Five design principles for a technology-rich active-learning teacher education course¶

Design · All designs
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 qualitative), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description¶

The redesigned educational technology course followed five design principles embedding active-learning strategies across curriculum, pedagogy and assessment: flipped learning via short (under ten minutes) online videos; course staff as "critical friends" and co-explorers rather than experts; "cyclical tutorials linked to assessment" following a three-wave 'Sandpit–Synergy–Showcase' structure; group assessment with a shared mark in three of four tasks; and formal critical reflection. Together these scaffolded four target competencies: curation, collaboration, creation and critical reflection.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

Tutors willing to act as co-explorers rather than digital-tool experts
Assessment tasks aligned with the Sandpit–Synergy–Showcase tutorial cycle

Constraints¶

The authors report the course evoked student resistance, anxiety and polarised evaluations, so the pattern does not guarantee satisfaction

Target Learners¶

First-year preservice teachers

Learning Goals¶

Twenty-first century skills: curation, collaboration, creation, critical reflection

Claims¶

Students responded with polarised feedback to a redesigned technology-rich active-learning course, with almost a quarter disliking the flipped-video approach [+W]

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

McLay, K. F., Thomasse, L., & Reyes, V. C., Jr. (2023). Embracing discomfort in active learning and technology-rich higher education settings: sensemaking through reflexive inquiry. Education Tech Research Dev. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-023-10192-6

Page metadata

Field	Value
`type`	`design`
`id`	`five-design-principles-active-learning-teacher-education-course`
`title`	`Five design principles for a technology-rich active-learning teacher education course`
`description`	`The redesigned educational technology course followed five design principles embedding active-learning strategies across curriculum, pedagogy and assessment: flipped learning via short (under ten minutes) online video...`
`status`	`review`
`generated`	by `process:settle-candidates` on `2026-10-28`
`trust`	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
`sources`	1 — `mclay-2023`

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