Designing for Coursera: Ensuring Deep Learning in Asynchronous Online Professional Development

This white paper outlines the theoretical foundations and practical application of the learning design approach used in the professional development courses developed by the Macquarie University Teachers' Learning Hub, delivered through Coursera. The design approach draws on a synthesis of established theoretical frameworks, including Bloom's Revised Taxonomy (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001), Marzano and Kendall's New Taxonomy (2006), Mayer's Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (2009), Cognitive Load Theory (Sweller, 1988; 1994), and Zimmerman's Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) model (2000), together with empirically supported principles from the science of learning. These frameworks are operationalised within each module to produce self-contained units of learning that progress from foundational knowledge acquisition to higher-order cognitive processing, culminating in a summative assessment. The paper also details the rationale for specific multimedia design choices across four video types, and explains how science of learning and self-regulation principles are embedded within the asynchronous structure to foster active, deep, and transferable learning for teacher-learners.