
1. develop researchable research questions
2. critically appraise the strengths and weaknesses of a range of research designs, methodologies and methods applicable to learning innovations research
3. evaluate the use of key data gathering and analysis methods
4. develop a suitable research proposal in the field of learning innovation to be carried out as part of their dissertation research project module.

15. Assessment components
A 'digital poster' (or equivalent artefact) with a 'narrative' illustrating choices made on research design, methodology and methods for a chosen research project in the field of learning innovation.
A research proposal on the study of a chosen topic of a learning innovation initiative

16. Teaching/learning methods
Designed according to the 7C approach to learning design
Well-designed learning activities using both synchronous and asynchronous, to be carried out online (e.g.., discussion boards and wikis on Blackboard, blogs) that are moderated by tutors and peers
Recorded teaching material by the course team (videos, podcasts, narrated slides and lecture notes)
Podcasts produced by international experts
Open Educational Resources (OERs) videos on YouTube, lectures on iTunesU
Social networking tools (e.g., Cloudworks) for learners to share and discuss their learning artefacts
Tutorials with the personal tutor for the duration of the module

17. Thank you.