Multimodal design and the neomillenial learner

Two courses delivered in 2004 by the Faculty of Business at USQ were part of an initial trial into a new CD based hybrid model of delivery. This represented a change in the way USQ had previously supplied course materials and so it was necessary to ascertain how students responded to this change. This paper reports on findings from this research and demonstrates that higher levels of student engagement are possible, particularly in the context of nationality, age and gender differences. It investigates possible implications for academia when catering for a range of neomillennial learning approaches initially facilitated by the integration of a range of multimodal learning and teaching strategies. It is true 'one size does not fit all', but that does not preclude us from designing learning experiences that cater for a wide range of learners and particularly for those who learn in non-traditional ways whilst utilizing existing technologies

Multiple representations in multimedia and e-learning materials: an issue of literacy

The trend towards using multimedia in e-learning environments as the preferred basis for teaching (particularly when teaching at a distance) has increased dramatically, particularly over the last few years. This paper will report on a current research project being conducted at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ), involving the development of a multimedia version of an existing print based course. Specifically, it will analyse relevant instructional design (ID) issues and reflect on the concepts involved in catering for a multiliterate clientele and how the use of multiple representations may enhance the learning opportunities of students, primarily post-secondary learners. Firstly it will investigate the role that learning styles play in the learning process and what should be considered when preparing instructional material, looking closely at the importance of visualisation in the representation of concepts and the current understandings of what it means to be literate in a culture saturated with visual elements. It will be seen that our understanding of these basic concepts will play an important role in our ID approach to teaching and learning, particularly when using visual and/or multiple representations in the multimedia and e-learning environments. Secondly, it will investigate the cognitive constraints experienced by learners when information is displayed in multiple ways in such an environment and whether it will be beneficial to learner cognition to provide users with a level of interactive choice. Finally a set of instructional design recommendations will be made as to an appropriate format and potential way forward for the delivery of multimedia and e-learning instructional materials

A 'likely benefit' from aligning Web 2.0 technologies with an institutions learning and teaching agenda

This paper demonstrates a ‘likely benefit’, and a practical view of expected challenges, when incorporating Web 2.0 technologies in a contemporary higher education context. After first exploring which factors potentially influence a shift in thinking about learning and teaching in a Web 2.0 context this paper then addresses the important role, or the affordance, of an integrated Learning Management System (LMS) and the pedagogical applications of Web 2.0 technologies. It then uses a series of case study from the University of Southern Queensland, a large distance education provider in Australia, to support these propositions. Overall, this paper suggests that the goals and ideals of Web 2.0/ Pedagogy 2.0 can be achieved, or at least stimulated, within an institutional LMS environment, as long as the LMS environment is aligned with these ideals

Benchmarking for technology enhanced learning: taking the next step in the journey

Benchmarking in the areas of technology enhanced learning (TEL) has become an important part of how many institutions are able to mediate a level of quality in their learning and teaching practice. Many tools and methodologies have emerged over the last 10+ years to help our institutions undertake this important task. A recent major benchmarking activity (June 2014) took this to a whole new level; with 24 institutions meeting together to benchmark their capacity in TEL. This was based around using the newly refreshed ACODE Benchmarks and involved each institution performing a self-assessment of their practices and then sharing this with the other participants. This paper will report on this activity and, importantly, provide evidence of the value of this activity for those involved. It will conclude with a series of recommendations on how this may be applied by other institutions, as they contend with the rapidly changing TEL space

Benchmarks for technology enhanced learning: report on the refresh project 2014 and Inter-Institutional Benchmarking Summit

The ACODE E-Learning Benchmarks established in 2004 were last updated in 2007, well before the advent of ubiquitous mobile delivery, the widespread use of social media, cloud-based systems and the more recent phenomenon of MOOCs. In 2013 a project was initiated to update the Benchmarks. This was not a trivial undertaking and it was important to establish a robust process to allow not only for an update but also for a rigorous trial of any changes proposed to the benchmarks. Subsequently, a group of six ACODE representatives, with significant experience in technology enhanced learning, undertook this task. As a consequence of this review the Benchmarks were renamed to the ACODE Benchmarks for Technology Enhanced Learning. It also resulted in a major trial of the Benchmarks conducted in Sydney in June 2014, where 24 institutions were involved in an Inter-Institutional Benchmarking Summit. The summit not only proved the validity of the Benchmarks but notionally ushered in a new opportunity for ACODE to be a major player in the Benchmarking space in Australasia. As a further consequence, all the institutions involved in this activity expressed an interest in using the benchmarks in some ongoing way to ensure that their technology enhanced learning practice was undergoing rigorous and ongoing quality assurance. This Report starts with a brief history of the Benchmarks, then provides a description of the: • review process the Benchmarks underwent; • inter-institutional benchmarking summit; • formal evaluation of the summit; and • subsequent reflections on the future state of the Benchmarks. The report concludes with a series of recommendations on how ACODE may approach the facilitation of future Benchmarking activities

Benchmarking for technology enhanced learning: longer term benefits

It is one thing to undertake Benchmarking in the areas of technology enhanced learning (TEL) as a one-off activity, but it is quite another to build this form of activity into your strategy for future and long-term growth at an institution. This paper reports on a follow-up study conducted in 2015 with 22 of the 24 institutions who first participated in major inter-institutional benchmarking activity in June 2014, using the ACODE Benchmarks. The study was conducted eight months after the initial activity to understand how the institutions that had participated in the initial activity had used this to build their capacity for future growth. It will provide evidence of the longer-term value of this type of activity and will conclude with a series of recommendations on how an institution may apply this methodology to enhance its capacity to deal with the rapidly changing TEL space

The state of Australasian online higher education post-pandemic and beyond

Online learning is not a new phenomenon that had just been discovered in March 2020, it has been developing very strongly for 20+ years. What is new is that we are now realising that what was conceived as being good online learning pedagogy is being challenged by many of the newer student-centred approaches that have evolved in learning and teaching. Not the least because the technologies now allow us to do way more in a more synchronous way, allowing students to work more collaboratively with others. Or maybe it’s more that we have rediscovered some activities that were harder to achieve in the past. Either way, what has also changed in higher education is the emphasis on the student and how providing them with a greater level of agency in their learning presents more traditional educators with new challenges. This paper presents some options for those looking to understand and meet those challenges head on

Designing for relatedness: learning design at the virtual cultural interface

This paper draws on the initial analysis of data from an education design research study that investigated the experience of Indigenous higher education students in online learning. The interrelated themes of racial identity and relatedness were found to be significant to the experiences of these students. The paper examines a number of widely used learning design models and online facilitation approaches to determine the extent to which identity and relatedness are considered in the design of online environments and in the facilitation of learning. It concludes with a series of recommendations as to how an institution may mediate a level of relatedness for its students in online learning environments

The state of micro-credentials implementation and practice in Australasian higher education

Micro-credentialing is rapidly growing globally as learning that is both life-long and life-wide and this has only accelerated due to COVID-19. To understand what this means for higher education, The Australasian Council on Open, Distance and eLearning has conducted two surveys on the implementation and practice of micro-credentialing in the Australasian sector. With the surveys conducted a year apart, before and after the pandemic, significant changes are noted in the delivery of learning. The results show an increased interest and intention in rolling out micro-credentials, as evidenced, particularly, in work undertaken at the policy level. However, in relation to actual implementation and practice, there is still a lot of work yet to be done. What is evidenced, in the results, is that this form of credentialing will continue to grow rapidly. Higher education institutions are investing in infrastructure and establishing working groups that are placing a governance model for micro-credentials in universities, while ensuring dedicated resourcing is channeled to this endeavour. Moving forward institutions will require significant planning and coordinated delivery at both at the local and global level, if the potential benefits of implementing micro-credentialing, such as portability and stackability over time, are to be realised

An integrative literature review of the implementation of micro-credentials in higher education: Implications for practice in Australasia

Micro-credentials research, which includes digital badges, is a relatively new field of study that seeks to inform the implementation, portability and sustainability of the ecology of meaningful delivery. This paper reviews literature relevant to understanding connections between universities’ intent to offer micro-credentials and the environment that is needed to do so. From this integrated study, the paper distils a number of core concerns and identifies some gaps in the literature. One of its primary goals is to clear the ground for the construction of a technical model of micro-credentialing implementation that can be used by the various stakeholders involved in the design and evaluation of new micro-awards. A closely related goal is to help those participating in micro-credentialing research to locate and understand each other’s contributions, as fragmentation in research related to micro-credentials makes progress in the field slow. Hence, this review draws together research in the field to identify research foci and gaps, and then also capture some work by micro-credentialing researchers that directly attempts to model the main relationships in the field. The paper ends with a summary of implications for practice, especially for the Australasian higher education contex