ABC workshop for course design
Do you and your teaching team need support in planning and designing your course and its content? Then this is the workshop for you!
What is ABC workshop for course design?
The ABC workshop is used by teaching teams to collaboratively plan new courses or to develop and improve existing ones. The workshop helps create variety in the course through six learning activities:
- Acquisition
- Inquiry
- Production
- Collaboration
- Discussion
- Practice
The ABC workshop (Activity Based Curriculum Design) was developed by University College London and is widely used both nationally and internationally. It was designed as a way to maximize teachers’ time while redesigning courses where needed—for example, to incorporate more digital elements in teaching or to adapt the course for student-centered learning. The approach is based on Diana Laurillard’s book Teaching as a Design Science (2012), which connects traditional learning theories with contemporary and digital practices. Listen to Laurillard explaining the six learning theories.
How does the workshop work?
The workshop is conducted on campus by the course’s teaching team. On a large sheet of paper and, using cards with the learning activities, you build the course structure on the sheet and plan what the students will do during each activity. After the workshop, you take the sheet with you for further detailed planning.
Steps include:
- Background and introduction to the workshop
- Discussion about the course and selection of learning activities
- Specifying what students will do during each activity (for example, the activity Discussion might become a session in an ALC room, while the activity Acquisition could involve listening to a podcast)
- Marking which activities include formative and summative assessment
- Creating an action plan for next steps after the workshop
How do we book?
If you and your teaching team are interested in this workshop email akademus@hv.se, and we will find a time together!