Lots of learning design focuses on single courses, and that makes a large difference not only to the students who take the course but also to the course author in building their confidence and indeed pride in delivering a stronger curriculum. However, designing a course in isolation reminds me very much of the first 4 lines of John Donne’s insightful poem, No Man is an Island:
No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main….
In isolation, the course forfeits the chance to weave its content, activities and outcomes into the broader fabric it sits within: the program. In isolation, the course denies the learner the prospect of building and developing more in-depth schemas because it isn’t clear how the current content relates to other content in other courses. But perhaps the greatest consequence to the student is that there is no guarantee that the course they engage in is part of a precise design of a series of courses that carefully builds and scaffolds challenge and higher-order thinking towards the program outcomes.
And for the course author, drifted from the group, a course designed in isolation exposes the course’s relevance. And it won’t be long `before a different bell tolls for thee.
Being involved in program design is a wonderful thing. It presents a clear opportunity to truly make a difference at scale. The next post focuses on two key considerations in the design of a program related to mapping courses to Program Learning Outcomes.
No Man Is An Island
No man is an island,
John Donne
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend’s
Or of thine own were:
Any man’s death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.
I’m Paul Moss. I’m a learning designer at the University of Adelaide. Follow me on Twitter @edmerger
The title image is an interpretation of the Blind man and the elephant parable: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_men_and_an_elephant
LEARNING DESIGN by Paul G Moss 