DEE 2009 Cardiff

Standardisation & Flexibility in Teaching

Martin DiedrichImperial College Business Schoolm.e.diedrich@imperial.ac.uk

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Need for Standardisation Ensure consistency: across different modules; same module ― different delivery venues.

Two forces: quality of learning experience; economy of delivery.

Creativity of teacher?Technology?

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Commercial PressureDelivery at larger scale: multiple classes; multiple locations; repeated over time.

How to develop materials?How to ensure consistency?Role of teacher?

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Extreme Cases“Genius” Sketch of session; improvised delivery; flexible follow-up materials.

“Script” Detailed session plan; rigid delivery to script; fixed materials.

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Questions

How much time to prepare? How effective for student learning? How scalable? How transferable?

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TechnologyTwo main innovations: VLE for student interface; LCMS for material development.

Learning Content Management System (XML) write into templates; compile from pool of shared materials; range of roles (author, lecturer, tutor, …); one source, multiple outputs.

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Sample: A Scalable Delivery Unit “Week 3 of Finance 101” Shared weekly structure for all modules; pre-session materials via VLE, common format; background reading for lecturers/tutors; skeleton slides for lecturers, plus background notes; “core case” for lecture; free exposition of fixed case; exercises via VLE, plus notes for tutors; post-reading & backup materials via VLE.

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Creativity?

Lecture Session open delivery, different in different venues; but common core case; common backup materialsLecturer as “moderator”

Materials access shared pool before session; return added materials after session.

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Emerging trends

Structured materials Structured delivery Differentiated teaching roles Authoring vs teaching

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Useful Readings

Look for: Gilly Salmon; Diana Laurillard.