-
Words of Wisdom: Creating a compendium of Sustainability
Paul Astles and Catriona Matthews ~ Learning Designers You may have read our previous blog post with reflections on our experiences at the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC) conference in Sheffield last year. And if you did, you may remember that at that time we gave an overview of a project called…
-
How do online students use digital technologies to manage their emotions?
Jake Hilliard ~ Learning Designer Have you ever put on a music playlist to help you focus on a task, or turned to YouTube for a quick break when you feel stressed or overwhelmed? For many online learners, these aren’t just habits, they’re strategies for managing emotions while studying. Last month I had the…
-
Inside the ICEBERG: How we updated the ICEBERG principles
Catriona Matthews, Jake Hilliard, and James Openshaw ~ Learning Designers Earlier this year, we proudly shared a blog post introducing the updated ICEBERG principles – a set of seven evidence-based learning design principles that positively impact student retention. Originally created in 2016, the principles were updated across 2023-2024 to reflect new research, student insights,…
-
Study speed and workload: How do they intersect?
Paul Astles and Charlie Knowlson ~ Learning Designers Imagine, for a moment, that you are standing in front of a pile of food the height of a giraffe. This pile is made up of all your favourite foods, neatly separated by sustainably sourced packaging. If you’re unsure why there is packaging, just consider this:…
-
Student Voice on GenAI: Use, Concerns and Educational Applications
Mary Simper and Eleanor Moore ~ Learning Designers Like much of Higher Education, we in the Learning Design Team at The Open University have been both fascinated and challenged by the introduction of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools like ChatGPT. In this blog post, we’ll uncover what our students have told us about their use of…
-
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…