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What is Learning Design?
Learning design is the process of planning and organising teaching, learning activities, and formative assessment to ensure that students can achieve the learning outcomes of the session, and the overall module and programme. It involves carefully structuring how sessions such as lectures and seminars are delivered, including the teaching methods used and how students will engage with content and demonstrate their learning. At Ulster University, our learning design is intended to be an organised, clear and student-centred approach that promotes active, collaborative, and inclusive learning.
Modes of Learning at Ulster University
The diagram below provides definitions of modes of delivery at Ulster University and has been informed by Advance HE's Practice guide on Modes of Learning.
Learn More:
What is Active & Collaborative Learning?
Active and Collaborative Learning (ACL) involves teaching approaches where students actively engage with content through thinking, doing, discussing, and reflecting, rather than passively receiving information. Active learning focuses on individual engagement with ideas and concepts, while collaborative learning involves students working together to solve problems, deepen understanding, and co-construct knowledge through shared responsibility and meaningful interaction.
The Active Learning Network and ACL Champions provide a community of practice where staff can access support, share resources, and develop their teaching practice.
ACL Network
The ACLN is a space for colleagues at Ulster to share ideas and practice around active and collaborative learning.
ACL Champions
Nominated academic staff across faculties who support theadoption of active and collaborative learning. Champions sharepractice, mentor colleagues and encourage innovation inteaching and learning across the University.
Getting Started with ACL
Foundational guidance and first steps for staff new to active and collaborative learning.
Support for Active and Collaborative Learning
Planning Student Workload
Student workload refers to the amount of time students will spend on their studies each week over the lifecycle of their modules, whether in-person, hybrid or online. This is made up of time spent in scheduled learning, directed learning, and independent learning as defined above.
Generally, student workload is budgeted on the basis of the total credit points of the module spread across a 15-week semester. One credit point equates to ten notional learning hours. Therefore, a 20-credit module equates to 200 learning hours (roughly 13hrs per week) which can be divided across the different types of scheduled learning, directed learning and independent learning. In the interests of wellbeing and balance, student workload should not normally exceed 40hrs per week across total credits in a semester.
The information below has been adapted from the QAA (2011) guidance on student workload and contact hours.
Scheduled learning refers to learning and teaching activities organised by the programme where students are expected to attend or participate at a designated time and place.
Scheduled learning, particularly direct contact time between staff and students, should normally represent 20% - 35% of the overall hours.
All scheduled learning for students should be formally agreed with the School/Department and Faculty leadership and the Central Timetabling Unit and appear on Publish. For the purposes of the Curriculum Management System (CMS), Ulster recognises the following types of scheduled learning:
Learning Type | Description | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
Lecture | Structured presentation or talk on a particular topic, usually delivered by an academic, visiting lecturer or other specialist to a larger group of students. They can range from the traditional one-way dissemination of content to more interactive approaches, though highly interactive would imply that it is more likely one of the other types found below. Lectures usually imply a large group of students. | To introduce key concepts, theories, evidence, debates etc. in the field. |
Seminar | Discussion-based classroom session focused on a particular topic, question, problem, text or case. They usually imply a smaller group of students than would be found in a lecture but more than would be found in a tutorial. | To deepen understanding, test interpretation, develop argument, practise disciplinary dialogue and connect preparatory work and assessment to taught material. |
Workshop | Interactive session in which students work actively on a task, skill, problem, project or output, often through participation and collaboration. | To apply knowledge, develop skills, produce work, solve problems, rehearse methods or receive formative feedback during the learning process. |
Practicals | Supervised session involving the acquisition, development or application of a practical skill, method or technique. | To develop competence in disciplinary or professional practice through demonstration, guided practice, observation, experimentation or performance. |
Tutorial | One-to-one or small-group meeting focused on supervision, feedback or very detailed discussion of a topic, project, assessment or learning progress. | To provide individualised or small-group academic support, clarify understanding, guide development, review progress or give formative feedback. |
Critique | Structured review or presentation, most commonly used in studio-based subjects, where students present developing work and receive discussion, questioning and feedback from staff and peers. | To help students refine ideas, justify creative or design decisions, respond to feedback, develop evaluative judgement and understand the standards of disciplinary practice. |
Demonstrations | Session in which a practical technique or skill is shown to students, though students may not yet engage in practice of the skill. | To model the correct, safe or expert performance of a skill before students attempt it themselves. |
External visits | Visit to a location away from the usual learning spaces, to experience a particular environment or event, relevant to the programme of study. | To connect academic learning with authentic contexts. |
Fieldwork | A practical, demonstration or workshop taking place at an external site. | To enable students to gather evidence, practise field-based methods, apply disciplinary techniques and learn in authentic environments. |
Group Work | A learning activity in which students work collaboratively with peers on a task or assessment. Group work can occur within other types of scheduled learning or tutorials, seminars, workshops, laboratories, practicals, lectures or project-based learning. | To develop skills in collaboration, leadership, problem-solving and communication skills. |
Learning Sets | A small, structured peer-learning group in which participants bring real issues, questions or challenges for collective reflection, questioning and action planning without the supervision of staff. | To support reflective practice, peer coaching, problem-solving, accountability and experiential learning. |
Supervised time in studio | Time in which students work independently under supervision in a specialist studio environment. | To give students protected time to develop creative, design, performance or practice-based work with access to staff, peers, specialist spaces and resources. |
Supervised time in workshop | Time in which students work independently under supervision in a specialist workshop environment. | To support safe and competent development of practical, technical, craft, production or making skills. |
Supervised time on project | Scheduled time in which an individual student or group works on a defined project with access to supervision and guidance from staff. | To support students in planning, managing, developing and completing an extended piece of work, while retaining responsibility for their own progress. |
Placement | An agreed and organised period of learning that takes place outside the student’s usual institution, commonly in a workplace or partner organisation, and normally forms part of the programme or module. The student is understood to be a student first, and an employee second. | To enable students to achieve programme or module learning outcomes through structured experience in an authentic setting. |
Work-based learning | Learning that takes place in the workplace through an organised work opportunity, including managed placements. The student is more likely to be an employee or apprentice of a work-based learning setting, or be undertaking a placement or achieving practice hours. | To connect academic learning with workplace practice, develop professional capability, apply disciplinary knowledge in authentic contexts and support employability. |
Study abroad | A period of study undertaken at an overseas higher education institution or approved partner as part of a student’s programme of study. | To broaden students’ academic, cultural and professional experience, enable learning in an international context and, where relevant, develop language, intercultural and global competencies. |
Directed learning refers to learning activities set, structured or guided by teaching staff, but expected to be completed by students outside scheduled class time. This may include undertaking set reading, listening or watching recorded material, completing set exercises, or completing tasks linked to assessment. The key feature is that the activity is academically directed, even where students manage the timing, pace and location themselves. Directed learning is not segmented by type on the CMS but some indicative types can be found below .
Directed Learning Activity | Indicative Time on Task |
|---|---|
Searching for and selecting information | 30 – 60 minutes per topic |
Reading to scan | 1 minute per 300 words |
Reading to understand | 1 minute per 130 words |
Reading to engage | 1 minute per 70 words |
Watching or listening to recorded material | Length of material |
Making notes and synthesising information | 30 – 60 minutes per topic |
Practicing or rehearsing | 30 – 120 minutes depending on focus |
Completing tasks or exercises | 15 – 30 minutes per item |
Discussing with peers | 30 – 60 minutes |
Reflecting | 30 minutes |
(Reading rates adapted from Beer, 2019)
Thomas et al. (2014) identified a number of effective practices surrounding impactful directed learning. Students should understand the purpose of each activity, what they are expected to do, how it connects to learning outcomes and assessment, and how it contributes to their development as autonomous learners. This requires clear task design, appropriate structure, relevant and engaging activities, accessible resources, and opportunities for formal and informal feedback.
Students should be supported to build the academic and practical capacity needed for independent study, particularly during transition into higher education, with scaffolding reduced over time as confidence and competence develop. Programme teams should take a shared approach so expectations are consistent across modules and should monitor participation and understanding so students who are struggling can be identified and supported. Directed learning is strongest when it helps students study differently through guided, purposeful and inclusive activity.
Independent learning refers to study undertaken by students to consolidate, extend and apply their learning, with increasing responsibility for managing their own time, approach and progress. It is still part of the planned learning experience, but students exercise more autonomy over what they prioritise, how they study and how they evidence their learning. Independent learning appears as independent study on the CMS and is not segmented by type.
Per Hockings et al. (2018), independent learning requires:
- Taking responsibility for one’s own learning
- Choosing and setting one’s own objectives
- Deciding what, as well as, when and how to learn
- Monitoring one’s own progress
- Developing an ability for inquiry and critical evaluation
- Evaluating and reflecting on what has been learnt
Independent learning should be supported by helping students understand and improve what they actually do when staff are absent from the learning space. Students often enter higher education with a school-based “homework” model of independent study, relying heavily on reinforcing and organising activities such as reading textbooks and rewriting notes. Support for independent learning should therefore help students recognise the value of deeper learning practices, including searching for and selecting information, engaging with journal articles, drawing together different sources, discussing ideas, applying concepts and creating new work. Effective support for independent learning should therefore develop students’ habits, confidence and autonomy (Hockings et al, 2018).
Independent learning will also include the hours needed to revise for examinations or prepare assessments for submission. According to the Workload Equivalence Guide, independent learning hours for assessment should normally be around 20% of the overall module learning hours. Therefore, in a 20-credit module, 40 hours should be set aside solely for independent work on the assessments, allocated relative to the percentage weighting and type of that module’s assessment elements. See the Workload Equivalence Guide for more detail.
These examples show the break down between scheduled, directed and independent learning, leading to a total number of hours in line with a 20-credit module delivered over a 15-week semester (12 weeks of teaching, and 3-week examination period).
Example 1:
This is a module from a business discipline. Students are expected to be knowledgeable about particular theories and apply them to a range of given cases. Most of the students will already be employed in their chosen field, creating opportunities for work-based learning.
Learning Activity | Time on Task | Total Hours |
|---|---|---|
Lectures | 12 x 2hrs | 24 |
Seminars | 12 x 1hrs | 12 |
Learning Sets | 12 x 1hrs | 12 |
Work-based learning | % of time in employment that might be relevant. | 15 |
Directed learning (reading to understand with supporting texts) | 312,000-word corpus | 40 |
Directed learning (listening to recorded material) | 9 x 20minute podcasts | 3 |
Directed learning (searching for and selecting information) | 12 topics | 12 |
Directed learning (completing tasks or exercises) | 4 short problems per week. | 12 |
Independent learning (assessment) | 20% of total learning hours | 40 |
Independent learning | Time remaining after deducting scheduled and directed learning. | 30 |
Grand Total | 200 | |
Example 2:
This is a module from a humanities discipline. Students are expected to be highly familiar with selected works of a particular author, as well as their most regarded film adaptations, and be able to analyse them in detail.
Learning Activity | Time on Task | Total Hours |
|---|---|---|
Lectures | 12 x 2hrs | 24 |
Tutorials | 6 x 1hr | 6 |
Directed learning (reading to engage with primary texts) | 450,000-word corpus | 107 |
Directed learning (reading to understand with supporting texts) | 31,200-word corpus | 4 |
Directed learning (watching recorded material) | 15hrs of material | 15 |
Independent learning (assessment) | 20% of total learning hours | 40 |
Independent learning | Time remaining after deducting scheduled and directed learning. | 4 |
Grand Total | 200 | |
Example 3:
This is a module from an arts-based discipline. Students are expected to be conversant in the history and theory of a particular medium and produce a range of pieces for final exhibition. To enable more time on practice, it is taught using a flipped approach.
Learning Activity | Time on Task | Total Hours |
|---|---|---|
Demonstrations | 12 x 1hr | 12 |
Practicals | 12 x 3hr | 36 |
Supervised time in studio | 12 x 3hr | 36 |
Critique | 12 x 1hrs | 12 |
External visits | 1 x 6hrs | 6 |
Directed learning (watching recorded material) | 12 x 1hr | 12 |
Directed learning (reading to understand with supporting texts) | 250,000-word corpus | 32 |
Directed learning (practicing) | 12 x 1hr | 12 |
Independent learning (assessment) | 20% of total learning hours | 40 |
Independent learning | Time remaining after deducting scheduled and directed learning. | 14 |
Grand Total | 200 | |
