Rethinking Reusability: implications from a longitudinal study of online role play in

Australian higher education

Prof Sandra WillsUniversity of Wollongong

enrole.uow.edu.au

Reuse by… different teachersame

disciplinedifferent discipline

same universit

y

different university

same universit

y

different university

of same role play 5 2 0 0

of same role play design 9 1 19 12Reuse by… same teacher

same discipline

different discipline

same universit

y

different university

same university

different university

of same role play 0 1 0 0of same role play design 2 2 1 1

Reused role plays 1990 - 2006: different teacher or same teacher different university or same university (n=45)

18% reused same role play compared with 82% same learning design

 

enRole, Research, wRite, React, Resolve, Reflect: developing and using online role play learning designs

Affordances for uptake of online role play in Australian universitiestop three affordances are shaded

Affordance (in some cases more than one)

1990-1995

1996-2000

2001-2006

Personal Handover of existing role play

3 1 4

Colleague 2 2 6Conference Presentation/Journal Paper

2 4 1

University staff development workshop

1 1 1

Grant 1 3 0Prior experience with face-to-face role play

1 1 1

Educational Developer 1 11 23Engine 0 7 10Postgraduate Education course 0 1 0Learning Designs website 0 0 17Participation in another online role play

0 2 0

Template/guide 0 0 3Tutor 7 0 0

Four Australian online role plays:their partners in reuse

Middle Eastern Politics

Idontgoto Uni

Round Table Discussion

Mekong eSim

Original Melbourne Wollongong Macquarie UTS

Reused/Partners

GeorgetownTexasAmerican Uni CairoMacquarieCanterbury NZ

Wollongong DubaiWestern Sydney

SydneyEdinburghSanto TomasCalifornia

AdelaideSydneyMalaysiaSingaporeGermany

Reuse of case study role plays 1990- 2009(16 types of reuse)

Reuse of… Middle Eastern

Idontgoto Uni

Round Table

Mekong eSim

same role play by different teacher/s in different university in same discipline

one (repeated

many times)

almost 2 1

same role play by different teacher in same university in same discipline

3 2 3

same role play by same teacher in different university in same discipline

2 1 1

same learning design by different teacher different university in different discipline

numerous 2 3

same learning design by same teacher in different university/context in different discipline

1 1

same learning design by different teacher in same university -in different discipline-in same discipline

8 3

1

same learning design by same teacher in same university -in same discipline-in different discipline

1 1

1

Four case study online role plays: nuances of reuse by others

(further 12 types of reuse)

Types of reuse Middle Eastern Politics

Idontgoto Uni

Round Table Discussion

Mekong eSim

Designed by a team for each to use y y yDesigned by cross institutional partners to be used in each institution

y y

Designed for cross institutional student collaboration

y y

Designed for transfer/reuse to unknown teacher

y

Continued to be used by one partner without the others

y

Used by new cross institutional partners y yRun by tutors /dept members without original designer being present

y y y

Run by tutors/dept members after original designer leaves

y

Modified by tutors or members of same department

y y

Transferred to new institution with original designer

y

Transferred to entirely new teacher in a new institution

y

Potential to be transferred but not happened yet

y y

Implications

If this is the reality of reuse in higher education,should we design purposely for this type of reuse?

or

If reuse is meant to be “transfer to unknown teacher”what else should we be doing to better design for reuse?

Summary of factors influencing reusability in four Australian role plays

Middle East

Politics

Idontgoto Uni

Roundtable

Discussion

Mekong e-Sim

Design FactorsPlatform

FOR/AGAINSTFOR FOR/

AGAINSTFOR

Size AGAINST FOR FOR AGAINSTScenario AGAINST FOR FOR FOREmbedded in the curriculum

FOR FOR FOR

Designer’s personal style AGAINSTResolution AGAINST AGAINST AGAINSTDebriefing FOR FORFacilitation Guide &/or training

FOR FOR

Cross-disciplinary &/or cross-institutional student collaboration

AGAINST AGAINST

Branding and marketing FORDesign Context FactorsDiscipline expertise AGAINST AGAINST AGAINST AGAINSTPartnership & collaboration FOR FOR FOR FOR/

AGAINSTEducational Developers FOR FOR FORScholarship FOR FOR FORLicensing & legal contracts FOR FOR FORIntellectual Property AGAINST AGAINST FORIdentity & territory of HE staff

AGAINST

Fifteen factors influencing design of Reusable Learning Objects

1 Access to common e-learning platform2 Activity matched to manageable class size 3 Scenario engaging but not overly complex 4 Scaffold students through all phases activity, especially resolution or

conclusion5 Embed use of RLO in departmental curriculum, especially assessment

tasks6 Clear place for debriefing and reflection in sequence of learning

activities 7 Guidelines & training for teachers & facilitators8 Cater for different facilitation styles 9 Brand RLO with identifiable, memorable name & image 10 Collaborative design by partners including a significant role for

educational developers11 Reward role of professional staff and tutors in designing &

implementing RLOs12 Scholarly approach to evaluation & publication about the innovation13 Establish legal contracts & licensing agreements governing reuse by

others14 Confirm intellectual property rights of all team members15 Support teacher workload if RLO involves inter-disciplinary and/or

inter-institutional student collaboration/competition

Cost?swills@uow.edu.au