Personalising learning: towards a coherent learning design framework

The vision of a Personalised Learning (PL) experience in education is a long-standing notion advocated by educators. Research literature accounts for several pedagogical and technological approaches to tailor learning to learners’ variability. This paper aims to contribute to PL and Learning Design (LD) research by conceptualising CPELDS (Coherent PErsonalised Learning DeSign) as a framework outlining consistent PL design principles. CPELDS blends learner profiles addressing the dimensions of interests, strengths and needs with personalisation principles. Considering evidence about the effectiveness of Universal Design for Learning in empirical studies in special education, we transform and augment its guidelines into personalisation principles of CPELDS to address broader learners’ variability. The personalisation principles employed involve (i) fostering learner’s engagement, (ii) providing alternative information perception and comprehension modes, including differentiation, and (iii) supporting alternative means for learners’ action and expression to demonstrate acquired knowledge and skills. We anticipate the conceptualisation of CPELDS to stimulate the representational form of an LD tool towards supporting educators as designers of PL.