Strategies for designing and evaluating effective learning activities
Gráinne Conole
National Teaching
Fellow 2012 Ascilite fellow 2012 EDEN fellow 2013
Outline
• The importance of e-learning • E-learning timeline and
emergent technologies • E-Pedagogies • Social media • What is good learning? • The 7Cs of Learning Design
– Designing Courses – Evaluating Courses
Education 2020
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQRdIZR_LYY
E-Learning timeline M
ultim
edia
reso
urce
s
80s
The
Web
93
Lear
ning
Man
agem
ent S
yste
ms
95
Ope
n Ed
ucat
iona
l Res
ourc
es
01
Mob
ile d
evic
es
98
Gam
ing
tech
nolo
gies
00 So
cial
and
par
ticip
ator
y m
edia
04
Virt
ual w
orld
s
05
E-bo
oks a
nd sm
art d
evic
es
Mas
sive
Ope
n O
nlin
e Co
urse
s
07 08
Lear
ning
Des
ign
99
Lear
ning
obj
ects
94
Lear
ning
Ana
lytic
s
10
Barriers to adoption
• Lack of digital literacy skills • No reward for teaching • Competition from other
providers • Scaling innovation • Democratisation
The importance of e-learning
• For learning – Potential to support interaction, communication
and collaboration – Developing digital literacy skills – Promoting different pedagogical approaches – Fostering creativity and innovation – Connecting students beyond the formal course
• For life – Preparing students for an uncertain future – Improving employability opportunities – Increased importance of technology in society
Digital landscapes
Open
Social
Distributed
Participatory Mass scale
Networked
Complex Dynamic
Facilitating learning
• Guidance and support • Content and activities • Communication and
collaboration • Reflection and
demonstration
Learner centred
Formal
Informal
Individual Social
Blended courses
DL+ social media
Trad. campus courses
DL courses
OER
xMOOCs
OER + Social media
cMOOCs
APEL ePortforlios OERu Badges
Formal/informal landscape
A
Constructivist Building on prior knowledge Task-orientated
Situative Learning through social interaction Learning in context
Connectivist Learning in a networked environment
E-pedagogies Mayes & De Freitas, 2004 Conole 2010
E-training Drill & practice
Inquiry learning Collective intelligence Resource-based
Experiential, Problem-based Role play
Reflective & dialogic learning, Personalised learning
Associative Focus on individual Learning through association and reinforcement
https://tinyurl.com/hotelproject
Pedagogical approaches Social media tools and approaches
Personalised learning The ability to adapt, customised and personalise. Mix and match of tools, use of RSS feeds and filters
Situated learning, experiential learning, problem-based learning, scenario-based learning, role play
Use of location-aware functionality, immersive 3D-worlds,connection with peers and experts via social networking tools, scenario-based and authentic tasks in virtual worlds, application of gaming technologies for educational purposes
Inquiry-based learning, resource-based learning
Tools to support user-generated content and facilitating easy sharing/discussion, media repositories (Flickr, YouTube, and SlideShare), social bookmarking sites (Delicious), digital repositories and tools for content generation, use of search engines, participation in distributed virtual communities, use of folksonomies and social book marking as mechanisms for finding and organising resources
Pedagogical approaches Social media tools and approaches
Reflective and dialogic learning, peer learning
Tools for fostering peer reflection such as blogs and e-portfolios, commenting on other learners’ blog posts, co-creation of learning artefacts in wikis
Communities of Practice Use of social networking tools to participate in communities of learning and/or teaching
Scholarly practice and the sharing of designs and good practice
Use of Web 2.0 technologies to participate in a distributed network of educators and researchers. Use of blogs, Twitter and wikis to co-create knowledge and understanding, to critique practice, and to share professional practice and resources
Activity: What’s your digital network?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/factoryjoe/195492568/
My network
Useful sites
• You might like to explore the following sites – The EDUCAUSE 7 Things you
should know about… (pick on technology and list the main things you like)
– The AUTC Learning Design site (pick one design and list the main things you like)
– The CommonCraft videos (pick one technology and list the main things you like)
http://cloudworks.ac.uk/cloud/view/8805
Outline • An overview of Learning Design • Activities
– A1: How to ruin a course – A2: Course Features – A3: Resource audit – A4: Course Map – A5: Activity Profile – A6 Constructive alignment – A7: Story board – A8: Evaluation Rubric
• Evaluation
The promise and the reality New forms of interaction, communication and collaboration. Lots of free resources
Not fully exploited Bad pedagogies Teachers don’t have the time or the skills
https://www.alt.ac.uk/sites/alt.ac.uk/files/public/ALTsurvey%20for%20ETAG%202014.pdf
What is learning design? (1)
Guidance
https://www.flickr.com/photos/anonymouscollective/1899303123
What is learning design? (2)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/frawemedia/5187769740
What is learning design? (3)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/10075621@N06/3810402230
Sharing
Learning Design
Shift from belief-based, implicit approaches to design-based, explicit
approaches
Encourages reflective, scholarly practices Promotes sharing and discussion
Learning Design A design-based approach to
creation and support of courses
http://olds.ac.uk
http://www.larnacadeclaration.org/
• What is Learning Design? • Teachers need help with making effective design
decisions that are pedagogically based and make appropriate use of digital technologoies
The 7Cs of Learning Design Conceptualise
Vision
Communicate Create Consider Collaborate
Activities
Combine
Synthesis
Consolidate
Implementation
http://www2.le.ac.uk/projects/oer/oers/beyond-distance-research-alliance/7Cs-toolkit
Conceptualise
• Vision for the course, including: – Why, who and what you want to
design – The key principles and
pedagogical approaches – The nature of the learners
Conceptualise
Course Features
Personas
Course features • Pedagogical approaches • Principles • Guidance and support • Content and activities • Reflection and demonstration • Communication and collaboration
http://cloudworks.ac.uk/cloud/view/5950
Principles
Theory based Practice based Cultural
Aesthetics
Political
International Serendipitous Community based
Sustainable
Professional
Pedagogical approaches
Inquiry based Problem based Case based
Dialogic
Situative
Vicarious Didactic Authentic
Constructivist
Collaborative
Guidance & Support
Learning pathway Mentoring Peer support
Scaffolded
Study skills
Tutor directed Help desk Remedial support
Library support
Step by step
Content & Activities
Brainstorming Concept mapping Annotation
Assimilative
Jigsaw
Aggregating resources
Learner generated content
Information handling
Pyramid
Modeling
Reflection & Demonstration
Diagnostic E-Assessment E-Portfolio
Formative
Summative
Peer feedback Vicarious Presentation
Reflective
Feed forward
Communication & Collaboration
Structured debate Flash debate Group project
Group aggregation
Group presentation
Pair debate For/Against debate Question & Answer
Group project
Peer critique
Capture
• Finding and creating interactive materials – Undertaking a resource audit of
existing OER – Planning for creation of
additional multimedia such as interactive materials, podcasts and videos
– Mechanism for enabling learners to create their own content
Capture
Resource Audit
Learner Generate Content
Communicate
• Designing activities that foster communication, such as: – Looking at the affordances of
the use of different tools to promote communication
– Designing for effective online moderating
Communicate
Affordances
E-moderating
Collaborate
• Designing activities that foster collaboration, such as: – Looking at the affordances of
the use of different tools to promote collaboration
– Using CSCL (collaborative) Pedagogical Patterns such as JIGSAW, Pyramid, etc.
Collaborate
Affordances
CSCL Ped. Patterns
Consider
• Designing activities that foster reflection
• Mapping Learning Outcomes (LOs) to assessment
• Designing assessment activities, including – Diagnostic, formative,
summative assessment and peer assessment
Collaborate
LOs/Assessment
Assessment Ped. Patterns
Combine
• Combining the learning activities into the following: – Course View which provides a
holistic overview of the nature of the course
– Activity profile showing the amount of time learners are spending on different types of activities
– Storyboard: a temporal sequence of activities mapped to resources and tools
– Learning pathway: a temporal sequence of the learning designs
Combine
Course View
Activity Profile
Storyboard
Learning Pathway
Consolidate
• Putting the completed design into practice – Implementation: in the classroom,
through a VLE or using a specialised Learning Design tool
– Evaluation of the effectiveness of the design
– Refinement based on the evaluation findings
– Sharing with peers through social media and specialised sites like Cloudworks
Combine
Implementation
evaluation
Refinement
Sharing
The broader context: The Larnaca Declaration
http://larnacadeclaration.org
The broader context: Integrated Learning Design Environment (ILDE)
http://ilde.upf.edu/
Summary • 7Cs – a new learning design framework.
– involves a range of conceptual representations of courses
– evaluation indicates that the framework is welcomed and that the conceptual designs enable teachers to rethink their design practice to create more engaging learning interventions for their learners
– can also be used with learners, to give them an indication of the nature of the courses they are undertaking
A1: How to ruin a course
• List the ten ways in which technologies can ruin a course
• Consider strategies to avoid these issues
Purpose: To consider the ways in which technologies can ruin a course and creation of strategies to avoid these problems
E-tivity Rubric: http://tinyurl.com/m3x32se
A2: Course Features
E-tivity Rubric: http://goo.gl/CRpc5
Purpose: To consider the features you want to include in your module/course, which will determine not only the look and feel of the course, but also the nature of the learners’ experience.
A3: Resource audit
• E-tivity Rubric: http://goo.gl/C31yv
Purpose: To identify which free resources (Open Educational Resources) to include in your course/module, how much they need adapting and which new resources you need to create.
A4: Course Map
E-tivity Rubric: http://goo.gl/Z5eu7
Purpose: To start mapping out your module/course, including your plans for guidance and support, content and the learner experience, reflection and demonstration, and communication and collaboration.
A5: Activity Profile
• E-tivity Rubric: http://goo.gl/WMIzu
Purpose: To consider the balance of activity types that will be included in your module/course.
Activity Profile Flash Widget
A6: Constructive alignment Purpose: To consider the balance of activity types that will be included in your module/course.
• Three aspects: – Define the learning outcomes – Select learning and teaching
activities likely to enable the students to attain the outcomes
– Assess the students' outcomes and grade the students learning
Constructive alignment
• Learners construct meaning from what they do
• The teacher aligns the planned learning activities with the learning outcomes
Biggs, 1999
Assessment
• Key driver for learning • Four types
– Diagnostic – Formative (tutor) – Formative (peer) – Summative
Viewpoints assessment cards
• Clarify good performance
• Encourage time and effort on task
• Deliver high quality feedback
• Provide opportunities to act on feedback
Viewpoints assessment cards
• Encourage interaction and dialogue
• Develop self-assessment and reflection
• Give assessment choice • Encourage positive
motivational beliefs • Inform and shape your
teaching
E-assessment
• Computer-marked assessment for Interactive feedback
• Reflective blogs • E-portfolios • Peer dialogue and
critique • Personalisation of
learning
Effective practice with e-assessment
A7: Storyboard
E-tivity Rubric: http://goo.gl/z1VON
Purpose: To develop a storyboard for your module/course in which the learning outcomes are aligned with the assessment events, topics (contents) and e-tivities.
Start End
Learning Outcomes LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Assessment LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 1 Topic 1
Week 2 Topic 2
Week 3 Topic 3
Week 4 Topic 4
A8: Rubrics for evaluation Purpose: To devise a set of criteria for evaluating the success of the design in a real learning context
• Brainstorming some criteria to evaluate the success of the design in a real learning context
• Try and focus on measurable/observable things • Think about what data collection you might use –
classroom observation, surveys, interviews • Post its: Things I liked, room for improvement,
etc. • Use the LTDI Evaluation Cookbook
– http://www.icbl.hw.ac.uk/ltdi/cookbook/
http://www.le.ac.uk/ili http://www.slideshare.net/GrainneConole
[email protected] http://e4innovation.com
@gconole
• OULDI website http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/OULDI/
• Carpe Diem website http://www.le.ac.uk/carpediem
• 7Cs OER page http://www2.le.ac.uk/projects/oer/oers/beyond-distance-research-alliance/7cs-workshop-resources
• Cloudworks http://cloudworks.ac.uk/
Useful sites and resources