Over 200 people from across the tertiary education sector attended the Curriculum redesign for online learners webinar, hosted by the Learner Success Community of Practice on 9 August 2024.

Presenters shared research, experiences and approaches to curriculum redesign that removes barriers and supports online learners to succeed.

We are pleased to share recordings of their presentations.

Massey University – Fleur Connor-Douglas spoke about Massey’s engagement framework, which supports rich, connected learning experiences for online learners. She shared Massey’s history of online course development, design and facilitation, and the role of their Whakapiri framework in delivering online learning and teaching. Fleur talked about the challenges and realities of the design process and gave practical tips to consider.

Open Polytechnic – Nathaniel Louwrens spoke about the Open Polytechnic’s learning design and development function and how teaching can best support ākonga online. He shared the Open Polytechnic’s approach and how they use narrative to guide learners through a course, informed by analytics. He focused on the role of courseware design in ākonga success. Nathaniel also highlighted their asynchronous model, where tutors and learners have the flexibility to engage with the course content at different times.

Distance learners – Alice Bates and Claire Hamilton shared their experiences of learning online through a range of distance learning providers. They spoke about things that make a difference in supporting their tertiary education experiences as online learners. Alice and Claire highlighted the barriers and challenges they face in online learning, and shared what they would like tertiary education organisations to know about catering to online learners.

Cathy Stone is an independent consultant and researcher, based in Australia. She spoke about her research into the online learner experience – exploring the needs and wants of the full range of online learners including those in exclusively online and hybrid environments. Cathy provided insights into how learner experiences can improve delivery and talked about the future of online learning.

To watch the presentations visit Enhancing learner success through curriculum redesign – Learner Success Community of Practice.

Learner Success Community of Practice sessions

The Tertiary Education Commission hosts online Community of Practice sessions in partnership with the tertiary sector. The aim is to connect tertiary education organisations to share knowledge, collaborate, and promote individual, group and organisational development to improve the success of their learners.

To find out about upcoming sessions, please contact 0800 601 301 or customerservice@tec.govt.nz with the subject line [EDUMIS # Learner Success Community of Practice].

To view recordings of previous sessions, visit Learner Success Community of Practice.