Integrating TEL into Curriculum Design
Integration
Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) is a term that embraces the effective use of digital technology for the improvement of teaching and learning. Delivering TEL to a high standard requires that technology use be integrated into curriculum planning, which can allow time for:
Technology evaluations
Which tool is the right tool for the given pedagogical activity?
Training requirements
How will staff and students know what to do, both technically and pedagogically?
Hands-on preparation time
How much up-front time is required for set up and sustainability?
Resource / activity evaluations
How will course teams plan to gather/use feedback?
A useful checklist
The following checklist presents some key questions for consideration in curriculum planning.
- How do you intend to use Moodle across the whole course? How will online delivery complement in-person delivery?
- How do you intend to structure Moodle spaces across the course?
- What elements of consistency and scaffolding should each Moodle space contain?
- How will you build in elements of activity or participation to engage students across the course?
- How do you intend to induct and train students to use the Moodle environment effectively?
- How do you intend to gather feedback on the learning environment across the course?
- What plans will you put in place for course management and archiving in Moodle?
- Do teachers have the required skills to prepare and deliver using Moodle?
- What training is required for your course team? (General digital skills or technology specific).
- What opportunities are there in your course to enhance learning using technology?
- Can technology opportunities be delivered from existing tools, or are new ones required?
- How do you plan to embed technology in the course design?
- How will the curriculum be delivered across the course and is the rationale for technology use clear to all?
- What digital skills will students need to develop across the course? Are these clearly mapped into the design?
- Who will deliver the required digital skills training for students? Is staff training required?
- What type of digital resources do you plan to use or develop? (Notes, worked examples, case studies, interactive exercises, collaborative documents, eBooks, Open Educational Resources).
- Are staff able to evaluate the available tools to select those most appropriate for resource creation?
- Do you have plans to collaborate, share, and store resources centrally for the course team?
- What resources, beyond those created by the course team, are available? (Library, Skills Centre, MASH etc.)
- How will your digital resources meet legal requirements for accessibility, copyright, and data protection?
- What types of activity will you embed across the course to build interest and involve students?
- What technologies are available for you to use in the classroom, and online, for students to interact, co-create or collaborate?
- What support is required to use technology to teach in different ways? (AV (Audio Visual), DD&T, TEL)
- How will you develop existing resources (such as lecture capture recordings) into student-centred activity?
- How will you plan for group work to engage students? Which technologies can facilitate this?
- How can you identify and support at-risk or struggling learners? (AFL and diagnostics, or analytics)?
- What opportunities are there for students to be assessed on a range of skills? (Video, audio, coding, portfolio).
- What training will be needed to submit (student) and assess (staff) diverse assessments using technology?
- What opportunities are there for self or peer assessment? And which technologies can facilitate this?
- What opportunities are there to take advantage of technology for formative assessment? (Self-marking, auto marking)
- How will feedback to students be planned and delivered across the course, for consistency?
- How do you intend to introduce assessment with appropriate support and guidance for students?
- What opportunities are there for students to reflect on their learning experience across the course?
- Are there sufficient opportunities for students to engage with feedback and feedforward on their learning?
- How will course teams engage with student feedback throughout the course?
- How does the course team intend to close the feedback loop?
- Which technologies can facilitate these activities?
- Have TEL and/or DD&T been consulted about your technology requirements?
- Has the existing functionality of institutional tools been explored?
- Is there a tool on the market that meets your needs or is further investigation required?
- Is there resource and time available to develop an in-house solution?
- How much lead-time is required to test the new technology, implement it, and train people to use it?
- How will ongoing support for the new technology be achieved? Who will be responsible?
- Will any new tool be GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) compliant (data protection) and digitally accessible?
- Will the new technology retain the right data required of university processes (e.g. assessment)?
- Is the new technology likely to last the lifetime of your course? What contingencies might be needed?
- Is the new technology a service that is updated regularly and what impact might this have mid-course?
- Will the new technology have any impact on student requirements (e.g. updated computers or additional hardware)?
- Does budget need to be allocated towards costs of the technology year-on-year (e.g. subscriptions)?