Multimodal meaning-making: a critical engagement with the use of LAMS for teaching

Learning Activity Management System (LAMS) is a free web based learning design resource for managing and delivering online collaborative learning activities. LAMS is currently being used to teach in 80 countries and has been translated into 28 languages. This workshop will aim to introduce, discuss and evaluate whether the learning design system LAMS can: 1) Support the contextualised development and integration of ILT 2) Support active and reflective online learning practice 3) Encourage reflective thinking and support differentiated, self paced and collaborative online teaching/ learning practice. This workshop will consist of the following stages: 1) Elicit from workshop participants their perspectives and experience of applying a contextualised approach to developing ILT in their teaching/learning practice. 2) A brief presentation to introduce LAMS and the trial of this learning design resource on an Additional Diploma (ESOL) course. 3) Through an interactive activity workshop participants will be asked to reflect critically on LAMS as a learning design resource for their respective subject areas. 4) Group discussion and feedback will be facilitated in order to consider possibilities, opportunities and constraints in the use of LAMS for developing learner-centred online collaborative learning. 5) The session will end with sharing resources for further independent exploration about LAMS

Development of an Interactive, Hands-on Learning Experience of the Google Maps API

The project is to design and implement a Web application for realizing an innovative, hands-on interactive learning experience for the Google Maps API. This learning environment was developed based on a real-world Geographic Information System (GIS), the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Geospatial Information Support System. Significant efforts were invested not only in development of this GIS system, but also in the design and implement that turns the production system into a learning environment. The Web development aspect attracts computer science students, while the opportunity to learn GIS concepts in an interactive way to attract students from the geography department and the opportunity to learn the Google Maps API proves interesting to regular internet users. The Web learning system was given to a focus group whose feedback was collected through a survey. The survey results reveal a favorable response to the interactive, hands-on learning model and the Web implementation

Development of an Interactive, Hands-on Learning Experience of the Google Maps API

The project is to design and implement a Web application for realizing an innovative, hands-on interactive learning experience for the Google Maps API. This learning environment was developed based on a real-world Geographic Information System (GIS), the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Geospatial Information Support System. Significant efforts were invested not only in development of this GIS system, but also in the design and implement that turns the production system into a learning environment. The Web development aspect attracts computer science students, while the opportunity to learn GIS concepts in an interactive way to attract students from the geography department and the opportunity to learn the Google Maps API proves interesting to regular internet users. The Web learning system was given to a focus group whose feedback was collected through a survey. The survey results reveal a favorable response to the interactive, hands-on learning model and the Web implementation

Developing Online Tutors and Mentors in Sri Lanka through a Community Building Model: Predictors of Satisfaction

This paper discusses the results of a tutor mentor development program that utilized a community building model to train online tutors and mentors in higher education institutions and professional organizations in Sri Lanka. Based on WisCom; an instructional design model for developing online wisdom communities, this tutor mentor development program which utilized a blended format of face-to-face and online activities in MOODLE, attempted to build a learning community between trainees, both academics and professionals who represented diverse disciplines and organizations. A regression model examined predictors of learner satisfaction, using four independent variables: Community Building, Interaction, Course Design, and Learner Support. Interaction emerged as a strong predictor of Learner Satisfaction explaining 50.2% of the variance in Learner Satisfaction. This finding shows the importance of designing interactive learning activities to support learning online, and contradicts the general belief that Sri Lankan participants would be less likely to interact online because they come from a traditional education system that encourages passivity and reception of ideas from a more learned teacher. Qualitative analysis showed evidence of several types of learning online as a result of collaborative group interaction, as well as issues that contributed to non-participation. Factors that motivated participants to stay engaged in learning could be classified into three categories: (1) general enjoyment, interest and motivation; (2) collaborative learning and community building; and (3) knowledge building. These results suggest that the online learning design based on WisCom led to learner satisfaction and supported interaction and collaborative learning in the Sri Lankan socio-cultural context

The effects of an interactive computerized multimedia tutorial on knowledge gain in modular fixturing design concepts

This study was designed to compare student knowledge gain from learning modular fixturing design concepts by computer tutorial versus traditional lecture. The use of computer tutorial to support engineering and technology classroom instructions has been a major issue for many studies. The undergraduate curricula in engineering and technology are becoming increasingly complex due to the today\u27s modern wide variety of manufacturing processes. The concept of modular fixturing in tool design course is one of the technical competencies which most industries would like graduates to be able to apply their knowledge to real-world problems and situations. An interactive computerized multimedia tutorial named ToolTRAIN was developed and administered to undergraduate students in the Industrial Technology program at the University of Northern Iowa. By integrating information in a graphical manner such as 3D visualization through animation, ToolTRAIN demonstrated how several modular fixturing components can be assembled with a wide variety of workpieces. A quasi-experimental design employing pre- and post-instruction tests was utilized for the study. Two preexisting groups of students were assigned to either the experimental or control group. Both groups were instructed on the same general topics covered in this study. A pretest was given to both groups. Three hours were used to teach the control group the concepts and theories of modular fixturing design concepts by lecture. On the other hand, the experimental group was expected to utilize ToolTRAIN for three hours. The posttest was administered to all subjects to measure knowledge gain of modular fixturing design concepts after the instruction. The data were analyzed using t tests to compare group mean of change scores. All hypotheses were tested at the .05 level of significance. This research indicated that there were significant differences between the computer tutorial program and lecture method. The experimental (computer tutorial) group achieved significantly higher improvement in scores than the control (lecture) group. Also, the learning time actually spent using ToolTRAIN was less that for the control group. Based on this research it was concluded that the ToolTRAIN interactive multimedia tutorial program can be used as an effective teaching method for modular fixturing design concepts. Future research should expand the sample size used in the investigation with tighter control of control group module content. ToolTRAIN can also be used for more complex concepts of modular fixturing system and applications

Designing for Shareable Interfaces in the Wild

Despite excitement about the potential of interactive tabletops to support collaborative work, there have been few empirical demonstrations of their effectiveness (Marshall et al., 2011). In particular, while lab-based studies have explored the effects of individual design features, there has been a dearth of studies evaluating the success of systems in the wild. For this technology to be of value, designers and systems builders require a better understanding of how to develop and evaluate tabletop applications to be deployed in real world settings. This dissertation reports on two systems designed through a process that incorporated ethnography-style observations, iterative design and in the wild evaluation. The first study focused on collaborative learning in a medical setting. To address the fact that visitors to a hospital emergency ward were leaving with an incomplete understanding of their diagnosis and treatment, a system was prototyped in a working Emergency Room (ER) with doctors and patients. The system was found to be helpful but adoption issues hampered its impact. The second study focused on a planning application for visitors to a tourist information centre. Issues and opportunities for a successful, contextually-fitted system were addressed and it was found to be effective in supporting group planning activities by novice users, in particular, facilitating users’ first experiences, providing effective signage and offering assistance to guide the user through the application. This dissertation contributes to understanding of multi-user systems through literature review of tabletop systems, collaborative tasks, design frameworks and evaluation of prototypes. Some support was found for the claim that tabletops are a useful technology for collaboration, and several issues were discussed. Contributions to understanding in this field are delivered through design guidelines, heuristics, frameworks, and recommendations, in addition to the two case studies to help guide future tabletop system creators

A learning design toolkit to create pedagogically effective learning activities

Despite the plethora of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) tools and resources available, practitioners are still not making effective use of e-learning to enrich the student experience. This article describes a learning design toolkit which guides practitioners through the process of creating pedagogically informed learning activities which make effective use of appropriate tools and resources. This work is part of a digital libraries project in which teaching staff at two universities in the UK and two in the USA are collaborating to share e-learning resources in the subject domains of Physical, Environmental and Human Geography. Finding, or creating, suitable e-learning resources and embedding them in well designed learning activities can be both challenging and time consuming. Sharing and adapting effective designs and solutions is both a stimulant and a time saver. This article describes the background to the specification of a learning activities design toolkit to support teachers as they create or adapt e-learning activities. This uses a model of pedagogical approaches as a basis for developing effective learning design plans and illustrates its use. The authors share their definition of a learning activity and taxonomies for the constituent elements. Real examples are discussed to illustrate their approach

Cultural matter in the development of an interactive multimedia self-paced educational health program for aboriginal health workers

Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander health workers are key providers of primary health services to Aboriginal communities especially in remote and rural areas. They are often overloaded with competing demands. There has been limited attention given to the maintenance and ongoing enhancement of their skills and knowledge following the completion of formal training. A culturally appropriated interactive multimedia self-paced health program as a mechanism to improve the accessibility and the use of scientific data and information for health purposes is proposed as a basic method for better supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary health care workers in their practice locations. This paper explores different approaches for the development of a culturally appropriate interactive multimedia educational health program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander health workers and it also explore cultural matters concerning program development in the light of existing literature

Coherence compilation: applying AIED techniques to the reuse of educational resources

The HomeWork project is building an exemplar system to provide individualised experiences for individual and groups of children aged 6-7 years, their parents, teachers and classmates at school. It employs an existing set of broadcast video media and associated resources that tackle both numeracy and literacy at Key Stage 1. The system employs a learner model and a pedagogical model to identify what resource is best used with an individual child or group of children collaboratively at a particular learning point and at a particular location. The Coherence Compiler is that component of the system which is designed to impose an overall narrative coherence on the materials that any particular child is exposed to. This paper presents a high level vision of the design of the Coherence Compiler and sets its design within the overall framework of the HomeWork project and its learner and pedagogical models