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Using e-learning opportunities to best advantage
Centre for Academic Practice
Jay Dempster & Piers Nicholls
School of Law IT Support Day
21 May 2003
Purpose of the session
CAP’s role in e-learning Factors of change for HE Opportunities, concerns, tactics Implications for learning & teaching Lessons learned in law teaching Evaluation & curriculum design Sharing messages
Tap into CAP
Developing academic staff expertise Assisting departments Supporting an e-learning community of practice Promoting innovation in teaching & learning Undertaking research & development Evaluating effectiveness in learning Providing accreditation & recognition Encouraging embedding of available ICT Disseminating good practice in e-learning
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Factors of change in academic practice and the student learning experience
Piers Nicholls
Factors of Change
Student profile
Curriculum
Sector
Political climate
Development ideas for projects
Using evaluation as a design and development tool
Building the student experience into the processes of innovation
Utilise a range of data to establish success and issues to be addressed
Manage degree of risk
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Opportunities, concerns & tactics
Jay Dempster
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E-learning Shifting academic practice:
Inspiring,
imaginative
& transforming
Potentially …
“The genuinely transformative nature of cyberspace lies not with access but with the potential for the production of knowledge and for new modes of collaboration and communication that can subvert and invert established authority relations, allowing the emergence of a democratising literacy.”
Pedagogy, Politics and Power Stokes & Stokes, Computers & Texts, Ch.13 (1996)
Potentially …
The interactive properties of e-learning are capable of creating a community of inquiry that is independent of time and space and with the combination of interactive and reflective characteristics that can stimulate and facilitate a level of higher order learning unimaginable to date.
E-Learning in the 21st Century: A Framework for Research and Practice, Garrison & Andersen,Ch. 5, p.53 (2003)
“[Through new technology,] there will be a fostering of
greater student/teacher interaction and the promotion of greater student engagement wherever students are located. There will also be the opportunity to develop more instructional formats and increase information resources through use of the web.
Such systems will provide law staff with functions to help with the easy management of courses without requiring major technical expertise; thus staff will be able to manage and customise their course area from work or from home, via a web browser. Pages will be updated regularly, and no knowledge of HTML will be required, either by academic staff or by students.”
Professor Diana M R Tribe, Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Hertfordshire, Higher education futures, Learning in Law Initiative Conference 2002
Ideally …
Responding to your own professional role:
A. What e-learning approaches do you see as offering
the most possibilities to you (in your role)?
B. What are your main areas of need or concern in implementing these?
C. What approaches do you feel would really enhance the student learning experiences?
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Implications of e-approaches to teaching & learning
Interweaving pedagogy with technology
Case studies from law teaching
Jay Dempster
Strategically (in Law Teaching)
Benchmarks emphasise:
Generic skills
Understanding of the law
Transferability
Realistically (in student learning)
ICT role in developing:
ICT & communication skills Problem-solving Critical thinking Evaluation Decision making
‘Learning gains’
Why might it be in your interest to utilise these e-learning tools?
What sort of benefits of delivery mechanisms are seen as good practice?
Cost-benefits
Learning effectiveness
Teaching efficiency
Pedagogical benefits of e-learning
Flexibility
Interactivity
Integration
Any place, any time access to materials Increased availability of tutor and peer groups Reflective & collaborative approaches
Resources – Email – Discussion – Group work Human interactions – tutors/students/group Content interactions– student/tutor/group/content Iterative in real time & delayed time
‘Traditional’ & online Mix ‘n’ match Social & cognitive Mutually reinforcing
Establishing curriculum objectives
CONTENT
OBJECTIVES
PROCESS
Non-IC
T teaching & learning resources
Tutor focused
Student focused
Mapping ICT to curriculum objectives
CONTENT Web-based content management
systems E-libraries, databases, gateways Multimedia/CAL resources
OBJECTIVES Streaming video Productivity & analysis tools Computer based assessment Simulations & workbooks
PROCESS Virtual learning environments Email Discussion lists/newsgroups Student web publishing Conferencing systems
Site Builder
SOSIG Law Gateway
Iolis Law Courseware
GroupWise
Forums
Non-IC
T teaching & learning resources
Tutor focused
Student focused
Observations from law staff
Email Web (CMS), Iolis Discussion board SOSIG Law Gateway VLE (integrated tools)
The Communicator The Deliverer The Debater The Researcher The Facilitator
Integrating email into a lecture based module
Objectives High student numbers reduced student interaction Contact sessions too large to cover required material Use of ICT to promote student-centred discussion
Approaches Use of email to facilitate discussion & interaction Weekly lectures maintained (passive) Seminar style questions via email (active)
Observations Flexibility & interactivity Loss of the physical presence vs. removal of barriers Delay in responding vs. time for reflection High demands on staff time (FAQs, 450 emails!) IT & communications skills, but not oral skills Low techno-levels required.
Poyton, D. Law Lecturer, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, Linking Iolis to the Web, Journal of Information, Law & Technology Issue 3 (2001) http://elj.warwick.ac.uk/jilt/01-03/poyton.html
Objectives High numbers & volume of material Produce flexibility in course delivery Use contact time more actively
Approaches Weekly contact sessions more flexible Small block format for varying sessions & student participation Online delivery of materials (incl. FAQs) Group presentation tasks – F2F & online
Observations Flexibility & interactivity (new study practices) Student-centred sessions enhanced rather than replaced More efficient use of student & staff time (45 emails!) Balance of communication skills ‘Cut & paste mentality’ & plagiarism Higher techno-levels required & some training
Poyton, D. (2001) ibid.
Rethinking course design for integrated tools
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Discussion (and interaction) …
encourages active and participatory learning, two cornerstones of effective online learning
is the focal point of the Socratic method
encourages learners to analyse alternative ways of thinking and acting
assists them in exploring their own experiences so that they can become better critical thinkers.
Brookfield, S D, 'Discussion', in Adult Learning Methods: A Guide for Effective Instruction, M. W. Galbraith, ed., FL, Malabar, Krieger Publishing Company, (1990)
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Evaluation & Curriculum Design
Exploring new technology through pilot projects:
Piers Nicholls
Developing the curriculum
Analysis and Design
Development
Implementation
Departmental Implications
http://www.ltsn.ac.uk/genericcentre/
The Student Experience
Students provide information, data and perceptions throughout project development
The views of students should be used alongside other data/sources (academic, IT, other colleagues etc)
Develop a range of questions to determine whether student learning has been enhanced and why
A Departmental Approach
Departmental commitment & support
What are the natural groupings of staff in the Law School for implementing an e-learning strategy?
How might you go about identifying pilot projects and setting up feedback mechanisms?
How will you share and learn from developments across the School?