Personalised Learning: Developing a Vygotskian Framework for E-learning

Personalisation has emerged as a central feature of recent educational strategies in the UK and abroad. At the heart of this is a vision to empower learners to take more ownership of their learning and develop autonomy. While the introduction of digital technologies is not enough to effect this change, embedding the affordances of new technologies is expected to offer new routes for creating personalised learning environments. The approach is not unique to education, with consumer technologies offering a 'personalised' relationship which is both engaging and dynamic, however the challenge remains for learning providers to capture and transpose this to educational contexts. As learners begin to utilise a range of tools to pursue communicative and collaborative actions, the first part of this paper will use analysis of activity logs to uncover interesting trends for maturing e-learning platforms across over 100 UK learning providers. While personalisation appeals to marketing theories this paper will argue that if learning is to become personalised one must ask what the optimal instruction for any particular learner is? For Vygotsky this is based in the zone of proximal development, a way of understanding the causal-dynamics of development that allow appropriate pedagogical interventions. The second part of this paper will interpret personalised learning as the organising principle for a sense-making framework for e-learning. In this approach personalised learning provides the context for assessing the capabilities of e-learning using Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development as the framework for assessing learner potential and development

New Hampshire University Research and Industry Plan: A Roadmap for Collaboration and Innovation

This University Research and Industry plan for New Hampshire is focused on accelerating innovation-led development in the state by partnering academia’s strengths with the state’s substantial base of existing and emerging advanced industries. These advanced industries are defined by their deep investment and connections to research and development and the high-quality jobs they generate across production, new product development and administrative positions involving skills in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)

Exploration, design and application of simulation based technology in interventional cardiology

Medical education is undergoing a vast change from the traditional apprenticeship model to technology driven delivery of training to meet the demands of the new generation of doctors. With the reduction in the training hours of junior doctors, technology driven education can compensate for the time deficit in training. Each new technology arrives on a wave of great expectations; sometimes our expectations of true change are met and sometimes the new technology remains as a passing fashion only. The aim of the thesis is to explore, design and apply simulation based applications in interventional cardiology for educating the doctors and the public. Chapters 1and 2 present an overview of the current practice of education delivery and the evidence concerning simulation based education in interventional cardiology. Introduction of any new technology into an established system is often met with resistance. Hence Chapters 3 and 4 explore the attitudes and perceptions of consultants and trainees in cardiology towards the integration of a simulation based education into the cardiology curriculum. Chapters 5 and 6 present the “i-health project,” introduction of an electronic form for clinical information transfer from the ambulance crew to the hospital, enactment of case scenarios of myocardial infarction of varied levels of difficulty in a simulated environment and preliminary evaluation of the simulation. Chapter 7 focuses on educating the public in cardiovascular diseases and in coronary interventional procedures through simulation technology. Finally, Chapter 8 presents an overview of my findings, limitations and the future research that needs to be conducted which will enable the successful adoption of simulation based education into the cardiology curriculum.Open Acces

The Integrated Vocational Route (IVR): an employer-driven learning programme in health & social care practice at the FE/HE interface

In 2006, the Open University Awarding Body, Faculty of Health & Social Care and the Vocational Qualifications Assessment Centre began exploratory discussions with health and social care (HSC) employers regarding the creation of a flexible programme of vocational and academic development which would seek to bridge the FE-HE divide, embed learning in the workplace rather than the classroom and facilitate progression in this field of practice. The product of these discussions was the ‘Integrated Vocational Route’ (IVR). The IVR is designed to meet the needs of support staff directly involved in the provision of health and/or social care who have higher career aspirations and employers seeking to develop those non-professional care workers in their organisation whom they believe have the greatest potential to progress to more senior roles. The original programme integrates a Level 3 HSC (Adults) National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) within the OU K101 ‘An Introduction to Health and Social Care’ module (offering 60 credits at NQF Level 4). Successful completion of the IVR will therefore provide both a ‘Certificate of Health and Social Care’ (60 credits at NQF Level 4) and a full NVQ Level 3 HSC Adults award. HSC employer consultation and briefings in twelve UK towns and cities helped shape the IVR model and four organisations (Newcastle City Council, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear NHS Trust, Salisbury Foundation NHS Trust and Social Work Information & Interpretation Services [SWIIS] Foster Care Scotland) have been particularly influential in determining IVR design and models of delivery. One such model enables both the IVR tutor and assessor roles to be undertaken by staff within a partner organisation and tutorials to be held in the workplace. Most of the IVR learning and support materials are available online and a bespoke, user-friendly electronic portfolio has been created for the integrated NVQ. By simultaneously developing and assessing academic skills, knowledge and competence related to care practice, the IVR offers better preparation for progression to qualifying routes such as nursing and social work and scope for credit transfer. A second IVR integrating a full Level 3 HSC Children and Young People (CYP) NVQ within the K101 module was offered for the first time in 2009. The IVR is currently being re-developed to accommodate the new vocational Diploma qualifications which replace Level 3 NVQs from 2011