Designing Digital Learning Experiences Working Group

About the Working Group

The Academic Technology Advisory Board (ATAB) and Center for Digital Innovation in Learning (CDIL) are delighted to again offer the faculty working group on Designing Digital Learning Experiences. This working group will take place over the 2022/23 academic year. Its focus is to introduce faculty to the Design Thinking process to create, develop, and implement innovative digital learning experiences in participants' Spring 2023 courses. 

Design Thinking is a well established approach to developing practical, collaborative and innovative solutions. This process involves a reiterating cycle of identifying problems, ideating and prototyping potential solutions, and evaluating using data. In the context of education, the Design Thinking framework is implemented to promote students’ creativity, problem-solving skills, and agency in learning. 

Project Examples

Faculty who participated in the 2021-22 iteration of the working group developed such projects as:

• Augmented Reality learning experiences
• smartphone documentary videos
• online simulation games
• applying the learning design of their pandemic course to the face-to-face classroom.

Format

The working group is designed so that participants front-load their work in the Fall semester. Depending on the size of the project proposed it is envisaged that participants will spend no more than 3-4 hours per week working on their project in the Fall semester. The working group will meet face-to-face every month with additional meetings taking place with support staff as needed. There will also be some asynchronous work required to prepare for the monthly meetings. 

Fall Semester

During the Fall semester, faculty will learn about Design Thinking principles and engage in the hands-on process that includes ideation, design, prototype, and implementation of at least one assignment or module in their Spring 2023 semester course. Throughout the process faculty will receive extensive support and guidance from staff of CDIL and the Library’s Digital Studio. 

Spring Semester

For the Spring semester the working group will then focus on reflecting on the implementation process and gathering student feedback in a structured way to evaluate the efficacy of the digital learning experience and refresh it for future semesters. 

Details

Requirements: 

Full-Time Faculty only 

Benefits: 

Faculty participants will receive a stipend of $2,500, support from CDIL Learning Designers, Media Producers and from the Library’s Digital Studio

Expectations:

• Commitment to participate in 11 2-hour sessions spread out over the academic year
• Submission of monthly pre and post work 
• Revised syllabus using the Design Thinking principles and at least one digital technology 
• Implementation of at least one digital learning experience in the Spring semester course  
• Active participation in robust feedback collection of the student learning experience