Designing your online/blended unit in Desire2Learn
Intended learning outcomes
To start, define your students' needs and the learning outcomes they should achieve in the unit. This will help you to focus on what and how the students learn, rather than on what content you are going to cover.
To define clearly the intended learning outcomes (ILOs) for your units is also an important part of your accountability under Deakin's various quality learning policies and graduate attributes policy.
It pays to take the time you need to define the ILOs carefully. A clear, comprehensive set of ILOs will help you decide everything else about the unit. Once ILOs are determined, assessments, activities, topics and resources should almost suggest themselves. Defining ILOs doesn't mean that desirable but inintended learning outcomes can't also occur, particularly if your activities and assessments encourage students to construct their own knowledge.
The matrix
Download the Unit design matrix and use it to record your responses to the key questions on this page. Keep it and add to it as you work through the next steps in the sequence. It will become the framework for your unit.
Alternatively, use the Instructional Design Wizard in Desire2Learn to create your design 'blueprint' there.
Key questions
- What are your students' learning needs and characteristics?
- Refer to your unit curriculum documents and any relevant accreditation requirements or standards and write a set of intended learning outcomes. Enter them in the matrix or the D2L Instructional Design Wizard.
- Does your list include learning outcomes that address graduate attributes?
- Refer to your notes in the matrix on your student needs and characteristics. Will any of these impact on the students' ability to achieve the levels of knowledge and skill you have specified in the intended learning outcomes? If so, make notes on the types of supports your students might need, and how you will address their needs in your teaching.
Examples of intended learning outcomes
Business and Law
- create and critique integrated marketing communications programs for different audiences in a range of contexts based on criteria including: consumers, product, company objectives and external environment
- create and critique media plans based on criteria including: consumers, product, creative execution, company objectives and external environment
- create and critique message execution strategies based on criteria including: consumers, product, company objectives and external environment
- measure the effectiveness of promotional activities and decisions
Source: Michael Valos, Unit MMK393
Science and Technology
- describe various tools available for promoting sustainable behaviours
- evaluate the effectiveness of a current public participation program in environmental decision-making
- design a social research project to investigate the social dimensions of an environmental issue
- describe various political and institutional structures and the factors that bring about change Source: Kelly Miller, Unit SQA201
Health
- evaluate and interpret arterial blood gas and serum electrolyte result profiles to demonstrate an understanding of various acid-base and biochemical derangements in the critically ill adult
- anticipate potential clinical consequences of alterations in normal cardiovascular and haemodynamic anatomy and physiology and identify relevant nursing actions
- critically discuss the roles and responsibilities of nurses caring for critically ill patients and how nursing roles fit within the context of the health care team
- demonstrate core clinical skills and theoretical knowledge of basic and advanced life support commensurate with the Australian Resuscitation Council
- demonstrate safe clinical assessment and management skills in time critical and complex patients commensurate with the Australian College of Critical Care Nurses competency standards
Source: Elizabeth Oldland, Judy Currey, Julie Considine and David Glanville, Unit HNN751
Arts and Education
- discuss some of the main theoretical underpinnings and issues in the use of media and technologies, including online teaching and learning systems
- analyse critically, in context, the use of various media and technologies
- reflect and evaluate the potential of media innovations
- utilise knowledge about the pedagogy of online learning to participate in, and moderate, online discussions
- critically reflect on the potential of online communication technologies and resources for teaching and learning
- apply the theory and practice of online learing, including online collaborative and small-group work
Source: Muriel Wells, Unit ECX703
Using the Desire2Learn instructional design wizard
If you are using the Desire2Learn Instructional Design Wizard:
- Open your unit site and click on Edit site at the top right side of the screen (next to the help link).
- Click on Instructional Design Wizard in the Design menu.
- Click Start at the bottom of the screen.
- The step to enter your intended learning outcomes is Step 1: Define learning goals. It contains four parts:
- List modules - these are the major learning areas your unit will cover (eg Introduction, Intended learning outcomes, Assessments, Activities, Site design and development, Evaluation)
- Define competencies - these are major course goals (eg name: Design an online unit; description: To design an online unit using a systematic and comprehensive process)
- Classify and list learning objectives - these are your intended learning outcomes, and you are asked to classify them according to Bloom's (revised) Taxonomy
- Define module objectives - in this step, you link intended learning outcomes with modules.
See the Guide to using the Desire2Learn Instructional Design Wizard for instructions.
