Lis Conde | Lead Learning Designer at Keypath Australia

In this video (part 1 of 2), Lis Conde discusses how pedagogical beliefs underpin course and assessment design at universities. She describes her role and research focus, which are centred on professional development that makes educators aware of their teaching habits, towards embracing technology and adapting their learning designs.

Lis explores how ingrained beliefs and personal experiences influence what educators do in the classroom, and observes that they are often not fully cognisant of their teaching style. As a result, there can be a disconnect between institutional-level adoption of new strategies and technologies that actually align with educators’ core beliefs and expectations.

Considering recent upheavals in higher education staffing, including the growth of sessional lecturers, Lis observes that pedagogical preparation is not strictly a focus for their employment, and educators tend to revert to how they were taught themselves. She advocates for universities to challenge the traditional teacher-centred approach bound by lectures and summative assessment, in favour of formative, authentic student experiences.

Lis also shares her experience in navigating unrest from academics in the shift from summative to formative learning design spurred by remote learning. She looks at unpacking ‘buzz words’ or concepts to reinstate their practical application, and cultivating a community of practice with peer-led experiences, in helping to elicit cultural change in learning design practices.