MA Digital Technologies, Communication and Education / Course details

Learning design and educational technology practices evolve quickly as new technologies emerge. In recent years, an increasingly wide range of roles, such as Instructional Designer, Digital Learning Developer and Digital Curriculum Developer have materialised across formal education institutions, informal learning organisations and Learning and Development functions in the commercial sector. This unit offers knowledge and practical experience of what it means to work in these evolving practices while developing a critical understanding of how these practices are situated at and shaping the boundaries between educators, learners, education institutions and the edtech sector. The unit has been designed through the Association of Learning Design Education for Sustainable Development (ALD ESD) framework and draws on this and other frameworks as a critical lens on practice and to encourage learners to adopt sustainable practices when they enter employment by providing opportunities to try these out within their studies.

- Provide students with practical experience of using current tools and technology in the development of digital learning content.

- Explore learning design theory and how to apply this to the design and development of online and blended learning.

- Introduce students to the online and blended learning development process, from needs/gap analysis through design and implementation, to evaluation.

- Provide students with experience of working with others, including team members and stakeholders, when designing online learning content.

- Provide students with experience of problem solving, troubleshooting and giving advice in the support of learning technology use

- Support students in the critical reflection on their own knowledge and skills (including communication and intellectual skills), specifically those which will be of benefit in future employment.

Students will develop a range of practical skills that are required to work in learning design and technology practices and understand how they can be applied in a range of contexts and sectors. They will be able to identify what digital software, apps and tools are used in the Learning Technology industry and how they can be used according to need, to recommend specific tools and approaches to be used in teaching and learning informed by evidence and theory. Students will be able to analyse and respond to technological changes in the current market and express informed opinions on how these may impact future practices in work, home, school, social and public life. They will be able to hold consultations to advise on the most appropriate tool or approach to solve a learning problem and plan and build learning resources that combine a variety of features such as interactivity, animation and audio/video elements

The unit is built around three key themes:

The landscape of learning design and technology practice: the variety of roles in the educational sector is increasing and the unit is designed to explore the current state of the sector in a way that allows for continuous updating. This theme will explore perspectives on historical, current and future aspects of the sector and some fundamental methods for user research and tool evaluation which will be drawn on later in the unit.

Supporting learners and educators in technology selection and use: this theme will explore knowledge and skills required to effectively select and support tool use within educational contexts across industry sectors. The first section of the theme explores ways of providing support and essentials for engaging with users in this role. The second section explores features of tools that impact suitability for learning tasks including usability and learnability. Finally, students will explore tools in common use, emerging technologies and will explore sustainability and ethical implications of these in relation to design features and functionality.

Designing learning experiences: the final theme explores models of learning design through a project-based approach to creating a learning resource. Students will apply the understandings of the sector from theme one and considerations for supporting users and selecting tools in theme two to develop a learning design which embeds sustainable education competencies and explores how both technologies and sustainable perspectives can inform innovative pedagogic approaches. Practical design and evaluation methods will be used throughout the project.

The course unit will be three blocks of three weeks, built around a two hour lecture /seminar, with additional introductory and plenary weeks as well as an independent reading week exercise.

Each block is based on one of three different active learning methods: object-based learning (sector landscape); storytelling (supporting users); and learning landscapes (learning design).

These approaches provide the pedagogic narrative of the block which will be explored through teaching methods and activity types that account for both full time and part time students who may be on site or remote and will provide optionality in engagement method as is consistent with other units in the programme. These include: micro video lectures; group work with discussion and online collaboration tools; project-based activities; role play/simulation; field-based activity.

Identify a range of practical skills that are required to work in learning design and technology practices and how they can be applied in a range of contexts and sectors.

Identify what digital software, apps and tools are used in the Learning Technology industry and how they can be used according to need.

Recognise upcoming technological changes in the current market and express informed opinions on how these may impact future practices in work, home, school, social and public life.

Describe how learning technology is used, applied and differs in a range of sectors: HE universities, FE colleges, Primary and Secondary education, business.

Identify matters of digital ethics in technology selection and use, including issues of sustainability, privacy, security, algorithmic bias.

Reflect on their own skills development and identify areas for improvement, and take action to address this

Recommend specific tools and approaches to overcome and enable technology to be used in teaching and learning informed by evidence and theory.

Hold consultations to advise on the most appropriate tool or approach to solve a learning problem.

Assess and test the latest software and tools within the Learning Technology industry.

Plan and create a learning resource that makes use of a variety of features for example interaction, animation, audio/video.

Work with others to identify and communicate a digital solution to a teaching or learning problem.

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UN SDG Targets and Indicators: https://sdgs.un.org/goals

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Scheduled activity: 24 hours

Independent study: 126 hours