Designing Environments for Modern Learning: Learning in Innovative Spaces micro-credential

What you will learn

Gain contemporary skills and knowledge for your job now.

The design of learning spaces plays a crucial role in shaping how students learn, alongside the teaching practices used within them.

This micro-credential explores how the design of learning environments shapes teaching, learning, and engagement.

You'll examine how spatial design, furnishings, and technology can shape educational experiences that enable contemporary, student-centred outcomes.

Using case studies and design principles, explore ways to combine physical and digital learning environments to create a learning space concept that supports your teaching objectives while meeting your students' needs.

Delivered both online and in person, Designing Environments for Modern Learning is ideal for practising K-12 educators seeking to extend their teaching practice.

This course provides evidence of achievement against Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) standards.

Explore key approaches to design-centred learning

Understand how the design and teaching approaches of innovative learning spaces can maximise student outcomes. Examine the theoretical and practical aspects of student-centred learning as well key policy initiatives that support it.

Identify opportunities and challenges created by innovative spaces

Assess learning spaces as an educational tool and the opportunities and limitations they present. Consider environments designed for direct instruction or team-based learning as well as rapidly reconfigured spaces.

Design a student-centred learning environment

You'll be guided to design a learning environment that supports students and enhances learning. Working individually and in groups, you'll deepen your understanding of how to positively impact student learning in different contexts.

Gain strategies to lead others to improve student outcomes

Explore strategies to lead and guide your colleagues to develop teaching and learning practices that improve student experiences and outcomes within innovative learning environments.

This micro-credential is designed for currently practising educators in the K-12 sector and other practitioners (including architects, educational consultants and administrators) who are seeking the skills to lead change in schools.

It's ideal for those applying for Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers certification as it provides evidence of achievement against the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) standards.

To be eligible for this course, you need to be either:

• A currently practising K-12 educator, or
• A practitioner with knowledge of and access to an educational setting.

This micro-credential is led by the Learning Environment Applied Research Network (LEaRN), a multidisciplinary community of scholars investigating the impact of learning spaces. Content has been developed in consultation with leading practitioners in the education, architecture and design sectors.

It will give you a deeper understanding of the design and teaching aspects of innovative learning spaces, enabling you to extend your teaching practice, positively influence student outcomes, and lead broader change in schools.

This course is aligned with the AITSL standards of professional knowledge, practice and engagement, and provides evidence of achievement for educators applying for Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers certification.

By the end of this course, you'll have a deeper understanding of how students learn within innovative learning environments. You'll be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of how the alignment between physical learning environments and pedagogical practices impacts student learning.
• Demonstrate an understanding of key design principles for creating learning environments that effectively support pedagogical goals and diverse learner needs.

This course runs over eight weeks.

Your total time commitment is approximately 42 hours, which includes:

• 6 hours guided learning
• 26 hours self-guided study
• 10 hours assessment tasks.

Assessment:

• Discussion board commentary (30%)
• Model learning environment design (70%).

Once you've successfully completed this course, you will be awarded your Designing Environments for Modern Learning micro-credential. This digital certificate will warrant the achievement of knowledge, skills and capabilities outlined in the learning outcomes. It may also include artefacts (such as videos and written material) related to both experiential and work-integrated learning, including translatable assessment that is practical to your professional life. You can also share your micro-credential digitally and via social media by adding it to your personal platforms, such as LinkedIn. See example certificate.

Designing Environments for Modern Learning can be taken as a stand-alone course or complemented with any other micro-credential in the Leading Change in Learning Environments series to deepen your knowledge and skills.

It provides a pathway - otherwise known as advanced standing - into the Master of Education. To use it this way, you need to complete all four micro-credentials in the Leading Change in Learning Environments series, then apply for credit towards the masters.

The series includes:

• Designing Environments for Modern Learning
• Teachers' Transition to Innovative Spaces
• Schools' Transition to Innovative Spaces
• Teaching in Innovative Learning Environments

This is a highly flexible course designed to provide you with a rich and effective learning experience.

Within our innovative online environment, you'll learn alongside fellow education professionals and engage with guided and independent learning tasks such as videos, workshops, and interactive peer activities as well as reflective exercises and reading.

The course's fully online delivery offers a convenient way to develop your skill set, from a location that suits you.

This micro-credential will expire seven years from the date of issue as particular knowledge and/or skills may need to be updated or refreshed.