1,283 research outputs found
Issues in Reusing Online Resources: Chapter 1
This is an era marked by rapid developments in three different educational arenas -- access, lifelong learning and e-learning. In both developed and developing countries there is a growing demand for access to education... Alongside this growing demand for access, increased numbers of adults are returning to colleges and universities for additional education and training (CIHE, 2002). Lifelong learning has come of age, brought about by changes in attitudes to learning and in employment patterns, where jobs and careers are recast many times during a lifespan. Permeating and supporting these first two developments, in access and lifelong learning, are developments in information and communication technologies (ICT). New technologies are beginning to transform how higher education is organized and delivered both on campus and at a distance. E-learning affords new opportunities to increase flexibility in time and location of study, in forms of communication (for example, asynchronous discussions) and types of interaction...
Although e-learning has the potential to provide the kinds of flexibility required by wider access and lifelong learning there are some major obstacles. On the one hand, wider access and lifelong learning require vast increases in specially designed course materials to satisfy the greater range of demands for learning. On the other hand, creating the digital resources necessary for online course delivery requires considerable investment, a factor that makes resource development only viable for courses with large student numbers or sizeable budgets. In order to address this difficulty, numerous national and international initiatives have been funded to investigate ways in which digital learning resources might be developed, shared and reused by teachers and learners around the world (so as to benefit from economies of scale). Behind these initiatives lies a vision of a future in which reusable resources (or 'learning objects' as they are called) could comprise a new currency of exchange within a learning economy. Learning objects, produced by publishers, teachers, support staff and students themselves, would be stored in digital repositories, where they could be easily accessed, recombined and reused within online courses.
However, despite this vision, the idea of reusing electronic resources is more complex than the object economy scenario, outlined above, may suggest. The next section identifies seven issues associated with the reuse and sharing of resources. These sections focus on educational design, the need for standards, and on the culture and organization that would be necessary in institutions (and across institutions) if reuse were to become a reality
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Developing sustainable business models for institutions’ provision of open educational resources: Learning from OpenLearn users’ motivations and experiences
Universities across the globe have, for some time, been exploring the possibilities for achieving public benefit and generating business and visibility through releasing and sharing open educational resources (OER). Many have written about the need to develop sustainable and profitable business models around the production and release of OER. Downes (2006), for example, has questioned the financial sustainability of OER production at scale. Many of the proposed business models focus on OER’s value in generating revenue and detractors of OER have questioned whether they are in competition with formal education.
This paper reports on a study intended to broaden the conversation about OER business models to consider the motivations and experiences of OER users as the basis for making a better informed decision about whether OER and formal learning are competitive or complementary with each other. The study focused on OpenLearn - the Open University’s (OU) web-based platform for OER, which hosts hundreds of online courses and videos and is accessed by over 3,000,000 users a year. A large scale survey and follow-up interviews with OpenLearn users worldwide revealed that university provided OER can offer learners a bridge to formal education, allowing them to try out a subject before registering on a formal course and to build confidence in their abilities as learners. In addition, it was found that using OER during formal paid-for study can improve learners’ performance and self-reliance, leading to increased retention and satisfaction with the learning experience
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Open educational resources for all? Comparing user motivations and characteristics across The Open University’s iTunes U channel and OpenLearn platform.
With the rise in access to mobile multimedia devices, educational institutions have exploited the iTunes U platform as an additional channel to provide free educational resources with the aim of profile-raising and breaking down barriers to education. For those prepared to invest in content preparation, it is possible to produce interactive, portable material that can be made available globally. Commentators have questioned both the financial implications for platform-specific content production, and the availability of devices for learners to access it (Osborne, 2012).
The Open University (OU) makes its free educational resources available on iTunes U and via its web-based open educational resources (OER) platform, OpenLearn. The OU’s OER on iTunes U reached the 60 million download mark in 2013; its OpenLearn platform boasts 27 million unique visitors since 2006. This paper reports the results of a large-scale study of users of the OU’s iTunes U channel and OpenLearn platform. A survey of several thousand users revealed key differences in demographics between those accessing OER via the web and via iTunes U. In addition, the data allowed comparison between three groups: formal learners, informal learners and educators.
The study raises questions about whether university-provided OER meet the needs of users and makes recommendations for how content can be modified to suit their needs. As the publishing of OER becomes core to business, we reflect on reasons why understanding users’ motivations and demographics is vital, allowing for needs-led resource provision and content that is adapted to best achieve learner satisfaction, and to deliver institutions’ social mission
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How to design for persistence and retention in MOOCs?
Design of educational interventions is typically carried out following a design cycle involving phases of investigation, conceptualization, prototyping, implementation, execution and evaluation. This cycle can be applied at different levels of granularity e.g. learning activity, module, course or programme.
In this paper we consider an aspect of learner behavior that can be critical to the success of many MOOCs i.e. their persistence to study, and the related theme of learner retention. We reflect on the impact that consideration of these can have on design decisions at different stages in the design cycle with the aim of en-hancing MOOC design in relation to learner persistence and retention, with particular attention to the European context
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Children researching links between poverty and literacy
Two groups of six children (aged eleven) in two UK primary schools – one in an area of socio-economic advantage and one in an area of socio-economic disadvantage – were trained in research methods. They were supported to undertake their own research projects about aspects of literacy, which they identified themselves. Areas explored include:
- homework experiences
- learning environments and
- how confidence affects literacy.
These research studies provide rich descriptions of children’s own literacy experiences, generating data that is not easily accessible to adults. The absence of power relations in the data collection by having child researchers means that the responses are untainted by efforts to ‘please the adult’. This report will be of interest to teachers, educationalists, government bodies, policy maker
Communication, Affect, & Learning in the Classroom
The purpose of the handbook was to synthesize the first three decades of research in instructional communication into a single volume that could help both researchers and instructors understand the value of communication in the instructional process.Preface1.Teaching As a Communication Process
The Instructional Communication Process
The Teacher
The Content
The Instructional Strategy
The Student
The Feedback/Evaluation
The Learning Environment/Instructional Context
Kibler’s Model of Instruction
The ADDIE Model of Instructional Design2.Communicating With Instructional Objectives
Why Some Teachers Resent Objectives
The Value of Objectives
What Objectives Should Communicate3.Instructional Communication Strategies
The Teacher As a Speaker
The Teacher As a Moderator
The Teacher As a Trainer
The Teacher As a Manager
The Teacher As a Coordinator & Innovator4.Communication, Affect, and Student Needs
Measuring Student Affect
Basic Academic Needs of Students
Traditional Interpersonal Need Models
Outcomes of Meeting Student Needs5.Learning Styles
What is Learning Style?
Dimensions of Learning Style and Their Assessment
Matching, Bridging, and Style-Flexing6.Classroom Anxieties and Fears
Communication Apprehension
Receiver Apprehension
Writing Apprehension
Fear of Teacher
Evaluation Apprehension
Classroom Anxiety
Probable Causes of Classroom Anxiety
Communication Strategies for Reducing Classroom Anxiety7.Communication And Student Self-Concept
Student Self-Concept: Some Definitions
Characteristics of the Self
Development of Student Self-Concept
Dimensions of Student Self-Concept
Self-Concept and Academic Achievement
Effects of Self-Concept on Achievement
Poker Chip Theory of Learning
Communication Strategies for Nurturing and Building Realistic Student Self-Concept8.Instructional Assessment:Feedback,Grading, and Affect
Defining the Assessment Process
Evaluative Feedback
Descriptive Feedback
Assessment and Affect
Competition and Cooperation in Learning Environments9.Traditional and Mastery Learning Systems
Traditional Education Systems
Mastery Learning
Modified Mastery Learning10.Student Misbehavior and Classroom Management
Why Students Misbehave
Categories of Student Behaviors
Students’ Effects on Affect in the Classroom
Communication, Affect, and Classroom Management
Communication Techniques for Increasing or Decreasing Student Behavior11.Teacher Misbehaviors and Communication
Why Teachers Misbehave
Common Teacher Misbehaviors
Implications for the Educational Systems12.Teacher Self-Concept and Communication
Dimensions of Teacher Self-Concept
Development of Teacher Self-Concept
Strategies for Increasing Teacher Self-Concept13.Increasing Classroom Affect Through
Teacher Communication Style
Communicator Style Concept
Types of Communicator Styles
Teacher Communication Style
Teacher Communicator Behaviors That Build Affect14.Teacher Temperament in the Classroom
Four Personality Types
Popular Sanguine
Perfect Melancholy
Powerful Choleric
Peaceful Phlegmatic
Personality Blends15.Teacher Communication: Performance and Burnout Teaching: A Multifaceted Job
Roles of an Instructional Manager
Teacher Burnout
Symptoms of Teacher Burnout
Causes of Teacher Burnout
Methods for Avoiding Burnout
Mentoring to Prevent BurnoutAppendix A To Mrs. Russell:
Without You This Never Would Have HappenedGlossaryInde
Volitional-supported learning with Open Educational Resources
User-centred web applications such as Wikis or Weblogs are becoming increasingly popular. In contrast to the early Internet, these applications especially focus on the participation of people, on the creation, sharing and modifying of content and on an easy access. Based on this, they are assumed to contribute to self-regulated and life-long learning which is on the agenda of most industrialized countries throughout Europe. However, as shown in the recently published road mapping work of the Open E-Learning Content Observatory Services (OLCOS) project, comprehensive frameworks for learning processes that make use of Open Educational Resources (OER) are missing. In particular it remains unclear how OER can actually contribute to forms of self-regulated learning since this requires a great deal of volitional competence, i.e. the ability to deal with distractions and fluctuations of motivation or emotion which is therefore regarded as a crucial factor (Deimann & Keller, 2006). In this regard, the Volitional Design Model (Deimann, 2007) provides a useful instrument to unfold the potentials of OER by (1) targeting key aspects of the learner’s behaviour in the learning process, and (2) suggesting powerful strategies to tackle decreased motivation. An exemplified volitional design approach using OER will be discussed. (DIPF/Orig.
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