Dissertation for On Line Project

8/14/2019 Dissertation for On Line Project

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Andrew Carnegie Digital Academy Online

Gillian McArthurMaster of Science (Design and Digital Media)

School of Arts, Culture and EnvironmentTHE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH2007

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ABSTRACT..............................................................................................................................................3

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS............................................................................................................. .....3

INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................................3

THE PROJECT.......................................................................................................................................3

TARGET AUDIENCE....................................................................................................................................4

DEMANDFORGRADUATES..........................................................................................................................4

A VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTISANANSWERTOTHISDEMAND..............................................................4

WEBSITEESTABLISHINGPOINTOFPRESENCE...................................................................................................4

IMPETUSFORDEVELOPMENT........................................................................................................................5

AIMS OF PROGRAMMEWITHINTHE VLE....................................................................................................6

OBJECTIVESOFTHE PROGRAMME.................................................................................................................7

PRODUCT DETAILS..............................................................................................................................7

OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH...............................................................................................................8

NEED FOR MULTIMEDIA PROFESSIONALS.................................................................................9CHOICE OF ONLINE ENVIRONMENT............................................................................................9

QUESTIONS RESEARCHED PRIOR TO CHOOSING ONLINE ENVIRONMENT WERE:.....9

HOW EASY IS IT TO DPLOY ON A WEB SERVER.........................................................................9

WHY HAVE A VLE?.......................................................................................................................... ...10

VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT................................................................................. ........11

WHY A VLE ........................................................................................................................................ ..13

UPLOADINGANDSHARINGFILES.................................................................................................................13

E-MAIL..................................................................................................................................................13

DISCUSSION FORUMSAND REAL-TIME CHAT...............................................................................................13

QUIZZES ................................................................................................................................................13

TRACKINGSTUDENTSUBMISSIONS/ASSIGNMENTS/PARTICIPATIONANDRECORDINGGRADES ...................................13

GLOSSARY..............................................................................................................................................14

JOURNAL ...............................................................................................................................................14

SURVEY .................................................................................................................................................14

WIKI ...................................................................................................................................................14

DIFFERENT TYPES OF LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS..............................................................15

POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES ABOUT THESE MECHANISMS...................................... ........ ..15

WHY MOODLE....................................................................................................................................15

DESCRIPTION OF MOODLE [1] .....................................................................................................15

HOW MOODLE WILL WORK WITH THIS PROJECT.............................................................. ..15

HOW DO I DESIGN THE INSTRUCTION ACCORDING TO THE CONSTRUCTIVIST

THEORY................................................................................................................................................15

WHY MOODLE....................................................................................................................................17

OVERVIEW OF MOODLE.................................................................................................................17

MODULAR OBJECT ORIENTED DYNAMIC LEARNING ENVIRONMENT........................ ..17

DESIGN OF VLE...................................................................................................................................18

NAVIGATION............................................................................................................................................18

CONSISTENCYOFPRESENTATION.................................................................................................................18

INTEREST................................................................................................................................................18

LEARNING DESIGN............................................................................................................................18

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USE OF TEACHING VIDEOS............................................................................................................20

DESIGN OF LEARNING.....................................................................................................................20

E-PORTFOLIO......................................................................................................................................23

WORKINGPORTFOLIO...............................................................................................................................23

REFLECTIVE PORTFOLIO............................................................................................................................23

SHOWCASEOF MEDIA ITEMS.....................................................................................................................23

CONCLUSION......................................................................................................................................23

CONTINUOUSEVALUATION.........................................................................................................................24

VLE DEVELOPMENT PLAN.............................................................................................................24

REFERENCES.......................................................................................................................................25

VIRTUAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT SUPPORTING LEARNING IN

DIGITAL MEDIA AND WEB SITE ESTABLISHING A POINT OF PRESENCE

Abstract

List of Abbreviations

CLE Constructivist Learning Environment

FE Further education

Ferl Further Education Resources for Learning

HE Higher education

ICT Information and communication technology

JISC Joint Information Systems Committee

LCMS Learning Content Management SystemsMIS Management information system

MLE Managed learning environment

OSS Open source software

SQA Scottish Qualifications Authority

SMS Short Message Service (ie mobile phone text message)

UK United Kingdom

VLE Virtual learning environment

VoIP Voice over Internet Protocol

Wiki Web pages which are editable via a browser

Introduction

Because of the world wide demand for graduates/existing professionals in work to be

skilled in digital media a flexible learning environment supporting training in the field

of Digital Media is a desirable product.

The Project

The project is a Virtual Learning Environment utilising the Open Source Software

Moodle to support the tutoring of current commercial, industry standard software

(Mainly Adobe Creative Suite including Illustrator, Photoshop, Flash, Director,

Dreamweaver, Audition, Premiere and Indesign) A website establishes the point of

presence of the VLE.

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Target Audience

The target audience for the courses provided within the VLE are existing

professionals eg educationalists, people with degrees in other areas but who have

basic multimedia skills eg familiar with producing multimeda using Ilife, IMovie,

using a digital camera, or similar.

The role of teaching in technology intensive settings is more difficult and

more crucial than ever before. Only a rare few master the skills required to

effectively integrate technology into learning and instruction, and teachers

themselves admit this.

Spector, J M (2002) Foreword, in Steeples C & Jones C (eds), Networked

learning:

perspectives and issues London, Springer-Verlag

Demand for Graduates

Demand for lecturers to be skilled in Digital Media is growing. This will helpimprove accessibility and quality of online materials. One of the key issues is

development of staff in all levels of ICT and is recognised by the Dearing Report

itself and others (Milligan, 1999, Atkins, 1998)

A Virtual Learning Environment is an answer to this demand.

"We need more than 800 professionals every month. I had to turn down my

corporate clients because of lack of trained manpower," said C.Y. Sathya, chief

executive officer of CYS Multimedia, a city-based centre for training

multimedia professionals.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=2006112704510600.h

tm&date=2006/11/27/&prd=th&

Copyright 2000 - 2006 The Hindu

Students within the VLE programme learn the software skills by utilising in the main

Lynda.com teaching videos and researching the web for good practice, web tutorials

and discussing their findings within the community of learners within the VLE.

Students are assessed by carrying out real work for real clients and building an onlineportfolio for critique by their instructors and peers on the course. Assessments are

criteria based but briefs are created by the students to meet client needs. eg one

minute video which must include: video captured by student, still images, sound,

music, titles, credits, visual and sound effects. The video should be suitable for

deployment on the web. (Project possibility: Safety Video created by Construction

Lecturer to enhance learning of Joinery Students)

Students collaborate/communicate/learn by utilising blogs, wikis, chat, forums,

podcasts, videocasts, websites which are created by themselves and others.

Website establishing point of presence

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The website aspect does just that linked to the domain

www.andrewcarnegiedigital.com. (website deployed at

www.besuredesign.com/Dissertation/ ) The site gives information about the Academy,

Instructors, programme, costs, contact details, link to the vle and exhibition material

in the form of still images and video.

Overview of the programme within the VLE(www.besuredesign.com/carnegie/ )

THE programme is studied 100% online and can be completed in anything from 1-5

years using the students exisitng work or voluntary work as the main focus for study.

For example, the student will be thinking about what they do in their current work and

how they will be able to integrate the multimedia into their current training materials.

The students will be part of a group learning together and will be expected to share

their knowldege with others, participating in structured and unstructred discussions

and workshops. Students will create their own briefs and carry out their own projectswith the guidance of the online team of instructors.

The programme is most suitable for people in education but equally to professionals

operating in other industrial or commercial areas. The students can include lecturers,

teaching assistants, teachers, computer support technicians, graphic/web designers,

photographers, film professionals or professionals from other areas , too.

No formal qualifications are required to start the programme but a basic knowledge of

multimedia and either a degree or professional experience is recommended. There are

no exams - assessment is through the construction of a portfolio of digital media

elements which should meet professional standard.

Impetus for development

Employers want recruits who are going to be effective in a changing world.

They want people who can deal with change - indeed who thrive on it. They

want intelligent, flexible adaptable employees who are quick to learn.

Graduates are much more likely than non-graduates to meet these criteria. In a

world of uncertainty employers want people who are able to work on a range

of tasks simultaneously. They do not need people who are resistant to new

approaches or who are slow to respond to cues.

http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/ourwork/tla/employability_tools

_what_do_employers_want

The development of digital media requires multi-skilled practitioners for the new

media industries which are rapidly and constantly evolving. The diverse nature of the

digital media industries is reflected in the approach to putting together the innovative

course.

The course aims to satisfy the demand for creative designers with specialist

knowledge in other curriuclum areas in education. eg Hospitality Lecturer with verygood ICT knowledge who wishes to develop Hospiality training materials. Nurse

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Lecturer who wishes to place edited videos of best practice onto Virtual Learning

Space.

The digital media industry is thought to be worth 15bn to the UK economy.

Consequently, there is a huge demand for digital media designers who can workacross new media.

Graduates of the programme are skilled in the technology and software pertinent to

being a well skilled multimedia professional.

The programme is highly practical in design allows the student to acquire skills

relevant to either the industry within which they are already a professional or gives

the student the opportunity of being employed or free-lancing within the Creative

Industries.

The programme assumes that students are already graduates of other disciplines (orexperienced equivalent professionals) with basic multimedia skills and motivated

individuals who wish to become more highly skilled in Digital Media.

AIMS of Programme within the VLE

The aims of the course are

That the online course provides a fast forward method of acquiring hands-on

experience in designing and developing new media products using industry-

standard authoring tools.

Provide the opportunity of carrying out practical, relevant projects which can be

matched to the current industry the student operates within or are relevant tobuilding up the students own Digital Design Company. eg Educationalists: As

more and more students are choosing to learn online, there is a growing need for

designers who can harness these new possibilities, creating interactive educational

products that are engaging to use.

Assessment techniques operated are in the form of researching, analysing -

utilising books, magazines, the WWW and producing media elements eg web

sites, logos, banners to professional standards. Assessments will be reviewed by

tutors within the academy and peers on the course.

Students are assessed on each module. There are no exams - it is all practical

work.

Sharing of information within the Digital Academy and the opportunity to present

media objects for public comment and review within the academy.

The course is flexible - available 24/7 and students can study part or full time.

Course units (modules) can be taken as stand-alone professional updating courses

or as part of a programme of study leading to the full award.

Develop the student's awareness of, and ability to incorporate, current research

and development work in interactive design

Provide the opportunity for students to share their knowledge and experience and

to learn from the experience of others

Are able to work independently and in a team, and value the critiques of their

peers and be able to critique effectively their own work and that of others

Develop the student in such a way that the student is better equipped to continue

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study within digital media

The course will encourage the development of business/entrepreneurial skills

Objectives of the Programme

Overall the programme produces a professional who is multi-skilled with competence

in a range of digital production techniques to industry standard.

On completion of the course students should be able to

Design professional standard multimedia applications and presentations

Develop websites, 2D and 3D animations, capture and create video, capture and

edit sound, create and manipulate graphics and images.

Use technology to solve problems and provide solutions

Manage time and project manage digital media developments

The overall objective is to produce professionals who are skilled in industry standard

authoring tools.

The key areas of employment are:

Animation & Illustration

Branding and Corporate DesignComputer Games Design

Graphic Design

Interactive Media

Web design and creation

Motion Graphics

Digital Video & Audio Production

3D Computer Modelling Special Effects

Product Details

Entrance qualifications/experience: Students have the option to join this

course with no skills but it is recommended that students have elementary

skills in Multimedia eg they have used a digital camera, downloaded to their

computers and have the ability to use a basic editing software package eg

Picasa to crop, rotate, optimise for the web, apply basic effects to adjust thebrightness and contrast and colour.

End product: Portfolio of evidence which demonstrate skills in Multimedia

using current high end commercial software. Students not only have to utilise

the software but have to be able to create professional level graphics and

designs.

Students will utilise Lynda.com videos to acquire software skills (These

videos cover skills from the basics to advanced features. Students can view

these videos at a pace and time applicable. The author recommends that the

student views a video and follows it up with a practice in the software and

creates their own product utilising that skill.The videos give the student theopportunity of watching the video as many times as required and stopping and

starting the video when required.

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Students will research development of products using the WWW effectively

creating an online Mood Board. Prior to the production of any assessment all

students are advised to research the area they intend to develop eg Website for

Multimedia Design Company. Areas which should be researched would be:

exisiting website if any, competitors webs which the client admires, colour

schemes influenced by exisiting logos, target audience, colour iinferences, etc Students form a community by collecting tutorials from around the WWW and

sharing them with the Academy Community. Constructivism pedagogy

advises that the formation of communities is one of the practices which help

take students forward. The Internet itself epitomises this rationale and

community will be encouraged through the use of forums, wikis, chatrooms,

discussion boards.

Students present their work for peer review within the community as well as

review by tutors. This aspect will enourage the community aspect mentioned

above and will also give constructive feedback to each student within the vle.

Students have the opportunity of problem solving and requesting help fromwithin the community. This facility will enable students to learn from one

another.

Students can work flexibly both in terms of time and ability. Students will

have the opportunity to devote whatever time they wish to completing both the

course and individual modules. Students can complete individual modules or

all modules. They may study full or part time.

Student Assessment within the VLE will be problem based learning. Students

will be enouraged to apply the learning they have acquiredrather thanreplicate exactly the activity learned. Students have opportunity of carrying

out real work for real clients as part of assessment (formative and summative)

This aspect will be actively encouraged at all times within the course.

Method of study is inexpensive. Initially all students will be able to engage in

the learning free of charge but will purchase: web hosting services,

subscription to lynda.com, appropriate hardware and software as dictated by

the individual modules. Software or version is not prescriptive but applications

and versions are advised. Students may choose to operate within either a Mac

or PC environment. The preferred environment being Apple Mac.

Plagiarism is minimised because of public exposure of final elements. All

components produced for assessment will be published on the WWW prior to

assessment which will discourage plagiarism. Should students engage others

to produce the components for them this aspect will be unable to bevalidated

Students can integrate multimedia objects produced across all modules.

Students may have only one main client that they are producing work for eg

science teacher in secondary school and they have the possibility that all

graphics, videos and animations are geared towards enhancing the delivery of

science courses within the school.

Overview of Research

Research was carried out into the choice of need for multimedia professionals in

education, online environment, videos for teaching software skills and design of the

learning product including using Portfolio Building as the main method ofassessment.

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Main catalyst in developing the project is providing support for Lecturing staff in

Botswana delivering the Advanced Diploma in Multimedia in collaboration with

SQA. The target audience for the product is in the main lecturers or teachers who hold

exisiting basic multimedia skills or very good general IT/Computing skills but could

equally appeal to other professionals who wished to acquire more advancedmultimedia skills.

Need for Multimedia Professionals

Developing interactive/ multimedia training materials requires the coordination of

expertise from a range of disciplines including computer learning technologists, web

designers, video specialists, graphic artists/designers, communication specialists,

sound engineers and curriculum specialists.

From the authors experience of working in a Further Education establishment there is

a need for professionals to develop learning materials which require the co-ordination

of not only the professional skills connected with the discipline area in which theyteach but a requirement for the technical skills of multimedia. Only at this point will

online learning develop at the rate of demand. Currently many courses which claim to

be online are merely a repository for wordprocessed documents.

From the education and training perspective individuals must have a broad

interdisciplinary knowledge and an awareness of research and development.

They must be able to analyse the learning situation, choose the correct

materials from each of the areas (ie. learning strategies, technology, and

media) and "build" the most appropriate interactive/ multimedia environment

for each particular situation.

Schon, D. (1987). Educating the Reflective Practitioner. San Francisco:

Jossey-Bass.

Research was carried out to determine what VLE to utilise for the project.

Buying a VLE is one of the most important decisions for an institution, one

that has major implications for it, and should be seen as significant as buying

a major new building. The choice of VLE will be significant across all areas of

the institution and especially in the way in which teaching and learning are

undertaken. (Minshull 2004, p20,

Choice of online environment

Questions researched prior to choosing online environment were:

How easy is it to dploy on a web server.

* Does the VLE system already contain content, or arematerials available separately from the producer?

Is the system purely a shell in which you place your own

content, sourced elsewhere?* How easy is it to write and upload materials?

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* Is uploading content to the VLE a simple drag and dropprocess, or more complicated?

* Is it easy to create online tests?* How much HTML (Web authoring) knowledge is required -

the less the better!* How easy is to do administrative tasks, like enrol students

into the VLE?* How open is the system - does it allow you to share with

other resources or systems you might have? Does it talk toyour Management Information System for example? Is itcompatible with other VLEs? Does it meet the emergingstandards?

* Are the other functions, e.g. communications, studenttracking, assessment, easy to use and well designed?

* What about installation, technical support, and training?What's included in the purchasing price and what isn't? Istraining face-to-face, online, or both?

* Is there an email or Web-based user group you can joinand monitor before purchase, and if so, what sorts ofcomments have existing users made?

* Can you get an evaluation version to install and test beforebuying?

* Is it configurable to the look and feel of your college?* Does the supplier offer a hosting service, where the VLE is

hosted on their own servers, rather than your college servers,so reducing your need for technical support to be providedinternally?

* Which other colleges already use the VLE you areconsidering? Are there reference sites or demonstrationcourses?

* What are schools and Local Authorities in your area usingor planning to use?

http://ferl.qia.org.uk/display.cfm?page=99

http://ferl.qia.org.uk/display.cfm?page=77

Why Have a VLE?

If we ask the fundamental question, why have online learning?(or even, why use ILT?) we have answers such as improvingaccess to learning, improving flexibility of study, enhancing thelearning process through imaginative use of ILT,

accommodating different learning styles, etc. A VLE is simply asoftware tool which can bring together in one integrated

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environment, all the features which may be in use in theorganisation.

An integrated environment:

* can be easier to use owing to common navigationstructure

* can reduce the load on the technical support staff* can make interoperability with MIS more achievable

A Ferl case study by Philip Butler, formerly of City and IslingtonCollege, explains some of the reasons a VLE was introducedthere. Amongst other points, he says that:

"Completely unplanned, my students were using the

communication tools within the VLE to hold group meetingsover weekends. "

and

" Not only did learning become more enjoyable but I improvedmy retention and achievement statistics".

Main products in use

There is growing interest in the use of Virtual LearningEnvironments (VLEs) by schools and local educationauthorities. Although there is some confusion about thedefinition of Virtual Learning Environments, they are generallya combination of some or all of the following features:

* communication tools such as email, bulletin boards andchat rooms

* collaboration tools such as online forums, intranets,electronic diaries and calendars

* tools to create online content and courses* online assessment and marking* integration with school management information systems* controlled access to curriculum resources* student access to content and communications beyond the

school.

http://partners.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=rh&rid=13640

Virtual Learning Environment

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Why online: Creating the course online presents the opportunity for the

provision being available to an audience who have broadband connection. It

also makes it available 24/7. Students who cannot attend due to geographical

location or time commitments can participate. Students who might feel a bit

inhibited to participate in discussiona within a traditional classroom settingcan take time to pose their questions within a VLE discussion forum.

How online: The course has been embedded within a virtual learning

environment. A website with individual tools for wikis, chat, quizzes,

assessment, etc could have been utilised but the deployment of a VLE brings

all these tools together I one programms.

What is a VLE [4]

A virtual learning environment (or VLE) is an integrated set of online

tools, databases and managed resources that exist as a coherent system,

functioning collectively in support of education. VLEs are increasinglycommon in all areas of higher education, and in medical education in

particular. This widespread use of VLEs is a relatively recent

phenomenon; driven by the increasing ubiquity of computer-based

activities in education, the ever-growing pressures for increasing the

quantity and quality of educational efficiency and student support, and

the technical opportunities provided by increasingly mature web

technologies. How a VLE is used to support education is of course

down to the local needs and creativity of the academic and support

staff who develop and utilise the features, add the information and

content, to develop a truly supportive online learning environment.

Irrespective of which VLE system is being used, the goal is to providestudents and staff with a range of online services and resources which

will enhance the quality of the student learning experience and

improve the effectiveness and efficiency of teaching.

In a traditional learning environment students normally interact with

and use learning ant teaching resources such as libraries, teaching

rooms, study guides, lectures, tutorials, labs, reading lists etc. They

will also use administrative and logistical systems such as registry,

assessment, timetabling, clinical placements. And they will receive

pastoral support, participate in evaluation and will most likely engage

with many of the social aspects of university life.

The virtual learning environment will often be developed so as to

provide many, of the characteristics of a traditional learning

environment. The balance between the online and the face-to-face is

the essence of the blend and is an inherently situated and locally

negotiated equilibrium.

A VLE may for instance provide learning and teaching resources such

as searchable study guides and lecture materials, CAL materials,

(streamed) video, discussion boards (both for general communication

and for mediating online teaching and learning), and assessment. It

may also provide administrative and logistical systems such as student

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records, student recruitment (even maybe online registration and

payment of fees), assessment feedback and results, interactive and

personalised scheduling and timetabling, and allocation and grouping

support (for instance for arranging clinical placements or course

options and electives).

(Dewhurst and Ellaway, 2005)

Dewhurst, D. and Ellaway, R. (2005). "Virtual Learning

Environments". Practical Guide for Medical Teaching (in press). Dent,

J., Churchill Livingstone.

Why a VLE

VLEs are a type of CMS which are web applications which run on a server and are

accessed by using a browser. Students and instructors can access the learning

environment via logins and passwords and are presented with their own

environments.

VLEs present instructors with the appropriate tools to create courses and manage the

learners. Most also provide an effective way of sharing information and materials,

holding online chats and discussions, create quizzes and surveys, receive student

assignments and give feedback and grades. An enhanced description of the tools is

given below:

Uploading and sharing files

Instructors and students can upload files to share by the VLE community eg

Presentations, Web Sites, Word Documents, Spreadsheets, Graphic Files, Podcasts,Video, etc You do not require to use an ftp editor to upload files content can be

uploaded using the browser. These files can be accessed as per the settings determined

by the tutor/lecturer of the programme.

E-mail

Tutors can email one, groups or all students participating in a programme. Students

can also be authorised to email each other, the group or tutor.

Discussion Forums and Real-time Chat

Students and instructors can post questions and answers to discussion forums.

Chatrooms allow students to chat in real time. Chats can be arranged in advance byinstructors to discuss particular topics or give instruction. The forums and chat can be

utilised for lectures or merely to communicate any announcements. Some students

who find it difficult to pose questions in a real classroom can feel empowered by the

opportuntiy of posting questions to these forums.

Quizzes

Quizzes are good for giving the student instant feedback on their performance.

Tracking student submissions/assignments/participation and recording grades

A VLE makes tracking student submissions and assignments an easier task. Tutors

can see at a glance who has submitted and whether or not feedback has been givenand the grade awarded. Students are informed by email as soon as feedback is given

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by the tutor and the content of that feedback or the tutor can decide that all feedback

will be given at a disignated date and time for all student submissions for an

assignment. The author also found that utilisation of peer review on each others work

can also increase student performance and motivation. Students can see details of

their own grades but not those of their peers. Instructors can view details of student

participation in the course.

Glossary

The glossary allows tutors and students to create and maintain a list of definitions eg a

dictionary of terms specific to course content.

Journal

The journal tool is good for the student using for reflecting. The tutor can encourage

the student to reflect on a particular aspect of learning or production. The journal is

private and can only be seen by the tutor, who can offer feedback or comment on each

journal entry.

Survey

The survey module can be used by the tutor to obtain information from students.

Surveys can be anonymous.

Wiki

The Wiki module enables students and tutors to work together on web pages to add,

expand and change content.

Other tools could be utilised to carry out the above tasks but most VLEs combine all

the above in one programme.

What VLE [5]

LRN - full-featured application for rapidly developing web-based learning

communities

Atutor

Bodington - Virtual Learning Environment/Learning Management System

Claroline - Claroline is a free LMS

Dokeos - elearning and course management web application

Moodle - course management system OLAT- Learning Management System

Sakai Project - Collaboration and Learning Environment

VClass

Commercial LMS

ANGEL Learning - LMS

Apex Learning

Blackboard Inc. - a family of software applications designed to enhance

teaching and learning Desire2Learn - web-based Learning Environment

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Litmos

Different types of learning environments

Positives and negatives about these mechanisms

Why Moodle

Evaluation via Edutools. Blackboard was the preferred vle by the author but was too

expensive. Moodle appears a good choice due to functionalities available and

opportunity and ease of upgrade at some point in the future and it was Free.

Description of Moodle [1]

Moodle is a sophisticated content management system created to support on line

learning communities. Moodle is used worldwide and because it is open source it is

constantly being updated by the very active Moodle community. Moodle is good for

supporting a few learners or thousands.

Moodle E-learning Course Development by William Rice

How Moodle will work with this project

Moodle is flexible and allows you to add content to your coursesite. Files can be uploaded in their original format (such as .docor .ppt documents) and when students click on the linkcreated, the files are downloaded to the student's computer(may open in browser depending on the browser and the

computer setup). HTML or web supported graphic files (such as.jpg's or .gif's) can also be added, which can be viewed directlywithin the Moodle page.

Note: Because Moodle is cross platform (works on Macs andPCs) all files should have a file extension (such as .doc or.html), which designates its file type.

http://www.humboldt.edu/~moodle/instructor/manual/additem.html

How do I design the Instruction according to the Constructivist Theory

Constructivism

1. Analysis

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Analyse the tools to be used by the learner and theenvironment in which he uses them.

2. Objectives

The instructional objectives are negotiated with the learner. Heincorporates this new knowledge into his pre-existing mentalschema. Then, he adjusts his understanding of reality to makesense of the new knowledge. As a result, his mental schemashifts to incorporate his "new" reality.

3. Learning events

Learners must ask themselves the following two questions:

* What do I need to know?* How will I solve it?

4. Evaluation

Evaluation is based on performance of learner- assessment andself-evaluation.

5. Instruction

All answers to problems must be embedded in authenticenvironments. A narrative story is used, with anchoredinstruction. This means that all answers to the questions areembedded in the story.

A good example of this is the computer game Myst. Thelearner is given a situation of visual representations. Herecognizes the castle, yet has to think and problem-solve tofigure out how to move around the castle and find clues (pages

of books that eventually inform the learner who is in thecastle). There is no one way to figure this out. The learner isforced to think in multiple realities in order to figure out what isgoing on in this scenario. As more information is revealed tohim, he weighs his decisions based on the new information.

Then, he determines his next move.

All answers to any questions about the scenario are embeddedin the story. The learner finds the information needed toanswer his questions. He needs no further guidance from the

instructor.

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Case based learning can be used in this situation. this involvesreal life cases. First, the learner must have all the informationabout the cases, then he puts all the information together anduses it when relevant. This starts the learner thinking like anexpert.

http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec540/Perspectives/designInstruction.html

The instructional design of the VLE and programme tendstowards a socio-constructivist approach as the instructionalsystem design approach mainly based on passive transfer iscriticised for not allowing interactive exploration of the learningexperience and does not reflect real work practices.(Crook, 1996; Merril, Li et al, 1990; Owen, 1999).

An approach which is learner orientated, based onconstructivist and situated theories, encourages the design ofvirtual learning environments (VLEs), where different toolscan be explored by the learner. Of the design modelsproposed within this approach, participatory design wasconsidered to be one of the most appropriate to the VLEproject, as we wanted to design a community space where

users would be willing to participate and interact.

Why Moodle

OSS Watchs survey (2006) indicates Moodle is now used by 56% of FE

institutions

Overview of Moodle

Modular Object Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment

Excerpted from Using Moodle by Jason Cole. Copyright 2005.Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.Chapter 1 Introduction

Moodle has many features expected from an e-learning platform including:

* Forums

* Content managing (resources)

* Quizzes with different kinds of questions

* Blogs* Wikis

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* Database activities

* Surveys

* Chat

* Glossaries

* Peer assessment

* Multi-language support (over 60 languages are supported for the interface [2])

Moodle is modular in construction and can readily be extended by creating plugins for

specific new functionality. Moodle's infrastructure supports many types of plugins:

* Activities

* Resource types

* Question types

* Data field types (for the database activity)

* Graphical themes

* Authentication methods

* Enrolment methods* Content Filters

Many third-party Moodle plugins are freely available making use of this infrastructure

PHP can be used to author and contribute new modules. Moodle's development has

been assisted by the work of open source programmers [4]. This has contributed

towards its rapid development and rapid bug fixes.

Design of VLE

Navigation

Consistency of presentation

Interest

Learning Design

The learning design approach adopted within the project was very much one of taking

account of the students current professional engagment in their current work. The

amount of time that they had to acquire new media knowledge, opportunity to snack

on learning within a system which is available 24/7, making all assessments veryrelevant to enhancing their existing work and this approach of using a VLE is

explored by Cunningham et als (1993) 7 goals of constructivist learning

environments. Such environments should:

Provide experience in the knowledge construction process; provide experience

in and appreciation for, multiple perspectives; embed learning in realistic and

relevant contexts; encourage ownership and voice in the learning process;

embed learning in social experience; encourage the use of multiple modes of

representation; [and] encourage self-awareness in the knowledge construction

process (cited in Oliver & Herington 2003, p113, emphasis added).

For Bruner, learning is an active process in which learners construct new ideas

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or concepts 10

According to Martin Dougiamas the creator of Moodle, Constructivism is

building on knowledge known by the student. Education is Student centred,

Students have to construct knowledge themselves (Dougiamas, M.1998)

Students will construct digital media elements based on their existingprofessional work

Students will be encouraged to create mood boards

The design theory can be summarised into 3 main strands as follows according to Professor

Mayes in his paper TESEP : THE PEDAGOGICAL PRINCIPLES

Professor Terry Mayes, September 2006

The associative view emphasises

Routines of organised activity

Clear goals and feedback

Individualised pathways and routines matched to the individuals prior performance.

The cognitive view emphasises

Interactive environments for construction of understanding

Learning and teaching activities that encourage experimentation and the discovery of

principles

Support for reflection.

Thesituative view emphasises

Environments of participation in social practices of enquiry and learning

Activities through which identities as capable and confident learners emerge

Dialogue that facilitates the development of learning relationships.

The situative view is the design adopted within the project as students are encouraged to

pursue projects with their own briefs which will enhance their existing work, career and

teaching. The use of forums, chatrooms, peer and instructor feedback all encourage the

formation of a community.

TESEP : THE PEDAGOGICAL PRINCIPLESProfessor Terry Mayes, September 2006

Based on discussion of the approaches available, it wasdecided that the design of the VLS should adopt acombination of approaches within the realm of socio-constructivism, combining participative design and activitytheory, with an architecturally-informed methodology, basedon reflective practice. Architectural design methodologyinvolves reflective processes, where reflection-in-action and

reflection-on-action take place. This process was describedand discussed by Donald Schn (1985, 1987). A 'reflective

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process' model to explain Schn's ideas was proposed byPereira (1999) and is shown in Figure 1. Schn alsorecommends this same process to other professionals. Thisprocess seems ideal for any design process, what suggestsits usefulness also when designing virtual learningenvironments.

Use of Teaching Videos

Lynda.com was adopted as a method of learning the latest tools and techniques in

digital media, design, and development. Lynda.com is being utilised by Adobe as one

of the preferred methods of training in their software. Students who acquire

appropriate skills in the packages also have the opportunity of acquiring Adobe

Vendor Qualifications.

Design of LearningThere are 3 main learning theories defined by Schuman and each have their strengths

and weaknesses.

Behaviorism focuses on a new behavioral task being repeated until it becomes

automatic.

Cognitivism is based on the thought process behind the behavior. Changes in behavior

are observed, but only as an indicator to what is going on in the learner's head.

Constructivism is based on the premise that we all construct our own view of the

world, based on our knowledge and experience. Therefore constructivism focuses onteaching the learner to solve problems.

Learning Theories - Some Strengths and Weaknesses

What are the perceived strengths and weaknesses of usingcertain theoretical approaches to instructional design?

Behaviorism

Weakness -the learner may find themselves in a situationwhere the stimulus for the correct response does not occur,therefore the learner cannot respond. - A worker who has beenconditioned to respond to a certain cue at work stopsproduction when an anomaly occurs because they do notunderstand the system.

Strength - the learner is focused on a clear goal and canrespond automatically to the cues of that goal. - W.W.II pilots

were conditioned to react to silhouettes of enemy planes, aresponse which one would hope became automatic.

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Cognitivism

Weakness - the learner learns a way to accomplish a task, butit may not be the best way, or suited to the learner or thesituation. For example, logging onto the internet on onecomputer may not be the same as logging in on anothercomputer.

Strength - the goal is to train learners to do a task the sameway to enable consistency. - Logging onto and off of aworkplace computer is the same for all employees; it may beimportant do an exact routine to avoid problems.

Constructivism

Weakness - in a situation where conformity is essentialdivergent thinking and action may cause problems. Imaginethe fun Revenue Canada would have if every person decided toreport their taxes in their own way - although, there probablyare some very "constructive" approaches used within thesystem we have.

Strength - because the learner is able to interpret multiple

realities, the learner is better able to deal with real lifesituations. If a learner can problem solve, they may betterapply their existing knowledge to a novel situation.(Schuman, 1996)Schuman, L. (1996). Perspectives on instruction. [On-line].Available:http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec540/Perspectives/Perspectives.html

Design is difficult to define and the activity of designing is seenin different ways by different people. This is true for softwaredesign also (Winograd, 1996), and more specifically for thedesign of educational software, where different approachesflourish. However, there is a tendency to follow the changestaking place in educational research, with a move frombehaviourist and cognitive theories towards constructivistapproaches. See Table 1.

The Instructional System design approach, mainly based on

passive transfer and where cognition is seen as a kind ofcomputation, is criticised for not allowing interactive

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exploration of the learning experience in a critical andreflective way. It does not consider the complexity anduncertainties of practice (Crook, 1996; Merril, Li et al, 1990;Owen, 1999).

An approach which is learner orientated, based onconstructivist and situated theories, encourages the design ofvirtual learning environments (VLEs), where different tools canbe explored by the learner. Of the design models proposedwithin this approach, participatory design was considered to beone of the most appropriate to the VLS project, as we wantedto design a community space where users would be willing toparticipate and interact.

It is also argued that the design of a virtual environment couldbenefit from the experience which architecture and architectshave with the design of physical spaces. This was previouslysuggested by others such as Bridges and Charitos (1996),Cabral-Filho (1996), Kapor (1996), and also by one of theauthors elsewhere (Pereira, 2000). Important issues consideredwhen designing real physical environments could also beconsidered when designing virtual spaces, e.g. Vitruvius'attributes of good architecture: commodity, firmness anddelight (Vitruvius, 1960); Lynch's concepts of paths, nodes,

boundaries, and landmarks (Lynch, 1960), which areresponsible for the 'legibility' of the space; or Hertzberger'sdiscussions on territoriality, form and appropriation,accommodating and stimulating spaces (1991). Attempting todevelop these qualities in virtual environments could helpusers to develop certain familiarity with the virtual spaces andfeel safe and more confident when using them.

Merrill defines constructivism

The Assumptions of Constructivism - Merrill

knowledge is constructed from experience

learning is a personal interpretation of the world

learning is an active process in which meaning is developed

on the basis of experience

conceptual growth comes from the negotiation of meaning,

the sharing of multiple perspectives and the changing of ourinternal representations through collaborative learning

learning should be situated in realistic settings; testingshould be integrated with the task and not a separate

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activity

(Merrill, 1991, in Smorgansbord, 1997)

Students engaging in this course will differ both in prior knowledge and ability

and the learner centre pedagogy utilised will be ideal for this type of student. The

student will acquire knowledge that is relevant to them. They can learn at a pace

and time that is suitable to them. Activities and tasks will be relevant to their

work or workplace and relevant to enhancing their existing knowledge.

e-Portfolio

An electronic portfolio, also known as an e-portfolio or digital portfolio, is a

collection of electronic evidence assembled and managed by a user, usually on

the Web. Such electronic evidence may include inputted text, electronic files

such as Microsoft Word and Adobe PDF files, images, multimedia, blogentries, and hyperlinks. E-portfolios are both demonstrations of the user's

abilities and platforms for self-expression, and, if they are online, they can be

maintained dynamically over time.

Electronic portfolio - From Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_portfolio

Students will be encouraged from the very first media item they produce to create an

online electronic portfolio which will serve 3 main purposes:

Working portfolio

All digital media created throughout the course can be placed within the e-portfolio

together with briefs and evaluations

Reflective Portfolio

Students can reflect on work created and see effectively a timeline of development.

Showcase of Media Items

Students skilled in multimedia would have no credibility with prospective employers

or clients without evidence of an online showcase of work experience.

Prior to the final award where the student is asked to present 20 pieces of work in

order to be awarded the Andrew Carnegie Digital Diploma the student should have all

these items within their Portfolio Showcase.

Conclusion

Taking into consideration the need for staff development ineducational institutions, this dissertation and project presentsthe process of designing a virtual learning space where thisdevelopment can take place. The importance of the designprocess it advocates resides on its reflective characteristics

based on the users' participation in a collaborative andreflective process.

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The participative and reflective methodology adopted for thedesign of the VLE is based on a constructivist approach andconsiders architectural issues of spatial use. It incorporates theanalysis of activities within the virtual space and of thequalities this space has to have to allow and encourage itsmost efficient and enjoyable use. Evaluative stages areincorporated into the process and become part of theenvironment itself.

We argue, that in adopting such a design process, developersand users are more apt to come to a more effective andefficient product, whose ownership is shared.

Continuous evaluation

VLE Development Plan

In line with reflective practice, the project will have continuous evaluation, where

users' needs and use of the vle and its contents will be constantly evaluated and

provide feedback for the developers and learning design team. The current hosting

company is inexpensive but deployment on a faster server would be beneficial.

Transfer of the files would not be a difficult task.

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References

BIGGS, J.B. (2001) Teaching for Quality Learning at University: What the Student

Does. Open University Press

Crook, C. (1996) Computers and the collaborative experience of learning. London,Routledge.

Dearing, R. and The National Commission for Investigation in Higher Education

(1997) Higher Education in the learning society.http://www.ex.ac.uk/dearing.html

Dewhurst, D. and Ellaway, R. (2005). "Virtual Learning Environments". Practical

Guide for Medical Teaching (in press). Dent, J., Churchill Livingstone.

Harris, R., Pereira, M.A. & Davidson, D. (2000). 'Identifying the qualities needed for

a virtual learning space in communication and information technology skills'.

Proceedings of the 2000 International Networked Learning Conference jointlyorganised by Lancaster University and the University of Sheffield. Lancaster, April

17th-19th 2000.

Merril, M.D., Li, Z. et al. (1990) "Second generation instructional design". Education

Technology 30(2): 7-14.

Milligan, C. (1998) The role of VLEs in on-line delivery of staff development. JTAP

Report 573. http://www.icbl.hw.ac.uk/jtap-573.

Owen, M. (1999) Paradigms for curriculum design: The design of reflective, situated,

collaborative professional development supported by virtual learning environments.

Bangor, School of Education, University of Wales.

Pereira, MA. (2000) ArchCAL: a conceptual basis for the application of information

technology into learning and teaching technical subjects in architectural education.

Ph.D Thesis. Sheffield, University of Sheffield.

Pereira, MA. (1999) 'My reflective practice as research', Teaching in Higher

Education, Vol 4, No.3.

Rice, William: Moodle E-learning Course Development

Spector, J M (2002 p xiv) Foreword in Steeples C & Jones C (eds) Networked

learning:

perspectives and issues London, Springer-Verlag

Wikipedia encyclopedia: Electronic portfolio
http://www.ex.ac.uk/dearing.htmlhttp://www.ex.ac.uk/dearing.htmlhttp://www.icbl.hw.ac.uk/jtap-573http://www.ex.ac.uk/dearing.htmlhttp://www.icbl.hw.ac.uk/jtap-573