By Sean Maloney, Nexus Education Developer
Undertaking UNSW's Course Design Institute (CDI) Program as an educational developer marked a significant milestone, not just for myself but also for the program. While the initiative is primarily tailored for teaching academics, I participated as a non-academic, a professional staff member. Led by Dr Alex Bannigan and Angie Nazim, this iteration of the CDI program introduced a new modular format where participants tackled an online module before convening for a weekly two-hour workshop over seven weeks.
Held in the Teaching Commons, the program concluded with a fun and supportive “gallery walk” poster presentation of each participant’s new or redesigned course. This emphasised the learning journey we had all undertaken and showcased the profound changes we had made to our courses in terms of course outcomes, learning outcomes and innovative and effective assessment, with the main objective of improving the student learning experience.
At the heart of the CDI program was the crucial importance of understanding students' needs and aspirations, and how educators can catalyse transformative learning journeys. As an educational developer with limited direct interaction with students, I approached the program through the lens of empowering teaching academics within my faculty. It became a journey of exploring how I could collaborate with them to craft or refine courses that truly resonate with students, sparking curiosity and nurturing growth.
During the program, I focused on two distinct yet interconnected projects. First, I embarked on the redesign of an online asynchronous professional-development course tailored to new teaching academics within my faculty. This aimed to equip new teaching fellows with tools and insights to support and engage students in their seminar classes. Additionally, in an example of the program’s collaborative spirit, I lent my support to a fellow faculty member participating in the CDI program with me as she refined her Work-Integrated Learning course.
CDI provided with me a robust framework anchored in principles, methods and strategies of backward design and integrated course alignment – gotta love L.D. Fink! Each phase of the facilitation process was meticulously crafted to model diverse pedagogical approaches, from learner-centred teaching to the integration of active-learning techniques. The collaborative environment proved invaluable, enriching our perspectives and fuelling innovative approaches to course design as well as building relationships across schools and faculties that will let us support and lean on each other as we continue building our capacity to enhance students’ learning outcomes and experiences.
Reflecting on my journey through the CDI program, from the “signature assessment” to my “five-year dream,” I am struck by how it has profoundly reshaped my approach to educational design and development.
My prior experience as a primary school teacher used backward mapping to design lessons and units based on syllabus outcomes. This method, which focuses on aligning objectives with learning activities and assessments, laid a strong foundation for my work. However, the CDI process expanded my understanding of backward mapping, or what is also referred to as constructive alignment. By introducing me to educational strategies and theories such as analysing situational factors and Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT), I developed a more holistic and nuanced approach to creating learning experiences. This deeper knowledge allowed me to evolve my skills, ensuring that my designs are both learner-centred and detailed in addressing diverse learning needs.
As I continue my journey as an educational developer, I carry with me these invaluable lessons, eager to foster enriching, inclusive learning experiences for both educators and students alike.