The aim of this qualification is to provide a skills based qualification with the intention of creating a new occupational role of ‘digital learning designer’. The skills required cut across a number of subject specialisms and this qualification brings together those skills into a single qualification.
The Level 3 Diploma programmes have a blended delivery with 75% online and 25% face to face facilitated learning sessions. There are options to complete this qualification as an advanced apprenticeship or as a part-time distance learner.
Click on the drop down arrows below to find out more about the mandatory units and click the "Optional Units" tabs at the top to view the optional units on offer at Sparsholt college. Please email: digitallearningdesign@sparsholt.ac.uk if you are interested undertaking either of the Level 3 Diploma programmes.
Introduction to the Digital Learning Environment
This unit aims to provide the learner with the opportunity to gain an understanding of the main features of a Digital Learning Environment and acquire hands on skills by implementing and using a Digital Learning Environment. The learner will be expected to identify key features of the Digital Learning Environment and evaluate the use of these in daily practice.
You will also be able to evaluate the pros and cons of different DLEs and be able to recommend a DLE that best meets a client's needs like the example presentation below:
User Experience Design
The aim of this unit is to introduce learners to the three main areas for understanding user experience design: design principles to attract, engage and hold users, an opportunity to investigate and apply research that enhances user experience and a range of assessment methods.
During this unit you will know the key UX design principles to create e-learning materials:
Working in a Digital Learning Lifecycle
The aim of this unit is to give the learner an understanding of the lifecycle of a digital learning project from initiation to delivery. The learner will develop an understanding that digital learning designs may require skills and expertise from a variety of professional fields.
Learners will use project planning techniques as tools to advance digital learning projects through the lifecycle stages, and discover how to evaluate a project as its conclusion against objectives.
Professional and Personal Development
The aim of this unit is to develop personal development, team working and an awareness of IT professional practice and legislation.
By the end of this unit you will have greater self awareness and excellent understanding of the areas you need to develop to be a professional digital learning designer. You will be able to set yourself appropriate SMART targets, like the ones below, that will enable you to advance your personal and professional skillset:
Effective Communication for Digital Learning Design
The aim of this unit is to develop the skills that underpin many of the tasks and activities of a digital learning designer. It will support learners as they learn how to listen actively, to capture and convey ideas and to write fluently and accurately. The unit will also covert the use of non-textual information and how image can be used to enrich and deepen communication and understandings.
Click on the image below to view an infographic created for an assignment for this module to explain the 7 Cs of communication:
Analysing and Investigating Learner Requirements
The aim of this unit is to teach learners how to capture initial learning design ideas and formalise them into a recognisable and actionable design specification that can be worked into a project and managed to completion. Learners will need to be able to speak and understand the languages of educators, teachers, trainers and communicators as well as the language of technology.
This unit will also teach the learner how to convey design in a way that others can understand and later how to stand back from their specification and evaluate it.
Watch the video below to find out why the skills that will be developed in this unit are essential to being an effective digital learning designer
Quality and Standards
This unit introduces learners to a number of areas that will help them understand quality processes as applied to digital learning design and a range of industry and accessibility standards that will enable them to create high quality, standards compliant and accessible digital learning content.