Dan Trowsdale has been teaching in higher education for 17 years and is currently Associate Professor and Deputy Head of School. Dan’s research interests lie in applying established design processes and product development methods to the process of course design, particularly in the area of supporting the prototyping and visualisation of pedagogical ideas and designs.
Dan’s earlier career as a design practitioner for more than 20 years influences his view of the role of education and is committed to transformative education featuring active learning and authentic learning and assessment. Dan has designed undergraduate modules, courses for online master’s students, and MOOCs for a global audience. The MOOC designs Dan has led have attracted more than 120,000 participants. Dan’s research into course design has led him to develop tools for use in the process of course design.
EdVee is a prototype and diagnostic tool which visualises constructive alignment early in the design process. The EdVee model combines systems engineering and constructive alignment to visually link key aspects of a course design such as course aims, graduate outcomes, content, learning and teaching activities, and assessment. It generates early dialogue in the design process, allowing iteration of the design to ensure mapping to intended learning outcomes. Dan has also adapted the LEGO SERIOUS PLAY® method to an educational context for use as a prototyping tool for new module designs.
This method offers a playful way to gain rich insights into the learning experience of a course. The method can be applied during a module review process but can also be used as a playful approach to encourage more innovative designs with staff. Dan has applied this LEGO SERIOUS PLAY® method on courses in a variety of disciplines across his university and also in universities in Germany and China.