Using a Visual Tool to Map the Learning Ecosystem

A well-designed course should include a series of learning experiences – leveraging different modalities - that allow the learning process to extend across time, provide students opportunities to engage in a variety of diverse activities, and scaffolding to achieve learning objectives. Engaging in deliberative process to map the “course ecosystem” promotes thinking about how to create and curate “learning experiences” rather than the traditional “developing a lecture, selecting a reading list, and assigning homework.”

The CHDS Media Hub often uses visual tools to provide “rubrics” and “prompts” that can help develop a deliberative strategy. This brief outlines five steps along with brainstorming exercises and question prompts, which can help identify the content you want to produce yourself, prompt consideration of what external resources could be leveraged, how types of activities and modalities of interaction could be diversified, and how a balance of teacher and student-directed learning could be promoted. Downloadable graphics and exercise guides are also provided.

This brief is part of a series on Building Multimedia Learning Experiences produced by the CHDS Media Hub intended to provide short summaries and/or actionable tips for multimodal teaching and learning.