What you need to know
A key theme in our research into learning and assessment design is the importance of dialogue and exchange of ideas within a community of learning designers. In fact, you could argue that learning design should never be other than a collaborative, social activity.
Exemplars in this guide have illustrated the importance of meeting together as a team in one physical space to discuss and create designs for learning. We have also advocated that students should be participants in these sessions alongside teaching staff so that learning and assessment are seen from their perspective too.
But a learning design community does not always mean being in the same space at the same time.
Virtual spaces in which curriculum teams can discuss issues, develop knowledge and share successes and failures are also invaluable ways of generating and sustaining the design conversations which reflect the growing importance of making design processes both richer and more transparent.
What the experts say
“Increased interest in learning design may be the result of the increasing demand on academics to show what they do, and how they do it, to their colleagues, their institution and to the students as well.”
Nataša Perović, digital education adviser, University College London
Get involved
There is a learning design network, which supports further and higher education staff with an interest in learning design. Join the learning design JiscMail mailing list to share information, tools and ideas about high-quality learning and teaching practices.
Join a professional body that promotes the exchange of ideas on learning and assessment. The Society for Education and Training (SET) is one example for the post-16 and training sector.
Don’t forget to set up your own internal community as well. Our interview with Michelle Swithinbank (pdf), Hull College’s deputy chief executive, contains some tips on how to do this.