Units / EDF5648
EDF5648 · Instructional design with digital technologies
2026 Handbook12 credit pointsLevel 5Faculty of Education
Last checked: 23 Aug 2026 UTCOverview
This unit is directed at educators across school, tertiary, workplace and community settings who are grappling with how best to design, facilitate and assess the use of educational technologies in teaching and learning. To support this, the unit explores theories, models and practical strategies of instructional design that are drawn from cognitive and behavioural psychology, sociocultural theory and emerging models of digital engagement. You will be immersed in a collaborative and student-centred environment as you experience, practise and critique the design of digital technologies, materials, activities and assessments. This unit has a special focus on online teaching and learning but also explores instructional issues relating to emerging technologies and practices, for example, social media, digital games, mobile devices, virtual worlds and augmented reality. The unit is designed for all levels of familiarity with computers.
Offerings
| Campus | Teaching period | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Clayton | Second semester | A combination of on-campus and online teaching in a block period (FLX-BLK) |
Assessment
The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.
| # | Assessment | Type | Weight | Hurdle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Compendium (3500 words or equivalent) | Written | 40% | — |
| 2 | Essay or project (4500 words or equivalent) | Project | 60% | — |
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Requisites
The Handbook lists no prerequisite, corequisite or prohibition for this unit.
Learning outcomes
- synthesise and apply theories, models and practical strategies of instructional design
- critique and improve upon the instructional design of digital technologies and materials, including interface, structure, values, content, activity and assessment
- demonstrate a critical understanding of debates, challenges and dilemmas in the field
- discuss current and emerging trends in the field and the implications for instructional design
- critically evaluate research and practice in instructional design.
Workload
The minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 288 hours per teaching period comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Usually, you can expect to engage with: • 12 hours of scheduled learning delivered on campus via weekly/regular directed learning activities, 24 hours of scheduled learning delivered online via a combination of synchronous and asynchronous directed learning activities and the remaining hours to be allocated towards self-directed/independent study OR • 36 hours of scheduled learning delivered online via a combination of synchronous and asynchronous directed learning activities and the remaining hours to be allocated towards self-directed/independent study^ ^ International students studying in Australia are not permitted to undertake this scheduled learning delivery mode. Scheduled learning activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.
| Activity | Duration |
|---|---|
| Tutorials | 36 hours |
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