Frameworks for your digital learning design toolkit – inaugural masterclass for Level 5 Digital Learning Design apprentices

Following my panel attendance 'Launching a new apprenticeship standard for Digital Learning Design', at the Association for Learning Technology Annual Conference on 5th September 2023.  More information on the apprenticeship occupational standard and end-point assessment plan, and my earlier work with Level 3 and 4 Digital Learning Design apprentices in my blog post 'Level 5 Digital Learning Designer Occupational Apprenticeship Standard'.  I had a chat with fellow panel member Simon Bozzoli, CEO of LDN Apprenticeships.  He invited me to speak with apprentices at some point in the future.  He later put me in touch with Frazer Worthington, Digital Learning Designer Skills Coach, to deliver a masterclass.  Today I delivered a two-hour inaugural masterclass 'Frameworks for your digital learning design toolkit – inaugural masterclass for Level 5 Digital Learning Design apprentices' to 19 apprentices (21 in total).  I feel like my work and support with the Digital Learning Design curriculum has now to a natural close, ten years (2014) since I first tutored, assessed and quality assured the Level 3 Diploma in Digital Learning Design qualification, and the year after the Level 4 Diploma in Digital Learning Design.

The masterclass was a mix of theoretical frameworks and conversational activities.  However these were brief introductions to the frameworks, not deep dives.  The literature was provided for apprentices to explore afterwards.  The frameworks were intended to go beyond the production, and be useful for pre and post thinking and design.  To inform their designs and evaluate their designs and success, and/or view from another lens.  This is all based on my experience in education.  As my audience is working with academics to influence effective digital learning design and technologies.  Apprentices were asked to be activin in their participation and contribute to a collective Padlet resource which everyone can access and download at the end.

I had so much more content to talk about but had to reign it in!  That was left as further reading for the apprentices.  I particularly enjoyed the break out activity regarding slide 13, a scenario, where they had to apply the two frameworks I introduced before hand; forms of activity and learning types.  There was so much rich discussion and debate, which is exactly what I wanted to achieve with that part.

I'm just really glad that the apprentices got a lot of out the session and started to develop independent thinking on their approaches.  They were a great bunch to be with and had lots of questions to ask me.  Frazer was a brilliant assistant too, and pausing me at the right moments to ask further thought-provoking questions on my experience.

Me - "Thanks again for the opportunity, and to work with you Frazer."

Frazer Worthington - "Thanks Daniel, likewise, and from me it was really appreciated the time and effort you put into the session.  From reading the journal entries it has really helped them with considering the design methods for future DLD projects."

Some anonymous feedback from the apprentices on the session:

• "Thank  you Daniel - I hadn't heard the word gubbings for some years 🤣 - I LOVE all frameworks so more frameworks are added to my toolkit"
• "Awesome session, wish it was a little longer so that we could have more discussion, but was very interesting to learning how we approach learning design and analytics. Enjoyed the session, found very useful. Thank you Daniel"
• "I'll be re watching the recording to absorb more/ better. Thanks. That was really interesting."
• "Great session - really interesting and very well timed at the stage we are at in the course. Thanks Daniel."
• "It was a bit tricky to wrap my head around applying the two frameworks in the breakout session so the collaborative piece was much appreciated whilst I engaged my brain!"
• "It was really good to hear from someone in the industry and how they apply frameworks and technologies. Thank you!"
• "I was engaged throughout the session- thank you so much!"
• "Considering the different 'types' of careers was useful and allowed me to highlight the areas that I need to develop to become a more well-rounded digital learning designer"
• "Thank you, I found this session very useful!"
• "Great session, thank you very much!"
• "Forms of Activity was really interesting"
• "How we approach long-term learning/layers of learning (under pressure it can be very easy to focus only on the short-term requirements of a module of learning and not assess the overall journey)"
• "Approach to learning types! new framework for me and really useful to review content, especially a longer course"
• "Learning types and linking those with different activities/learning objectives"
• "How the application of a function or activity relates to the learning needs."
• "Identifying learning approaches and learning types was really interesting"
• "I do like the forms of activity and learning types frameworks, however I think I need to spend some more time looking at both frameworks as I can see the value in applying these to learning design approaches."
• "Definitely going to help me be thoughtful about the variety and levels we're looking to construct learning modules (as part of wider Learning Journeys!)"

What this session told me, is that I need to be doing more of this in my institute; educating others on such things in similar ways, which had already been built into my digital learning strategy.

EDIT:  March 2024.  Frazer Worthington - "I hope you are well.  Feels like time has flown by since your masterclass and thanks once again for that session, I’m seeing a lot of your ideas used, as the cohort starts to develop course maps and storyboards for their EPA."