The DeakinDesign principles and practices underpin the design and delivery of teaching, learning, assessment and feedback activities, and support our ambition to be Australia’s most progressive university.

DeakinDesign

• explains how and why we underpin learning design
• supports you to develop the knowledge, skills and capabilities you need to be a lifelong learner
• guides the creation of learning that harnesses digital, physical and human connections
• establishes our distinctive model for digital education in a COVID-normal world.

DeakinDesign Principles

Our learning experiences are created using the following principles.

Authentic

Learning experiences today reflect our digital lives and the way we work. Students use modern ideas, theories, and tools to solve important problems and make a difference in a world that is constantly changing.

Active and collaborative

Learning experiences involve working together with others and actively participating in hands-on activities. In the process, you gain skills and knowledge by doing things that help you achieve your learning goals.

Integrated

Learning experiences are tailored to the discipline and study mode; digital and physical affordances complement each other and are sequenced across time, space and place to form an integrated whole that prepares students for the contemporary world.

Digital

The way we learn depends on what we're studying and how we choose to learn. We use both technology and traditional methods to learn, and they’re combined in a way that makes sense and prepares us for the modern world.

Course-wide

The way you learn and the way you are assessed is purposely built so that you gain the knowledge and the important skills you need to become a well-rounded graduate and prepare you for your future career.

Inclusive

Learning is designed to be fair and available to everyone, and it is made flexible so that people can choose how they want to learn. There is also structure in place to help you connect with other students and form a community of learners.

Feedback focused

When you learn, you get feedback. This feedback helps you understand how you are doing and how you can improve. You can use feedback to have conversations with others about your learning and make decisions about how to keep improving.

Relational

Learning experiences help you connect with others and your subject, and make you feel like you belong. You get to know people who are interested in the same things as you and learn about the subject in a way that feels meaningful. This helps create a strong sense of community and belonging.

DeakinDesign Practices

Quality

Good teaching is important for student success. We support our academic staff to create great learning experiences so that you can learn in a modern and effective way.

Scholarship

Our academic staff think carefully about how they teach by looking at what works best, and use this information to create new and better ways of teaching. They also share their ideas with other staff to help them improve too. This is called ‘scholarly teaching.’

Partnership

We work in partnership with students, alumni, industry, and community to co-create meaningful learning experiences.

Collaboration

We work collaboratively with subject matter experts, teaching teams and support services to deliver learning that is interesting and engaging.

Innovation

Our academic staff are encouraged to be creative and innovative to make learning better. This is something we value at Deakin, and it builds on our reputation as a leader in digital education.

Sustainability

Our learning resources, like textbooks and assessments are regularly reviewed to ensure they’re up-to-date and easy to use. Also, the teaching load of our academic staff is monitored to ensure you receive the support you want, when you need it. This is called ‘sustainability.’