Learning That Adapts - Reimagining Course Design for a Changing World : How Modularity, Practice, and Responsiveness Reshape Adult and Professional Learning

Abstract

Education systems continue to rely on course structures originally designed for stable, predictable contexts. Yet learners in higher education and professional settings must be adept at navigating rapidly shifting digital environments, emerging practices, and evolving workplace expectations. This workshop introduces a practical design framework for redesigning traditional courses into modular, practice-based, and digitally enabled learning experiences that strengthen future readiness. Participants will work through a rapid redesign process, unbundling a course into flexible modules, identifying opportunities for experiential practice, and creating lightweight assessment loops that generate meaningful insight into learner progress and program effectiveness. The session highlights how modularity, digital literacy, and experiential design work together to support learner agency and respond to real-world conditions. Designed for educators, program designers, and academic leaders, this workshop positions curriculum design as a lever for institutional agility. Participants will leave with practical tools and a replicable framework they can apply immediately to strengthen relevance, responsiveness, and learner impact across their programs.

Presenters

Kristina Fiedrich
Co-Founder, Strategy + Partnerships, Syllabist Strategy + Design Ltd., British Columbia, Canada

Karin Schmidlin
Lecturer & PhD Candidate, Faculty of Education, Department of Language & Literacy Education (LLED), University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada

Details

Presentation Type

Workshop Presentation

Theme

Adult, Community, and Professional Learning

KEYWORDS

Modular Learning, Experiential Learning, Curriculum Design, Future Readiness, Adult Education