When designing your course and or program, it is important to consider the modes of delivery that support students in gaining the knowledge, skills and competencies to achieve the intended learning outcomes. Universities still rely heavily on traditional modes of delivering education: lectures given to a large cohort of students, which are later followed by tutorials, workshops, and learners’ independent study time. While lectures and tutorials are still relevant in some settings, there are alternative modes worth exploring and implementing.
This page provides an overview of the various learning and teaching approaches that are prominent in DSC.
Please get in touch with the ADG Digital Learning Team to explore alternative delivery approaches in your courses and programs.
Studio Based Learning
What Studio Based Learning?
How to start?
Studio based learning is commonly used in DSC in the schools of Architecture, Design and Arts, and encompass a wide range of teaching styles to provide learners with hands-on experiences to enhance their learning outcomes and problem-solving skills. These authentic learning experiences engage students in the design or creative process of an object, artefact, display or performance. The pedagogical approaches underpinning studio-based learning includes critical pedagogy, constructivism, experiential learning, problem-based learning, peer to peer learning and master-apprentice model.
The critical aspects for studio-based learning are:
At times, designing a studio-based approach is discipline dependent, and academics will have a unique way to run a studio. There are, however, a few elements that are common to studio-based learning, Carnegie Mellon University proposes the following model:
- Situate the studio within the discipline context
- Model expert practice
- Scaffold to allow for contextualisation, exploration and planning
- Coach and provide constant feedback
- Fade your presence to give learners greater independence
Additional Resources
Case Studies
The Flipped Classroom
What is the Flipped Classroom?
How to start?
In essence, “flipping the classroom” means that students gain first exposure to new material outside of class, usually via reading or lecture videos, and then use class time to do the harder work of assimilating that knowledge, perhaps through problem-solving, discussion, or debates.
(Vanderbilt University)

Additional Resources
Case Studies
Coming soon
Project-Based Learning
What is the Project-Based Learning?
How to start?
Project-based learning is most effectively implemented through careful planning and adoption of a framework. The Buck Institute for Education – PBL Works has developed a set of principles, called the Gold Standard for high quality PBL for project design and teaching practices. These standards will help you design quality project-based learning as well as ensuring that learners meet the course learning outcomes.
According to the Gold Standard PBL, every project must have the following seven essential design elements: (1) Challenging problem or question, (2) Sustained Inquiry, (3) Authenticity, (4) Student voice & Choice, (5) Reflection, (6) Critique & Revision and (7) Public Product.

Alongside these standards there are also seven essential teaching practices: (1) Design & Plan, (2) Align to Standards, (3) Build the Culture, (4) Manage Activities, (5) Scaffold Student Learning, (6) Assess Student Learning, and (7) Engage & Coach.
Additional Resources
Practical/Workshop Learning
What is Practical/Workshop Learning?
How to start?
Implementing this mode of delivery isn’t complex, however, proper and thorough planning is required. Workshop or practical’s objectives or goals are at the heart of the planning process and are fundamental to designing a workshop/practical.
To ensure that every workshop you deliver provides a valuable experience for your learners, ensure that you:
- Define the goals/objectives - aligned to your course learning objectives-outcomes?
- Decide who will be present, apart from learners and yourself, is there a need to have a specialised technician present, for example
- Select the right physical space
- Plan your delivery, this is about developing a lesson plan for the duration of the practical, what will take place, when and how long for. We refer to this as the active stage
- Develop an evaluation plan that will allow you assess the effectiveness of the workshop
Additional Resources
Case Studies
Coming soon
Work Integrated Learning
What is Work Integrated Learning?
How to start?
WIL is defined as “an umbrella term that describes a range of models and approaches to learning and assessment that integrates discipline theory, knowledge and skills with the practice of work as an integral part of program design”
(RMIT University, 2020)
Additional Resources
Lectures and Tutorials
Lectures have been the most common instructional mode of delivery for centuries, and while they continue to be a preferred choice by teachers, there has been increasing debates about their value and relevancy. However, let’s not forget that when discussing the effectiveness of lectures, most people are referring to the traditional format of lectures. What this means is that benefits can still be identified if lectures are redesigned and structured differently.
What are Lectures?
What are Tutorials?
How to start?
Stanford University suggests the tips below before planning your face-to-face lecture:
- Plan, prepare and develop the content, resources and examples
- Think about the arrangement of the content, and the strategies to be used to communicate the content
- Avoid over preparing, large amount of content isn’t always the best idea, think about the enduring knowledge
- Know your audience, when preparing your lectures always think of the content and how you will deliver it from your learners’ point of view
- Create a ‘complete’ lecture, this is about ensuring that your lecture has an introduction, body, and a conclusion. For more information on this read the University of Newcastle’s guide on creating more engaging lectures
- Develop lecture notes Allow for learners’ engagement and interactivity
- Design, develop and use visual backups and supports
- Show enthusiasm
- Ask and answer questions
- Reflect on every lecture given
How to start?
- If you are not delivering the lecture, do ensure that you are aware of what has been covered in the lecture
- Decide on the type of format that you will adopt for your tutorial. The University of Waterloo suggest the following types:
- Discussion-based tutorials
- Problem-solving tutorials
- Review and Q&A tutorials - Plan your tutorial using the following points, as developed by the Tasmanian Institute of Learning and Teaching:
- Determine prior learning and skills
- Decide on learning outcomes
- Select and organise resources
- Determine a sequence for the development of knowledge and skills
- Select delivery strategies Reflect and evaluate
Additional Resources