Contents
Introduction
The core quality benchmarks for any learning material is that all learners are able to use and engage with the material on the same basis from the start. This involves curating or creating resources that all learners can perceive, understand, and utilise to accomplish their educational goals.
This process is underpinned by a high quality learning experience design framework, which encompasses learning theory, content expertise, visual design, information design, interaction design and usability. The criteria and questions outlined below are based upon psychological research and are technology neutral due to the dynamic nature of technological change. The criteria and questions are also consistent with:
- Our legislative requirements under the Disability Standards for Education.
- AITSL Profession Standards 1 and 3 and 4.1.
- The W3C’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.)
- U.S. National Center on Accessible Instruction Material Best Practices Guidelines.
Learning Experience
How does the overall design engage, sustain and extend any learner to grow from novice to expert learners? In particular, how can any learner easily:
- perceive and understand the content and navigational elements of the learning material?
- interact and control the content and navigational elements of the learning material?
- engage with the content and concepts in flexible and/or multiple modalities?
How is the instructional design consistent with the:
- core content and concepts?
- target demographics?
- published format and mode of delivery?
Purpose
How does any learner easily:
- understand the purpose of the learning material?
- identify how the material links to the syllabus outcomes?
- identify the goal(s) of the learning material and specific learner outcomes
Expectations
How can any learner easily identify the:
- indicative amount of time to allocate to the task/s?
- resources required to complete the task/s?
- required high expectations and higher order thinking?
Sequence
How is any learner able to easily:
- identify authorship, currency and perspective of the material?
- connect the material to their prerequisite knowledge?
- identify the logical sequence of the learning narrative / journey?
- access and gain meaning from the semantic (hierarchical) structure of the material?
- locate and use specific sections or ‘chunks’ of content?
- identify and connect core content with cross-curriculum priorities and general capabilities?
- critically reflect upon the required values and attitudes, skills, knowledge and understanding through multiple modalities?
Mastery
How does any learner easily:
- understand key terms and concepts the first time they are encountered within the learning material?
- accomplish basic tasks within the learning materials the first time they are encountered?
- gain immediate feedback of their understanding of key content and concepts?
- recover from an error / misunderstanding?
- share ideas, challenge thinking and participate in substantive communication?
- develop the required values and attitudes, skills, knowledge and understanding through completing the activities?
- clarify and apply their understanding of the content and concepts through higher-level tasks?
Assessment
How does any learner easily:
- recognise that the assessable tasks link to syllabus outcomes?
- choose flexible options to apply and demonstrate their skills, knowledge and understanding?
- identify the assessment criteria to be applied to the assessable tasks?