By Vicki Dale. Curriculum Architect, Learning and Teaching Centre
I was appointed in August 2014 as the Curriculum Architect to oversee the development and implementation of a suite of online and blended learning courses funded as part of the University’s strategic investment in e-learning. Known locally as the BOLD project (Blended & Online Learning Development), this initiative seeks to expand the university’s digital course offerings, in turn growing staff and students’ digital literacies, and ensuring institutional capability for learning and teaching in the 21st century.
When I go to conferences and events, people often comment on my interesting job title – what does it mean to be a ‘curriculum architect’? Firstly, it relates to working with academic course developers as they design blended or online curricula, ensuring that learning outcomes, learning activities and assessment are constructively aligned (Biggs 1999). There is also an element of assisting people in engineering the development of online courses which are authentic, fit for purpose, and innovative from the point of view of harnessing new learning technologies while adhering to good practice in course design. The job title is similar to that which Shepherd (2011) describes as ‘the new learning architect’; a learning and development professional who draws upon technological affordances and appropriate pedagogies in order to meet the challenges of 21st century education.
I think in a sense everyone who contributes to this blog is a learning architect – whether academic course developer, learning technologist, librarian, IT professional, effective learning advisor, and learners themselves, in the sense that we are co-creating opportunities for meaningful learning experiences, using technology-enhanced learning and teaching approaches. I am excited to be a contributor to this collaborative blog, as I perceive it will provide lots of opportunity for informal peer learning, discussion and reflection, which will in turn influence what it means to be a curriculum or learning architect.
References
Biggs, J. B. (1999). Teaching for quality learning at university : what the student does. Buckingham, Society for Research into Higher Education : Open University Press.
Shepherd, C. (2011). The New Learning Architect. http://onlignment.com/thenewlearningarchitect/.