Designing efficient learning experiences and pedagogical usability for distance education

This study explores learning and teaching experiences of distance education design for a Master’s programme for engineers. The objective is to redesign the distance education so that there are less technical constraints and the experiences of both students and lecturers are as good as, or even better than traditional studies.

The research approach is described as educational design research, in which a design is improved through continuous evaluation. A new iteration of the design is developed based on the findings from the first phase. The research methods used in the first phase were questionnaires measuring pedagogical usability and experiences of distance learners, as well as interviews with both students and teachers. Furthermore, media production experts evaluated the setup of the classroom and the utilization of the technical equipment.The findings show that challenges of the design relate to technical needs, learning needs, and didactical needs. The next phase of the study is to develop a second iteration of the educational design, in which the three needs are targeted in order to make the design more effective and efficient for both students and lecturers. The study will further our understanding of how to design for a new learning culture for distance education built around the affordances of digital tools.