The POD
Learning and Teaching Places of Design
Explore, create, innovate
The PODs, or Places of Design are creative spaces where innovative learning design can be considered from a singular and coordinated perspective, regardless of media. As such, the PODs serve the needs of a range of staff within the CSU community, including academic staff, those involved in design, production and/or professional development within the Division of Learning and Teaching Services (LTS), staff from the Flexible Learning and Education for Practice Institutes as well as other CSU support staff who are also involved in learning and teaching.
The PODs are collaborative places for:
- showcasing learning innovation across the university, regardless of media;
- exploring resources to foster innovative ideas and strategies;
- researching new educational technologies;
- collaborative meetings around learning and teaching, including the design and production of learning resources and environments; and
- professional development in relation to learning and teaching issues, in particular educational technologies.
As the needs of the CSU community grow and change, so will the use of the PODs.
Physical spaces
The PODs are designed to be inviting and congenial, conducive to creativity and inspiration. They include:
- storage and display of resources, both real (e.g. a library of posters which can be borrowed for use within the Schools) and virtual (e.g. innovative learning designs and resources);
- comfortable furniture for ‘brainstorming’ and concept development;
- multifunctional work areas that can be used for collaborative meetings or professional development; and
- access to up-to-date technologies.
Technologies
The PODs offer:
- High-end workstations suitable for developing resources with specialized software, such as Captivate;
- Computers for small group professional development workshops;
- User-level equipment for trial by educational designers and academics e.g. video camera, camera, mp3 recorder etc.
- Software Tutorials - Captivate - Tutorial Modules
Activities
Activities possible through the PODs include:
- ‘Focus’ days
- Advice on learning design, curriculum design, designing & writing for multimedia (formal and informal)
- Showcases/ displays of creative learning resources in all media
- Assistance in ICT-enabled learning and in particular the use of CSU Interact
- Research into learning and teaching design
For more info contact a LTS Educational Technologist or a LTS educational designer.