This module has been created for the new PGCert in Learning, Teaching and Assessment. Curriculum design is a complex process that requires considered planning in order to ensure coherence and relevance of a programme of study and alignment of its learning, teaching and assessment strategy (O'Neill et al., 2014). This careful planning necessitates an in-depth understanding of the contextual factors which influence the design of the curriculum and careful consideration of the education philosophy which informs the construction of the learning environment and alignment of the learning, teaching and assessment strategy. Consequently, this module introduces participants to the diverse theoretical and practical considerations and processes implicated in pedagogical planning for curriculum design and delivery. Participants engage in active discussion, across disciplines, of the theoretical and practical principles related to curriculum design, and their application in each participant's teaching preparation strategies and processes. This module seeks to inspire and empower teachers in higher education to engage in considered curriculum planning in order to construct a learning environment that fosters a positive and inclusive learning experience for students. This module first introduces learning theory and critical reflection as key under-pinning principles for effective learning, teaching and assessment practices. It then focuses on the diverse theoretical and practical considerations and processes implicated in pedagogical planning for curriculum design and delivery and highlights the importance of integrated design approaches. It seeks to establish and share best practice in curriculum design that embraces the affordances of all modes of delivery (face to face, blended and online), by empowering higher education teachers to reflect on and develop their practice, including digital literacy, through the curriculum design process. Participants will draw on various lenses (Brookfield, 1995) to reflect on their practice, including an introduction to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning to inform their practice.

The syllabus is organised around the many considerations implicated in curriculum design, including contemporary learning theory to inform approaches to design and reflective models to consider the learning, teaching and assessment practices adopted. Topics will include an overview of outcomes-based design in higher education; discussion of discipline-, programme- and module-linked issues in planning and preparation, including classroom ecologies and push-and-pull factors in higher education more generally; interpreting the concept of constructive alignment as a rationale for linking content, delivery and assessment strategies in the planning and preparation processes; and exploring the value and options for the use of a variety of learning and teaching approaches, strategies and resources in support of learning, teaching and assessment. Participants will engage interactively in the enhancement of innovative and proactive teaching plans for one module within a programme, planning and storyboarding their teaching enhancement using a blended learning approach, and linking these plans to learning and teaching research in higher education. Participants will explore how to address diverse aspects of assessment, with attention to authenticity and academic integrity, as well as inclusive curriculum design. Student engagement as a construct in curriculum design will be considered, alongside the significance of setting academic expectations for students in learning, teaching and assessment. In addition, participants will consider digital practices and literacies in the context of the curriculum, self-assessing their own digital capabilities and literacies in planning for learning, teaching, and assessment and considering strategies for the development of students' digital literacies. Finally, the module will include an overview of institutional grading practices and policies, as well as plagiarism prevention measures and guidelines.

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to: create a comprehensive module teaching plan that constructively aligns effective learning, teaching and assessment activities with the intended learning outcomes of this module and associated programme(s); critically assess the effectiveness and appropriateness of a proposed learning, teaching and assessment strategy, and its associated learning outcomes, giving due consideration to the theoretical and practical issues involved in curriculum design across different modes of delivery; use the affordances of technology for managing learning, teaching, assessment and feedback practices; demonstrate a scholarly and reflective approach to the curriculum design process, drawing on contemporary learning theory and appropriate reflective models to inform the learning, teaching and assessment approaches and practices adopted.

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to: adopt a proactive and informed orientation towards preparing for learning, teaching and assessment and building a professional portfolio of teaching approaches, strategies and resources; develop an approach to professional development which values reflective and cross-disciplinary discussion of learning, teaching, assessment and feedback practices with colleagues.

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to:

This module is underpinned by a belief in the value of discussion in co-operative professional development. Participants engage in active and critically reflective discussion across disciplines. They explore the theoretical and practical principles related to curriculum design, and their application in their teaching preparation strategies and processes. As such, the primary focus of face-to-face and online sessions is structured reflective discussion tasks around learning, teaching and assessment in higher education, from the perspective of the practitioners participating and in relation to relevant research and policy in the Irish higher education context (Graduate Attribute: Curious). Participants engage by articulating learning, teaching and assessment decisions and beliefs that have, perhaps, been tacit hitherto, and are encouraged to objectively critique and rationalise these decisions and beliefs (Graduate Attribute: Articulate). By exploring and discussing a diverse range of issues in curriculum design collaboratively, participants share practices, and develop their knowledge of a distinct sphere of academic research (the scholarship of teaching and learning) inherently connected to their individual disciplines (Graduate Attribute: Agile). Delivery of the module relies on the application of open educational practice principles (Graduate Attribute: Responsible) and is structured around a series of learning activities that are based on the principles of building pedagogical patterns (Laurillard, 2012) and a community of inquiry approach (Garrison, Anderson and Archer, 2000). The in-class and online activities allow participants to actively engage in reflective practice and design a module for future delivery, while justifying its pedagogical rationale and use of educational technologies. The module has a very practical approach, while ensuring that participants gain theoretical insights. The assignment involves the design and storyboarding of a module which guarantees constructive alignment of the learning, teaching and assessment strategy with the intended learning outcomes for the module. In combination, these elements are a powerful means of enriching the teaching and learning environment, which has positive implications for the overall learning experience.