Optimising University Module Design (OUMD)

Workshop W3

Date: June 18
Time: 14:00 – 18:00
Room: Seminar 4.1 (Building 7J, UPV)

Isolated approaches to module design presented by lecturers with no instructional or learning design background in Higher Education are common and demonstrate a non-unified model of teaching and learning to students.

The purpose of the workshop is to share practical approaches to module design based on the analyses of the module design in SETU and modern learner needs, UDL, gamification, co- creative and collaborative design and redesign work that could be spread across the whole university. Extra challenges arose with the existence of two principal and other minor LMSs on university campuses.

The workshop will offer the opportunity to discuss potential challenges or consequences that may occur as a result of integrating instructional and pedagogical approaches into the teaching and learning process.

The research is based on the collaborative approach to module design and redesign developed by instructional designer and diverse groups of lecturers across the SETU, which encouraged various levels of experimentation in graphic, content, format, and learning space design, as well as analysing its impact on teaching quality and consistency of the content.

Objectives

  • Share recent results and achievements of the research and collaboration work between staff and students.
  • Provide workshop participants with an opportunity for practical experience and collaboration in module design/redesign.
  • Encourage debates and sharing of knowledge among the participants about different approaches to module design in various countries and universities.
  • Demonstrate examples of change and best practices of module design/redesign with the help of UDL, gamification and inclusive teaching.
  • Stimulate the production of new ideas and future collaboration and networking between staff and universities.
  • Encourage future research in the field.

Call for papers

The ‘Optimising University Module Design’ (OUMD) Workshop will bring educators, instructional designers, learning technologists and researchers to share and discover practical approaches to optimising university module design.

This workshop will offer the opportunity to extend your network and discuss potential challenges or consequences that may occur as a result of integrating instructional and pedagogical approaches into the teaching and learning process.

This event will stimulate live debates and discussions and allow presentations with theoretical and practical contributions. Topics Include:

  • Teamwork and collaboration in module design in Higher education
  • Different approaches to module design in Higher education
  • Students – Staff preferences for university module design
  • Practical examples of the university module design & redesign

The ‘Optimising University Module Design’ (OUMD) Workshop invites interested parties to submit presentations. Each presentation has to be accompanied by a 150-250-word abstract. (PDF file).

Each presentation (and abstract) is required to address one or more of the workshop topics.

Each abstract should address the following:

  1. Title
  2. Background
  3. Rationale
  4. Design (optional)
  5. Evaluation/Findings
  6. Conclusion

All submitted presentations and abstracts will go through the review process.After the review process, successful applicants will be offered an opportunity to give 10-minute presentations with an additional 5 minutes for discussion and questions at the end.

Workshop Agenda

Content

The scope of the workshop is both theoretical and practical. It will cover the following topics:

  • Teamwork and collaboration in module design in Higher education
  • Different approaches to module design in Higher education
  • Students – Staff preferences for university module design
  • Practical examples of the university module design & redesign
  • Practical activities with the workshop participants

Dynamics

Tea & Coffee: 10 min
Socialising and networking break before presentations

Introductions: 1 h 30 min
The workshop will start with the introductory presentations, which will include examples of successful practices: workshop organiser and 3-4 workshop presenters.

Break: 15 min
Tea & Coffee

Practical activities: 40 min
It will be followed by design & redesign activities performed in groups of workshop participants.

Discussions: 15 min
The workshop will finish with the whole group debates and discussions on the best solutions for graphic and structure module designs, challenges for students and staff and modern tendencies in Higher Education.

The role of participants during the workshop:

  • take part in the debates and discussions
  • participate in the practical activities
  • give presentation (if they applied and their presentation was selected)
  • provide constructive feedback to presenters

Practical activities

  1. Participants discuss the core elements of their module design in groups and report to the whole group.
  2. Using flipchart easels, participants in groups draw the front page for their online/blended module and present it to the group, explaining the rationale for their preferences. Participants will need to specify the choice of elements in the structure and how this choice is connected with the T&L strategies or any other strategies they use. This will be followed by the whole group discussions.

Organizer

Nataliya Romanyatova, Postdoctoral Researcher & Instructional Designer, SETU, Ireland

Nataliya is a Postdoctoral researcher and an Instructional designer in SETU, Ireland. Her background is in the area of English language, foreign literature and instructional design. She worked as a lecturer, associate professor, postdoctoral researcher and instructional designer in several universities in Ireland and abroad. Since her undergraduate degree, Nataliya has been passionate about pushing the boundaries of Higher Education, looking beyond the norm and evaluating how staff and students can be supported and engaged through innovative approaches. Nataliya is currently sharing a position of postdoctoral researcher for the SATLE- funded programme and instructional designer in the School of Engineering in SETU, Ireland, where she designed the six modules of the Batchelor of Science Additive Manufacturing programme in collaboration with the 3D printing industries. She is managing several key university projects on sustainability and digital transformation.