Interactive and collaborative blended learning for undergraduates

This is an ESCalate research project from 2008 led by the University of Exeter. The aim of this project was to investigate ways of using new technologies for collaborative online learning in a blended learning context. A variety of interactive online learning tasks and e-learning tools such as wikis, discussion forums and concept maps were used for both independent learning and assessment purposes. The research was intended to show whether a more flexible approach to the use of these new technologies could promote engagement and raise the perceived quality of the learning experience of students leading to an improved e-learning confidence for the undergraduate group with better participation in online critical discussion and collaborative work. An additional outcome was the development of online tutoring skills for tutors and the opportunity to trial a range of blended learning materials and methodologies. The project involved 92 first year undergraduates from Education Studies and Childhood and Youth Studies degree programmes following a newly constructed blended learning modul

Purpose, pedagogy and philosophy:"Being" an online lecturer

Instructing online has become an increasingly common aspect of a university lecturer’s role. While research has developed an understanding of the student learning experience, less attention has been paid to the role of the lecturer. This study observed the practice of university lecturers teaching in a range of undergraduate degree programmes in the United Kingdom. The lecturers’ purpose, pedagogy, and philosophy emerged in the dialogic patterns of the online space. Practice was shaped by the lecturers’ epistemological positioning and their cultural values and beliefs. The practice, which was observed across different modules, reflected the different positions lecturers took when they approached online teaching. The research highlights the way in which a lecturers’ purpose, pedagogy, and philosophy are reflected in their online facilitation

Evaluación de programas de aprendizaje a distancia para estudiantes adultos

Distance learning programmes provide alternative models of learning for adult learners with very tight schedules at work, home or business, who are unable to make out time to attend a regular university or college. In other words, some higher institutions make their certificates and degree programmes available online and these programmes are fully under the control of reputable professors and lecturers. In such programmes, learners have easy access to their programmes online. All they need are; a computer with internet access and maybe a credit card to settle the bills.os programas de aprendizaje a distancia proporcionan modelos alternativos de aprendizaje para estudiantes adultos con horarios muy ajustados en el trabajo, el hogar o los negocios, que no pueden sacar tiempo para asistir a una universidad o colegio regular. En otras palabras, algunas instituciones superiores hacen que sus certificados y programas de grado estén disponibles en línea y estos programas están completamente bajo el control de profesores y profesores de renombre. En dichos programas, los alumnos tienen fácil acceso a sus programas en línea. Todo lo que necesitan son; una computadora con acceso a internet y tal vez una tarjeta de crédito para pagar las cuentas.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Online co-design of a university Work-Based Learning degree programme: lessons learned from comparing cases in United Kingdom and Eswatini

Greater collaboration is required between universities, industry and society to provide the engineering education that will tackle society’s challenges. Work-based learning (WBL) programmes offer an industry-aligned, academically-informed education to support such socio-economic development. Co-design of such programmes is vital with responses to the COVID-19 pandemic innovating alternative ways to design programmes. Knowles et al (2021) [1] outlined an approach to online programme co-design in the UK university context, framed using Signature Pedagogy and through online conferencing and Miro (online whiteboard). Subsequently, the approach has been utilised to co-design a WBL degree programme in Electrical Engineering in Eswatini, supported by Knowles and other UK and Eswatini colleagues. This paper compares and contrasts cases from UK and Eswatini, and from this address the research question, “What considerations are required to support an effective online process to co-design a work-based learning programme in Engineering?” A collaborative autoethnographic methodology based around field notes, observations and reflections is used to allow exploration across pedagogy, technology, work practices, expectations and challenges. Many aspects of the approach worked well in both cases (for example, effectiveness of Signature Pedagogy, Miro as shared space), whereas differences arose related to limitations in the synchronous use of technologies, and readiness to adopt an outcome-focused approach. Addressing these differences, along with balancing progress against full participation and having clear expectations of participants, are key considerations in online co-design of WBL programmes. Moreover, the approach of Knowles (ibid) has shown to be adaptable with potential for broader adoption

The global classroom for supply chain management, any time, anywhere!

Academia is facing increasing demands in the design and delivery of their degree programmes due to resource constraints and the demands to embrace. The purpose of this article is to examine the requirement for quality education in the field of supply chain management. The approach adopted here is a reflective one, looking at recent trends in postgraduate Supply Chain Management (SCM) education and focusing in particular on a new mode of delivery, that of e-learning. The paper considers the development of SCM education and presents the range of supply chain management programmes and modules being offered across a selection of UK universities. The article also highlights the dynamic character of SCM education and considers whether the e-learning format is capable of responding to the requirements for quality in this field. Through a focus on one particular programme, the wholly online postgraduate programme in Operations and Supply Chain Management at the University of Liverpool. The conclusions are that new forms of teaching and learning are opening up to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The aim of the research was to discover the real time dynamic of SCM practice and theory, objective and subjective perspectives

The Bead Research Fellow Online - A Pilot Projet

This project proposes to model the activities and roles of a visiting Research Fellow and an Artist-in-Residence (AIR) with the intention of applying the key educational features and strategies to the online environment. Where feasible, the aim is to replicate the role of a Research Fellow online by enlisting the services of well-known artists to contribute their expertise and creative input to the teaching activities of a University School of Art. The primary purpose is to support and enhance the delivery of quality learning outcomes for the Curtin BA (Art) Online degree. The project also presents an opportunity to establish wider contact with audiences that have an interest in interacting with an online AIR site to access or contribute research materials and participate in the available creative activities. Of equal importance, the project represents an example of how Curtin is able to form unique collaborations between divergent areas of interest. In this instance, the partnership combines the expertise of the Faculty of Built Environment (BEAD), the School of Art and Design, and the Learning Support Network (LSN). The project will support the enhancement of several established Teaching and Learning programmes, namely: • the on-campus Teaching and Learning programmes at the Curtin campus at Bentley in Western Australia • the online Bachelor of Arts (Art) degree delivered through Open Learning Australia (OLA) • the Biennale of Electronic Arts (BEAP) 2004 conference programme

A Framework for the Development of Researching Professionals

The Researching Professional Development Framework (RPDF) is an online reflective resource that supports the development of students on a professional doctorate (PD) programme. The framework has been designed from empirical research undertaken with students enrolled in a Doctorate in Education (EdD) and graduates with such a degree. The resource prompts students to reflect on their own development as researchers. Following a successful pilot with EdD year one students, the resource is now being introduced in PD programmes across the Open University (OU) in the UK

Analizying MOOCs from an educational perspective in Spain

ABSTRACT: This article is the result of a Teaching Innovation Project funded by the University of Cantabria’s Vice-Rectorate for Teaching Staff. Its goals are to analyze the phenomenon of MOOCs with pedagogical criteria and to develop a Best Practice Guide. The project was developed by the Universities of Cantabria and Oviedo, all the work was divided into three phases: 1) Theoretical review and the design of classroom activities, 2) The implementation of classroom activities and analysis of the main results and 3) The development of a MOOC Best Practice Guide. The results of the second phase at the University of Cantabria are presented here. They demonstrate the need to introduce these massive open online courses into degree programmes in Education, updating higher education studies and providing valuable knowledge for understanding the educational potential (not just technological or financial) of this online training

Applying an integrated approach to social media communication training: how innovative thinking is changing the way universities teach (Web) journalism

This paper focuses on the challenges of teaching Internet-based communications, an inherently difficult task given the rapid pace of technological innovation in the discipline. The analysis it offers has been based on the findings of empirical studies conducted over the past five years by KZBerri, a University of the Basque Country-based research group focused on teaching innovation in Web journalism courses that form part of the curricula of the school’s undergraduate journalism, audiovisual communication, and advertising and public relations degree programmes. The authors highlight two online journalism teaching innovation initiatives, one entailing a collaboration between students and media professionals, and the other entailing online collaboration between groups of students pursuing undergraduate communication degrees at universities located in Spain, Portugal and Brazil

Deer in the headlights: Towards an understanding of how journalism students engage with complex academic research methods modules

Journalism is at a crossroad. The rise of populist governments with accusations of fake news against what has always been considered to be Fourth Estate journalism means journalists face significant challenges to produce compelling, truthful, and accurate news at a time when reality is altered by those who do not agree with what journalists say. The current journalistic climate means journalists must move beyond the lexical meanings of what it means to be a journalist to a more critical one where they have to verify and analyse the news for the audience. One of the key ways in which journalists can respond to significant challenges to practice is by becoming more critically aware practitioners. A significant step in that direction occurs in journalism programmes at the university level where students are required to produce a critically researched dissertation as part of their conditions of earning a degree. However, with journalism being a traditionally vocational programme, challenges arise because students have difficulties drawing correlations between academic research and journalism practice. Our research aims to understand how students engage with academic research method modules. Based on our findings, we argue that students can use interactive learning methods and online resources to help engage with more complex and unfamiliar content