LX Transformation (LXT) is set to continue to build on our reputation for disrupting learning by creating a digital environment that will enhance that of our on-campus experience and support the future of learning at UTS.
Just as we’ve transformed our campus infrastructure and championed our approach to learning design to meet the evolving landscape, we’re now investing in our digital environment with LXT, one of the largest undertakings in the teaching and learning space we’ve made in recent years.
The move to Canvas, our new learning management system (LMS), also provides us with an opportunity to prioritise our course led approach, where course teams work collaboratively to deliver meaningful learning experiences across a course through better integration across subjects. Although Canvas is already being used for some postgraduate degrees, we’ll be progressively moving from Blackboard to Canvas from 2020.
Prof Shirley Alexander, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education and Students) dropped into the LX.lab to answer questions from our community about LXT.
For more information on the LX Transformation visit LXtransformation.uts.edu.au
[…] can see the first in the series with Shirley Alexander, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education and Students) here where she answers some pressing questions from our learning and teaching […]
Apologies the link mentioned in the comment did not come through… it’s at https://studentutsedu-my.sharepoint.com/:v:/g/personal/darrall_thompson_uts_edu_au/ERArJR6R1QRLrmrsP1Yo7KkB5rdtdm_hJBSnDIkHcKRUjg
regards,
Darrall
Great answers Shirley.
I think realistically there are two issues that would move us much closer to a course/program level approach:
1. If we want students to feel that they are engaged in a whole-of-course design get rid of the financial system that sells them individual subjects. Instead they could enrol with a course ‘subscription’ that would give them access only to those course/program experiences approved in the whole-of-course design. This would radically reduce the number of electives but stabilise enrolments in the things we actually have designed at course/program level. Perhaps making Postgraduate the place where specialisms through elective choices occurs.
2. A whole-of-course design also needs whole-of-course assessment showing progress in important skills and attributes expressed in the program or Course Intended Learning Outcomes. Longitudinal assessment of these skills or attributes can only happen if there are marks accruing from the actual day-to-day marking of student work. This means a one-to-one relationship between assessment criteria and these broader outcomes that may be there in documentation but not recorded or gathered in assessment. See my presentation to the Cities of the Future project in London last week where they are looking to implement ‘Fusion Skills’ across educational systems in the UK. (link below)
All the best,
Darrall
darrall.thompson@uts.edu.au
Hi Darrall
Thanks for taking the time to respond. Students already pay fees based on the whole course – that is why students sometimes ask why they are paying a different fee in a subject than other students in the same subject.
We are currently looking at the enrollments in electives in terms of viability of the subjects. But I think we want to maintain a level of flexibility of majors etc in courses. For example the Bachelor of Business with ~ 4,500 EFTSL has multiple majors – Accounting, Marketing etc. Some of these do still have elective options and those can be used to undertake a unit in Entrepreneurship, do an Internship and so on.
2. The LX transformation will be mapping the assessment patterns to ensure students are engaging in progressive development of attributes such as team work and so on. So I completely agree with you on this.
All the best and thanks again for responding
Shirley