Learning design: a new approach to designing
effective learning interventions
Gráinne Conole,
The Open University, UK
University of Jyväskylä
6th June 2011

Technology paradoxes
Blogs & wikis Media sharing
Virtual worlds &
online games Social networking

Technology paradoxes
Paradoxes
Technologies not fully exploited
Little evidence of use of free resources
Blogs & wikis Media sharing
Virtual worlds &
online games Social networking

Technology paradoxes
Paradoxes
Technologies not fully exploited
Little evidence of use of free resources
Blogs & wikis Media sharing
Reasons
Technical, pedagogical, organisational…
“Lack of time, research vs. teaching, lack of
skills, no rewards, no support….”
Virtual worlds &
online games Social networking

Technology paradoxes
Paradoxes
Technologies not fully exploited
Little evidence of use of free resources
Blogs & wikis Media sharing
Reasons
Technical, pedagogical, organisational…
“Lack of time, research vs. teaching, lack of
skills, no rewards, no support….”
Solutions?
Virtual worlds & Case studies, support networks
online games Learning Design Social networking

The OU Learning Design Initiative
Learning Design
A design-based approach to
creation and support of courses
Andrew Brasher, Paul Clark, Simon Cross, Juliette Culver, Nick Freear, Rebecca Gall
Richard Lovelock, Paul Mundin

The OU Learning Design Initiative
Shift from belief-based, implicit approaches
to design-based, explicit approaches
Learning Design
A design-based approach to
creation and support of courses
Andrew Brasher, Paul Clark, Simon Cross, Juliette Culver, Nick Freear, Rebecca Gall
Richard Lovelock, Paul Mundin

The OU Learning Design Initiative
Shift from belief-based, implicit approaches
to design-based, explicit approaches
Learning Design
A design-based approach to
creation and support of courses
Encourages reflective, scholarly practices
Promotes sharing and discussion
Andrew Brasher, Paul Clark, Simon Cross, Juliette Culver, Nick Freear, Rebecca Gall
Richard Lovelock, Paul Mundin

Aspects of learning design

Aspects of learning design
Foundations Collaboration
Representation

Aspects of learning design
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Representation
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Acti
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Resources

Aspects of learning design
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Mediating artefacts Ac
Affordances
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Foundations Collaboration
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Representation
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Acti
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Ac ls
tiv o
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Resources

Aspects of learning design
s Too
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Mediating artefacts Ac
Affordances
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Foundations Collaboration
s
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Too
Representation
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Acti
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Ac ls
tiv o
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Resources
Excel template
CompendiumLD
Course views

Aspects of learning design
Cloudworks
s Too
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Affordances
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Foundations Collaboration
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Representation ’Design
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Acti
s
Challenge’
Ac ls
tiv o
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s To
Resources
Excel template
CompendiumLD
Course views

Foundations: Mediating Artefacts
Vygotsky, Activity Theory

Foundations: Mediating Artefacts
Teacher
Vygotsky, Activity Theory

Foundations: Mediating Artefacts
Creates Learning activity
Teacher or Resource
Vygotsky, Activity Theory

Foundations: Mediating Artefacts
Creates Learning activity
Teacher or Resource Has an Design
inherent
Vygotsky, Activity Theory

Foundations: Mediating Artefacts
Creates Learning activity
Teacher or Resource Has an Design
inherent
Other teachers and learners
can use or repurpose
Vygotsky, Activity Theory

Foundations: Mediating Artefacts
Mediating
Design Mediating Artefacts
Artefacts (MA) 1. Concepts
2. Tools
3. Dialogues
4. Activities
Creates Learning activity
Teacher or Resource Has an Design
inherent
Other teachers and learners
can use or repurpose
Vygotsky, Activity Theory

Foundations: Mediating Artefacts
Mediating
Design Mediating Artefacts
Artefacts (MA) 1. Concepts
2. Tools
3. Dialogues
4. Activities
Creates Learning activity
Teacher or Resource Has an Design
inherent
Research focus
What Mediating Artefacts do teachers use?
Other teachers and learners
What Mediating Artefacts can we create to guide
the design process? can use or repurpose
Vygotsky, Activity Theory

Activities
 How to ruin a course
 Sharing and discussing L&T ideas in Cloudworks
 What tools should I use?
 Tools in use
 Course views
 Course map
 Pedagogy profile
 Course dimensions
 Learning outcomes map
 Learning activities

How to ruin a course
 Issues
and strategies important for the success of a
course
 Check list for design and evaluation of a course
 Activity:
 List10 ways that technologies can make your course fail
 Compare and discuss
 Look at other examples: http://cloudworks.ac.uk/
cloud/view/2597

Feedback

Cloudworks
 Socialnetworking site
for sharing and
discussing learning
and teaching ideas
 Boundary crossing
 Bestof web 2.0
functionality and
practices
 Dothe Cloudquest
challenge!

Quick language guide

Quick language guide
Cloud:
Anything to do with
learning and teaching

Quick language guide
Cloud:
Anything to do with
learning and teaching
Cloudscape:
A collection of
clouds

Quick language guide
Cloud:
Anything to do with
learning and teaching
Cloudscape:
A collection of
clouds
Activity stream:
Latest activities on a
Cloudscape or people

Quick language guide
Cloud:
Anything to do with
learning and teaching
Cloudscape:
A collection of
clouds
Activity stream:
Latest activities on a
Cloudscape or people Favourites:
Vote for things
your like

Quick language guide
Cloud:
Anything to do with
learning and teaching
Cloudscape:
A collection of
clouds
Activity stream:
Latest activities on a
Cloudscape or people Favourites:
Vote for things
your like
Follow:
Cloudscapes, Clouds
or people

Quick language guide
Cloud:
Anything to do with
learning and teaching
Cloudscape:
A collection of
clouds
Activity stream:
Latest activities on a
Cloudscape or people Favourites:
Vote for things
your like
Follow: RSS feeds:
Cloudscapes, Clouds For Cloudscapes, Clouds
or people & people

Quick language guide
Cloud:
Anything to do with
learning and teaching
Cloudscape:
A collection of
clouds
Activity stream:
Latest activities on a
Cloudscape or people Favourites:
Vote for things
your like
Follow: RSS feeds: Attend:
Cloudscapes, Clouds For Cloudscapes, Clouds
Conferences &
or people & people workshops

Take the Cloudquest challenge!
 http://cloudworks.ac.uk/cloud/view/4891
 Useful, far-reaching, intuitive
 Uncluttered, navigatable, logical
 open, networked, immediate

What tools should I use? 12
 Confusing array of tools which should you use and when?
 Number of things to consider:
 Nature of your students and context, your expertise and
preferences, time to learn the tool, time to develop, etc.
 Aim of the next exercise
 Explore some tools and consider relevance
 Brainstorm how you might use them
 Map in terms of communication and interactivity
 Consider other factors to take into consideration
 Strategies to make quick pragmatic judgements about which tools
to use before investing time in exploring further

Co-evolution of tools and practice

Co-evolution of tools and practice
Basic
communications
& gestures

Co-evolution of tools and practice
Basic Symbolic
communications representations
& gestures (words, numbers)

Co-evolution of tools and practice
Basic Symbolic 1st wave technologies
communications representations (phone, radio, fax,
& gestures (words, numbers) TV, CD/DVDs)

Co-evolution of tools and practice
Basic Symbolic 1st wave technologies 2nd wave technologies
communications representations (phone, radio, fax, networks, mobiles, the
& gestures (words, numbers) TV, CD/DVDs) Internet)

Co-evolution of tools and practice
Affordances (Gibson)
‘All "action possibilities" latent in
an environmentt…
but always in relation to the actor
and therefore dependent on
their capabilities.’
For instance, a tall tree offers the
affordances of food for a Giraffe
but not a sheep.
Basic Symbolic 1st wave technologies 2nd wave technologies
communications representations (phone, radio, fax, networks, mobiles, the
& gestures (words, numbers) TV, CD/DVDs) Internet)

Co-evolution of tools and practice
Basic Symbolic 1st wave technologies 2nd wave technologies
communications representations (phone, radio, fax, networks, mobiles, the
& gestures (words, numbers) TV, CD/DVDs) Internet)

Co-evolution of tools and practice
Characteristics of
tools
Reflection
Dialogue
Aggregation
Interactivity
Basic Symbolic 1st wave technologies 2nd wave technologies
communications representations (phone, radio, fax, networks, mobiles, the
& gestures (words, numbers) TV, CD/DVDs) Internet)

Co-evolution of tools and practice
Characteristics of Characteristics
tools of people
Reflection Preferences
Dialogue Interests
Aggregation Skills
Interactivity Context
Basic Symbolic 1st wave technologies 2nd wave technologies
communications representations (phone, radio, fax, networks, mobiles, the
& gestures (words, numbers) TV, CD/DVDs) Internet)

Co-evolution of tools and practice
Characteristics of Characteristics
tools of people
Reflection Preferences
Dialogue Interests
Evolving
practices
Aggregation Skills
Interactivity Context
Basic Symbolic 1st wave technologies 2nd wave technologies
communications representations (phone, radio, fax, networks, mobiles, the
& gestures (words, numbers) TV, CD/DVDs) Internet)

The ICT framework

The ICT framework
Interactivity

The ICT framework
Communication+
Interactivity

The ICT framework
Communication+
Web
pages
Interactivity

The ICT framework
Communication+
Web
pages Media sharing Mash ups
Interactivity

The ICT framework
Communication+
Audio & video
conferencing
Forums
Email
Instant
messaging
Web
pages Media sharing Mash ups
Interactivity

The ICT framework
Communication+
Audio & video
conferencing
Forums
Email
Instant
messaging Twitter
Web
pages Media sharing Mash ups
Interactivity

The ICT framework
Communication+
Audio & video
conferencing
Forums
Email
Blogs
Instant
messaging Twitter
Web
pages Media sharing Mash ups
Interactivity

The ICT framework
Communication+
Audio & video
conferencing
Forums
Wikis
Email
Blogs
Instant
messaging Twitter
Web
pages Media sharing Mash ups
Interactivity

The ICT framework
Communication+
Audio & video
conferencing
Google
Forums wave
Wikis
Email
Blogs
Instant
messaging Twitter
Web
pages Media sharing Mash ups
Interactivity

The ICT framework
Communication+
Audio & video
conferencing Social
networking
Google
Forums wave
Wikis
Email
Blogs
Instant
messaging Twitter
Web
pages Media sharing Mash ups
Interactivity

The ICT framework
Communication+
Virtual worlds,
online games &
Audio & video immersive environments
conferencing Social
networking
Google
Forums wave
Wikis
Email
Blogs
Instant
messaging Twitter
Web
pages Media sharing Mash ups
Interactivity

Comparing four tools 15
 About: this activity will introduce you to 4 tools (Twitter,
Wordpress, Wallwisher and Wordle) and help you think about
their use.
 Production: a map
 Acitivity
 Visit the tool websites
 Explore, look at any overviews about them or examples
 Map the tools onto the ICT framework
 Compare and discuss
 Look at other examples - http://cloudworks.ac.uk/cloud/view/3930

Tools in use
 In this activity you will explore the term ‘affordances’ and decide on tools
based on their positive and negative affordances
 Produce a map
 Activity
 Choose a task and 3 tools
 Put the task in centre of paper and tools on the outside
 Add positive and negative affordances
 Decide which tool to use
 Compare and discuss
 Look at other examples: http://cloudworks.ac.uk/cloud/view/4042

Feedback

Twitter: the good and the bad

Twitter: the good and the bad
Ejemplos
Posting queries
Commenting
Backchannel
Crowdsourcing
Gathering opinions
Sharing ideas
Brainstorming
Social presence

Twitter: the good and the bad
Ejemplos Issues
Posting queries Your ‘a-ha’ moment
Commenting The right network
Backchannel Your digital voice
Crowdsourcing Inappropriateness
Gathering opinions Personal/private
Sharing ideas Too much!
Brainstorming Use with other tools
Social presence A passing fad?

Foundations: technology affordances

Foundations: technology affordances
Affordances (Gibson)
All "action possibilities"
latent in an environmentt…
but always in relation to the
actor and therefore
dependent on their
capabilities.
For instance, a tall tree
offers the affordances of
food for a Giraffe but not a
sheep.

Foundations: technology affordances
Positive affordances,
promotes…
Affordances (Gibson)
All "action possibilities"
latent in an environmentt…
but always in relation to the
actor and therefore
dependent on their
capabilities.
For instance, a tall tree
offers the affordances of
food for a Giraffe but not a
sheep.

Foundations: technology affordances
Positive affordances,
promotes…
Collaboration
Reflections
Interaction Affordances (Gibson)
All "action possibilities"
Dialogue latent in an environmentt…
but always in relation to the
actor and therefore
Creativity dependent on their
capabilities.
Organisation For instance, a tall tree
offers the affordances of
food for a Giraffe but not a
Inquiry sheep.
Authenticity

Foundations: technology affordances
Positive affordances, Negative affordances,
promotes… think about…
Collaboration
Reflections
Interaction Affordances (Gibson)
All "action possibilities"
Dialogue latent in an environmentt…
but always in relation to the
actor and therefore
Creativity dependent on their
capabilities.
Organisation For instance, a tall tree
offers the affordances of
food for a Giraffe but not a
Inquiry sheep.
Authenticity

Foundations: technology affordances
Positive affordances, Negative affordances,
promotes… think about…
Collaboration Time consuming
(development)
Reflections Difficult to use
Interaction Affordances (Gibson) Costly to produce
All "action possibilities"
Dialogue latent in an environmentt…
but always in relation to the Time consuming (support)
actor and therefore
Creativity dependent on their Assessment issues
capabilities.
Organisation For instance, a tall tree
Lack of interactivity
offers the affordances of
food for a Giraffe but not a
Inquiry sheep. Difficult to navigate
Authenticity New literacy skills

Foundations: technology affordances
Positive affordances, Negative affordances,
promotes… think about…
Collaboration A blog for reflective practice
Time consuming
(development)
Reflections Difficult to use
Interaction Affordances (Gibson) Costly to produce
All "action possibilities"
Dialogue latent in an environmentt…
but always in relation to the Time consuming (support)
actor and therefore
Creativity dependent on their Assessment issues
capabilities.
Organisation For instance, a tall tree
Lack of interactivity
offers the affordances of
food for a Giraffe but not a
Inquiry sheep. Difficult to navigate
Authenticity New literacy skills

Foundations: technology affordances
Positive affordances, Negative affordances,
promotes… think about…
Collaboration A blog for reflective practice
Time consuming
(development)
Reflections Difficult to use
Interaction Affordances (Gibson) Costly to produce
All "action possibilities"
Dialogue latent in an environmentt…
but always in relation to the Time consuming (support)
actor and therefore
Creativity dependent on their Assessment issues
capabilities.
Organisation For instance, a tall tree
Lack of interactivity
offers the affordances of
food for a Giraffe but not a
Inquiry sheep. Difficult to navigate
Authenticity New literacy skills

Foundations: technology affordances
Positive affordances, Negative affordances,
promotes… think about…
Collaboration A blog for reflective practice
Time consuming
(development)
Reflections Difficult to use
Interaction Affordances (Gibson) Costly to produce
All "action possibilities"
Dialogue latent in an environmentt…
but always in relation to the Time consuming (support)
actor and therefore
Creativity dependent on their Assessment issues
capabilities.
Organisation For instance, a tall tree
Lack of interactivity
offers the affordances of
food for a Giraffe but not a
Inquiry sheep. Difficult to navigate
Authenticity New literacy skills

Representation
How are courses typically represented?
How explicit is the inherent design?

Representation The Open University, UK
How are courses typically represented? KE312
How explicit is the inherent design?

Representation The Open University, UK
How are courses typically represented? KE312
How explicit is the inherent design?
What’s the problem?
Text-based/focus

Conceptual tools: moving beyond content

Conceptual tools: moving beyond content
The power of visualisation
Shift emphasis away from content
Help articulate designs
Supports effective design
Provides focus at different levels
Acts as a dialogic mediating artefacts
Provides a design record
Encourages reflective practice
Enables sharing of designs

Visualisation tools

Visualisation tools
Pen, paper and
stickers

Visualisation tools
Pen, paper and
Mind mapping tools
stickers

Visualisation tools
Pen, paper and
Mind mapping tools
stickers
Excel templates

Course views: conceptual and data-driven

Course views: conceptual and data-driven
Course Map

Course views: conceptual and data-driven
Pedagogy Profile
Course Map

Course views: conceptual and data-driven
Pedagogy Profile
Course Dimensions Course Map

Course views: conceptual and data-driven
Pedagogy Profile
Course Dimensions Course Map Task Swimlane

Course views: conceptual and data-driven
Pedagogy Profile
Course Dimensions Course Map Task Swimlane
Learning Outcomes

Course views: conceptual and data-driven
Pedagogy Profile
Course Dimensions Course Map Task Swimlane
Learning Outcomes
Course Performance Cost effectiveness

Course map
 This activity produces an ‘at a glance’ view of a course
 Produces a map of a course
 Activity:
 Use the course map guide, fill in the six boxes for your course
 Compare and discuss
 Look at other examples: http://cloudworks.ac.uk/cloud/view/3422

Course map
Course summary Key words
Level, credits, duration, key features Descriptive words indicating pedagogical approach

Course map
Guidance &
Support
Course structure and timetable
e.g. course calendar, study guide,
tutorials
Course summary Key words
Level, credits, duration, key features Descriptive words indicating pedagogical approach

Course map
Guidance &
Support
Course structure and timetable
e.g. course calendar, study guide,
tutorials
Content & Communication
Activities & Collaboration
Course materials, prior
experience, learner- Dialogic aspect of the course,
generated content, e.g. interaction between learners
readings, DVDs, podcasts, &tutors - course forum, email, etc.
labs
Course summary Key words
Level, credits, duration, key features Descriptive words indicating pedagogical approach

Course map
Guidance &
Support
Course structure and timetable
e.g. course calendar, study guide,
tutorials
Content & Communication
Activities & Collaboration
Course materials, prior
experience, learner- Dialogic aspect of the course,
generated content, e.g. Reflection & interaction between learners
&tutors - course forum, email, etc.
readings, DVDs, podcasts,
labs Demonstration
Internalization and reflection, e.g.
in-text questions, blogs, e-
portfolios
Diagnostic, formative or
summative assessment
Course summary Key words
Level, credits, duration, key features Descriptive words indicating pedagogical approach

KE312 - Course map
Guidance &
Support
Course guide, study calendar,
study planner, 20 learning guides,
Content & General assessment guidelines
Activities
and assignments
Tutor support: 1:20, 21 contact Communication
3 co-published books, DVDs of 3
practice settings, core questions,
& Collaboration
F-t-F tutorials near beginning,
thinking points in course books middle and end, Course-wide
Plus own experience and practice
PDFs, e-journal articles & Reflection & café forum, Tutor-group forums
with sub-groups for each block
websites, activities in learning
guides, 5 website interactivities Demonstration
Journal space in an e-portfolio,
6 assignments online (50% of
overall score)
Course summary Key words
KE312 - Working together with Children, Practice-related, aligned to latest professional
60 pt course over 32 weeks, 3 blocks/20 learning framework for multi-agency working, rich case
guides studies,

Feedback

Pedagogy profile
Learning Design Taxonomy - Conole, 2008

Pedagogy profile
Map of learner tasks to time
periods (weeks, semesters, etc.)
6 types of learner task +
assessment
Assimilative
Information handling
Communication
Productive
Experiential
Adaptive
Assessment
Each cell indicates the amount of
time spent on each type of task
Learning Design Taxonomy - Conole, 2008

Feedback

Course dimensions

Course dimensions
Guidance &
Support

Course dimensions
Guidance & Content &
Support Activities

Course dimensions
Guidance & Content &
Support Activities
Communication
& Collaboration

Course dimensions
Guidance & Content &
Support Activities
Reflection & Communication
demonstration & Collaboration

+Learning outcomes

+Learning outcomes
Mapping learning outcomes to:
Activities
Assessment
Based on Biggs’ work (1999) on
constructive alignment
Maps course and highlights any
gaps

Feedback

Task swimlane

Task swimlane
Focus on the tasks learners do
Base on:
Roles (learner, tutor, etc.)
Tasks (read, discuss, etc.)
Tools and resources
Outputs
Advantages
Makes design explicit
Maps out design
Sharable with others
Good at activity level
Use
Mindmapping tools –
CompendiumLD, CMap,
Freemind
Pen, paper and stickers

Learning activities
 This activity produces a task swimlane of an activity and the tools and
resources used
 Produces a swimlane diagram
 Activity:
 Decide on the learning outcomes, tools, resources and assessment for
this activity
 Map out the activity
 Use pens and arrows to add explanations
 Compare and discuss
 Look at other examples: http://cloudworks.ac.uk/cloud/view/3422

Working between the views

Working between the views
Course map

Working between the views
Learning outcomes
Course map

Working between the views
Learning outcomes
Course map
Pedagogy profile

Working between the views
Learning outcomes
Course map
Pedagogy profile
Course dimensions

Working between the views
Learning outcomes
Course map
Pedagogy profile
Course dimensions
Task swimlane

36

Modeling with data-derived views
Course Business Models project
Mick Jones, Andrew Russell, Paul Mundin, Peter Wilson

Modeling with data-derived views
5 conceptual
course views
Course Business Models project
Mick Jones, Andrew Russell, Paul Mundin, Peter Wilson

Modeling with data-derived views
What happens to course performance, if…
Include more collaboration
Decrease the amount of tutor support
Increase use of Web 2.0 tools?
5 conceptual
course views
Course Business Models project
Mick Jones, Andrew Russell, Paul Mundin, Peter Wilson

Modeling with data-derived views
What happens to course performance, if…
Include more collaboration
Decrease the amount of tutor support
Increase use of Web 2.0 tools?
5 conceptual
course views
What are the cost implications of…
Including more online assessment
More student-generated content
Introducing use of SecondLife?
Course Business Models project
Mick Jones, Andrew Russell, Paul Mundin, Peter Wilson

Evaluation
 What three words would you use to describe
this workshop?
 What did you like about this workshop?
 What could have been better?
 Whatthree words would you use to describe
Cloudworks?
 What three words would you use to describe
the course views?
 What action points will you do as a result?

Feedback

References
 Our work
 Workshop material: http://prezi.com/ffbp3lwn-m7m/ouldi-toolbox/
 Cloudworks: http://cloudworks.ac.uk
 My blog: http://www.e4innovation.com
 Learning design paper: http://cloudworks.ac.uk/cloud/view/4001
 Papers and presentations: http://www.slideshare.net/grainne
 Book: contemporary perspectives on e-learning (Conole and Oliver,
2007)
 Others
 Wills et al. book on role play: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/
title~db=all~content=t921514000
 Imperial collage second life island http://
knowledgecast.wordpress.com/2009/07/10/icl-tour2/
 Personal Inquiry project http://www.pi-project.ac.uk/resources/
 E-Portfolios http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/infokits/e-portfolios