strategic planning, project management and process improvement

Team process improvement

At VU I lead a small design team - we are responsible for working with teaching academics to redesign subjects for block model. This process involves working to quality standards and tight timeframes. To support our team and to look to improve processes and scale and streamline work, I have implemented the following, based on agile principles: 

• Team standups and 'retros' (retrospectives)

• Monthly team showcase/hackathon meetings as a way to share practice

• Trello for task management, including mapping our process and breakdown of developmental tasks completed during the redesign process (image below). This has allowed us to better break down and share tasks across the team, as well as gain a better holistic view as to what stage and status the subject redesigns are in at any point in time. 

Blended Learning Pilot evaluation

At RMIT I was previously involved in leading the evaluation for the Blended Learning Pilot, designing the student survey. 

The process for designing the student survey involved: 

• evaluating existing survey instruments for their fit for purpose

• mapping survey questions against Blended Learning Pilot themes, to aid in a tight methodology and later analysis of responses

• modifying survey questions to suit the RMIT educational technology context (e.g. Canvas)

• adding specific questions where required

• designing the question set in Qualtrics for further distribution to students. 

Below is an example of the gathered survey instruments mapped against the Blended Learning Pilot themes, and examples of questions designed in Qualtrics. 

The future of technology enhanced learning - 2019 and beyond

As learning designers we are expected to be able to analyse and to some extent, forsee trends in the educational technology landscape. I wrote a blog post for The Edvisor summarising some of the more recent and seminal articles outlining the future of the sector and some of the issues related to what is a disruptive educational space in 2019. 

Where's my (educational) jetpack - The future of technology enhanced learning (March, 2019)

I also presented a summary of some of the key themes as part of a TEL edvisors webinar around this time (recording below). 

Review of blended and online standards

As part of undertaking the OLC SUNY OSCQR Rubric workshop and to advise on blended and online learning standards and principles while at La Trobe University, I evaluated a range of existing blended and online quality standards available. I presented the document as part of an early TEL edvisors webinar related to Blended Learning Strategy and Minimum Online Presence across institutions (I also organised and coordinated the webinar). At this time several Universities were relatively new to having a comprehensive strategy for digital learning. 

While the document is somewhat out of date it provides a great frame of reference around what different institutions have been doing and key categories and elements that should be contained within institutional quality standards or considered as part of online/blended quality evaluation or strategic projects and/or planning. 

Newer quality standards should look to also draw from Cathy Stone's Opportunity through Online Learning guidelines , newer accessibility guidelines, and for blended learning - consider ways to assess quality of teaching, such as the OLC SUNY QTIP scorecard. 

VU eLE Training strategy

While working at Victoria University (VU) I was responsible for designing the training strategy and training plan for a large-scale eLearning Environment implementation project (eLE project). 

The training strategy and training plan included details of: 

• Training delivery methods

• Staff needs analysis

• Breakdown of delivery modules/components - including method, mode, frequency, location, topics covered, etc

• Resources deliverables and timelines

Below is an early synopsised ('pre') version of the training strategy.