Designing a learning experience for SPH510
The design of learning experiences, is influence by our expressed and internalised pedagogies, external constraints of educational institution and professional associations, the availability and accessibility of resources and the experiences with, and attitudes towards teaching and learning technologies. On this page, I explore my own process of developing a learning experience which forms an early part of the subject SPH510, Introduction to Communication and Swallowing. In describing the design of the learning experience, I will explain the experience, including its key learning outcomes and activities. You can also follow the links to read about the design process, the justification for the design, the process of trialing and evaluating the learning experience, and the potential risks and management strategies.
As this subject is one of two introductory subjects of the distance education Master of Speech Pathology, it aims to support students' transition to online learning environments as well as providing a foundation for their learning of Speech Pathology practice. The learning activity designed also focuses on both of these aspects, providing students with opportunities to engage with a number of online learning environments, as well as explicitly engaging with the creation of 'knowledges' about language development. The learning outcomes for the learning experience are that students will:
The learning experience has been developed into an interact module and is available here.
The learning experience includes four tasks, in which the student:
Thus, the key elements of this design were to support student engagement with their own experiences and beliefs, new knowledge, new technologies and each other through polls, readings, creative tasks and reflection.These key elements reflect a constructivist pedagogy in which the existing knowledge and experiences of students is overtly recognised and acknowledged as having an impact on the the students' learning (Laurillard, 2012). Further, they reflect an attempt to balance learning through engagement with others and the opportunity for individual processing and personal reflection. Finally, they reflect an attempt to acknowledge the existence of discipline specific 'knowledges' and how these impact on what and how we teach and learn and what is considered 'important' within the discipline. These elements provide a foundation for the development of critical reflection and reflexive practice, while providing a supported introduction to the tools and environments of online learning. These are skills that are necessary for full participation in the subject and the course, as well as being necessary for a increasingly demanding and diverse contexts of professional practice in regional and remote Australia.
The design of learning experiences, is influence by our expressed and internalised pedagogies, external constraints of educational institution and professional associations, the availability and accessibility of resources and the experiences with, and attitudes towards teaching and learning technologies. On this page, I explore my own process of developing a learning experience which forms an early part of the subject SPH510, Introduction to Communication and Swallowing. In describing the design of the learning experience, I will explain the experience, including its key learning outcomes and activities. You can also follow the links to read about the design process, the justification for the design, the process of trialing and evaluating the learning experience, and the potential risks and management strategies.
As this subject is one of two introductory subjects of the distance education Master of Speech Pathology, it aims to support students' transition to online learning environments as well as providing a foundation for their learning of Speech Pathology practice. The learning activity designed also focuses on both of these aspects, providing students with opportunities to engage with a number of online learning environments, as well as explicitly engaging with the creation of 'knowledges' about language development. The learning outcomes for the learning experience are that students will:
- use 3 ICT tools from the subject interact site (wiki, forum, blog) to record their learning and interact with other students
- use written communication skills to share their learning with other students
- explore different ‘knowledges’ about language development using the framework of evidence-based practice
- use written communication skills to share their learning with parents interested in how language is learned
The learning experience has been developed into an interact module and is available here.
The learning experience includes four tasks, in which the student:
- engages with their own prior knowledge, beliefs and experience
- engages with new knowledge from a variety of sources (using skills from previous week to locate sources)
- participates in an online group activity to discuss, summarise and communicate their new knowledge
- reflects on their own learning through the activities and how their prior understanding and beliefs have been challenged.
Thus, the key elements of this design were to support student engagement with their own experiences and beliefs, new knowledge, new technologies and each other through polls, readings, creative tasks and reflection.These key elements reflect a constructivist pedagogy in which the existing knowledge and experiences of students is overtly recognised and acknowledged as having an impact on the the students' learning (Laurillard, 2012). Further, they reflect an attempt to balance learning through engagement with others and the opportunity for individual processing and personal reflection. Finally, they reflect an attempt to acknowledge the existence of discipline specific 'knowledges' and how these impact on what and how we teach and learn and what is considered 'important' within the discipline. These elements provide a foundation for the development of critical reflection and reflexive practice, while providing a supported introduction to the tools and environments of online learning. These are skills that are necessary for full participation in the subject and the course, as well as being necessary for a increasingly demanding and diverse contexts of professional practice in regional and remote Australia.