Learning Design Studio: a Pedagogically Grounded Productivity and Collaboration Platform for Learning Design and Analytics Professionals

Abstract

In recent years, there is an increasing recognition of the value of positioning ‘teaching as design’ (Brown & Edelson, 2003; Goodyear, 2015; Recker et al., 2007) and ‘teachers as design professionals’ (Laurillard, 2002). Underpinning this recognition is the idea that teaching in the knowledge era should shift from a focus on transmitting knowledge to designing conducive learning environments and experiences to nurture learners’ intellectual capacities for 21st century outcomes, grounded on learning sciences-based design principles. In parallel to the developments in learning design are rapid advances in e-learning deployment such as MOOCs, and the application of data analytics and visualization technology to the massive amounts of data generated by learners on online e-learning platforms, particularly on MOOC platforms. In this context, researchers see a great potential in the possible synergy between Learning Design (LD), Learning Analytics (LA) and Teacher Inquiry into Student Learning (TISL), which can together form a virtuous circle for continuous improvements of teaching (McKenney & Mor, 2015; Mor, Ferguson, & Wasson, 2015). It is argued that ‘learning analytics offers a powerful set of tools for teacher inquiry, feeding back into improved learning design. However, the promises of LA to improve teaching and learning have largely not been realized for various reasons, including teachers’ lack of understanding of LA (Corrin et al., 2016).