Page 30 - Reimagining Higher Education : Case Studies On Designing For Inclusion, Equity, And Access In The Buka Project

J. Brunton & C. Beatty · ABC Learning Design in Practice

An Introduction To Learning Design

A learning design is a representation of what happens in a teaching and learning

session to help learners achieve specified learning outcomes. It is often structured

as a sequence of learning activities that can be shared with others. For online and
blended learning, this approach is able to show, not only what is happening when

the teacher is with the learners, but also what learners should be doing when the
teacher is absent and they are being supported by technology.

(Laurillard et al., 2018, p.1046)

The aim of LD is to create a learning environment that is e ective and allows

students to engage in meaningful learning experiences. LD approaches have
derived from the parent concept of instructional design (ID). While these

approaches are similar, LD prioritises the learning experience whereas ID is mostly
concerned with improving the curriculum content. One of the main distinctions is

that ID predates the digital revolution while LD has developed in response to

technological advances in education (Sims, 2006). There are many LD frameworks,
models, and approaches and all can be used for any mode of teaching and learning,

including online learning.

From Instructional Design to Learning Design: The ABC LD Approach

The ABC LD (Arena, Blended, Connected Learning Design) approach focuses

specifically on the ‘analyse’ and ‘design’ elements of the ADDIE ID model. It is a
curriculum development model suited to blended/online learning and builds on the

six learning activity types (see Figure 3) proposed in Laurillard’s (2012)

Conversational Framework of how students learn, which are as follows:

● Acquisition – Listening or reading (passive)
● Investigation - Research and discovery (active, purposeful, evaluation)

● Practice - Responding to a task (achieving a goal)
● Discussion - Listening and responding (group work)

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