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Student-centred learning through online, narrative learning paths

Brief description

The course Digital Learning Design (DiLD) is organised as four weeks of flexible online teaching that makes use of narrative learning strategies to structure the teaching and to make it student-centred. The course is a module in the teacher training programme for assistant professors, which is about educational IT for assistant professor and postdocs at Natural Sciences and Technical Sciences, but the principles are also relevant when teaching students.

The teacher’s motivation

When teaching digital, asynchronous courses and activities, there is a risk that the students are not properly introduced to the course’s materials and activities. Since the teacher is not present, they are not able to verbally link materials, activities, sequence and purpose together. As a teacher, you have to be very clear about the learning process and combine materials and activities in a chronological/logical sequence that benefits the students (student-centring). 

For this reason, narrative learning paths can be used to structure materials and activities in a sequence supplemented by introductory, descriptive text that explains the connection between materials, activities and so on. The advantage is that the students get a better overview of the teaching and the connection between different parts. 

Description of the activity

From the students’ perspective, it is very easy to participate in narrative learning paths. They simply have to follow the structure of the learning path. This is usually a linear sequence, followed by the reading the text, participating in the activities, etc. as described. In this way, it is possible to optimise the time that the participants spend on the course, as you don’t waste valuable time testing the design and the teaching schedule. Instead, they can concentrate on the academic content and the planned activities of the course.  

On the other hand, the work consists of creating an overview of the students’ learning processes and clarifying it by creating a suitable amount of learning paths (in Blackboard this tool is called ‘Learning Module’, which can be found in the menu ‘Build Content’). One learning path is created for each logical unit. This could be one per week or one per teaching theme. On Digital Learning Design, this has resulted in three learning paths – one for each week of teaching/theme. Afterwards, one page (‘item’ in Blackboard”) or tool is added for each step in the students’ learning process. It is important that there is a clear connection between the different steps. For example, you can assist in this by explanatory texts (‘signposts’) or visuals that clearly explain what the students have to do, why, when, and so on. You might also want to highlight the placement of assignments or similar activities on the course, so the students have an easier time planning their work. On Digital Learning Design, each week/learning path begins with a written explanation about the week’s theme and structure. On Blackboard, you can auto-generate a table of contents (see the figure below), so the student quickly can navigate the materials and get an overview. Please note how the table of contents also provides an overview of activities, i.e. where the participants actively have to participate, contribute or share something. 

Outcome of the activity

Using online, narrative learning paths has several advantages: 

  • The students have an easier time navigating teaching materials and activities, so there is a bigger chance that no materials or activities will be overlooked. The majority of the participants found that it was easy to get started on the course and that it was intuitive to navigate. The teachers have received very few enquiries about the structure of the course (including where the material is located). 

  • As a teacher, you get a better insight into the students’ progression, since LMS shows completion statistics of the learning paths. 

  • Independent study and repetition: narrative learning paths are suitable for independent study when it comes to repetition and exam preparation, since they are self-explanatory. This has been a particular help for the participants, since they have been on research stays abroad, travelled, or had other pressing matters that they needed to take care of at the same time as classes.  

  • Reuse and teaching hours: since the learning paths are self-explanatory, they can usually be reused during later courses and thereby free up time for the teacher, which can be spent with the students, on feedback or on other useful tasks. On Digital Learning Design, the available time has been used to give the participants feedback and to continuously update the academic content as the field rapidly develops. 

Useful tips 

  • Narrative learning paths are relevant for almost all kinds of teaching, whether they happen face-to-face, blended or online. During face-to-face teaching, the learning paths can be an aid for the students when they want to get an overview of texts, materials, activities, purpose and their order. During purely online courses, the narrative learning paths can include all materials and activities, and thereby provide a common thread for the students’ learning process. If you use traditional weekly notes in your teaching, (as they do at Nat and Tech), they can be completely replaced by learning paths. 

  • Consider a fitting scope for the learning paths, e.g., one learning path per week, per theme or another logical division that the students will be familiar with. Avoid dividing the learning paths based on activity type (lecture, classroom instruction, etc.), teacher, place, tool in LMS or similar practical/organisational/technical aspects. 

  • As far as possible, attempt to include all larger steps of the students’ learning process in the learning paths – even though they take place online. You can include a face-to-face activity in the learning path with basic info about what, where and when.  


Basic information

  • Faculty: NAT and TECH 

  • Degree programme: Teacher training programme for assistant professors            

  • Course: Digital Learning Design            

  • Size of class: 12-40 participants         

  • Form of instruction: Classroom instruction              

  • Extent: Course           

  • Primary activity type: Knowledge and information                 

  • Applied technology: Blackboard (NB: Brightspace is now used)     

  • How the case is carried out: Online/distance learning     

Mikkel Godsk

Educational developer, EdD