Responsive Online Course Design: Microcredentials and Non-Linear Pathways in Higher Education

Abstract

AbstractCOVID-19 required educators to rapidly change their course programs and structures. Many courses in higher education moved from face to face or blended models to entirely online approaches, and educators were required to grapple with new technologies and, more importantly, new pedagogies to engage students through novel mediums. One key aspect of these emergency pedagogies is the need to embrace responsive approaches to teaching and learning, especially considering program and course structure, assessment and participation. This chapter will outline the pandemic-motivated development of the Graduate Certificate in Learning Design at UTS that made use of both the principles of a Hyflex approach within individual courses as well as microcredentialling and non-linear pathways within the program structure to encourage a self-curated, student directed learning experience. A crucial outcome of this approach is that such a model of course and program structure fits well with the principles of socially-just learning design. Students have more control over what they learn, but also how and where they learn it. This means that the course is more accessible and inclusive of diverse communities.