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Opportunities for e-learning development

Jay Dempster

Centre for Academic Practice

SWAP SESSION

14 OCTOBER 2003

Potentially …

The interactive properties of e-learning are capable of creating a community of inquiry that is independent of time and space and with the combination of interactive and reflective characteristics that can stimulate and facilitate a level of higher order learning unimaginable to date.

E-Learning in the 21st Century: A Framework for Research and Practice, Garrison & Andersen,Ch. 5, p.53 (2003)

Potentially …

The interactive properties of e-learning are capable of creating a community of inquiry that is independent of time and space and with the combination of interactive and reflective characteristics that can stimulate and facilitate a level of higher order learning unimaginable to date.

E-Learning in the 21st Century: A Framework for Research and Practice, Garrison & Andersen,Ch. 5, p.53 (2003)

“[Through new technology,] there will be a fostering of

greater student/teacher interaction and the promotion of greater student engagement wherever students are located. There will also be the opportunity to develop more instructional formats and increase information resources through use of the web.

Such systems will provide law staff with functions to help with the easy management of courses without requiring major technical expertise; thus staff will be able to manage and customise their course area from work or from home, via a web browser. Pages will be updated regularly, and no knowledge of HTML will be required, either by academic staff or by students.”

Professor Diana M R Tribe, Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Hertfordshire, Higher education futures, Learning in Law Initiative Conference 2002

Ideally …

CAP’s role in e-learning

Developing academic staff expertise Assisting departments Supporting an e-learning community of practice Promoting innovation in teaching & learning Undertaking research & development Evaluating effectiveness in learning Providing accreditation & recognition Encouraging embedding of available ICT Disseminating good practice in e-learning

Areas of consideration

A. What e-learning approaches do you see as offering the most possibilities to you and your curriculum?

B. What are your main areas of need or concern in implementing these and what support would assist you?

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Blended e-learning approaches

Interweaving pedagogy with technology

Integrating e-learning with traditional teaching and learning

Realistically (in student learning)

ICT role in developing:

ICT & communication skills Problem-solving Critical thinking Evaluation Decision making

Cost-benefits

Learning effectiveness

Teaching efficiency

Pedagogical benefits of e-learning

Flexibility

Interactivity

Integration

Any place, any time access to materials Increased availability of tutor and peer groups Reflective & collaborative approaches

Resources – Email – Discussion – Group work Human interactions – tutors/students/group Content interactions– student/tutor/group/content Iterative in real time & delayed time

‘Traditional’ & online Mix ‘n’ match Social & cognitive Mutually reinforcing

Establishing curriculum objectives

CONTENT

OBJECTIVES

PROCESS

Non-IC

T teaching & learning resources

Tutor focused

Student focused

Mapping ICT to curriculum objectives

CONTENT Web-based content management

systems E-libraries, databases, gateways Multimedia/CAL resources

OBJECTIVES Streaming video Productivity & analysis tools Computer based assessment Simulations & workbooks

PROCESS Virtual learning environments Email Discussion lists/newsgroups Student web publishing Conferencing systems

Site Builder

Subject Gateway

Courseware

GroupWise

Forums

Non-IC

T teaching & learning resources

Tutor focused

Student focused

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Discussion (and interaction) …

encourages active and participatory learning, two cornerstones of effective online learning

is the focal point of the Socratic method

encourages learners to analyse alternative ways of thinking and acting

assists them in exploring their own experiences so that they can become better critical thinkers.

Brookfield, S D, 'Discussion', in Adult Learning Methods: A Guide for Effective Instruction, M. W. Galbraith, ed., FL, Malabar, Krieger Publishing Company, (1990)

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Skills and support for E-tutoring

Dr Jay Dempster

Centre for Academic Practice

(Educational Technology)

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What do we mean by E-Tutoring?

E-tutoring can be defined as teaching, support, management and assessment of individuals or groups on programmes of learning where there is significant use of Internet technologies such as the World Wide Web, E-mail and computer conferencing.

(TechLearn Briefing)

Key differences for online activities

New teaching competences are needed Creating and managing electronic

information & materials is essential Learners manage their own time (usually) Clues on requirements and feedback on

performance are different Cost issues and technical barriers to

overcome How to measure student contact hours

Pedagogical issues Learning and teaching strategies

Challenging activities and support by tutors Contact with views and work of peers Underlying learning models and purposes Tutor centred or student centred

Assessment Increased use of self, peer and collaborative assessment

practices Group interaction Clear assessment criteria for individual contributions

Group size Right number per conference (6-8, 8-15, 25?) Student support needs Lurking Restricted or open access

Tutor issues Role of the tutor Workload and time management Visibility Complexity of the task

Subject expert, facilitatoradministrator, technical support

Online availability: student contact hours Tutor teams IT training

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Possible development needs for effective E-tutoring?

Understanding good practiceEvaluating online learning

Creating web materialsPreparing for online communicationComputer assisted assessment

Support for development

Discussion and

initial action planning

A Departmental Approach

Departmental commitment & support

What are the natural groupings of staff in the Law School for implementing an e-learning strategy?

How might you go about identifying pilot projects and setting up feedback mechanisms?

How will you share and learn from developments across the School?