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From insight to impact: The evolving role of learning design in higher education
~~ By Alice Gallagher, Interim Head of Learning Design Introduction When I stepped into the role of Interim Head of Learning Design earlier this year, I found myself looking at a familiar discipline through a new lens. Having spent much of my career in learning design before moving into curriculum and service leadership roles, returning…
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CATE 2026 awards: Reflections on what being The Open University nominee means to us
Paul Astles, Joanna Helms, Eleanor Moore, James Openshaw, Jack Orbell ~~ Learning Designers In the autumn of 2025, after a rigorous application process, the Learning Design AI group was proud to be chosen as the OU’s CATE (Advance HE’s Collaborative Awards for Teaching Excellence) nomination for 2026. Competition for the award was high and we…
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Looking through the lens of compassionate pedagogy: attending the Open University WELS EDI Festival
Hayley Kelly, Cinzia Imbriano-Merner, Anna Judd-Yelland, Catriona Matthews, and Mark Williams ~ Learning Designers The WELS Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Festival 2026 ran from 20 April –1 May online for Open University staff and student reps. It was organised to celebrate the diverse journeys of OU students and staff in the Faculty of…
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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…
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Maximising student support: Equitable Outcomes Challenge Week 2025
Jannah Aljafri, Anna Judd-Yelland, Penelope Lee, and Catriona Matthews ~ Learning Designers The days may be getting colder and darker, but the Christmas season is upon us, plus we’ve just enjoyed some great virtual ‘fireside chats’ during The Open University’s Equitable Outcomes Challenge Week. 🍵🔥 Colleagues from across the University shared their projects on…
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A Faculty in Conversation: FBL Scholarship Connects Vision, Practice, and Partnership
Liz Hardie ~ Centre Director, The Scholarship Centre for innovation in online Legal and Business education (SCiLAB) What happens when a Virtual Courtroom escape room, a WhatsApp peer mentoring community, the Chartered Association of Business Schools and two learning designers meet? (I’m not sure if this sounds like a bad joke or the start…
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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,…
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Innovating Learning Design in Higher Education: Reflections from an International Collaboration
Paul Astles and Catriona Matthews ~ Learning Designers Since 2022, members of The Open University’s (OU) Learning Design and Institute of Educational Technology (IET) teams have played an integral role in the Erasmus+ project Innovating Learning Design in Higher Education (iLED). The three-year iLED project was co-ordinated by the University of Zagreb and alongside…