Wales Collaborative for Learning Design (WCLD)
The Wales Collaborative for Learning Design (WCLD) project is an inter-university project funded by Welsh Government. Currently, all nine Welsh Universities are partners of the project.
Across the nine university partners there are a number of academics and researchers involved.
All members contribute to the project activity and provide an interdisciplinary perspective on technologies in learning and teaching. Currently, there are 32 representatives in total.
WCLD Partners
International Expert Group
In addition to the project team, international expertise is provided from an International Expert Group.
This consists of the following members:
Prof. Steve Higgins
Dr William Rankin
Dr Janet Twyman
Wouter Hustinx
Dr Andrew Joyce-Gibbons
Dr Joan-Tomàs Pujolà
WCLD Artificial Intelligence (AI) Videos
Video 1: How would you explain Artificial Intelligence to your learners?
Video 2: How would you recommend using Artificial Intelligence within your teaching?
Video 3: Can you give me some examples of how learners are using Artificial Intelligence in your lessons?
Exploring Learning Design in Synchronous and Asynchronous Education
The project aims to examine learning design in synchronous and asynchronous teaching and learning, through both learning labs and learning technology labs:
Development of Learning Labs
To facilitate discussions and promotion of ideas around the use of different technologies (for example green screening, 360-degree video / augmented reality and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology) in teaching and learning.
Development of Learning Technology Labs (LTL)
To allow ideas developed by teachers / lecturers (for example on green screening, 360-degree video / augmented reality and Artificial Intelligence) to feed into high tech outcomes.
These labs are collaborative spaces which provide opportunities for teachers and practitioners across Wales to work alongside HEI colleagues in exploring technology, pedagogy and learning design.
Learning Labs
The WCLD aims to provide a space for safe and non-judgmental sharing for teachers and practitioners to discuss and theoretically explore emerging technologies in teaching and learning. These are labelled as ‘learning labs’ and each participating HEI regularly hosts online and in-person events. The following section details what the learning labs aimed to provide and the themes that each lab covered.
What are learning labs in the WCLD project?
- A pliable construct/ ideology, rather than just a specific space/ resource;
- Provide a focused, safe and non-judgemental opportunity, whether online and/or in-person, to explore, create, ideate, analyse educational challenges;
- Make connections between ideas and people to research educational challenges in a safe, open and collaborative environment;
- Forum for diverse communities, all learning from each other;
- Opportunities to develop new communities to take ‘risks’, explore ideas and co-construct potential solutions;
- Context to highlight (learning design) process, not just outcomes;
- About moving from knowledge and understanding about what is, towards what could be;
- Put innovation inside the incubator;
- Require a move from instructional design to learning design.
Learning Lab Themes:
- Curriculum & Pedagogy
- Leadership & Professional Learning
- Welsh Language & Bilingualism
- Equity & Inclusion
- Collaboration
Further information regarding WCLD online learning labs can be found via the WCLD project Eventbrite page.
Learning Technology Labs (LTLs)
Similar to the WCLD learning labs, learning technology labs aim to provide a space for practitioners to practically explore innovative educational technologies and develop high-quality resources they can then use in schools. In particular, this is based around the following technologies:
- Green Screening
- 360-Degree Video and Virtual Reality
- Artificial Intelligence
Each partner university is equipped with high-quality technology to allow practitioners on local, regional and national levels to access the equipment and to co-construct resources with the WCLD team, informed by the principles of effective learning design.
This is based on a two-way high tech – lower-tech model to allow pedagogic ideas to be developed by teachers to become ‘high tech’ outcomes (which can then be used in their learning settings). Importantly, however, the approach also provides ‘lower tech’ alternatives (reflecting the technology likely to be found in schools) that can allow such ideas to be developed further in educational settings.
Find out more
If you would like to know more about the WCLD, or want to explore a potential use of technology in teaching and learning, then please contact Dr Sammy Chapman via [email protected]