New pedagogies for e‐learning?

The question of how technology affects pedagogy is not new, but has started to become a focus for attention again. The UK's Joint Information Systems Committee, for example, has spent the past two years supporting a programme of research into this topic, both from the perspective of the teacher (understanding designing for learning) and more recently from the perspective of the learner (understanding the learner's experience)

Exploring behaviour in the online environment: student perceptions of information literacy

The aim of this paper is to show how information literacy can be conceptualised as a key learning process related to discipline and academic maturity, rather than as a generic skill. Results of a small-scale study including questionnaires and observation of student behaviour are reported and analysed in relation to Bruces 'seven faces of information literacy' framework. The findings illustrate that information literacy is a highly situated practice that remains undeveloped through mandatory schooling. Some methodological issues are considered in relation to researching information literacy, including the limits of the Bruce model as a framework for analysis. We also show how decontextualised courses can foreground and privilege certain behaviours that are beneficial but that developing higher-level information literate attitudes is likely to be an iterative and contextualised process

Theoretical models of the role of visualisation in learning formal reasoning

Although there is empirical evidence that visualisation tools can help students to learn formal subjects such as logic, and although particular strategies and conceptual difficulties have been identified, it has so far proved difficult to provide a general model of learning in this context that accounts for these findings in a systematic way. In this paper, four attempts at explaining the relative difficulty of formal concepts and the role of visualisation in this learning process are presented. These explanations draw on several existing theories, including Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development, Green's Cognitive Dimensions, the Popper-Campbell model of conjectural learning, and cognitive complexity. The paper concludes with a comparison of the utility and applicability of the different models. It is also accompanied by a reflexive commentary[0] (linked to this paper as a hypertext) that examines the ways in which theory has been used within these arguments, and which attempts to relate these uses to the wider context of learning technology research

Learning to play in digital games

There is growing interest in the use of games for educational purposes, particularly with regard to teaching curriculum subjects. Much of the research however has focused either on the content of games or the learning theory they illustrate. This paper presents a methodology that allows for an examination of how players learn to play. An understanding of this process is arguably crucial for incorporating games into educational systems. Three case studies are presented that illustrate the application of this method. We also evaluate its usefulness and limitations. The paper concludes with a discussion of issues in researching learning from games, and suggestions for how research methods in this area might be developed

The things we learned on Liberty Island: designing games to help people become competent game players

The growing interest in the relationship between games and learning has, to date, be dominated by two traditions of work. The first treats games as potential educational content; the second considers the social contexts of learning from games, but only at a general level. A methodology has been developed that permits the detailed analysis of how people learn from particular instances of game play. This approach is used here to study two approaches to playing Deus Ex, one involving the training level and one neglecting this. The analysis revealed the things players learnt, the strategies they developed to progress through the game, the way in which these strategies evolved and also the way in which previous experience was transferred to this new context of play. This analysis permits conclusions to be drawn about the value of training levels and the importance of designing games in a way that recognizes previous gaming experience. The analysis also has implications for defining game genres, for decisions about the inclusion of design features such as quick saves and for the design of AI scripts

Pedagogy and new power relationships

Changes in the context of Higher Education have led to lecturers being disenfranchised. Both the introduction of new managerialism and developments in pedagogy have contributed to this process. On the one hand, performance management and the introduction of teaching and learning strategies have put issues of pedagogy and curriculum development into the realms of strategic management. On the other, student-centred learning has usurped teacher-centred models of education. In this paper, reviews of both of these trends are presented. Based on these, a benchmarking tool has been developed which enables the identification and monitoring of the way that the locus of control for various teaching-related activities has changed. This tool is then applied to the case of an MBA course that was transformed from a traditional to a distance format. The issues that arise from this case are discussed, and conclusions are drawn about the potential implications of “creeping managerialism ” in the context of Higher Education

A pedagogical framework for embedding C&IT into the curriculum

This paper proposes a methodology for effectively embedding communication and information technologies (C&IT) into the curriculum. This builds on existing frameworks for designing courses involving C&IT. A hypothetical illustration of this process is provided, and issues relating to the adoption and application of the methodology are identified