I’ve been making reasonable progress with this work on a Grad Cert in Learning Design. However, one thing that has become a significant issue that needs to be addressed, at both an institutional level and, I think, more widely, is the relationship between learning design and leadership. I’m using both of these terms loosely, but also in a specific sense: many universities already offer courses on educational leadership, and those courses often appeal to more than ‘your average classroom teacher seeking to become a principal’, and more and more universities are becoming interested, or already are offering courses related to e-learning and learning design, as well as learning science.
So, the question then must be: in what ways are these offerings different? What content should be similar, if any? What is the appeal of one over the other? Previously, I might have suggested that an educational leadership course should be aimed squarely at those who are seeking to become, or perhaps already are, educational leaders. I know that, while it’s not stated as a requirement, a Masters degree is often encouraged as a step towards senior leadership in many schools – although, many of those faith based schools prefer a religious dimension to such a degree.
But what about business leaders? What about entrepreneurs? What about educators in nursing, for example? Should they explore a Masters of Education in Leadership and Learning? What about teachers or educators? What about people in the business world who are interested in training and development? Or already working in that field? I think this is an interesting point, and much hinges on how we come to think about learning and leadership – and design. Leadership in these courses is often given a much broader definition than simply someone with a position (and so it should – I think this is particularly pertinent for education, where teachers often work as leaders, even if they spend most of their time in the classroom), and instead is addressed via leaders as agents of change; that is, those practicing leadership, rather than those with a role that requires it, or specifically names it as if it’s simply a criterion for a job.
But what does that mean for those interested in learning design? Well, I think that there is space for a course that focuses specifically on the theories and practices that underpin educational design in a much more focused sense. With learning design a growing field (at least in Australia), I think there is space to develop a course that focuses more precisely on the why and how of that field. Such a course would have a much more granular focus than a leadership course, targeting those who are engaged in the practice of learning design, rather than those who direct that practice. This course could cover, in detail, the issues that pertain specifically to the design of learning experiences, with a theory-inspired practice focus. It could cover learning design frameworks and patterns, ethical matters in learning design, future trends in learning design, evaluation and assessment in learning design and much more.
In keeping with its practice-orientation, it would need to have a range of features that would keep it close to practice- such as a portfolio of learning objects and tasks, input from industry experts and examples that are relevant and current.Of course, there will be some significant cross-over, as there should be, but the shorter form of the graduate certificate allows people to build in into something a little fuller.