Why is the Third Space so invisible?
Have you ever heard the saying, "The value of Learning Design is real but just not visible"? I have heard this sentiment echoed by many Learning Designers from many universities. But why is this the case? From my experience and observation, major successful university-wide initiatives that pivot the Learning and Teaching course experience often have academic managers holding academics accountable for course development work. However, outside of these major projects, such structures seem to be absent in regular Learning Design projects and operations. Course development requires tracking and reporting. Often, we report progress to our own line manager, being held accountable for work by someone who does not officially report to us (and is often swamped by competing priorities). If we take on this project management role, it places us in a conflict of interest: collaborating with academics versus managing the completion of work. We simply don't have the autho...