Making pedagogical decisions
Learning outcomes as a starting point
Determining the objectives or learning outcomes of a course is part of the pedagogical analysis in the teaching planning process. At the same time, the learning outcomes are also the starting point for all important pedagogical decisions.
Learning outcomes should basically express what learners should know and be able to do at the end of a learning process. Check the learning outcomes specified in the curriculum for your course and reformulate them if necessary. It also makes sense to define teaching and learning objectives for the individual course units. Watch the video to find out how to formulate learning outcomes.
The main didactic decisions in university teaching concern the teaching and learning activities in combination with teaching and learning methods and the assessment methods. To determine these aspects, it is advisable to proceed according to the model of Constructive Alignment by John Biggs: The teacher aligns the teaching and learning activities and assessment methods with predefined learning outcomes, taking into account the requirements of the situation. This results in a didactically coherent concept for a course that provides students with the best possible support in achieving the learning outcomes.
You can find out more about the implementation of constructive alignment in the video.
With regard to assessment methods, you should ask yourself the following questions in the planning phase:
- Will assessment be summative (at the end of the teaching-learning process) and/or formative (accompanying the learning process)?
- Which assessment techniques should be used?
- Are there non-assessed partial performances?
- What is the assessment scheme for the entire course?
Further information and suggestions on assessment design decisions can be found on the page "Exams and Assessment Design".
Workload estimation and content reduction
The selection of teaching and learning activities and exam modalities should always take into account the workload specified for the course. 1 ECTS corresponds to a workload of 25 real-time hours. In addition to the course time, self-study phases and time for exam preparation must also be taken into account.
It may happen that the amount of material provided is too extensive for the specified scope of the course. In this case, the teacher should break down the course content to its essential elements. Content reduction is also recommended when teaching complex topics. You can find out how this can be implemented in the video.
Guidelines for technology-enhanced teaching concepts
Digital media can be used in a pedagogically meaningful way in (university) teaching. The ADDIE model offers a general structure for technology-enhanced teaching concepts. The five phases of the model are: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation. The key aspect is the iterative nature of this process, in which the phases are reflected upon and re-evaluated. A detailed description of the individual phases can be found in this infographic.
Various methods and approaches can be considered when deciding on the pedagogically motivated use of digital technologies. The following video gives you a brief overview.
The following guiding questions provide an insight into the topics and aspects you should consider when designing your lesson plan.
What should you consider carefully?
- Topic / Contents
- Teaching / learning objectives
- Teaching methods (incl. justification for choice of method)
- Suitable (digital) tools (incl. justification for choice of tool)
- Assessment
Set up the online environment / course:
- Is content (e.g. script, texts, images) already available?
- What structure is planned/possible?
- Which formats of teaching materials would be suitable for my content?
- Can I adapt existing materials?
Set up activities:
- What activities/tools will be used (e.g. forum, glossary, assignment upload)?
- Who should be addressed by the activities (e.g. whole group in the forum, individually via assignment upload)?
Formulating assignments and tasks:
- What is the wording of the tasks/assignments?
- Who checks comprehensibility?
→ Quick guide "E-Tivities: Online work assignments with structure"
- In videoconferences: can a second person (e.g. student assistant or participant/student) provide support as a co-moderator?
- In face-to-face teaching (especially if students also participate virtually): Can a second person (e.g. student assistant, or participant/student) take over the documentation of content in the lecture hall/seminar room?
- Who moderates the Moodle course? (e.g. forum, chat)
- How is the distribution of roles communicated?
- What information should / must be communicated to students, where and in what form? (clear online communication and creation of a roadmap)
- Do you always give feedback yourself, or can students give each other feedback?
- How do you communicate with students outside of face-to-face phases? How can students get in touch with each other or with you as a teacher? (e.g. forums, BigBlueButton, Moodle chat)
Courses with continuous assessment are characterized by the ongoing active participation of students and the grading of tasks and assignments. The Moodle learning platform supports a variety of methods and settings. Depending on which learning objectives are pursued, different types of Moodle activities are available that are suitable for individual, pair, and group work and especially for asynchronous learning phases.
Course aspects that require decisions in any case are e.g: Course format, course structure, communication channels, methods and activities for activation and interaction.
→ For structural suggestions and further information, see the Moodle course Digitale Lehre (in German) or the English Template Course.