The workshop aims to help participants critically reflect on and redesign courses for African learners using appropriate learning technologies. It introduces tools and templates for evaluating course strengths and areas for improvement, including the 7Cs framework for learning design. Activities guide participants in defining course features, developing a storyboard and activity profile, and auditing resources, including exploring open educational resources. The goal is to help designers create effective, technology-enhanced courses that foster learner interaction and engagement.

1. Learning Design in the Open
Rethinking our Courses
for Tomorrow’s African Learners

2. Origin of this Work
The workshop is based on a similar half-day workshop
developed by the Beyond Distance Research Alliance
(BDRA), University of Leicester, UK, and held at
Online Educa Berlin 2012.
A pre-conference workshop
by Gabi Witthaus and Ming Nie
28 Nov 2012

3. Workshop Outcomes
• Critically reflect on the learning design of a course that
you are either already running, or one that you are
designing
• Make effective use of appropriate learning technologies
in your learning design
• Use selected tools and templates to evaluate the
strengths, weaknesses and areas for further
development (including redesign) of an existing course
or a planned course for which you are responsible

4. Starting Point
Participants should have a specific course
in mind that they want to design, redesign
or review in terms of effective, technology-
enhanced learner interaction and
engagement

5. Agenda
• Welcome and ice-breaker
• Overview of available OER Resources
• Workshop Activities:
– Define Course Features
– Develop Storyboard
– Analyse Activity Profile
– Resource Audit
• Wrap up and Reflection

6. Ice-breaker
Brainstorm: How to Ruin a Course

7. Agenda
• Welcome and ice-breaker 
• Overview of available OER Learning Design
Resources
• Workshop Activities:
– Define Course Features
– Develop Storyboard
– Analyse Activity Profile
– Resource Audit
• Wrap up and Reflection

8. Overview of Learning Design Resources
• Background to 7Cs and SPEED
• Demonstration of some Learning Design
Resources

9. Background to 7Cs and SPEED
The workshop contains activities drawn from research into
learning design, based on:
– University of Leicester “SPEED” course
– University of Leicester and the Open University (UK) pilot called
“The 7Cs of Learning Design”
• that builds on the established successes of
– Leicester’s Carpe Diem learning design programme
– the Open University Learning Design Initiative (OULDI)

10. Carpe Diem
www.le.ac.uk/carpediem
Content (under
the appropriate
licences)
Format
Text &
graphics
Audio Video
Slides (e.g.
PowerPoint)
Other (e.g.
Adobe
Presenter)
What I find and
reuse as is
What I find, tweak
and use
What I find,
repurpose and use
What I create for
this module

11. Open University Learning Design Initiative (OULDI)
Activity profile
Course map
Course dimensions
Task
Swimlane 
Learning outcomes
www.open.ac/uk/blogs/OULDI

12. OULDI & Carpe Diem
Open University Learning
Design Initiative (OULDI)
Leicester’s Carpe Diem
The 7Cs of design and
delivery framework
Cascading SPEED:
Leicester, Saide

14. The 7Cs
CONCEPTUALISE
• Vision
• Why, who and what you
want to design
• Key principles and
pedagogical approaches
• Nature of the learners
CAPTURE
• Find and create
interactive materials
• Planning for creation of
multimedia
Activities
Consider Course Features
Design Course Map
Activities
Resource Search
Resource Audit

15. The 7Cs
COMMUNICATE
• Design activities that
foster communication
• Communication Tools
• Design for effective
online moderating
COLLABORATE
• Design activities that
foster collaboration
• Collaboration Tools
Activities
Communication Activities
Activities
Collaborative Activities

16. The 7Cs
CONSIDER
• Design activities that
foster reflection
• Map learning outcomes
to assessment
• Design assessment
activities
COMBINE
• Activity profile of
different activity types
• Storyboard: sequence of
activities
• Learning pathway:
learning design sequence
Activities
Assessment Planning
Activities
Activity Profile
Storyboard

17. The 7Cs
CONSOLIDATE
• Putting completed design into practice
• Implement: Classroom and/or VLE
• Evaluate effectiveness of the design
• Refine based on the evaluation findings
Activities
Develop Activities

18. Links to Design OERs
• YouTube video introducing SPEED:
http://tinyurl.com/speedintro
• SPEED website: tinyurl.com/speed-website
• Background to the 7Cs: tinyurl.com/7Cs-diagram
• SPEED course outline & links to resources:
tinyurl.com/speed-course
• SPEED blog: speedprojectblog.wordpress.com
• Carpe Diem website: www.le.ac.uk/carpediem
• OULDI website: www.open.ac/uk/blogs/OULDI

19. Activity 1: Consider
your Course Features
Activity: Develop
your Course Map
Activity 3: Develop your
Activity Profile
Activity 2: Develop
your Storyboard
Activity 4: Do a Learning
Design Resource Audit
Activity: Develop
your activities
Before the workshop:
• Think about the course you want to design / redesign
• Think about high-level outcomes for your course

20. 7Cs and Key Activities
Mapping to the 7Cs
E-tivity
number
E-tivity Title Purpose
Conceptualise 1 Dreams and nightmares
To note the dreams you want to realise in your learning design, and the nightmare scenarios you want to
avoid.
Conceptualise
2
Introduce Yourself To introduce yourself to other participants and experience using a discussion forum as a student.
Conceptualise 3 Start Your Reflective Blog
To start a blog in the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) with your expectations of, and reflections on the
learning design course.
Conceptualise 4 Agree on your Course Description
To share the description of the module/course that you plan to design, and the audience profile for your
course
Conceptualise 5 Brainstorm: How to ruin a course To identify undesirable course features to be avoided.
Conceptualise 6 Reflect on pedagogical models for your course
Conceptualise 7 Consider Your Course Features
To consider the features you want to include in your module/course, which will affect not only the look and
feel of the course, but also the nature of the learners’ experience.
Collaborate 8
Brainstorm: What are forums, blogs and wikis
good for?
To consider the use of three central, VLE-based tools for interactions.
Conceptualise 9 Create Your Course Map
To start mapping out your module/course, including your plans for guidance and support, content and the
learner experience, reflection and demonstration, and communication and collaboration.
Combine 10 Analyse Your Activity Profile To consider the balance of activity types that will be included in your module/course.
Conceptualise 11 Clarify your learning outcomes To ensure that your learning outcome statements are clear and, where relevant, measurable.
Consider 12 Plan for Assessment To create an assessment plan for the module/course, incorporating good practice.
Combine 13 Develop Your Storyboard
To develop a storyboard for your module/course in which the learning outcomes are aligned with the
assessment events, topics (contents) and e-tivities.
Capture 14 Discuss: Using and reusing OERs
To learn about different ways of using OERs based on evidence from research and to plan for the creation of
open content.
Capture 15 OER search To compare the results of different kinds of OER searches.
Capture 16 E-tivity 9: Do a Resource Audit
To decide how you will source the content for your module/course, including the possibility of incorporating
OERs produced elsewhere.
Communicate 17 Use Your Voice To practise the use of voice technologies to foster learning.
Communicate 18 Plan a Series of Podcasts To plan for the creation of a series of podcasts/audio files.
Communicate 19 Create a Podcast for Learning To produce a sample podcast for your module/course.
Capture 20 Find and Use Open Images To find and incorporate suitable images into OERs.
Consolidate 21 Develop Your E-tivities
To generate one or more e-tivities for your module/course, ensuring alignment with your storyboard and
course map.
Collaborate 22 Explore Web-Based Learning Technologies To identify suitable non-VLE learning technologies that can be integrated to your course.
Consolidate 23 Action planning To define a plan of action
1
3
2
4

21. Demonstration of Some Resources
• Course Map Template
– Map out your module/course, including your plans for
guidance and support, content and the learner
experience, reflection and demonstration, and
communication and collaboration
• Activity Design
– Generate activities for your module/course, ensuring
alignment with your storyboard and course map

22. Agenda
• Welcome and ice-breaker 
• Overview of available OER Resources 
• Workshop Activities:
– Define Course Features
– Develop Storyboard
– Analyse Activity Profile
– Resource Audit
• Wrap up and Reflection

23. Course Features
• Purpose
– Consider the both the look and feel of the course
and the nature of the learners’ experience
• Course Features Demonstration
• Activity 1
– Brainstorm defining features or characteristics of
course (in groups)
– Use flipcharts and coloured paper
• Demonstration using Linoit

24. Example: Define Course Features

25. Reflection on Course Features Activity
• Did individuals in the teams have different views on any
of these key aspects? If so, what were these?
• Did you understand any of the terms in different ways?
If so, what were these?
• Did you have any ideas as to what the colours
represented?
• Did you have significantly more or fewer of any colour?
What might be the implications for learners of this?

26. • Blue = content
and student
experience
• Yellow =
reflection and
demonstration
• Orange =
guidance
and support
• Green =
collaboration
and
communication
Course Features Key

27. Agenda
• Welcome and ice-breaker 
• Overview of available OER Resources 
• Workshop Activities:
– Define Course Features 
– Develop Storyboard
– Analyse Activity Profile
– Resource Audit
• Wrap up and Reflection

28. Storyboards
• Purpose
– Develop a storyboard for your course in which the
learning outcomes are aligned with the assessment
events, contents and activities
• Storyboard Demonstration
• Activity 2:
– Develop partial storyboard for your course
– Decide what chunk to focus on - high level / one unit
– Use coloured cards – paste onto flipchart sheets

30. Start End
Assessment
Learning Outcomes

31. Reflection on Storyboard Activity
• Does your Storyboard reflect the alignment of your
outcomes, assessment, content and learning activities?
• Do you need to make any changes to your Course
Features after developing the Storyboard?
• Are there aspects of the Storyboard that you would like
to return to later in the workshop?

32. Agenda
• Welcome and ice-breaker 
• Overview of available OER Resources 
• Workshop Activities:
– Define Course Features 
– Develop Storyboard 
– Analyse Activity Profile
– Resource Audit
• Wrap up and Reflection

33. Activity Profile
• Purpose
– Consider the balance of activity types that will be
included in your course
• Activity Profile Demonstration
• Activity 3:
– Do an analysis of the types of activities your learners

35. Reflection on Activity Profile Activity
• Were there any surprises for your group in the way your
profile turned out?
• Did you feel that different activity types were needed
at different stages in your course?
• Is your Activity Profile aligned with your course
outcomes?
• Are there aspects of the Activity Profile that you would
like to return to later in the workshop?

36. Agenda
• Welcome and ice-breaker 
• Overview of available OER Resources 
• Workshop Activities:
– Define Course Features 
– Develop Storyboard 
– Analyse Activity Profile 
– Resource Audit
• Wrap up and Reflection

37. Resource Audit
• Purpose
– Ensure an appropriate balance of media and formats in your
course materials
– Explore the possibility of reusing openly licensed resources
instead of creating new materials from scratch
• Resource Audit Demonstration
• Activity 4:
– Do an analysis of the resources you intend to use in your course
– Consider appropriate Open Educational Resources (OERs) in
various media and formats
– Use paper or spreadsheet
• OER Searching

38. Resource Audit

39. OER Search
• Search for one key phrase for your module/course in:
– OER Commons: www.oercommons.org
– JorumOpen: http://open.jorum.ac.uk
– Xpert: http://xpert.nottingham.ac.uk
– Open Courseware Consortium: www.ocwconsortium.org
– OU LabSpace: http://labspace.open.ac.uk
– Google with usage rights filter (“free to use, share or
modify”): www.google.com/advanced_search
– Any repository listed at:
http://wikieducator.org/OER_Handbook/educator/Find/Gen
eral_repositories
• Compare your search results with your colleagues.

40. Copyright for OERs
• Creative Commons:
http://www.creativecommons.org
• JISC OER info kit:
https://openeducationalresources.pbworks.com/w/pa
ge/24836480/Home
• Understanding Licensing and IPR for OER Projects
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BWqgVpcHCs
• JISC take down policy:
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/themes/con
tent/sca/templatenoticetakedown.pdf

41. Reflection on Learning Design Resource Audit
• How has the resource audit contributed to the
development of your course?
• Did you identify any gaps that could be filled by OERs?
• Do you need to make any changes to your Activity Profile
or Storyboard after doing the resource audit?
• What further work remains to be done on the resource
audit?

42. Agenda
• Welcome and ice-breaker 
• Overview of available OER Resources 
• Workshop Activities:
– Define Course Features 
– Develop Storyboard 
– Analyse Activity Profile 
– Resource Audit 
• Wrap up and Reflection

43. Wrap Up and Reflection
• Summary of workshop
• Reflection Activity
• Evaluation Form

44. Activity 1: Consider
your Course Features
Activity: Develop
your Course Map
Activity 3: Develop your
Activity Profile
Activity 2: Develop
your Storyboard
Activity 4: Do a Learning
Design Resource Audit
Activity: Develop
your activities
Before the workshop:
• Think about the course you want to design / redesign
• Think about high-level outcomes for your course

45. Conole, G. (2013). An update on the 7Cs of Learning Design. Available:
http://www.slideshare.net/GrainneConole/7-cs-update
Conole, G. (2012). Designing for Learning in an Open World. London:
Springer.
Salmon, G. (2011). E-moderating: the key to online teaching and learning.
New York: Routledge
Witthaus, G. and Nie, M. (2012). Learning Design in the Open: Rethinking our
courses for tomorrow’s learners. Available:
http://www.slideshare.net/witthaus/learning-design-in-the-open
Witthaus, G. (2012). The 7Cs of Learning Design: A Pilot Workshop. Available:
http://www.slideshare.net/witthaus/7cs-learning-design-generic-workshop-
slides
References

46. Thank you
Greig Krull and Brenda Mallinson
greigk@saide.org.za / brendam@saide.org.za
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.