Teaching and learning in virtual worlds: is it worth the effort?

Educators have been quick to spot the enormous potential afforded by virtual worlds for situated and authentic learning, practising tasks with potentially serious consequences in the real world and for bringing geographically dispersed faculty and students together in the same space (Gee, 2007; Johnson and Levine, 2008). Though this potential has largely been realised, it generally isn’t without cost in terms of lack of institutional buy-in, steep learning curves for all participants, and lack of a sound theoretical framework to support learning activities (Campbell, 2009; Cheal, 2007; Kluge & Riley, 2008). This symposium will explore the affordances and issues associated with teaching and learning in virtual worlds, all the time considering the question: is it worth the effort

Transforming pre-service teacher curriculum: observation through a TPACK lens

This paper will discuss an international online collaborative learning experience through the lens of the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework. The teacher knowledge required to effectively provide transformative learning experiences for 21st century learners in a digital world is complex, situated and changing. The discussion looks beyond the opportunity for knowledge development of content, pedagogy and technology as components of TPACK towards the interaction between those three components. Implications for practice are also discussed. In today’s technology infused classrooms it is within the realms of teacher educators, practising teaching and pre-service teachers explore and address effective practices using technology to enhance learning

National research on the postgraduate student experience:Case presentation on postgraduate student diversity (Volume 2 of 3)

This is volume two of a set of three case studies that explore the postgraduate student experience. The theme of this case study is postgraduate student diversity and is based on experiences derived from student engagement breakfasts, interviews, and focus groups with 366 people across the stakeholder groups of postgraduate students, educators, and university executives from 26 institutions. The case studies constitute part of the output from the project, Engaging postgraduate students and supporting higher education to enhance the 21st century student experience

Productive partnerships: cross-departmental connections in a tertiary context

This chapter describes the development of productive and collegial relationships in a cross-departmental capacity-building project. The MMTP built on a first year experience program-the FYI Program (using the acronym that could stand for First Year Infusion or For Your Information)that we had designed, and had been conducting within our Faculty of Education for 1 year. Even though the program had involved a fairly small number of students, we were convinced that it had the potential to assist the 1 st year students in their transition into university study. It also provided a positive faculty response to student retention and progression issues (for further details, see Noble & Henderson, 2008). We used the Associate Fellowship to extend this first year program, and to promote the approach we used through the development of a professional development toolkit

Assessing the impact of “more-flexible” learning as part of a study program

With the increasing use of Flexible Learning approaches in Higher Education at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), measuring their effectiveness, from both an educational and a participant's point of view, is of particular importance. In response to the limited scientific contributions on this topic, this article presents a possibility of how an assessment can take place: this study analyzes 62 undergrad-uate student responses to a Blended Learning task and compares the participant findings with a pre-existing educational competency framework

Self-directed multimodal learning in higher education

This book aims to provide an overview of theoretical and practical considerations in terms of self-directed multimodal learning within the university context. Multimodal learning is approached in terms of the levels of multimodality and specifically blended learning and the mixing of modes of delivery (contact and distance education). As such, this publication will provide a unique snapshot of multimodal practices within higher education through a self-directed learning epistemological lens. The book covers issues such as what self-directed multimodal learning entails, mapping of specific publications regarding blended learning, blended learning in mathematics, geography, natural science and computer literacy, comparative experiences in distance education as well as situated and culturally appropriate learning in multimodal contexts. This book provides a unique focus on multimodality in terms of learning and delivery within the context of self-directed learning. Therefore, the publication would not only advance the scholarship of blended and open distance learning in South Africa, but also the contribute to enriching the discourse regarding self-direction. From this book readers will get an impression of the latest trends in literature in terms of multimodal self-directed learning in South Africa as well as unique empirical work being done in this regard

The genesis and development of mobile learning in Europe

In the past two decades, European researchers have conducted many significant mobile learning projects. The chapter explores how these projects have arisen and what each one has contributed, so as to show the driving forces and outcomes of European innovation in mobile learning. The authors identify context as a central construct in European researchers’ conceptualizations of mobile learning and examine theories of learning for the mobile world, based on physical, technological, conceptual, social and temporal mobility. The authors also examine the impacts of mobile learning research on educational practices and the implications for policy. Finally, they suggest future challenges for researchers, developers and policy makers in shaping the future of mobile learning

A Case Study of High School Chinese as a Foreign Language Blended Program

This qualitative case study investigated a Chinese as a foreign language program composed of three different instructional modes: synchronous instruction with videoconferencing technology, asynchronous instruction with online tutorials, and physically co-located face-to-face instruction. The study adopted Larry Cuban's multi-layered curriculum framework and investigated the four curriculum layers within the blended program: intended curriculum, taught curriculum, learned curriculum, and tested curriculum. This research utilized interviews, observation, and document analysis as the instruments in data collection. The participants consisted of one administrator, eight language teachers, four facilitators and twelve high school students. In addition to teaching site observation, the researcher also traveled to four remote school sites to observe how the curriculum was learned from the students' perspective. The results of the study indicated that although the intended curriculum reveals the administrator's ideal picture of blended learning design and defines what teachers should teach and what students should learn in each instructional delivery mode, the actual implementation process of blended learning is much more complex. The findings of the study showed that language teachers' specific operation of the daily lessons in a blended context and students' actual learning experiences at the remote sites can be influenced by many other variables; these variables lead the intended curriculum into different versions between the classes of the taught curriculum, learned curriculum and tested curriculum. Therefore, technology integration should not only be focused on the design of the external layer of the curriculum (the intended curriculum), but should also be focused on the implementation through the rest of the curriculum layers

A Case Study of High School Chinese as a Foreign Language Blended Program

This qualitative case study investigated a Chinese as a foreign language program composed of three different instructional modes: synchronous instruction with videoconferencing technology, asynchronous instruction with online tutorials, and physically co-located face-to-face instruction. The study adopted Larry Cuban's multi-layered curriculum framework and investigated the four curriculum layers within the blended program: intended curriculum, taught curriculum, learned curriculum, and tested curriculum. This research utilized interviews, observation, and document analysis as the instruments in data collection. The participants consisted of one administrator, eight language teachers, four facilitators and twelve high school students. In addition to teaching site observation, the researcher also traveled to four remote school sites to observe how the curriculum was learned from the students' perspective. The results of the study indicated that although the intended curriculum reveals the administrator's ideal picture of blended learning design and defines what teachers should teach and what students should learn in each instructional delivery mode, the actual implementation process of blended learning is much more complex. The findings of the study showed that language teachers' specific operation of the daily lessons in a blended context and students' actual learning experiences at the remote sites can be influenced by many other variables; these variables lead the intended curriculum into different versions between the classes of the taught curriculum, learned curriculum and tested curriculum. Therefore, technology integration should not only be focused on the design of the external layer of the curriculum (the intended curriculum), but should also be focused on the implementation through the rest of the curriculum layers