Moving down to Level 3 - the challenge with practice-based learning

 On Wednesday, most of Aotearoa moves down from the strict Level 4 lockdown, to Level 3. Auckland and Northland remain at Level 4 as almost all the cases (400 +) have been situated there. They will remain at Level 4 for at least 2 weeks, signalling that the rest of the country will remain at Level 3 for at least 2 weeks as well.

Level 3 has been described as Level 4 with takeaways but the business community, frustrated at the restrictions and implications for their businesses. Many businesses are able to open but without dine-in or any close contact activities (i.e. hairdressing, gyms etc.). In education, the majority will be through distance learning with some leeway for students requiring learning situated in labs. Ara interprets this to also mean workshops, training kitchens, studios etc. The challenge is the number of students allowed into the practice area. Last year, the maximum was 20 but with 2 metre spacing, the actual number was more like 10. This makes it a challenge as most practice-based programmes have class cohort sizes of around 18 to 20. Splitting the class into half has challenges of doubling the teacher ratio.

Our learning design recommendations the use of a flipped classroom concept. One 1/2 of the class prepares for their practice session and the other 1/2 has a practical session. Then, the groups change over, with one 1/2 doing the preparation/reflection and 1/2 back into the practical workshop. The 1/2 of the class doing the preparation/reflection undertakes this through online 'attendance' with a check-in zoom session. These online sessions could consist of several combined cohorts in the same year and be managed by one tutor (or academic manager) whilst the other 1/2 of the class learns in practical workshops. 

We will need to evaluate this approach when Level 3 ends, to see how effective it has been from the learners and tutors perspectives. 

Back to level 4 and distance learning this week

 With the discovery of one case of the Delta strain of Covid, Aotearoa went back into Level 4 at midnight last Tuesday. To date, there have been 71 cases, all are in Auckland with 6 cases in Wellington. The government will broadcast their decision as to what happens from this week as level 4 was only put in place for a week across NZ. The general consensus is that level 4 will continue for at least another week before a reassessment of risks (based on cases being identified). If there are no cases in the South Island and no evidence of the virus from waste water testing, then the South Island may move to Level 3. So fingers crossed that we do not have to remain at Level 4 for too long.

The move to Level 4 was swift, within 6 hours of the first case showing up. Derek Wenmouth recorded how the entire education sector was caught by surprise although at Ara, our CE was continually reminding our teaching departments to be ready.

At the beginning of this year, departments were tasked with reporting on readiness and learners were prepared with inductions to zoom and Moodle (our LMS). However, these were not repeated in semester two when a small cohort of new students begin their studies. In hindsight, we should have repeated the exercise from the beginning of the year, thereby assisting our teachers with one item to not have to worry about. That is, inducting students new to distance learning to the digital tools. We also had a cohort of new teachers starting at the beginning of the semester. Most of these teachers will have only been teaching for about a month, before having to shift to distance learning.

The thing to learn from all of this is that prepareness is an ever moving target. There is never an end point as there will be new students/teachers having to be introduced to distance learning tools and approaches. 

Thankfully, most of our resources have been updated since last year and my colleagues and I could draw on these to support our teachers. The second 1/2 of last week was busy with workshops to update and orientate our teachers to the shift back to distance learning. This week, mostly drop-in type sessions to triage those who need support. 

Hopefully, this time around, the distance learning and Level 4 will be short. We are likely to also be in distance teaching mode at Level 3 which may be more drawn out. We will need to work on how we move forward after this event as Covid will still around for the immediate future :( 

Research in Learning Technology

This is an open accces journal - Research in Learning Technology - affliated to the Association for Learning Technology based in the United Kingdom.

The articles indicate a mix of practitioner and research papers - mostly from the formalised school sector. 

There is a recent special collection on mobile mixed reality enhanced learning which was my route into the journal. The articles in this issue have a higher education context.

Instructional Science - Journal

 Instructional Science is a European based journal of the learning sciences. The journal publishes 6 issues each year and is into it's 49th volume. The articles tend to be based on empirical/quantitative studies but there are a few qualitatively conducted studies as well.

Researchers publishing in the journal tend to draw on European literature and studies based in the formal school or higher education sectors.

Learning / Instructional design journals

 As I progress through ramping up my scholarship of teaching and learning and with aspects of learning / instructional design, I am putting together a list of key readings.

This site provides a good listing of instructional design journals, including peer reviewed (North American), non-refereed journals and magazines, and international journals. The list makes a good starting point along with lists archived on the folowing : Penn State library; University of Cincinatti. 

Learning design or design for learning is a term used in Europe and Australasia. Some journals of note to follow up include: Designs for learning - a nordic based journal (has an article processing charge of 300 euro; Journal of Learning Design - an Australian journal which ceased publication in 2017 :( ; International Journal of Designs for Learning - which is affiliated to the Association for Educational Communications and Technology 

So lots to catch up on!