Design
[This part of the site is underdevelopment - the following represents some thoughts but it is only holding text.for now]
How does one redesign assessment and feedback practices in ways that help develop learner self-regulation? How can we leaverage the maximum benefit from technology in redesigns?
A number of writers have addressed the issue of redesign. Twigg (2003) in her work on transformational change discusses how she supported course redesign using technology to achieve learning enhancement as well as cost savings. She identified a range of different re-design patterns from the innovations that she supported with a grant from the Pew charitable trust. There are also models of curriculum or course design in published texts on higher education teaching. For example Biggs proposes the idea of 'constructive alignment' with learning design being about building all the components of the course or student experience so that they align with the intended learning outcomes.
The approach taken here is to focus on principles, and specifically assessment and feedback principles, as a focus for learning design. Rowntree made the comment that 'if you wish to discover the truth about an educational system, we must first look at its assessment procedures' (Rowntree, 1996). This highlights the importance of assessment as a driver of student learning but it also suggests that focusing on assessment might be a powerful way to design effective learning at module and course level.
This section provides
- A rationale for using assessment and feedback principles to guide learning design
- Some examples of course design where the principles are exemplified across a range of disciplines
- Some easy to implement ideas that embody good practice principles
Readers of this area should also examine examples of practice in REAP and PEER, two projects where principles are used or are being used as the guiding idea underpinning learning design.