ELDeR Workshop Evaluation | Learning Technology

Feedback from workshop participants

The ELDeR Workshop is a practical, team-based approach to learning design. It is an intensive and collaborative process, applicable to undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, through which the programme or course team collaboratively develop a values-based blueprint for their programme or course and a comprehensive action plan.

The existence of ELDeR and ‘learning design’ as a service denotes a change in perspective and speaks of a willingness for people to engage in the formal course and programme development. Our evaluation looked at how the ELDeR Workshop is one part of a complex network of influencing factors, and our evaluation shows how it can exert a positive influence on the course and programme design.

Timing was a crucial factor in this evaluation, in that the full impact of ELDeR Workshops will not be realised until a programme or course design is complete. So, this means we have in some cases a 2 to 3-year lead-in time from workshop to course launch. This evaluation provides insights into what happens / or does not happen post-workshop.

At its heart is the student learning experience, where student feedback and assessment literacies are given top priority, and a shared vision of the course/programme is developed between team members.

Timeline

2015	Melissa Highton(Director of IS-LTW) commissions a scoping project project to investigate current learning design approaches and tools, and to benchmark current practice, both internal and external.
2016	First ELDeR Workshop.
2017	ELDeR Workshops expanded across Schools.
2018	ELDeR Workshops adapted to include activities such as personae and delivered on set dates, 12 times year.
2019	The Learning Design Service is formally added to the ISG service catalogue, requests approved by the Support for Curriculum Development Committee.
2020	The ELDeR Workshop goes online due to COVID-19, comprising synchronous and asynchronous activities.

Reach

As of 2020:

Number of workshops (on campus)	Number of Schools	Number of Colleges
95	16	3

Efficacy

Overwhelmingly, participants identified the detailed plan of their course or programme resulting from the workshop, of direct practical use.

When asked if they had implemented their plan, respondents reported:
Yes	85%
Not yet	8%
No	7%

When asked, respondents gave the following details of what helped or hindered the implementation of their plan:

What can help	Barriers to implementation
Working together as a team. Creating a clear structured, specific plan. External support.	Lack of internal support. Lack of time. Organisational change. IT issues.

I think this service is a great initiative and provides a structure to move ideas forward and hear new voices.
Course Lead

I think the structure provided by a skilled group of staff from outside one's school is very helpful in getting to the truth of what staff really want for their students and peers.
Programme Director

Highly effective way to review existing and design new courses.
Course Lead

Efficiency

Despite sometimes expressing initial misgivings over the time needed to take part in an ELDeR workshop, several participants chose to comment on the efficient use of time and the amount they gained from participating.

Very valuable time and energy saver, as well as a great and clear format for working through programme design.
Professional Services

Was an effective and join-up (sic) way to think about all the elements of course/programme design.
Teaching Fellow

A great deal is covered in a short period so it very efficient use of time and resources to develop new programme and course material.
Course Lead

Propagation

ELDeR provides a unique opportunities to most of the University; participants appreciated the benefits of having external (to their School) staff facilitating. However, it has spun-off some local support opportunities as well.

...having an external moderation and framework to work towards is very valuable. It 'ups our game'.
Programme Director

Support for the workshop format

95% of participants appreciated the structured approach that ELDeR takes.

...helps the teaching team to arrive at shared understanding of aims and design.
Liaison Librarian

An excellent way of drawing colleagues and learning professional together to design a programme in a professional facilitated environment.
Programme Director

It gives you the freedom to step away from your school for the day, and focus on the effectiveness of your course materials, structure and activities.
Course Lead

About these findings

How we gathered the data

A link to an anonymous online survey was sent to all staff of any role, who had participated in ELDeR workshops between 2016 and 2019.
We allowed anonymous responses though we asked for some personal data (e.g. type of job role) to help us analyse the data.

Who responded

The survey was completed by 42 respondents.

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These findings were presented at the University Learning and teaching Conference 2020:

ELDeR: Edinburgh Learning Design Roadmap

This article was published on 2024-10-08