10 Years of Learning Design at the Open University: Evolution, Findings and Future Direction

Abstract

Over the past 10 years The Open University has embedded an institutional approach to Learning Design, with use of the approach mandated as part of the curriculum design process.This paper will explore how that approach has developed over time, as practitioners have learnt from and developed the offering, and as requirements on the institution and on curriculum production have changed. This evolution has seen the approach develop into an end-to-end process of design and evaluation and brought to bear the power of learning analytics into curriculum design.The paper will also explore the various internal and external research outputs, synthesising these into some key lessons that have been learnt over the past ten years. Finally, the paper will look ahead, to see how the next ten years might look and how the role of Learning Design may adapt over this time.