Glenn Hardaker has continued to successfully fund raise to support university and faculty developments for both teaching and learning, research and enterprise. Underpinning his initiatives is a consciousness of education for social change and the need for inclusive practices. This continues to guide his direction in the pursuit of international teaching and learning excellence within the higher education sector. He has continued to focus on these priority areas and this has led to further initiatives focused on digital innovations through lifelong learning that requires an understanding of tertiary education sector in the context of policy, governance through to equity.
The Teaching Guides are intended to provide foundational methods and techniques that may be useful before explore more deeply the co-design for learning framework. Such an approach is enabled by a focus on learning outcomes that provides a path for personalised lifelong learning. The foundations are intended to provide understanding of how to enable deeper learning experiences for all.
Guide 1. Inclusive Education
Inclusive teaching is an ‘education for all’ design approach that is focused on inclusive educational practices. Inclusive teaching is dedicated to ensuring all learners have opportunities to optimise their learning. Inclusive classroom approaches require the educators to create an environment for all learners to feel open to express views and support their learning needs. Pedagogical approaches needs to embed a style that ensures equal opportunities to contribute completely in the learning process. These approaches provide an inclusive learning environment for learners to feel equally valued and welcomed in the classroom. To develop an inclusive classroom environment educators need a consistent curriculum review process that embeds reflective inclusive practices.
To create inclusive teaching, educators may consider the following questions:
- Why do some learners appear to contribute more often and learn more easily than others?
- How does cultural expectations may impact learners interaction?
- How does learners principles, identities and backgrounds affect levels of participation?
- Why do some learners appear to contribute more often and learn more easily than others?
- How does cultural expectations may impact learners interaction?
- How does learners principles, identities and backgrounds affect levels of participation?
Approaches for Inclusive teaching
Foundations to Inclusive teaching typically consider the following:
- Including diverse viewpoints into course content
Example 1: when designing course content educators need to consider a variety of reading lists representing equality diversity and inclusion.
Example 2: present several perspectives in case studies and ensure that teaching materials recognises difference.
- Design an inclusive classroom environment that represents all learners and as a consequence provides an open classroom.
Inclusive practices are aligned to Sustainability Development Goals with a particular focus on Sustainable development Goal 4 (SDG-4). SDG-4 focuses on education for all and that provides learners with the knowledge and skills they need to optimise learning and recognise difference.
- Including diverse viewpoints into course content
Example 1: when designing course content educators need to consider a variety of reading lists representing equality diversity and inclusion.
Example 2: present several perspectives in case studies and ensure that teaching materials recognises difference.
- Design an inclusive classroom environment that represents all learners and as a consequence provides an open classroom.
Inclusive practices are aligned to Sustainability Development Goals with a particular focus on Sustainable development Goal 4 (SDG-4). SDG-4 focuses on education for all and that provides learners with the knowledge and skills they need to optimise learning and recognise difference.
Inclusion Statement
Teaching and learning is committed to uphold its learners’ differences by ensuring the learning environment is aligned with their diverse backgrounds. An institution achieves this goal by recognising the value of both learners and educators. It also ensures its educational initiatives recognises the dynamic cultures and individual identities as visible in individuals’ engagement in the institution.
Our learning design approach provides the specification for enabling an equitable and inclusive learning experience. It is important to recognises that long-term developments in inclusive education practice requires a sustained commitment to embracing difference. It is important to recognise cumulative impact is achieved through incremental and individual actions.
Our learning design approach provides the specification for enabling an equitable and inclusive learning experience. It is important to recognises that long-term developments in inclusive education practice requires a sustained commitment to embracing difference. It is important to recognise cumulative impact is achieved through incremental and individual actions.
Working Together Towards Inclusion
Teaching and Learning needs to encourage a learning environment that meets the requirements of all its diverse learners. Creating an open classroom environment where course resources are open to all learners of difference provides important foundations for educational excellence.
Components of Inclusive Courses
To create an inclusive course and build an excellent learning experiences that are focused on diversity in representing the learning community. Below are some key components for inclusive course design.
- Design learning experiences that are accessible for all learners.
- Design course guidelines that represent the different challenges for learners.
- Design course content that represents teaching and learning diversity.
- Design formative and summative assessment that supports continuous learning.
- Design the teaching and learning to provide opportunities for optimum learning.
- Design learning experiences that are accessible for all learners.
- Design course guidelines that represent the different challenges for learners.
- Design course content that represents teaching and learning diversity.
- Design formative and summative assessment that supports continuous learning.
- Design the teaching and learning to provide opportunities for optimum learning.
Strategies for Inclusive Teaching Implementation
- Creating inclusive curriculum and course Content
- Build clear learning objectives and outcomes as part of the course curriculum
- Assess course content from different perspectives.
- Consider different authors when selecting reading materials
- Ensure availabilities of activities, resources, and equipment before including them into the course
- Plan for the learner’s assignment to encourage them to adopt different viewpoints.
- Integrate a global perspective into course content.
- Build clear learning objectives and outcomes as part of the course curriculum
- Assess course content from different perspectives.
- Consider different authors when selecting reading materials
- Ensure availabilities of activities, resources, and equipment before including them into the course
- Plan for the learner’s assignment to encourage them to adopt different viewpoints.
- Integrate a global perspective into course content.
Ensure collaborative projects, discussion panels, and laboratory experiment are inclusive and represents the learning community.
- Explain inclusive practice and expectations to learners.
- Group projects that enable learners to support each other with a open classroom perspective
- Ensure a tolerant and inclusive space for learning to excel in learning development.2 Backward Course design.
- Explain inclusive practice and expectations to learners.
- Group projects that enable learners to support each other with a open classroom perspective
- Ensure a tolerant and inclusive space for learning to excel in learning development.2 Backward Course design.
Guide 2. Backward Course Design
Backward design is an approach to defining learning outcomes. It supports the alignment of classroom activities with learning outcomes. Educators traditionally approach course design through a forward approach whereby they start the designing process by considering learning activities and develop assessments around these activities before they connect them with the learning goals. Conversely, in backward design, the educators start by defining learning outcomes before they develop activities that assess whether learners have learned from the course. The backward design is effective in establishing the learning outcomes that informs the design of formative and summative assessment.
Stages of Backward Design
Stage 1- Identification of outcomes
The instructor is expected to assess the educational content and develop associated learning objectives and learning outcomes. This is typically aligned to the course instructional sequence.
The instructor is expected to assess the educational content and develop associated learning objectives and learning outcomes. This is typically aligned to the course instructional sequence.
Stage 2- Collect evidence of learning.
This stage involves educators reflecting on how they will provide evidence of learners’ proficiency and learning. This stage takes place before deciding how educators will teach the necessary capabilities and competencies for the course.
This stage involves educators reflecting on how they will provide evidence of learners’ proficiency and learning. This stage takes place before deciding how educators will teach the necessary capabilities and competencies for the course.
Stage 3- Learners’ experiences and instruction delivery.
This stage involves planning instructional activities once the desired outcomes and possible evidence for capabilities and competences is defined.
This stage involves planning instructional activities once the desired outcomes and possible evidence for capabilities and competences is defined.
Developing Measurable Learning Outcomes
Learning outcomes (LOs) are an explicit description of what a learner will understand and be able to apply as a result of the learning processes. Identifying LOs is an important stage in planning and developing the learning process.
Learning outcomes are fundamental to the backward design method. They mainly assess a learner’s understanding of the subject in the course, selection of assigned readings, and the classroom activities. This assessment provides transparency on the defined outcomes for the course. Learning outcomes are a learner-centred approach that are intended to be measurable, achievable and meaningful.
Learning outcomes are a measure of learners’ capabilities and competencies that are required from a course. The backward design approach ensures learning outcomes are designed before the course commences. To author learning outcome consider the following:
- Clear statements, including a verb and an object of the verb, of outcomes.
- Ensure focused sentence with clear outcomes for learners.
- Learning outcomes authored from a learner perspective.
- learning outcomes need to be aligned with the course objectives and assessments.
- Emphasis should be on learner behaviour.
- Align both formative and summative assessment methods.
- Clear statements, including a verb and an object of the verb, of outcomes.
- Ensure focused sentence with clear outcomes for learners.
- Learning outcomes authored from a learner perspective.
- learning outcomes need to be aligned with the course objectives and assessments.
- Emphasis should be on learner behaviour.
- Align both formative and summative assessment methods.
Guide 3. Curriculum Design
Curriculum Design
Curriculum design provides learners and educators with a common understanding and identifies the stages of learning throughout the course. Educators must ensure an open approach for the learner to the course curriculum. Curriculum design provides evidence of reflective teaching practice and is often used to enable collaborative learning. The content of curriculum ensures learners achieve the intended learning outcomes. The components of curriculum design integrates competencies, capabilities and impact. Typically, a course curriculum should include the following:
Mandatory Information about the course - course name, teaching times and room location, instructor name, instructor contact information, contact hours, instructional support staff information.
Learning outcomes - identifying what learners will achieve from the course. Highlighting the key areas to enabling the learning and associated outcomes.
Course information - identify the main content of the course, teaching style, and associated formative and summative assessment.
Components of Curriculum Design
Course content - is important to highlight the key components of the course. The content should salads identify how the course content integrates with pathway for learning.
Learning outcomes - define the capabilities, competencies, and impact for learning. Learning outcomes enable learners to visualise the learning journey and associated outcomes.
Learning outcomes - define the capabilities, competencies, and impact for learning. Learning outcomes enable learners to visualise the learning journey and associated outcomes.
Pedagogy - describes the types of learning activities that also identify the pedagogical underpinnings of the course. Teaching styles provides insights into instructional design.
Assessment - describes both formative and summative assessment. Here it is important there is a shift to formative assessment in curriculum design that focuses on the learning journey.
Guide 4. Assessment Design
In defining assessment it is important to identify learners progression in the context of the identified learning outcomes. Learning assessment is designed through formative and summative assessment. Assessment is integral to the collection of information concerning a learner’s progress based on the expected learning outcomes that are designed to enhance learning.
Assessment is typically a blend of formative and summative assessment methods and techniques. Assessment development and implementation may include the following:
- Learning outcomes and strategies are aligned with the assessment.
- Summative and formative assessment.
- Assessment rubric to support transparency and accountability.
- Summative and formative assessment.
- Assessment rubric to support transparency and accountability.
Assessment needs to be designed as integral to the learning journey. An educator has clearly defined learning outcomes, and associated teaching strategies, and associated assignments to identify learning development. The following components in designing assessment that is aligned to learning outcomes. The alignment between learning outcomes, teaching strategies and assessment are an essential components for the learning experience. These components provide an approach to identify the expected learning in the context of capabilities, competencies and impact. These components are integral to providing opportunities for learners to optimise their learning.
Formative and Summative Assessment
Formative Assessment - learners complete different formative tasks that take different forms such as online quizzes, and collaborative projects based on the course’s learning outcomes. Formative assessment, or continuous assessment, is aligned with the learning outcomes.
Summative Assessment - supports the summative measurement of learners capabilities and competencies. For example, summative assessment identifies learners capabilities and competencies to create, apply or understand concepts by enabling integration between theoretical issues and application.
