Phase 2

Design & Develop

In this phase, you will learn how to combine continuous professional development (CPD) activities into a blended CPD trajectory.

By design we mean the development of a plan for the CPD trajectory. Development refers to the development of the teaching and learning activities.

Effective design of CPD trajectories is critical because if you get the foundations wrong, you are building on quicksand. There are many examples of CPD trajectories that are disjointed collections of modules and in which coherent consideration of how learning happens and is supported through teaching, activities and assessment is lacking.

In this phase, it is necessary to involve peers in the design of the CPD trajectory. Also consider designing your CPD trajectory with users in a co-creation process.

There are three steps in this phase:

Want to know more about this phase?

You can download the full publication here.

Step 1

Define your CPD trajectory, learning types and methods

Start by defining the overall structure, modalities and duration of the CPD trajectory. We introduce the “Blended CPD Design Matrix” template to help visualise the CPD trajectory and ensure coherence and variation. Then, choose learning types and CPD methods that will help you meet your goals,. We use the ABC Learning Design method, based on the Conversational Framework from Diane Laurillard. 

Step 2

Decide on CPD modalities

Second, we discuss the balance in modalities: in-person, remote asynchronous and remote synchronous   We introduce bridging activities which can be useful to link in-person and remote CPD activities and discuss the benefits and pitfalls of some common blended learning models (blended face-to-face, blended online and flipped classroom).

Step 3

Select supporting technologies and design activities

Third, it is important to select supportive technologies and design activities that align with your choice of learning type, CPD method and CPD modality. We introduce the SAMR model and the technology wheel to help designing a mutually reinforcing blend of content, pedagogy and technology.

Designing and developing a blended CPD trajectory requires a different approach than for in-person CPD, namely:

  • Optimal interaction between in-person and remote learning needs careful design with bridging activities
  • Clear, accessible materials and well-planned participation is essential for blended CPD success
  • Quality resources are key to effective remote learning and must be designed for multiple iterations
  • A well-structured design process is crucial with multiple backgrounds involved in blended CPD design
Want to know more about this phase?

You can download the full publication here.

Tools are available to download for this phase
Tools are available to download for this phase
Checklist

Take a few minutes to check up on your progress in this phase of your blended CPD trajectory by reviewing our checklist.