How did the Learning Design programme start?

The Learning Design programme started in spring 2021. By this point, the Educational Technology Centre had finished a three-year e-support (Moodle course designed to supplement classroom learning) assessment project and rode out the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic. The experiences gained from these events brought forth the birth of the new programme. While the earlier e-support assessment project checked the compliance of e-supports with the university's current e-learning standard, the new programme offers the lecturers greater involvement and an opportunity to implement their ideas. Increasing the digital competence of the teaching staff to ensure the continuity of learning if the situation should once again call for a transition to e-learning continues to be relevant. 

What is the purpose of the Learning Design programme?

The main objective of the TalTech Learning Design programme is to improve the quality of e-courses. We are committed to bringing 200 Moodle courses to the advanced level 2 according to the e-learning standard by 2025. We work with each teaching staff member personally, taking into account their wishes and thoughts that have accumulated over the years. In the programme, we also pay more attention to the visual design and user experience in the courses. All the courses finishing the programme should also be eligible to apply for the national e-course quality label in the yearly e-course quality label contest of the Estonian Quality Agency for Education (HAKA). 

What does the Learning Design programme offer?

In the Learning Design programme, the teaching staff member can use all the services offered by the TalTech Educational Technology Centre: improve the level of e-support, learn about Moodle tools, add interactive content, and record videos. 

We work towards Moodle courses that are not just a storage of course handouts but a systematic and comprehensive set of materials, learning activities, and learning guidelines that support the partial or complete execution of the learning process online. In a period of one semester, the participant develops their course to advanced or 2nd-level e-support. 

In the Learning Design programme, participants discover different possibilities and tools in Moodle. Here, we focus on the individuality of each course — we try to find technical solutions based on the specifics of a particular course and the specifics of the tasks. You will get acquainted with different ways to change the appearance of your Moodle course.  

All programme participants will get to see what TalTech Studio has to offer, and record video footage for their course. Our multimedia specialists are here to help you to create scenarios and edit the recordings. 

In the Learning Design programme, we also work on meeting the requirements of the national quality label competition for high-quality e-courses by HAKA. We encourage everyone completing the Learning Design programme to apply for the e-course quality label. Up to now, out of 111 courses that have completed the programme, 32 have applied for and received the e-course quality label.  

To maximise the benefit of the Learning Design programme for the teaching staff, we have also created a Learning Design programme course in Moodle. In this course, the lecturers can follow their progress in the programme, experience Moodle from the learner's perspective, and get acquainted with the courses of their colleagues. 

The feedback from programme participants has been positive. The lecturers have made their courses visually more attractive, created video tutorials, improved the structure of the courses, and thoroughly studied the possibilities of Moodle. 

What should the teaching staff consider when participating in the programme? 

The successful completion of the Learning Design programme requires the lecturer to have time and the willingness to work with the course. Two hours per week should be considered, as weekly meetings with the instructional designer (~1h) and making the changes agreed upon (~1h) in the course take time. Most of the work on the course will be done by the lecturer. The instructional designer is there to help you find bottlenecks in your course, offer solutions, and introduce opportunities. 

How can I join the programme?

Every semester we work with 25 courses. Prerequisites for applying: 

• The teaching staff member has not previously participated in the Learning Design programme — we want to give the opportunity to those who have not yet had the chance to participate. However, those who have previously completed the programme are also welcome to apply. 
• The course does not have the HAKA e-course quality label. 
• The course is in the TalTech Moodle e-learning environment. 
• The course corresponds to level 1 of e-support (it does not have to have respective certification). 

You can submit your application to the programme year-round. 

Here's your chance! 

LINK TO APPLICATION