Category: Wellbeing

The Introverted Facilitators’ Club: How to be a quiet LD in the sometimes noisy world of module design?

Hayley Johns ~ Learning Designer

Back in September, I attended my first ever ‘real life’ or in-person conference (the ALT conference, at the University of Warwick – you can read about my and my colleague’s experiences here). It was a brilliant experience, and we learnt a huge amount.

As well as all of the fascinating sessions we attended, being in that kind of big, mingly conference space for the first time really got me thinking about the social side of our role in Learning Design (LD). When I got back to my WFH set-up (feat. tea, dressing gown and small brown cockapoo), I decided to reach out to Learning Design colleagues who consider themselves to be introverts and to hear about their experiences in the LD role in either physical or virtual spaces. Continue reading “The Introverted Facilitators’ Club: How to be a quiet LD in the sometimes noisy world of module design?”

Who needs superpowers when we have SKILLS!?

Clare Hill ~ Learning Designer

Let’s face it, we’d all secretly like to have a superpower but do we really need one? We already have the capacity to learn how to do something and practise to get better, and in doing so we develop skills. We have all been developing a variety of skills to varying levels throughout our lives and we’ll go on doing it. Our capacity for developing skills is limitless – skills are our superpowers! Continue reading “Who needs superpowers when we have SKILLS!?”

The power of celebration: An exploration of how the simple act of celebration can impact student outcomes and wellbeing.

Catriona Matthews, Clare Hill, James Openshaw ~ Learning Designers

Here at The Open University, we annually recruit a panel of students called the Curriculum Design Student Panel. Students who volunteer for the panel take part in activities designed to gather their views on learning experiences and this feedback can be used to inform the early development of activities, materials and tools. We also ask panel students a ‘Question of the Month’ in a forum, which is usually a brief question about their study experience.

Recently, we asked panel students to tell us how they celebrate their achievements, big and small. Whilst a seemingly light-hearted question, it led to some useful insights about the student experience. There was a lively discussion in the forum with panel students sharing what they considered to be celebratory study events and telling us how celebrating is beneficial to their study. It even led to some panel students vowing to start celebrating or to celebrate more, so the discussion had an immediate positive effect on those involved.

Continue reading “The power of celebration: An exploration of how the simple act of celebration can impact student outcomes and wellbeing.”