Learning design from the 11th century
is finally out of date

Australian Financial Review
E-Edition Jun 25, 2021; Print Edition Jun 28, 2021
KEITH HOUGHTON and GEORGE AVELING

Universities are facing two colossal challenges that affect the quality of the student experience in this digitally enabled world.

In the 11th century, when universities were first created, the learning design involved classes, private study, assignments and assessments. Universities in Australia and elsewhere have generally followed the traditional learning design: lectures, tutorials or lab classes, assignments, examinations and assessments.

With the pandemic, universities rushed to online delivery with a heroic emergency response. The effort showed real commitment to students. While well-intended, these efforts often failed to appreciate that learning design in online mode differs from face-to-face. The evidence is in the student satisfaction data. A survey of 280,000 students showed a 10 per cent drop in student satisfaction between 2019 and 2020.

One of many design differences relates to student engagement. In face-to-face classes, instructor-created engagement strategies need only be modest as human-to-human contact creates engagement. This naturally occurring phenomenon is often lost with online delivery. The engagement design issue is just one of many.

This first challenge involves embracing learning designs optimised for non-face-to-face education. Corporate learning and professional development, especially in some parts of the world, provides higher education with some lessons on this challenge.

The second challenge stems from changed student expectations. In large part, this change reflects today’s technology-rich world, including the enthusiastic embracing of social media, profoundly altering students’ expectations. This is especially so for students in certain demographics.

Traditional education delivery is instructor-centric. The lecturer at the front of the classroom dictates what material is delivered, in what way and with full control of when and where this delivery occurs.

Today, technology gives huge power to students. In online learning, students can log in to the learning or, at a click, disengage from anything seen as ‘boring’. Students today live within social communities, enabled by Facebook, Instagram and myriad other platforms. Online classes need to maximise social learning. Teaching methodologies need to adapt to the expectations of today’s learners, otherwise, students will leave in droves.

Who cares? Well, students do. In large numbers, they prefer not to engage with much of today’s online education – and they complain loudly when given no choice. There is nothing more depressing – for staff or students – than lecturers delivering Zoom classes to computer screens full of unengaged students with their cameras off.

Recognising the need to shift to student-centric learning is where teaching must go. Understanding changes in student expectations, including variability by student demographics – or more precisely student personas, will improve outcomes, including learning gain and lower student attrition.

Certain private education providers, including some of those now potentially emerging as university colleges, may lead certain of these changes. There are also ambassadors of change within universities. For government, linking student learning gain – or how much value is added to their education and learning – to funding could see more generalised uptake.

The solutions are obvious but not simple to implement. Recognising altered learning design requirements together with changed student expectations is a necessary start.

Solutions fall into two categories: external outsourcing or internal development.

Outsourcing to companies known as online program managers (OPMs) can provide high-value and high-quality solutions but cost may be a barrier.

Internal development involves hiring digital learning designers to provide structured advice to academic staff. Some universities, including notable examples overseas, have successfully implemented this. This is augmented by expert development of academic staff in essential skills – digital learning design and delivery. The barrier here is the scarcity in Australia of digital learning designers with genuine expertise.

In combination, the emerging solutions will result in the creation of engaging, digitally delivered education with geographic reach and economies of scale rarely, if ever, seen today, as well as interested and involved students who enthusiastically enjoy their university experience.

At the time of posting, the Authors are: Emeritus Professor Keith Houghton, Managing Director and George Aveling, Director of Strategy at Campus 2 Cloud.