The Adelaide Online Learning Experience

The Adelaide Online Learning Experience was developed as a way to embed student-centric principles into the design, development and delivery of online courses. The aim was to sets clear expectations for students and staff involved and ensures a quality experience for University’s online programs. The experience was based around five critical principles:

1. Clear

Accessible and inclusive to all students.
Easy to understand and navigate.
Has defined goals and expectations.
Utilises technology that doesn’t get in the way of learning.
Explains the requirements for interactions.

2. Contextual

Articulates each activity with purpose and intention.
Contextualises learning in the real-world.
Tests learning with appropriately timed, varied and suitable assessments.
Delivers content that is contemporary and relevant.

3. Interactive

Actively constructed learning where students learn by doing, not consuming.
Provides feedback that can be implemented to improve learning.
Promotes flexible communication between tutor and student.
Has a vibrant exchange of ideas, opinions, perspectives, and experiences.

4. Challenging

Promotes further learning and provides those opportunities.
Creates new knowledge, skills and extends existing ones.
Has support from a teacher that is present throughout the course.

5. Personalised

Adds value to the student and is purposeful.
Respects student time and commitment to study.
Develops skills that are relevant to their professional practice.

Aligning the Experience

A key component of defining the online experience is to ensure that it aligns with existing quality models and frameworks. The table below maps the Adelaide Online Experience with the Technology Enhanced Learning Accreditation Standard (TELAS), Quality Matters (QM) and the TEQSA Higher Education Standards Framework (HESF).

Domain	Expectation	TELAS Alignment	QM Alignment	HESF Alignment
Clear	Accessible and inclusive to all students Easy to understand and navigate (with sufficient instruction) Has defined goals and expectations Utilises technology that doesn’t get in the way of learning Explains the requirements for interactions	1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 5.1	1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.7, 2.1, 2.3, 3.2, 4.2, 5.3, 5.4, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3. 8.4, 8.5, 8.6	1.4.1, 1.4.2, 1.4.3, 1.4.4, 1.4.5, 2.2.1, 2.3.3, 3.3.1, 3.3.2, 3.3.3, 3.3.4
Contextual	Articulates each activity with purpose and intention Contextualises learning in the real-world Tests learning with appropriately timed, varied and suitable assessments Delivers content that is contemporary and relevant	5.2, 5.3, 6.1, 7.1, 7.2, 8.1, 8.2	2.2, 2.4, 3.4, 4.4, 4.5	1.4.2, 1.4.4, 1.4.5, 3.1.2, 3.1.3, 3.2.1, 3.3.1
Interactive	Learning is actively constructed, students learn by doing, not consuming Provides feedback that can be implemented to improve learning Promotes flexible communication between tutor and student Has a vibrant exchange of ideas, opinions, perspectives, and experiences	1.4, 4.1, 4.3, 5.4, 5.5, 7.3	1.9, 3.3, 3.5, 4.1, 5.2, 6.2, 6.3	1.3.3, 1.4.2. 2.1.3, 3.2.1
Challenging	Promotes further learning and provides those opportunities Creates new knowledge, skills and extends existing ones Has support from a teacher that is present throughout the course	6.2, 4,2	1.8, 3.1, 4.3, 5.1, 6.1	1.4.3, 1.4.4, 1.4.5. 3.1.3. 3.2.2, 3.2.5
Personalised	Adds value to the student and is purposeful Respects student time and commitment to study Develops skills that are relevant to their professional practice	3.4, 3.5	1.6, 2.5, 6.4	1.3.3, 1.4.5. 2.1.3. 2.2.1, 2.3.2. 3.1.1. 3.1.2