Co-authored by Jenny Wallace and Christina Brauer
As the UTS Learning Design Meetup continues to grow, we now have more than 130 participants and many more connections outside of UTS. Our community of practice has been a key platform for forging these connections. During 2023, 4 meet-ups gave participants space to share knowledge and skills, and the related blog posts have been a source of motivation and inspiration long after each session concluded.
Take a look at the summaries below for a quick round-up of the Learning Design Meetup in 2023!
1. Exploring the PGLD Quality Framework
Anthony Bourke, Rory Green and Matisse Strong from the Post Graduate Learning Design (PGLD) team presented the newly developed Quality Framework. They spoke about the research, key considerations that shaped the framework and its underpinning learning design principles. In the session, 70+ participants shared their own knowledge of quality standards in learning design and its possible applications in learning and teaching at UTS. The accompanying blog post for this Meetup has almost 1300 hits, making it the LX blog’s most-read non-AI-themed story of the year!
Read more on the topic:
2. Crunching data, design and pedagogy
At June’s meet-up, we asked how we can use data analysis, design and pedagogy to make a difference in learner experiences. For this event, we canvassed our community about their perceptions and knowledge of learning analytics. To address the themes arising from the survey, we invited 3 guest presenters from the data analytics community:
- Danny Liu (Associate Professor (Education-Focused), University of Sydney) discussed University of Sydney’s use of The Student Relationship Engagement System (SRES) in Canvas
- Kirsty Kitto (Associate Professor Connected Intelligence Centre, UTS) delved into ethical considerations in learning analytics
- Donna Rooney (Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, UTS) provided a practical example of using Canvas Analytics in one of her subjects
Read more on the topic:
- L.A. Confidential: can we make better use of learning analytics?
- Fostering human relationships through learning analytics
- Cooking data with care: how can we do learning analytics ethically?
3. About time – pace, pedagogy and Pecha Kucha
In the middle of a busy spring session, we turned to our UTS learning design community to explore pace and pedagogy. We were interested in how we might design learning experiences to accommodate diverse time structures and perceptions, and what impact those might have on learners and teachers. We brought back the Pecha Kucha presentation format used the previous year and watched five fast-paced contributions from our guest presenters Rebecca Matteson, Rachel McCallum, David Yeats, Matt Vella, Rachel Thompson and Dimity Wehr.
Read more on the topic:
- Time’s up! 5 takes on timing and pace in learning design
- Learning, fast and slow: are you for pace or patience?
- Give international students a break – they’re just trying to keep pace
4. Finding leadership pathways in the wilds of learning design
We wrapped up the year with a bang by hosting a collaboration: Learning Design Meetup x ASCILITE TELedvisors SIG, with a focus on leadership in learning design. Tam Nguyen (UNSW), Amanda Lizier (UTS), and Kelly Pattison (Circular Learning) shared insights on vital skills and experience for learning designers aiming for leadership roles. This session was open to the external learning design community and attracted over 200 registrations and 115 online participants – making it one of the 3 best-attended LX.lab events in 2023!
Read more on the topic:
- Paving pathways to leadership in learning design
- Learning Design Meetup: 3 perspectives on learning design leadership
Be part of the Meetup this year!
As we look towards the coming year, the UTS Learning Design Meetup team hope to take this spirit of connection and host more opportunities for guests from our wider learning design communities.
The Learning Design Meetup organisers are Lucy Blakemore, Christina Brauer, Mais Fatayer and Jenny Wallace. We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming Learning Design Meetup. Please send us an email if you have any questions, and join us on Teams!