Successes challenges issues: Launching an Initial Teacher Education Program Online

11/04/2023 Mick Grimley & Sheena O'Hare ANZ Blackboard conference

1

Successes, Challenges, Issues: Launching an Initial Teacher Education Program Online

Sheena O’Hare (Swinburne Online)Mick Grimley (Swinburne University)


2

Overview

• Start-up from Swinburne University Perspective – Written by Mick Grimley– Spoken by Gilly Salmon

• Start-up from Swinburne Online Perspective Sheena O’Hare


3

A New Partnership a New Discipline

• 2011 Swinburne Online (SOL) is formed

• 100 per cent online delivery • Students are Swinburne University

students• First courses launched in March

2012• First Teacher Education students in

November 2012


4

Online Education: a market?• Online education is growing exponentially:– Top 4 adopters of self paced e-learning with 35% +

projected 5 yr growth rates are:• Vietnam, Malaysia, Romania, Azerbaijan (Ambient, 2011)

• In 2010, 6.1 million students enrolled in at least one online course (Allen & Semen, 2011)

• Over 1000 providers of online education in Australia- although few are purely online (Ibis World, 2012)


5

Teacher Education a New Discipline for Swinburne

Not currently taught at Swinburne– No history of Teacher Education– No Education Academics


6


7

The Nature of Initial Teacher Education

• Regulated by the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) and the Australian Children’s Education and care Quality Authority (ACECQA)– Practicums– State Curriculum versus National Curriculum– National Standards• Personal Numeracy and Literacy Standards


8

Current Offerings

• In November 2012 we launched:– Bachelor of Education (Early

Childhood)– Master of Teaching (Primary)

• In November 2013 we plan to launch:– Bachelor of Education

(Primary)


9

Building a Team

• Very fast start-up– The need to get people on the ground quickly

• Consolidating and planning for the future– Appointing full-time seasoned academics


10

Building the Programs and the Units

• Professor Gilly Salmon’s five stage model of online learning (Salmon, 2011)

• Social constructivist approach• Highly supported• Tasks that mimic professional expectations

(realistic)

www..e-moderating.com


11

Teaching Teacher Education Online• Perceptions – F2F versus Online• Professional practice– Teacher as expert


12

The teaching model at Swinburne Online: recruiting e Learning advisors

Teaching vacancies are advertised through SeekTelephone interview – Passion is crucial


13

Development & Training

• 4 or 5 weeks online• Based on Social Constructivism (Gilly Salmon’s

5-stage model)• Challenge to ensure quality teachers allocated

into appropriate groups according to qualifications

www.e-moderating.com


14

Week by week break down• Access and motivation (encouraged to get to know their

tutor and their peers)• Online socialisation (encouraged to be active in online

activities that are created to support the development of a learning community

• Information exchange (more cooperation and time management)

• Knowledge construction (work together to complete projects)

• Development (able to apply and integrate knowledge into work place)


15

Promotion of participation • Effective online education differentiated from distance

education by opportunities for participative opportunities.

• Effective online participation does not just happen, it needs to be supported.

• Challenge to ensure that the participations lead to desired learning outcomes


16

Growth over time• Accessible from anywhere; study can be structured

around job or family; and can be streamlined, condensed or accelerated.

• Danger that technologies add a new layer of complexity• Isolation and disconnectedness can contribute to

student attrition


17

Support for Students at Swinburne Online

• E-learning Advisors• Student Liaison Team (7 day

support)• Practicum Placement Team


18

Virtual academic support• 140 E learning Advisors are based solely

online, around the world – Sri Lanka, Greece, Scotland etc.

• Online networks set up to support – teaching coaches – focus on working more efficiently and effectively, not harder

• Blackboard staff lounge + Yammer private social networking site


19

Education Staff at Swinburne Online

• Program Director – quality of overall program• Unit coordinator – unit management• Learning designer – unit glitches and

clarification• Learning technologist


20

Unit Moderation through Partnership• Internal moderation• HD/Fail cross marking• SUT/SOL moderation• Leads into unit review

process


21

Thanks for listening

Slides atwww.gilly.salmon.com

….Resources…….Presentations

http://www.gilly.salmon.com/

“Never doubt the power of a small group of people to change the world.

Nothing else ever has.”Margaret Mead

“Be the change you want to see in the world”Mahatma Ghandi

No budgets or humans were harmed in the making of this presentation

SEE YOU IN THE FUTURE

“Every society honours its live conformists and its dead troublemakers." Mignon McLaughlin