TIPS IN DESIGNING and

DEVELOPING LEARNING MATERIALS
TIPS for DESIGNING and DEVELOPING
LEARNING MATERIALS
Embed the essential skills,
Ensure purposeful blending
values and social innovation
of content, pedagogy and
fundamentals, whenever
technology
and wherever possible 

Consider bandwidth and

Design variety of activities
immediacy in designing the
that are challenging and
learning materials and
engaging for students
activities
 Ensure purposeful blending in the content, pedagogy and technology

Technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge— TPACK—refers to

the framework developed by Punya Mishra and Matthew Koehler to
describe the knowledge that teachers need in order to effectively
teach with technology as it characterizes what teachers need to know
about technology by reconnecting technology to both subject-matter
knowledge and teachers’ pedagogical understanding (Koehler &
Mishra, 2015).  

TPCK – Technology Integration Framework for

Teaching and Learning 
 Ensure purposeful blending in the content, pedagogy and technology

POINTS TO CONSIDER:

Content Knowledge (CK)—what are you teaching and what is your own knowledge of the
subject? 

Pedagogical Knowledge (PK)—how do your students learn best and what instructional strategies
do you need to meet their needs and the requirements of the lesson plan? 

Technological Knowledge (TK)—what digital tools are available to you, which do you know well
enough to use, and which would be most appropriate for the lesson at hand?

Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK)—what are the best practices for teaching specific content
to your specific students?

Technological Content Knowledge (TCK)—how can the digital tools available to you enhance or
transform the content, how it’s delivered to students, and how your students can interact with it?
To learn more about the TPACK framework, 
visit TPACK.org.
Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK)— how can you use your digital tools as a vehicle to
the learning outcomes and experiences you want?
 Embed the essential skills, values and social innovation fundamentals, whenever and
wherever possible 

SIF, Essential Skills, Values  Category Possible Placement in Curriculum Guide

Global Issues  Knowledge Course Resources 

Human Centered Design  Approach Methodology 

Social Entrepreneurship  Skills or Knowledge Learning Competency, Assessment, Methodology, Course

Resources 

Stakeholder Engagement  Approach Methodology 

Sustainability Knowledge or Values Learning Competency, Course Resources

Social Impact Assessment  Approach or Skills  Learning Competency, Assessment, Methodology 

Essential Skills Skills Learning Competency, Assessment

Gospel and Lasallian Values Values Learning Competency, Course Resources

 Design variety of activities that are challenging and engaging for students

DIFFICULTY COMPLEXITY 3 Dimensions in Measure for Teaching and Learning with

Difficulty and Complexity 
• A measure of • A measure of the •Qualitative: What kind of thinking, action, and
effort required to thinking, knowledge is expected to be demonstrated to answer a
complete a task knowledge question, address a problem, or accomplish a task?
• A function of how needed to
many people can complete a task •Quantitative: How much effort is needed to answer a
complete the • Points to various question, address a problem, or accomplish a task
task correctly ways by which correctly and successfully?
the task can be
•Student and Task Considerations: How should
accomplished
knowledge, understanding, and awareness be
demonstrated and communicated? How deeply is
knowledge, understanding, and awareness expected to be
demonstrated and communicated?
 Design variety of activities that are challenging and engaging for students
Design a balanced set of learning activities/assessments, considering the four quadrants below,  where the x-
axis or horizontal axis refers to DIFFICULTY while the y-axis or vertical axis refers to COMPLEXITY
More Complex
Low difficulty High difficulty
High complexity High complexity

Examples Examples:
• Goal setting • Peer critiques
• Metacognition • CAPSTONE
• Reflective thinking initiatives
Easy Hard
Low difficulty High difficulty
Low complexity Low complexity

Examples: Examples:
• Spaced practice • Independent reading
• Repeated reading • Research tasks
• Mnemonics

Less Complex
 Consider bandwidth and immediacy in designing the learning materials and activities

RED ZONE:
YELLOW ZONE: For scheduled
For materials and video conferences for
activities on skills meaning-making; for
demonstration, discussion Feed Forward
involving HOTS Instruction

GREEN ZONE: BLUE ZONE:

For materials and activities For consultations or
on content group work (CAPSTONE)
presentation/knowledge
acquisition 

Bandwidth Immediacy Matrix

https://elearningindustry.com/inspirational-elearning-quotes-for-elearning-pr
ofessionals
References:

Brookhart, S. (2017, September 13). Cognitive Complexity is not the Same Thing as Difficulty. Retrieved June 11, 2020 
from  
https://aai.ku.edu/sites/aai.ku.edu/files/docs/conference/NCME17__Brookhart__Cognitive_Complexity_is_Not_the_
Same_Thing_as_Difficulty__Presentation.pdf

Castro, E. (2019). Learning Program Development Ver May 9 [PowerPoint slides].

Francis, E. (2018, July 2). Difficulty vs. Complexity. Retrieved June 11, 2020 from 
https://maverikeducation.com/blog/f/difficulty-vs-complexity

Kurt, S. (2018, May 12). TPACK: Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge Framework, in Educational Technology.
Retrieved from https://educationaltechnology.net/technological-pedagogical-content-knowledge-tpack-framework/

Rodgers, D. (2018, January 19). The TPACK Framework Explained (With Classroom Examples). Retrieved June 11, 2020
from https://www.schoology.com/blog/tpack-framework-explained

Stanford, D. (2020, March 16). Videoconferencing Alternatives: How Low-Bandwidth Teachi8uung Will Save Us All.
Retrieved June 11, 2020 from 
https://www.iddblog.org/videoconferencing-alternatives-how-low-bandwidth-teaching-will-save-us-all/