Using Cloudworks to Support OER Activities

This report forms the third and final output of the Pearls in the Clouds project, funded by the Higher Education Academy. It focuses on evaluation of the use of a social networking site, Cloudworks, to support evidence-based practice. The aim of this project (Pearls in the Clouds) has been to evaluate the ways in which web 2.0 tools like Cloudworks can support evidence-informed practices in relation to learning and teaching. We have reviewed evidence from empirically grounded studies surrounding the uses of web2.0 in higher education and highlighted the gap between using web2.0 to support learning and teaching, and using it to support learning about learning and teaching (in an evidence-informed way) (Conole and Alevizou, 2010). We have reported on findings from a case study focusing on the use of Cloudworks by a community of practice - educational technologists - reflecting upon, and, negotiating their role in enhancing teaching and learning in higher education (Galley et al., 2010). The object of this study is to explore and evaluate the use of the site by individuals and communities involved in the production of, and research on, the development, delivery and use of Open Educational Resources (OER)

Charting Trajectories on the Peripheries of Community Practice: Mobile Learning for the Humanities in South Korea

This research explores the learning practices of graduate humanities students in South Korea as evidenced through mobile technology. Fieldwork was carried out with 25 graduate students across several universities in Seoul involving interviews, mobile artifacts, and reflective prompts. The study asked how graduate students use mobile technology to support their learning, what learning practices are presented in this mobile technology use, and whether this combination of mobile technology use and learning practice suggest a learner trajectory (Wenger, 1998) in respect to the disciplinary community. Analysis presents the trajectories being evidenced by these graduate students, leading to a discussion on how graduate students are shaping their learning practices and participation in the humanities through mobile technology. Findings suggest the trajectories that graduate students exhibit in relation to their disciplinary communities are structured by mobile technology itself, informal and formal practices consistent with community participation, and South Korean sociocultural practice. Trajectories presented were complex aggregations of adherence, subversion, and intent, suggesting that participation in the disciplinary community was shaped by multimemberships and elements of individualized practice. The findings suggest that more robust methodologies are needed to account for the complexity of learning trajectories in sociocultural contexts. The contributions of this thesis are a more sophisticated definition of mobile learning, methodological models that allow for this definition to be evidenced, an analytical framework that coheres the disparate data points being evidenced through mobile technology, and a more holistic presentation of mobile learning than has been presented in research on South Korean higher education

Queering CoMo: an exploratory case study of queer geographies in Columbia, Missouri between 1991-2021

In an effort to continue bringing light to underrepresented queer histories and experiences, this exploratory project investigates and maps the queer geographies of Columbia, Missouri from 1991 through 2021. I argue that Columbia is an ideal site for research into queer geographies of small cities as it falls outside of the geographic parameters of similar studies. Building on a foundation of queer theory and queer geographic work engaging with lived queer experiences, this study uses semi-structured interviews and secondary archival and media research to identify spaces and places that have played significant roles for queer people in Columbia as well as individual experiences associated with said spaces and places. Themes collected through participant interviews show that the fluid and contradictory nature of queer experience is indeed present in Columbia's specific queer history and culture, with various queer identity groups experiencing place and space differently. Locations and associated times identified through these interviews were used to create digital maps that reveal geographic patterns and shifts over time. These maps show that the number of queer-intended spaces and places in Columbia has been decreasing since 1991, yet those spaces that do exist have moved increasingly closer to the central, high-visibility downtown area. I argue that these trends are due to both an increase in societal acceptance of queer people over time as well as the characteristics of Columbia as a unique place.Includes bibliographical references