Instruccional Design Portfolio
A journey through structured creativity
What Is a Self-Paced Course in Higher Education?
A self-paced course is a flexible learning format that allows participants to engage with educational content independently, progressing at their own speed. Unlike instructor-led courses, which follow a fixed schedule, self-paced courses provide learners with the freedom to access materials, complete activities, and advance through modules whenever it suits them.
This format accommodates diverse learning styles, professional commitments, and varying levels of prior knowledge.
In higher education, self-paced courses often include a combination of text-based readings, video lectures, interactive resources, and formative assessments.
They are particularly effective in promoting autonomy and self-regulated learning, as they allow students to take ownership of their educational journey. By removing time constraints and enabling learners to engage with content at their convenience, self-paced courses foster deep learning, critical thinking, and long-term knowledge retention.
Case Study: Developing a Self-Paced Course on Design Thinking for Educators
As part of an initiative to enhance professional development in formal education, I worked as a pedagogical consultant and instructional designer to create a self-paced course on Design Thinking. Designed for teachers and school administrators in an Argentine province, the course aimed to introduce educators to the principles and applications of Design Thinking in teaching and institutional decision-making. Given the diverse schedules and responsibilities of the participants, a self-paced format was chosen to allow for flexible engagement with the material.
The course was structured into four modules, each covering a key aspect of Design Thinking: its conceptual foundations, creativity and collaboration, process phases, and real-world applications in education. Instructional materials included academic readings, video lectures, case studies, and curated digital resources, providing a comprehensive yet adaptable learning experience. To reinforce learning, each module concluded with knowledge-check activities, and a final assessment was designed to evaluate participants' understanding and enable them to receive accreditation for completing the course.
To ensure relevance and applicability, the course integrated practical examples, reflection prompts, and implementation strategies that encouraged participants to explore how Design Thinking could enhance their educational practices. The final module focused on how to incorporate Design Thinking into curriculum development, classroom innovation, and institutional leadership. By providing a structured yet autonomous learning experience, the course empowered educators to engage with creative problem-solving methodologies, fostering innovation and collaboration in their teaching and school management practices.
This set of PDF documents provides a structured learning experience for educators and school administrators, introducing them to Design Thinking as an innovative methodology for educational projects. Developed as a self-paced course, the material allows participants to engage with the content at their own convenience, exploring the principles, strategies, and applications of Design Thinking in formal education.
The course is organized into four thematic modules, each progressively covering key aspects of Design Thinking: its theoretical foundations, creativity and collaboration, the phases of the Design Thinking process, and real-world applications in educational settings.
The instructional materials include academic readings, case studies, multimedia resources, and curated references to support a comprehensive and engaging learning experience. This material is presented in Spanish, as it is specifically designed for educators and school administrators in Argentina.
For confidentiality reasons, any sensitive data related to the organization and specific institutions involved has been sanitized from the documents.
