University of Nottingham · MA Education · 2026
Research-Informed Learning Design
Research at a glance
A focused mixed-methods study.
Research focus
Planning is where educational intention meets practical reality.
The study examined curriculum planning as a site of professional judgement: where teachers interpret curriculum aims, select resources, anticipate constraints and decide whether technology is educationally useful.
It explored how active-learning intentions were shaped by teacher decision-making and by practical conditions such as time, infrastructure, access, platform coherence and organisational support.
Read the detailed research case studyKey findings
Technology use was purposeful, conditional and context-dependent.
Three themes bring together the questionnaire and interview findings.
Opportunities
Digital tools supported resource creation, clearer representation, participation and collaboration when they fitted the learning purpose and classroom context.
Challenges
Time, workload, reliability, device and subscription access, fragmented platforms and uneven support shaped what teachers could plan and sustain.
Pedagogical considerations
Useful integration depended on purposeful task design and alignment between curriculum intentions, pedagogy and technology—not tool adoption alone.
From research to design
Evidence translated into design considerations.
Research insights inform practical decisions about workflows, learning activities and implementation.
Research insight 01
Teachers worked across time-constrained planning routines and multiple digital systems.
Design consideration
Explore connected, reusable workflows that reduce avoidable planning friction and make curriculum resources easier to locate.
Research insight 02
Technology supported active learning only when the task promoted meaningful participation and thinking.
Design consideration
Begin with the learning objective, then select interactions and tools that support the intended cognitive and social activity.
Research insight 03
Reliability, access, support and teacher workload influenced whether practices could be sustained.
Design consideration
Prioritise accessible workflows, clear fallbacks and manageable complexity during product and learning-experience design.
Explore the full study
Follow the evidence at the level you need.
Start with the web case study, use the concise PDF for a two-page summary, or consult the complete dissertation for the full academic account.
Web case study
Educational Technology Research
Detailed methodology, findings, limitations and professional implications.
Concise PDF
Open research case study PDFResearch case study
A two-page practitioner-focused summary of the study.
Full dissertation
Open full MA dissertation PDFMA Education dissertation
The complete research report, including appendices and references.
The study used a small, non-probability sample and self-reported accounts. It supports contextual interpretation rather than statistical generalisation or causal claims about learning outcomes.