DOES DISTANCE MATTER? AN IS CURRICULUM CHALLENGE

Learning from a distance has become a very popular approach in education. Learning in the 21st century necessitates innovative teaching methods. Distance Learning (DL) is only one method representing this phenomenon. In the past decade, DL has been gradually been replacing traditional instruction methods. In this study we explore the learning outcomes and benefits when employing simulations in a DL environment. Our results indicate that employing simulations in a learning environment can significantly enhance the learning experience. In addition, this method increases the level of satisfaction of both the students and the instructor. Our findings lead us to conclude that modern technology makes it easier to acquire education and in a more enjoyable way. However, we also note that there are still several challenges educators need to address in order to make this experience more applicable in the Information Systems domain

Combining feminist pedagogy and transactional distance to create gender-sensitive technology-enhanced learning

In this paper, we argue for a new synthesis of two pedagogic theories: feminist pedagogy and transactional distance, which explain why and how distance education has been such a positive system for women in a national distance learning university. We illustrate this with examples of positive action initiatives for women. The concept of transactional distance allows us to explore distance as a form of psychological and communication space, not simply of geographical distance. Feminist pedagogy, on the other hand, has recognised the importance of gender in structuring disciplines as well as teaching strategies. Both theories implicitly position the face-to-face classroom as the ideal learning environment, with the implication that distance learning has to produce a deficient environment. We argue that the evidence for women does not support this and present examples of feminist distance learning provision that has offered successful technology-enhanced learning and educational opportunities

Does Distance Matter? An IT Application

In the past decade several distance learning initiatives have been implemented in information technology curricula based upon the principles of natural learning. This paper examines the various ways in which distance learning may contribute to \u27natural learning\u27. The main research question is how distance learning provides support to natural learning processes. Our starting point is that students can learn with information systems instead of from the systems. The paper investigates the relationship between distance learning and natural learning. On this basis, the requirements for distance learning as well as the technologies that might make use of these requirements are identified and analyzed

Enhancing online climate change education: distance and conventional university collaboration for a Master's curriculum

See also a longer version: ‘Expanding Citizen and Practitioner Engagement with the Climate Change Challenge Through Collaborative Masters Curriculum, Open Educational Resources, E-learning Communities and Virtual Mobility’, presented at a conference of European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EDTU), Zermatt, Switzerland, September 2010 (www.eadtu.nl/.../Accepted%20Presentations%20for%20Newsletter.pd).This paper analyses the different ways in which both distance and conventional universities engage with learning and teaching. It argues that rather than seeing their roles as institutionally compartmentalised, there is much benefit in delivering online education through an institutional collaboration which develops synergies with a potential to contribute to citizen and professional practitioner empowerment, in this case, for debates about climate change. The example the paper draws on is that of a European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students (Erasmus) project ‘The Lived experience of climate change (LECH-e): interdisciplinary e-module development and virtual mobility’. The project brings together five distance and three conventional universities across six EU countries, plus the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU), to create a Master’s curriculum in the area of climate change. It argues that universities across Europe have complementary strengths, both in terms of their disciplinary expertise and the ways in which they engage with students. Understanding the complex, real-world challenge of climate change requires a holistic approach which draws on these complementary strengths through collaborative work. Keywords: conventional universities; distance-learning universities; Master’s curriculum in climate change; collaboration

7th Grade Lunar Robotics Curriculum

This Interdisciplinary Qualifying Project designed a curriculum to expose students to an engineering process, in 7th grade classrooms of Worcester Public Schools. It is set up to mimic the basic curriculum structure at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, culminating in a hands-on project to apply what the students have learned. The engineering challenge is framed in the context of a proposed lunar colony. The curriculum focuses on teaching students about lunar exploration and basic concepts of modern robotics

SAP-Related Education - Status-Quo and Experience

Integrating Enterprise Systems solutions in the curriculum of not only universities but all types of institutes of higher learning has been a major challenge for nearly ten years. Enterprise Systems education is surprisingly well documented in a number of papers on Information Systems education. However, most publications in this area report on the individual experiences of an institution or an academic. This paper focuses on the most popular Enterprise System - SAP - and summarizes the outcomes of a global survey on the status quo of SAP-related education. Based on feedback of 305 lecturers and more than 700 students, it reports on the main factors of Enterprise Systems education including, critical success factors, alternative hosting models, and students’ perceptions. The results show among others an overall increasing interest in advanced SAP solutions and international collaboration, and a high satisfaction with the concept of using Application Hosting Centers

Bridging the Gap from Skills Assessment and Problem-Based Learning: Lessons from the Coalface of Scholarly Engagement with Curriculum Development

This reflective essay charts and reflects on the progress of a scholarly engagement in curriculum change. Grounded on planning for syllabus and assessment change in a first year university subject, it aimed at evolving that subject from skill learning to problem-based learning. The challenge was to develop problem-based curriculum as authentic, equitable and integrated curriculum for a large, multi-modal and novice student cohort. Using the opportunity for reflective commentary on the author\u27s engagement of both curriculum development and scholarly process, the essay presents parallel narratives that describe the scholarly context of the case study, and predominantly, the author’s reflection on his engagement with this. The former enhances the author’s understanding of curriculum development, whereas the latter provides a foundation for self-learning and an awareness of his relationship with SoTL scholarship. In doing so, it provides a salutary tale reflecting the trials and tribulations of what is probably a common process in universities: ad hoc curriculum development

Building the foundations of professional expertise: creating a dialectic between work and formal learning

Recent critiques of management and teacher education curricula and teaching pay particular attention to the disconnection between the de-contextualised, formal knowledge and analytical techniques conveyed in university programs and the messy, ill-structured nature of practice. At the same time research into professional expertise suggests that its development requires bringing together different forms of knowledge and the integration of formal and non-formal learning with the development of cognitive flexibility. Such complex learning outcomes are unlikely to be achieved through a 'knowledge transmission' approach to curriculum design. In this article we argue that in many ways current higher education practices create barriers to developing ways of knowing which can underpin the formation of expertise. Using examples from two practice-focused distance learning courses, we explore the role of distance learning in enabling a dialogue between academic and workplace learning and the use of 'practice dialogues' among course participants to enable integration of learning experiences. Finally, we argue that we need to find ways in higher education of enabling students to engage in relevant communities of expertise, rather than drawing them principally into a community of academic discourse which is not well aligned with practice

Designing Open and Distance Learning for Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: A toolkit for educators and planners

Everyone remembers a good teacher. Good teachers are the key to educational expansion and improvement. In many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, there is an urgent need to expand the number of primary and secondary teachers. In all African countries, there is an equally important need to improve the quality of teaching. To achieve this, it is clear that new approaches to teacher education are essential. Existing institutions of teacher education will continue to play an important role, but, alone, they will not meet the goals of Education for All (EFA) by 2015. It is fortunate that, just as the twin needs to improve the quantity and quality of teachers become imperative, so new forms of education and training are becoming available. The world is witnessing a revolution in information and communication technologies (ICTs), which can offer training and support of a type and at a cost hitherto impossible to consider, and thus, must be fully explored given the scale and urgency of demand. In doing so, however, it will be necessary to build on existing and well-tested strategies, including the best models of open and distance learning. This toolkit is the third in a series of recent publications by the Africa Region Human Development Department of the World Bank to share knowledge and experience on how distance education and ICTs can support education in Sub-Saharan Africa. It emphasizes the rigorous process by which new forms of distance-education programs for teacher education can be planned and implemented. The best models of established programs are considered along with the potential for incorporating, as the means become available, new modes of communication. Most forms of teacher education, particularly those concerned with qualification upgrading and ongoing professional development, will have to be based in schools. The authors demonstrate how school-based programs, appropriately resourced and supported, have the potential not only to raise significantly the number and quality of teachers, but also to improve classroom practice and school organization, generally. The guidance and advice, which is drawn from many years of experience in design and implementation, and embraces a range of case studies from across the region, will be of considerable value to those preparing new policies and programs of teacher education and to those seeking to improve existing programs