Course developers as students: a designer perspective of the experience of learning online

Academic developers of online courses may not have experienced this mode of learning and teaching from the learner perspective. This article makes a comparison between suggestions for online course design from research literature and user perspectives from a focus group, responses to questions on the most and least effective aspects of online study and lasting impressions, and from reflective diaries kept by two of the authors while they were engaged in study from online courses. This direct evidence is used to highlight key issues in the literature from the viewpoint of the learner

Principles for the selection and integration of educational multimedia materials

This paper sets out to clarify the decision framework for the selection and integration of educational multimedia material into courses. Two main areas are discussed. The first involves matching the educational principles inherent in the multimedia artefact to the aims of the course. The opposition between instructionist and constructivist approaches is particularly highlighted. The second area concerns the models used to integrate the multimedia component into the overall course. The models are classified in terms of how they distribute the balance of responsibility for explicit educational structuring between the multimedia system and the course tutor. The paper does not set out prescriptive rules; it aims rather to inform and articulate the decision space for the tutor

Rich environments for active learning in action: Problem‐based learning

Rich Environments for Active Learning (REALs) are comprehensive instructional systems that are consistent with constructivist theories. They promote study and investigation within authentic contexts; encourage the growth of student responsibility, initiative, decision making and intentional learning; cultivate collaboration among students and teachers; utilize dynamic, interdisciplinary, generative learning activities that promote higher‐order thinking processes to help students develop rich and complex knowledge structures; and assess student progress in content and learning‐to‐learn within authentic contexts using realistic tasks and performances. Problem‐Based Learning (PBL) is an instructional methodology that can be used to create REALs. PBL's student‐centred approach engages students in a continuous collaborative process of building and reshaping understanding as a natural consequence of their experiences and interactions within learning environments that authentically reflect the world around them. In this way, PBL and REALs are a response to teacher‐centred educational practices that promote the development of inert knowledge, such as conventional teacher‐to‐student knowledge dissemination activities. In this article, we compare existing assumptions underlying teacher‐directed educational practice with new assumptions that promote problem solving and higher‐level thinking by putting students at the centre of learning activities. We also examine the theoretical foundation that supports these new assumptions and the need for REALs. Finally, we describe each REAL characteristic and provide supporting examples of REALs in action using PB

Development and evaluation of a multimedia interactive CD: Public speaking interactive media

This paper reports on a study that endeavours to develop a Computer Assisted Learning (CAL) multimedia courseware namely, Public Speaking Interactive Media. This courseware was developed specifically for diploma students undergoing ENG4113 (Business English) and ENG 4153 (Public Speaking Skills) at Kolej Profesional MARA Indera Mahkota, Kuantan, Pahang. The objectives and goals of this study is to develop a CAL courseware which is in-line with the syllabus of the courses using multimedia elements together with the application of behaviorist, cognitive and constructivist learning theories as a basis in the design of the courseware. Moreover, the instructional design and implementation of this CAL multimedia courseware employ active and flexible learning strategies. Utilizing Hannafin and Peck’s Design Model, this courseware was developed using Macromedia Director and Macromedia Authorware to ensure that multimedia elements and simulations can be fully integrated. The findings of the study revealed that the courseware fulfilled its objectives in aiding students in comprehending the concept of public speaking skills better by using multimedia elements. In addition, the courseware is in-line with the syllabus and has incorporated the theories and strategies intended successfully

Is there a fit between pedagogy and technology in online learning?

The study followed a group of online lecturers from different disciplines who were engaged in different levels of online teaching. The researchers' experiences with e-learning have indicated there are a variety of ways by which teaching staff approach e-learning. As new technologies provide a challenge to make learning an interactive and collaborative experience that is guided by a social constructivist approach to teaching and learning, some academic staff embrace the technology to enhance their pedagogy and others are reluctant to use the technology, although in the pedagogy they promote is a social constructivist learning approach. We conducted a qualitative research project in an attempt to answer the research questions of what pedagogies are used by teaching staff to facilitate e-learning, and how do teachers change their use and understanding of e-learning techniques. The study suggests that there is a continuum in the way the constructivist pedagogy had been implemented by the different university teachers and also a continuum in the way the technology had been embraced by them. From our observations, we categorised the university teachers in relation to their pedagogies (level of social constructivist approach) and to the level at which they used the technology, in order to explore how the relationship between these two elements changed. The study helps us understand how the technology enabled some of the teachers to develop their pedagogies and change their perspectives on social learning online. In addition, for others who used social features of the technology to an optimal level, the technology helped them accommodate and reinforce the notion of a social constructivist approach to teaching and learning. Finally, the interchange between the ability to use the technology and the adoption of social constructivist approach to teaching raised new questions in relation to implementation of online learning

‘Living’ theory: a pedagogical framework for process support in networked learning

This paper focuses on the broad outcome of an action research project in which practical theory was developed in the field of networked learning through case‐study analysis of learners’ experiences and critical evaluation of educational practice. It begins by briefly discussing the pedagogical approach adopted for the case‐study course and the action research methodology. It then identifies key dimensions of four interconnected developmental processes—orientation, communication, socialisation and organisation—that were associated with ‘learning to learn’ in the course’s networked environment, and offers a flavour of participants’ experiences in relation to these processes. A number of key evaluation issues that arose are highlighted. Finally, the paper presents the broad conceptual framework for the design and facilitation of process support in networked learning that was derived from this research. The framework proposes a strong, explicit focus on support for process as well as domain learning, and progression from tighter to looser design and facilitation structures for process‐focused (as well as domain‐focused) learning tasks

Challenging the five-stage model for e-learning: a new approach

The five‐stage approach to e‐moderating has provided a coherent model upon which to base online learning design in higher education. However, despite its growing popularity, there are concerns that the model is becoming a dominant discourse, being adapted as a template for the design of all online teaching and learning, to the exclusion of other ideas. It is suggested that the five‐stage model may not be the panacea it appears and alternative models of e‐learning cannot be ignored. This paper reviews the five‐stage model and contrasts it with a new conceptual model, ‘the e‐learning ladder’, conceived as part of research with healthcare students in the higher education setting

Chapter 1 : Learning Online

The OTiS (Online Teaching in Scotland) programme, run by the now defunct Scotcit programme, ran an International e-Workshop on Developing Online Tutoring Skills which was held between 8–12 May 2000. It was organised by Heriot–Watt University, Edinburgh and The Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK. Out of this workshop came the seminal Online Tutoring E-Book, a generic primer on e-learning pedagogy and methodology, full of practical implementation guidelines. Although the Scotcit programme ended some years ago, the E-Book has been copied to the SONET site as a series of PDF files, which are now available via the ALT Open Access Repository. The editor, Carol Higgison, is currently working in e-learning at the University of Bradford (see her staff profile) and is the Chair of the Association for Learning Technology (ALT)