This session outlines the journey from experienced learning designer to emerging researcher, leveraging critical and creative methodologies stemming from practice. Drawing on a previously tested, practice-oriented workshop, developed from a recent chapter, it explores how learning designers might adapt practice-based methods into research, equipping early career researchers with the agency to develop unique approaches. (Molloy & Thomson, 2023, 2024) It examines creative methods such as zine making and speculative fiction in contrast with practical methods undertaken developing a graduate programme for learning designers. Finally, it will analyse the intersection of learning design practice and research, addressing the “not-yetness” of shifting roles, while providing valuable insight and guidance for future researchers. (Collier & Ross, 2017)

Collier, A., & Ross, J. (2017). For whom, and for what? Not-yetness and thinking beyond open content. Open Praxis, 9(1), 7-16. https://doi.org/10.5944/openpraxis.9.1.406

​​Molloy, K., & Thomson, C. (2023). Humanising learning design with digital pragmatism. In Czerniewicz, L., & Cronin, C. (Eds.), Higher education for good (1st ed., pp. 397–420). Open Book Publishers. https://doi.org/10.11647/obp.0363.17

Molloy, K., & Thomson, C. (2024). Humanising learning design with digital pragmatism. OER24 Conference. ALT. https://blokks.co/schedules/oer24/#/2024-03-28/qmv8976e62ga/workshop-122-humanising-learning-design-with-digital-pragmatism

This work investigates how creative, interdisciplinary practice can strengthen research culture at the intersection of innovative transformation and sustainability in higher education. By incorporating photonics and optoelectronics tools into easy-to-use, practical learning activities, the initiative helps new researchers and students carry out the initial important scientific studies in areas like the environment, materials, and engineering.

The initiative aims to break disciplinary silos, democratize access to advanced methodologies, and foster research integrity through open data sharing and skill-building. A 75-minute session, delivered at Universiti Malaya, integrated sustainability education with experimental photonics, encouraging students to approach global challenges through systems thinking and scientific perspective-taking. Participants engaged in reflective dialogue, co-created innovative ideas, and connected emerging technologies to sustainability goals.

Preliminary outcomes showed increased student engagement and a stronger link between technological innovation and environmental responsibility. This approach offers a replicable model for embedding new research tools into higher education curricula while promoting cross-disciplinary collaboration. Ultimately, the project demonstrates how participatory, tech-enabled learning environments can build sustainable research cultures and prepare learners to navigate complex global challenges with creativity and scientific integrity.

This paper details the ongoing process of creating an on demand course on incorporating QQI’s Statutory Quality Assurance Guidelines for Providers of Blended and Fully Online Programmes (2023) into curriculum design. The Guidelines structure online and blended programme development and delivery into three contexts: Organisational, Programme and Learner Experience. A project involving SETU’s Office of Academic Affairs, Faculty of Education and Lifelong Learning and Centre for Academic Practice took elements from the Programme and Learner Experience Contexts and is in the process of developing an interactive on demand course for curriculum designers to help them ensure that their programme development process takes account of the guidelines and meets the standards set. Developing the course, which was built in Articulate RISE, involves tackling some fundamental questions about the applicability of the Guidelines and accompanying checklists supplied by QQI, and how best to frame them for academics unfamiliar with the specific requirements of blended and online programme development and QQI’s Guidelines. This presentation speaks to how those fundamental questions were addressed, whether GenAI can be utilised and how a systematic approach was adopted to developing the on demand course that mirrors best practice in instructional design.