A learning design toolkit to create pedagogically effective learning activities

Despite the plethora of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) tools and resources available, practitioners are still not making effective use of e-learning to enrich the student experience. This article describes a learning design toolkit which guides practitioners through the process of creating pedagogically informed learning activities which make effective use of appropriate tools and resources. This work is part of a digital libraries project in which teaching staff at two universities in the UK and two in the USA are collaborating to share e-learning resources in the subject domains of Physical, Environmental and Human Geography. Finding, or creating, suitable e-learning resources and embedding them in well designed learning activities can be both challenging and time consuming. Sharing and adapting effective designs and solutions is both a stimulant and a time saver. This article describes the background to the specification of a learning activities design toolkit to support teachers as they create or adapt e-learning activities. This uses a model of pedagogical approaches as a basis for developing effective learning design plans and illustrates its use. The authors share their definition of a learning activity and taxonomies for the constituent elements. Real examples are discussed to illustrate their approach

Embedding blended learning in a university’s teaching culture: experiences and reflections

Blended learning, the combination of traditional face-to-face teaching methods with authentic on-line learning activities, has the potential to transform student learning experiences and outcomes. In spite of this advantage, university teachers often find it difficult to adopt new on-line techniques, in part because institutional practices are still geared to support more traditional approaches. This paper describes how a project, funded to support international collaboration to enhance learning and teaching in Geography, has allowed a university to explore models for change. It briefly examines the associated issues of sharing and repurposing resources; it reflects on the impact of the project on local strategy, and the importance of sustaining the collaborations and approaches to learning and teaching after the funding is completed

Panning for gold: designing pedagogically-inspired learning nuggets

Tools to support teachers and learning technologists in the creation of effective learning designs are currently in their infancy. This paper describes a metadata model, devised to assist in the conception and design of new learning activities, that has been developed, used and evaluated over a period of three years. The online tool that embodies this model was not originally intended to produce runtime executable code such as IMS-LD, but rather focussed on assisting teachers in the thought processes involved in selecting appropriate methods, tools, student activities and assessments to suit the required learning objectives. Subsequently, we have modified the RELOAD editor such that the output from our tool can be translated into IMS-LD. The contribution of this paper is the comparison of our data model with that of IMS-LD, and the analysis of how each can inform the other

Investigating gender bias in formative and summative CAA

Over two academic years, some four hundred first year students of Management at the University of Southampton had the opportunity to self-test using computer-based quizzes before taking a summative, online assessment. Over 97% of the students practised at least once; the average number of attempted quizzes was nine. This paper presents analysis of the accumulated data, with particular attention to possible gender differences in the number of practice quiz attempts, best formative scores and final summative results. The authors conclude that these computer-assisted assessments and the question bank were gender neutral

A toolkit to guide the design of effective learning activities

Pedagogic knowledge, the study of how we learn, is everywhere. Ever since the earliest Greek philosophers started asking questions about the world we live in, people have been interested in understanding the nature of how we absorb, process and apply knowledge. This research can help improve learning, both maximizing the knowledge transfer for learners but also increasing the effectiveness of the information providers – the teachers. In today's digital world, the challenge of applying these ideas becomes even more difficult as, like it or not, technology moves us forward; enhancing the tools and resources we use and evolving the communities that surround us. To keep up with this challenge, tools are needed to help today's learning designers make best possible use of the resources available to them when designing or developing units of learning. The DialogPlus Toolkit was developed by a team of educationalists and computer scientists working with subject specialists (geographers) to help understand how practitioners approach the task of designing learning activities. The aim of this group was to design and deliver an easy-to-use system that would guide teachers and learning technologists as they created learning resources, tasks and activities so that these would support effective learning. Drawing on previous work and the wide body of literature about approaches to teaching and learning, the toolkit is underpinned by a comprehensive pedagogic taxonomy. Thus, toolkit users are encouraged to consider and specify factors including the learning and teaching approach, aims and outcomes, assessment methods, learner and tutor roles and requisite skills as they design the tasks that make up a learning activity, and select the tools and resources students will need to undertake them. The output from the toolkit is a design template that can then be used to guide the actual creation and implementation of the online learning activities or can be used by others as an example which can be repurposed to create a new learning activity. The toolkit is available on the Web . Designs are saved within a database and can be easily viewed by other toolkit users. The specific objectives of this chapter are to present the background and rationale for the toolkit; explain the underlying taxonomy; describe the software design, development and implementation, including the novel approach to contextual 'help�; provide examples of learning activity designs created using the toolkit; and to present and discuss feedback from users. Finally, the future of this and similar tools to support designs for learning will be considered

Student-focused Evaluation of eLearning Activities

Under the auspices of a funded digital library project, a number of new computer-based activities have been developed to enhance learning for geography students. In December 2004, student-focused evaluation of some of these innovations was undertaken on three separate courses of study. This involved observation of students as they were introduced to specific online learning activities, analysis of completed questionnaires and focused discussion. The questionnaire design drew on a specific methodology and generic quality criteria, facilitating comparative analysis of results. Teaching staff were invited to add any questions of particular interest and preliminary findings from the analysis were discussed with them. Their reflections informed the final evaluation reports.Students were particularly positive about descriptions of learning objectives and content, accessibility of linked resources, inclusion of required tools, appropriateness of assessments and improvement of their knowledge and skills. However, one group who were remotely tutored gave negative feedback about the motivational and support aspects of this format. Female students’ responses, on these aspects, were more negative than those of males. A vocal minority of all students on the three courses reported that their tutors significantly underestimated the time required to complete online learning activities.<br/

Online Learning Activities in Second Year Environmental Geography

This chapter discusses the design, technical development, delivery, and evaluation of two online learning activities in environmental geography. A “blended” approach was adopted in order to best integrate the new materials within the existing unit. The primary aim of these online activities was to provide students with opportunities to develop and demonstrate valuable practical skills, while increasing their understanding of environmental management. A purpose-built system was created in order to overcome initial technological challenges. The online activities have already been delivered successfully to a large number of students over two academic years. Evaluation and staff reflection highlight the benefits and limitations of the new activities, and the chapter concludes with recommendations for others wishing to adopt a similar approach

Evaluating the quality of elearning resources

Faced with a bewildering array of eLearning materials, modules, courses and programmes how can tutors or learners decide which ones will best meet their needs and be of sufficiently high quality? Which of a range of standards should eLearning developers adopt to understand and address the requirements of teachers and learners and ensure the quality of their offerings? A European team from universities in England, Spain and Germany, and training organisations in Italy and Greece, has worked together over two years to produce a methodology for the evaluation of on-line open and distance learning materials and Internet based programmes of study. The team members were multi-disciplinary and represented both academic and commercial backgrounds. Their expertise spanned course design, development, production and delivery. Some members had skills in technological implementation and course management.The major outputs from the two-year project were a methodological guide for the analysis of quality in eLearning and a software tool that can be used on-line to evaluate materials, modules, courses and programmes. This paper presents an overview of some evaluation schemes which existed at the project's inception, explains the MECA-ODL methodology and contrasts it with these, discusses the results of external evaluation, and makes recommendations for further development of the methodology and tool. <br/

A learning design toolkit to create pedagogically effective learning activities. (in Special Issue on Advances in Learning Design)

Despite the plethora of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) tools and resources available, practitioners are still not making effective use of e-learning to enrich the student experience. This article describes a learning design toolkit which guides practitioners through the process of creating pedagogically informed learning activities which make effective use of appropriate tools and resources. This work is part of a digital libraries project in which teaching staff at two universities in the UK and two in the USA are collaborating to share e-learning resources in the subject domains of Physical, Environmental and Human Geography. Finding, or creating, suitable e-learning resources and embedding them in well designed learning activities can be both challenging and time consuming. Sharing and adapting effective designs and solutions is both a stimulant and a time saver. This article describes the background to the specification of a learning activities design toolkit to support teachers as they create or adapt e-learning activities. This uses a model of pedagogical approaches as a basis for developing effective learning design plans and illustrates its use. The authors share their definition of a learning activity and taxonomies for the constituent elements. Real examples are discussed to illustrate their approach

Specification for a learning design activities toolkit

Despite the plethora of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) tools and resources available, practitioners are still not making effective use of e-learning to enrich the student experience. This article describes a learning design toolkit which guides practitioners through the process of creating pedagogically informed learning activities which make effective use of appropriate tools and resources. This work is part of a digital libraries project in which teaching staff at two universities in the UK and two in the USA are collaborating to share e-learning resources in the subject domains of Physical, Environmental and Human Geography. As e-learning becomes a standard element in the higher education ‘mix’, teachers are increasingly expected to be able to create or adapt online learning activities. Digital resources are available from a range of in-house and external sources and can be used to enrich learning environments and student experiences. However, finding, or creating, suitable resources and embedding them in well designed learning activities can be both challenging and time consuming. Sharing and adapting effective designs and solutions is both a stimulant and a time saver. This article describes the background to the specification of a learning activities design toolkit to support teachers as they create or adapt e-learning activities. This uses a model of pedagogical approaches as a basis for developing effective learning design plans, and illustrates its use. Quality and best practice are key considerations. The current debates about learning objects, interoperability, and metadata have informed the design. The authors share their definition of a learning activity and taxonomies for the constituent elements. Real examples are discussed to illustrate their approach. Progress to date on the toolkit is described and future steps outlined. <br/