014222 Designing Innovative Learning

Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.

Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.

Description

In this subject, students explore contemporary approaches to designing innovative learning in the workplace. Students' professional contexts shape their exploration, as they identify implications of designing professional learning programs in contemporary workplaces and/or formal educational institutions. Students develop an understanding of the complexity of design contexts and processes, and focus on online, blended and workplace learning initiatives. Students have the opportunity to design a learning initiative for their own professional context.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)

This subject engages with the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs), which are tailored to the Graduate Attributes set for all graduates of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

• Synthesise advanced knowledge of complex concepts to make research and theory informed judgements about a broad range of professional learning and / or leading practices (1.1)
• Use and critically analyse technologies for leading learning and /or leading practices (1.2)
• Critically and creatively reflect on complex relationships between theory and professional practice using highly developed analytical skills (2.2)
• Apply strong communication and interpersonal skills to engage diverse audiences around complex professional practice issues (6.1)

Contribution to the development of graduate attributes

This subject addresses the following Course Intended Learning Outcome:

1. Professional Readiness

1.1 Synthesise advanced knowledge of complex concepts to make research and theory informed judgements about a broad range of professional learning and / or leading practices

1.2 Use and critically analyse technologies for leading learning and /or leading practices

2. Critical and Creative Inquiry

2.2 Critically and creatively reflect on complex relationships between theory and professional practice using highly developed analytical skills

6. Effective Communication

6.1 Apply strong communication and interpersonal skills to engage diverse audiences around complex professional practice issues

Teaching and learning strategies

Students are guided through a series of six weekly, online modules. Each contains rich content that is, in turn organised, around a series of topics. Each topic includes activities that help students actively engage with the content. Students engage interactively through online discussion boards, embedded comments, and concept-based activities, and opportunities to self-assess their learning. Synchronous online seminars provide an opportunity to revise key concepts, further develop connections with other students, and to prepare for assessments. Learning journals are strongly encouraged as a complementary learning strategy. Students receive formative feedback on assignment tasks both from their lecturers and peers, including early formative feedback.

This subject provides a structure and scaffolding for students to define a learning design scenario, create a brief for its resolution, and critically explore learning design options that would address the problem. As part of this process, students will have the opportunity to receive feedback from their teachers and from their peers.

To ensure practice-relevant and authentic outcomes, teaching and learning strategies for this subject involve students customising learning to suit their professional practice context. This occurs through the Capability Wrap process. Students develop a Subject Learning Plan for each subject, as a way of customising assessments and their learning in the subject to their professional context. As a first step in this process, students must complete their Course Learning Plan and portfolio (Part A - if not previously completed) and their Subject Learning Plan (Part B) which are compulsory (non-graded) tasks and Minimum Requirements for this subject.

Students also complete a subject ‘wrap up’ on conclusion of the subject by reflecting on their learning in relation to their course and subject learning plans. This also contributes to the ongoing Capability Wrap process.

Content (topics)

This subject is structured according to the learning design process. Students begin by interrogating what it means for learning to be innovative before exploring different learning design models. Building on this, student learning is structured along the lines of a learning design project - from identifying an issue or opportunity, through planning and scoping their design, making design decisions, and evaluating their design and assessing student learning. Throughout, students will base their work on workplace learning research which is a focus of early modules in the subject. Students will also have the opportunity to receive feedback on their designs from peers and to learn from the designs of others. Content includes learning design approaches, power and interests in learning design, workplace learning theories and contemporary research, digital and virtual learning, research for learning designers (needs analysis), and consultation with stakeholders.

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Identify and articulate a workplace learning scenario

Assessment task 2: Learning design brief

Assessment task 3: Design an innovative learning initiative

Minimum requirements

The satisfactory completion of the Course Learning Plan (Part A) (if not previously completed) and the Subject Learning Plan (Part B) are minimum requirements for this subject as they are key components of the ‘capability wrap’ process and a defining feature of this course. Failure to meet this requirement will result in the final assessment task not being considered for assessment.

Required texts

There are no required texts for this subject. Recommended readings will be available via UTS Library and the subject site.

References

Bat, M., Kilgariff, C. & Doe, T. (2014). Indigenous tertiary education - we are all learning: Both-ways pedagogy in the Northern Territory of Australia. Higher Education Research and Development, 33(5), 871–886.

Boud, D. and Soler, S. (2016). Sustainable assessment revisited. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 41(3), 400–413.
Cervero, R. and Wilson, A.L. (2006). Seeing what matters: Education as a struggle for knowledge and power. In A. L. Wilson (Ed.), Working the planning table: Negotiating democratically for adult, continuing, and workplace education (pp. 5–26). Jossey-Bass.

Favrin, V. (2015). Beyond e-learning: from blended methodology to transmedia education. REM - Research on Education and Media, 7(1), 1–4.

Goodyear, P., & Carvalho, L. (2020). The analysis of complex learning environments (Ch.3). In H. Beetham & R. Sharpe (Eds.), Rethinking pedagogy for a digital age: Principles and practices of design (3rd ed., ebook, pp. 49–65). Routledge.

Hewett, S. (2019.) Blended workplace learning: the value of human interaction. Education + Training, 61(1), 2–16.

Hill, L. H. (2020). Assessment and evaluation in adult and continuing education. In T. Rocco (Ed.), The Handbook of Adult and Continuing Education (pp. 140–149). Stylus Publishing.

Hopwood, N., & Abrandt Dahlgren, M. (2020). Three principles informing simulation-based continuing education to promote effective interprofessional collaboration: Reorganizing, reframing, and recontextualizing. Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions, 40(2), 81–88.

Kelly, M. A., Hopwood, N., Rooney, D. & Boud, D. (2016). Enhancing Students’ Learning Through Simulation: Dealing with Diverse, Large Cohorts. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 12(5), 171–176.

Kirschner, P. A., & De Bruyckere, P. (2017). The myths of the digital native and the multitasker. Teaching and Teacher Education, 67, 135–142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.06.001

Lippke, L. and Wegener, C. (2014). Everyday innovation - pushing boundaries while maintaining stability. Journal of Workplace Learning, 26(6/7), 391–376.

Lizier, A.L. & Reich, A. (2020) Learning through work and structured learning and development systems in complex adaptive organisations: Ongoing disconnections, Studies in Continuing Education, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0158037X.2020.1814714

McKenna, K., Gupta, K., Kaiser, L., Lopes, T., & Zarestky, J. (2020). Blended Learning: Balancing the Best of Both Worlds for Adult Learners. Adult Learning, 31(4), 139-149. https://doi.org/10.1177/1045159519891997

Merriam, S. B. and Kim, Y.S. (2008). Non-western perspectives on learning and knowing. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 119 (Fall), 71–81.

Nederveld, A. and Berge, Z. L. (2015). Flipped learning in the workplace. Journal of Workplace Learning, 27(2), 162–172.

Neelen, M., & Kirschner, P. A. (2020). Evidence-Informed Learning Design: Creating Training to Improve Performance. Kogan Page, Limited.

Wang, M. (2012). Current instructional design models and principles for effective e- and mobilelearning. Open Education Research Journal, 12 Feb., 1–8.

Wilson, A. L. and Cervero, R. (2011). Program Planning. In K. Rubenson (Ed.), Adult learning and education (pp. 88–92). Elsevier/Academic Press.