Initiating e-learning by stealth, participation and consultation in a late majority institution

The extent to which opportunities afforded by e-learning are embraced by an institution can depend in large measure on whether it is perceived as enabling and transformative or as a major and disruptive distraction. Most case studies focus on the former. This paper describes how e-learning was introduced into the latter environment. The sensitivity of competing pressures in a research intensive university substantially influenced the manner in which e-learning was promoted. This paper tells that story, from initial stealth to eventual university acknowledgement of the relevance of e-learning specifically to its own context

Inquiry-based learning in the arts: a meta-analytical study

This report summarises learning about inquiry-based learning (IBL) in the arts and humanities disciplines at the University of Sheffield during the period in which the Centre for Inquiry-based Learning in the Arts and Social Sciences (CILASS) has been in operation. It draws upon impact evaluation data from curriculum development projects that have been funded by CILASS in departments in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities

Action Research : the first steps to start up a pilot experiment in heritage education

Peer-reviewedLes relacions entre els museus i les escoles canvien amb l'ús d'internet. Volem analitzar com aquestes noves relacions tenen lloc a una escala nacional. És important analitzar aquestes noves relacions possibles, que són producte de canvis socials i tecnològics, ja que permeten noves interaccions i participació, al mateix temps que demanen canvis en les formes d'organització, la gestió de recursos web i els models d'ensenyament i aprenentatge. Concretament, les xarxes d'aprenentatge poden establir una nova forma de relació entre els museus i les escoles, i els recursos educatius en línia amb contingut sobre patrimoni cultural poden oferir oportunitats d'aprenentatge i recursos de coneixement més enllà dels límits de l'ensenyament formal. Tanmateix, calen projectes experimentals per a efectuar proves i veure com aquests tipus de pràctiques d'ensenyament i aprenentatge funcionaran en un context social i cultural concret. Així, doncs, la recerca activa pot contribuir al desenvolupament d'una experiència d'aprenentatge, basat en la reflexió i l'acció. L'objectiu d'aquesta experimentació és obtenir un model de treball i millors pràctiques per a aprendre i ensenyar en xarxes d'aprenentatge formades per gestors, professors i estudiants de patrimoni en què els membres produeixin i utilitzin recursos educatius en línia amb contingut de patrimoni cultural. Els resultats d'aquest projecte empíric seran comprovats amb resultats de la primera part metodològica de la tesi doctoral per a obtenir un model que es pugui exportar a altres contextos.Las relaciones entre los museos y las escuelas cambian con el uso de internet. Queremos analizar cómo estas nuevas relaciones tienen lugar a una escala nacional. Es importante analizar estas posibles nuevas relaciones, que son producto de cambios sociales y tecnológicos, ya que permiten nuevas interacciones y participación, a la vez que requieren cambios en las formas de organización, la gestión de recursos web y los modelos de enseñanza y aprendizaje. Concretamente, las redes de aprendizaje pueden establecer una nueva forma de relación entre los museos y las escuelas, y los recursos educativos en línea con contenido de patrimonio cultural pueden ofrecer oportunidades de aprendizaje y recursos de conocimiento más allá de los límites de la enseñanza formal. No obstante, existe una necesidad de proyectos experimentales para realizar pruebas para ver cómo estos tipos de prácticas de enseñanza y aprendizaje funcionarán en un contexto social y cultural concreto. Así pues, la investigación-acción puede contribuir al desarrollo de una experiencia de aprendizaje, basado en la reflexión y las acciones. El objetivo de esta experimentación es obtener un modelo de trabajo y mejores prácticas para el aprendizaje y la enseñanza en redes de aprendizaje formadas por gestores, profesores y estudiantes del patrimonio en las que los miembros produzcan y utilicen recursos en línea con contenido de patrimonio cultural. Los resultados de este proyecto de investigación empírico serán comparados con los resultados de la primera parte metodológica de la tesis doctoral para obtener un modelo que pueda ser exportado a otros contextos.The relationships between museums and schools are changing through the use of internet. We want to analyse how these new relationships occur at a national level. It is important to analyse these possible new relationships, which are the product of social and technological changes. They allow for new interactions and participation whilst requiring changes in the forms of organisation, web resource management, and teaching and learning models. Specifically, learning networks can establish a new form of relationship between museums and schools and educational online resources with cultural heritage content can offer learning opportunities and knowledge resources beyond the boundaries of formal education. However, there is a need for experimental projects to test the evidence and to see how these kinds of teaching and learning practices will work within a concrete social and cultural context. Thus, Action Research can contribute to the development of a learning experience, based on reflection and actions. The aim of this experimentation is to obtain a working model and best practices for learning and teaching in learning networks shaped by heritage managers, teachers and students where the members produce and use educational online resources with cultural heritage content. The results of this empirical research project will be compared with results from the first methodological part of the PhD thesis to obtain a model that can be exported to other contexts

Cross cultural comparison: the introduction of new technology with postgraduate students in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom

Universities in the United Kingdom are developing collaborations with partners in the East often resulting in academic staff, with little understanding of Eastern cultures, imposing Western designed Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) and lacking consideration of the learning styles and educational experiences of Eastern students. This paper discusses how the School of Education at Nottingham Trent University (NTU), delivering a Professional Doctorate course collaboratively with a University in Hong Kong has identified and is starting to solve some of the emerging challenges. A literature search revealed no specific guidance to academics in relation to this area of practice although there is literature relating to cultural differences in learning and teaching (Hofstede, 1985), differences in personal theories of learning and constructs for international students (Brown, 2004) and challenges in studying in a second language identified by Maclean and Ransome (2005). Initial engagement with the VLE by Hong Kong students was almost non-existent. Data collected via observations of the use of the VLE by Hong Kong students through metrics available via the VLE’s software and interviews with students were carried out and analyzed thematically. Emerging themes include design and presentation of online course materials, use of images, format and layout. This paper addresses how the research impacts on the design of the VLE, the successes and challenges faced by the teaching team and how the changes made to the VLE are engaging the students

Cooperative learning in higher education using weblogs : a study with undergraduate students of education in Portugal

This paper presents an experience of internet integration in an Education Program of the University of Minho, Braga, Portugal. The project was developed in the first semester of 2006/2007 and integrated 23 undergraduate students who attended Educational and Communication Technology (ECT) class. Students, in small groups, were encouraged to set up and maintain a weblog as a portfolio of the team work. Cooperative learning was the central object of study: students worked together to maximize their own and each other's learning. At the end of the semester students filled a five-point Likert scale online questionnaire evaluating four dimensions of the experience: a) weblogs as educational/communicational tools; b) weblogs in ECT course; c) weblogs and the future of the profession and, d) weblogs and cooperative learning. The results show up that weblogs are versatile educational tools that can promote learning whilst developing social skills

Building institutional capability in e-learning design

We detail the research, development and initial outcomes of an intervention process to promote capability building in designing for e‐learning at a dual mode university in the UK. The process, called CARPE DIEM, was built on a pilot study and became a Higher Education Academy ‘Pathfinder’ project named ADELIE. We report on the model workshop, its deployment, research and development over a 12‐month period with a variety of subject groups working in small teams with learning technologists, pedagogical facilitators and librarians. Outcomes include improved scores on an institutional e‐learning benchmarking exercise and increased capability for designing for online activities for students in the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). The model is stable enough to be tried in other institutions and continues to develop in scope

Beyond competence: digital literacies as knowledge practices, and implications for learner development

Our interest in studying digital literacies arises from what we perceive as a failure to develop students' capacities to learn deeply in a technology-rich environment. The trends towards networked communities and digital citizenship, as well as workplace changes including distributed/collaborative work patterns and an (arguably) higher value being placed on 'knowledge' work, all make digital capabilities central to what higher education can offer. While we see efforts being made to support learners’ ICT skills – or at least bring these up to a minimum standard of competence – these are rarely integrated with the development of other capabilities critical to higher learning. E-learning is often celebrated for its potential to extend participation. As we are increasingly saturated in opportunities for acquiring knowledge (Downes 2005, Walton et al. 2007, Anderson 2008), informal networked learning has achieved a new prominence in educational discourse, to the extent that it has almost become the measure by which formal learning is judged. In practice, however, we see digital opportunities being disproportionately taken up, and benefited from, by those with existing educational capital (see for example NIACE 2008). Too often, also, e-learning is used as a shorthand for the management of learning by digital means, rather than the exploration of disciplinary knowledge and knowledge practices in a new digital context. A more competence-based curriculum is becoming the norm, a development which has arguably been accelerated by the standardisation of qualifications in a global (digital) learning market. And yet, we see evidence that effective learners in digital – as in other – contexts have not been motivated by competence-based approaches to learning. We are excited by the current theoretical interest in digital literacies, and yet our motivation remains a pragmatic one: to investigate how learners are developing literacies for learning and meeting their learning goals, at a time when valued knowledge is predominantly communicated in digital forms. We continue to be involved in translating relevant research into effective interventions at curriculum and institutional levels

Model for democratisation of the contents hosted in MOOCs

Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) have emerged as a new educational tool in higher education, based on gratuity, massiveness and ubiquity. Essentially they suggest an evolution of the Open Learning Movement based on principles of reusing, revising, remixing and redistributing open educational resources (OER). However, in contrast with the content of OERs, content hosed in MOOCs tends to be paywalled and copyrighted, which restricts its reuse. Philosophically, the main problem with MOOCs is the inaccessibility and inadaptability of their resources, challenging democratic open access to knowledge. A number of authors and organisations consider it an ultimate necessity to open up MOOC resources. Therefore in this paper three strategies to open up MOOC contents are proposed: to deposit the materials in repositories of OER (ROER) as individual objects, to archive them in ROER in data packages as learning units or to convert them into OpenCourseWare (OCW) as self-taught courses

Just Because You Can Tweet, It Doesn't Mean You Should.

This chapter seeks to examine the relationship between teaching, learning and new technology. In recent years there has been a significant increase in the amount of technological tools available to the teacher. These tools have facilitated new practices such as writing wikis, blogs, texting, social networking and now tweeting. These developments have taken place alongside the introduction of virtual learning environments (VLE). VLEs often attempt to replicate aspects of other social media, however it seems that both teachers and learners are supplementing their activities with tools that sit outside of these institutionally sanctioned environments. This chapter will explore a perceived gap in expectation and reality for both teachers and learners. The chapter further proposes to frame a larger debate on deterministic practices in HE with the question: Is there a 'technological push' or 'technological pull' policy being introduced in Higher Education, and what implications does that have for learning