In this vlog post, Jon Jack, Learning Technology Team Manager in the Educational Design and Engagement team (Learning, Teaching & Web), reflects on the Edinburgh Learning Design Roadmap (ELDeR) workshop as he cycles through Edinburgh to lead Day 1 of a recent ELDeR event…
The Edinburgh Learning Design Roadmap (ELDeR) is a two-day, collaborative, team based, staff development learning design workshop. Learning design is the process of designing learning experiences (planning, structuring, sequencing) through facilitated activities that are pedagogically informed, explicit, and make better use of technologies in teaching. At the heart of ELDeR is the design of student learning experiences within programmes and courses.
ELDeR is able to directly support any course or programme (online or on campus) that is being developed or reviewed. The workshop must include the academic course team/programme team as well as members of Institute for Academic Development IAD, IS-Educational Design and Engagement, IS-Academic Support Librarians, school based learning technologists and colleagues and students who can act as critical friends.
Many courses across the University have already engaged with ELDeR workshops, and feedback has been excellent so far. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Jon Jack.
There are also other options to learn about course and programme design at University of Edinburgh:
- Check out IAD’s Practical Strategies sessions, which are two-hour workshops, including Introduction to course design, Tackling current challenges in assessment and feedback, Student-staff co-creation of learning, teaching and assessment, and Embedding access and inclusion into your curriculum.
- For Board of Studies Conveners and Secretaries, IAD and Academic Services run a 4-hour training workshop each semester. There is also an informal Board of Studies network you can join here, which meets face-to-face twice a year.
- There is simplified, online documentation to help you navigate the University’s information on programme and course approval.
Jon is a Learning Technology Team Manager in the Educational Design and Engagement team (Learning, Teaching & Web, Information Services). He is a Learning Technologist and a Designer, with both roles complementing each other, and has over 18 years experience. His current focus is learning design and course design as part of the Educational Design and Engagement team, but has worked in learning technology roles globally, including, Canada, New Zealand and, most recently, Norway. He has a passion for design and all things visual, and is a lifelong learner: he is currently a student on the MSc Digital Education here at Edinburgh. When not learning new stuff, you can find him creating things in Lego with his wonderful 7-year old daughter.
