Learning Design, Learning Types, Learning Theories

In the book Teaching as a Design Science (2012, 2021), Laurillard defines learning design as follows: "Learning design is the process in which the teacher designs a sequence of educational activities aligned with the intended learning outcomes, making optimal use of available resources and technologies."

These definitions highlight several important principles:

• The key term used is learning design rather than teaching design, to emphasize the focus on the learner and on learning that should be enabled, guided, and supported through the design of teaching.

• The teacher is often also a designer of learning, not merely an instructor who transmits content.

• Learning is a process in which the teacher/professor and the student/learner actively engage together in activities that lead to meaningful learning supported by teaching.

• Learning design is grounded in planned learning outcomes, with which all other teaching and learning activities are aligned.

• Learning design considers the resources available to teachers and students, as well as the technology that can support the learning and teaching process.

• Learning design requires reflection and an understanding of how people learn; therefore, teachers need to know and apply contemporary learning theories and innovative approaches to learning and teaching based on those theories.

• Learning design is an iterative process that includes redesigning a course based on design analytics and learning analytics, which also include evaluating the orchestration of learning design - that is, course delivery.

• Teaching and learning can also be observed through the phases of design science, fitting into a conceptual framework in which teaching is viewed as an activity of designing and creating.

Figure. Design and implementation of a learning design

Well-known approaches to learning design:

• ABC Learning Design (University College London)

• Open University's Learning Design Initiative (OULDI)

• Balanced Design Planning (BDP) (University of Zagreb, Faculty of Organization and Informatics)

Learning design is often compared to composing music, followed by orchestration (the delivery of teaching).

To emphasise that students actively construct their own knowledge and that the focus is on the learning process, not merely on teaching, modern learning design approaches introduce the concept of learning types, which describe different forms of student activity (e.g., acquisition, inquiry, discussion, collaboration). 

Contemporary learning theories are an important basis for learning design, and the most important characteristics of learning theories will be presented in the following chapters. At the end of this book, references are provided for deepening the knowledge of learning theories.