[Overview]

I am an experienced instructional designer with of a six years experience working with universities on postgraduate qualifications particularly within the area of business. I also have a postgraduate certificate in education and 6 years experience as a lecturer in interactive media and music technology.

I have worked with virtual learning environments including Blackboard, Moodle, Canvas and Fronter when creating online courses and their respective content.

The types of content I’ve developed for online courses can be viewed in the diagram on the right.

[Methods]

Learning Strategy

It is important to make sure that learning is tailored to the needs of the individual and subject matter. By mapping learning objectives to specific types of task and assessments, I am able to design an effective course. Once a strategy has been decided, it is then possible to identify the best methods of delivery.

Social & Collaborative Learning

This type of learning includes instigating group discussion, peer-to-peer-feedback and teamwork established by collaborative activities in a classroom setting. In an online context, and, by using a range of technologies and instructional design methods, I have been able to build social/collaborative learning into distance learning courses. Students benefit from the skills and knowledge of others and can gain valuable feedback from their peers.

Blended Learning

Using a range of materials and technologies, I use the blended learning approach for small and large group teaching. While a lecture is a popular method used in teaching, I am able to support interactivity using apps such as Quizlet, Padlet Wall and mobile polling technologies. Using flipped classroom method can also be an important aspect of encouraging students to take part in seminars, workshops, and lectures.

Problem-Based Learning

Group or individual tasks can be built around case-studies or articles as an approach to solving a problem in relation to the subject area. Students have the opportunity to read/research and apply the knowledge to solve the problem they’ve been tasked with. This kind of learning creates great opportunity for discussion and reflection.

Story Telling

Building a narrative around learning tasks can help to involve students as listeners or participators in creating a story built on relevant theory or case-studies. This type of learning works especially well with problem-based or analytical tasks.

Media-Rich Learning

I am able to create a number of multi-media resources including screencasts, podcasts, infographics, animations, charts and diagrams to enrich the learning experience, both visually and aurally. These resources add variety and substance to the course and open the way for additional activities. With reference to using visual resources, these can help to bridge language barriers with international students.

Assessment

I look for creative and incentivised approaches to assessment which might include student video presentations, weekly blog posts and peer feedback or a curated collection of content in an e-portfolio. Where possible, I look to break assessments down in weekly tasks which are more manageable for students and improve levels of timely submission.

Reflective Practice

This learning method works well to summarise the learning from a specific a module or course. Although this type of activity is commonly written up as an essay, I have found that weekly blog posts help students to take part in early reflective practice. As reflective blog posts accumulate, they can be compiled as a single reflective assessment which demonstrates the student’s learning over the duration of the module.

Technology

Where possible, I look to implement learning technology and a wide range of media to enrich the learning experience and promote inclusivity. I have experience using mobile polling applications, screencast video content, social media, and interactive presentation technologies to encourage student participation and a blended learning experience. Using VLEs, I have made course materials available, formed online discussions for students, and encourage peer-to-peer feedback via blogs.