Gazing into the future of Sri Lankan higher education: capacity building for the future

This paper reports on an investigation into capacity building processes in relation to e-learning resource development and delivery (RDD) in a Sri Lankan higher education institution. The capacity building was investigated in three main areas: strategic planning, institutional capacity building, and the resources acquisition processes. The project investigated the embedding of e-learning into the Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced Technological Education (SLIATE). Like many other higher education institutes SLIATE aspires to excel in providing quality teaching and learning facilities and quality learning experiences. The research project concentrated on the exploration of areas of capacity building within the academic community at SLIATE by identifying possible improvements to the management of e-learning RDD. The paper focuses on the findings in relation to the effectiveness of the capacity building process in e-learning resource development and delivery, and how this could assist SLIATE students with their learning

Pacific leaders in open, online and distance learning

The Pacific is a vast region, with a diverse range of cultures and stretched geographical lands, which covers large territories and long distances. Open, online and distance learning (ODL) has always played a key role in providing access to education to remote and rural students and disadvantaged groups. In fact, it could be argued that without ODL, the levels of educational attainment in these regions would be much lower. However, there is work to be done, as some countries in the region still have infrastructure problems, such as Internet connectivity and availability, which directly impact access to online and distance learning. In this piece about Pacific leaders in ODL, I noticed that despite the fact that many leaders have or have had a formal professional base at their institutions, many have worked across different nations and in collaboration with several national and international organisations. Also, initially, ODL leaders were predominantly male, but it did not take long for their female counterparts to join in and be recognised. Encouraged by this journal's editorial board, I made sure that the ODL female leaders are well represented in this piece. This manuscript is divided in three sections; Australia, New Zealand and some small islands of the Pacific region. This is by no means an exhaustive list of ODL leaders in the region, but one that recognises the contributions of earlier theorists and some more current researchers and practitioners. Finally, it is also important to highlight that the large majority of the leaders recognised here are renowned academics, researchers, practitioners and leaders due to their success, leadership and contributions to ODL. Therefore, most of them have published extensively, been invited to present at conferences and other national and international events, and have worked as consultants for key ODL organisations and their partners, some during the course of their employment and/or after retiring. Their career and academic successes are very important, but here I would like to focus on some of their key contributions to ODL in the Pacific region.</p

Narratives of teacher learning in adopting a blended approach in a tertiary institution.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.The inclusion of technology has led to policy directives at tertiary institutions that impact the way in which teaching, and learning takes place. The focus of this study was on the ways in which lecturers learn to use new technological tools, and on the factors enhancing or hindering this learning. The conceptual frameworks adopted in this study were Opfer and Pedder’s (2011) complexity theory which was used to analyse teacher learning, and Garrison and Vaughan’s (2008) community of inquiry framework which analysed the factors affecting learning. This study constructed narratives of teacher learning in adopting a blended approach at a private tertiary institution. It was located within the interpretative paradigm and a qualitative narrative approach was adopted. Critical incidents, concept maps and semi-structured interviews were used to construct the narratives. Five participants, who were lecturers at the tertiary institute, were individually interviewed. The findings from applying Opfer and Pedder’s (2011) complexity theory show that learning occurs because of a dissonance between personal expectations and efficacy with technology. There is a nested complexity of learning as knowledge, experience and beliefs which impact each individual and their dissonance. An analysis of the knowledge needed for a blended approach identified a new Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) as an essential component in learning to adopt a blended approach. Students and their knowledge, experience and beliefs were also identified as impacting teacher learning. This was an element not explored by Opfer and Pedder (2011). Garrison and Vaughan’s (2008) community of inquiry identified factors that enhance or hinder teacher learning. The factors that enhance learning were identified as follows: the application of new ideas; the exchange of ideas; and the ability of students to connect ideas in the online space. The social element of encouraging collaboration, and expressing emotions and camaraderie were also motivating factors. However, the hinderances were similarly found within these indicators and were linked to the students’ lack of technological knowledge and reluctance to engage on the online platform. A lack of technical support, the large volume of information on the learning management platforms, vague instructions and difficulty in navigating the platform were also indicated as hinderances to learning by the participants. The time taken to assimilate new technology, technical issues, costs and expectations of self were other factors influencing the learning process of lecturers adopting a blended approach. It is therefore important that tertiary institutions take cognisance of how best to train and support lecturers in the use of technology for enhanced teaching and learning. The starting point will have to be an exact definition of a blended approach that is ‘fit for purpose’

Embedding a Blended Learning Approach From First Year

As DIT strives to enhance the transition of students into third level education, a number of priority areas were identified as part of the ongoing STEER (Student Transition, Expectations, Engagement, Retention) initiative. Ultimately the onus is on DIT to enable students to become self-directed learners. Blended learning is positioned as a solution to aid in this transition. It has been described as the combination of traditional face-to-face teaching methods with authentic online learning activities (Davies & Fill, 2007, p. 817). However, it is not without risk to assume that first year students have a natural affinity with blended approaches, as Garrison and Vaughan (cited in Moore & Gilmartin, 2010, p.4) opined those who have grown up with interactive technology are not always comfortable with the information transmission approach of large lectures. Students expect a relevant and engaging learning experience . The purpose of our project is to provide a rationale for redesigning a module for blended delivery and how blended learning can be implemented, with specific focus on first year undergraduate modules. It is hope that this report can help address current challenges in the application of blended learning, and also make a definite contribution to the laudable STEER goals. This report will initially consider the background to blended learning and the challenges associated with the approach, before finally exploring the practical implications of introducing blended learning to early stage students in a staged fashion and presenting a practical How to guide for blended learning

Access to education for rural students

This audit found that the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development has not provided access to high-quality education for all students. Summary Students in rural Victoria make up 30 per cent of the student population. In rural Victoria levels of disadvantage are higher and educational aspirations and outcomes are lower than for metropolitan areas. This creates unique and complex challenges for government agencies. This audit assessed the effectiveness of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development\u27s (DEECD) activities to ensure that Victorians in rural and regional areas have access to a high-quality education and that outcomes for these students are maximised. The audit found that DEECD has not provided access to high-quality education for all students. Rural students perform consistently below their metropolitan peers on a range of measures. While the gaps in performance are not always large, they have changed little over time and show no signs of improving. DEECD undertakes many activities that assist rural educators and students, but these have not resulted in a significant improvement in performance. DEECD has not developed a comprehensive, targeted strategy to address known barriers to rural students’ access and participation in education. Recent adjustments to government subsidies for vocational education and training included an increase in loading for delivering training to rural students, yet it remains unclear how rural training options will be affected in the future. DEECD is developing a new rural and regional plan to target the educational outcome gap between metropolitan and rural students. However, it has been delayed, and there is no evidence that it will be sufficiently robust to make a difference

An investigation into the learning environments of blended delivery (e-learning and classroom) in a tertiary environment

This thesis describes research investigating the learning environment of tertiary students undertaking their studies through a mixture of online learning management systems and traditional tertiary classroom delivery. A review of the literature examined traditional learning environments, pure online virtual environments and more recent literature pertaining to a blended environment. The examination of student and staff perceptions of learning environments in different contexts served to generate recommendations to help tertiary teachers optimise online and traditional teaching practices within a mixed-mode environment. Students' experiences of their learning environment were discovered through quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative data on students' experiences were gathered by using an adapted version of the Web-based Learning Environment Instrument (WEBLEI). Qualitative data on students' experiences were collected by discussion questions added to the WEBLEI survey. Qualitative data on the use of online and blended learning environment experiences by tertiary staff were gathered by email and supplementary interviews. The study synthesised results from these multiple sources within a tertiary institute environment and made recommendations and gave insight into optimal blended learning environments within the tertiary sector. Overall, the study provided a perspective on the psychology and strategic view of the learning environment for the future tertiary institute

Opportunities and challenges : preparing generalist teacher education students in music education in Australia

Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} The Australian Curriculum &lsquo;the Arts&rsquo; will be implemented across Australia from 2014. This curriculum is expected to replace existing State and Territory curricula where educators are given the opportunity to review, renew, and refresh their practice. Music tertiary educators are faced with opportunities and challenges to effectively prepare and engage pre-service teachers (PSTs) as generalist classroom teachers. This paper focuses on PSTs within the Bachelor of Primary Education course at Deakin University (Melbourne, Australia). Within this course PSTs undertake two Arts units as generalist teachers, in Trimester one where they are introduced to music elements and creative music making. In Trimester two they focus on pedagogical issues and classroom implementation. In 2013, I gained ethical permission to undertake a research project titled &ldquo;Pre-service teacher attitudes and understandings of Music Education&rdquo;. This case study draws on semi-structured interview data with music lecturers who taught in Trimester two at Deakin University in 2013 (10 x 3 hour workshops). Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis I analyzed and codified the interview data and report on two themes: ways of teaching and creative music making. This paper also highlights the challenges and opportunities sessional staff face when preparing PSTs in music education as generalist teachers.<!--EndFragment--

Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, Threat (SWOT) Analysis of the Adaptations to Anatomical Education in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland in Response to the Covid‐19 Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has driven the fastest changes to higher education across the globe, necessitated by social distancing measures preventing any face to face teaching. This has led to an almost immediate switch to distance learning by higher education institutions. Anatomy faces some unique challenges. Intrinsically, anatomy is a three-dimensional subject that requires a sound understanding of the relationships between structures, often achieved by the study of human cadaveric material, models and virtual resources. This study sought to identify the approaches taken in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland to deliver anatomical education through online means. Data were collected from 14 different universities in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland and compared adopting a thematic analysis approach. Once themes were generated, they were collectively brought together using a strength, weakness, opportunity, threat (SWOT) analysis. Key themes included the opportunity to develop new online resources and the chance to engage in new academic collaborations. Academics frequently mentioned the challenge that time constrains could place on the quality and effectiveness of these resources; especially as in many cases the aim of these resources is to compensate for a lack of exposure to cadaveric exposure. Comparisons of the actions taken by multiple higher education institutions reveals the ways that academics have tried to balance this demand. Discussions will facilitate decisions being made by higher education institutions regarding adapting the curriculum and assessment methods in anatomy

Social Effectiveness of Tertiary Education for Adults in Mid-life

No abstract available