Modes of learning - Mark Nichols

 An early morning webinar with Dr. Mark Nichols hosted by the Commonwealth of Learning.  on the topic of 'modes of learning'.  

Began with what is 'teaching'? Pedagogy is the dance between pedagogy and the dynamic operating decisions of the university' - teaching is the activity that gives a subject its voice, that brings the subject alive for the learner to form a relationship with. Not all teaching has to have an identifiable teacher. 

How about learning 'learning is 'a smudge between a self that knows to be self that knows more' to learn, then is to be personally smudged from one state of knowing into another ... as knowers we are forever incomplete: there is always more to know.

Introduced the project. Work with Dr. Seelig to try to look at what constituted learning, especially what is open, flexible and distance learning. For Te Pūkenga there are three modes, on-the-job, f2f, and distance delivery. What do these mean, how can they be combined, are these actually singular in themselves?

There is no such thing as an on-the-job delivery mode, turns out to be fluid. Similar to distance delivery, there are many modes as well. There is great potential in missing the modes. 

Important to consider how to meet learner needs, increase accessibility.

Q & A followed

Defining modes helps to enable common dialogue and scalable innovation. Asserts for example that peer relationships across learners are not necessarily a requirement for effective learning. Being able to define the modes help with decision-making, shared practice and strategic planning. A shared programme may not all be offered in a fixed mode but be flexible to allow for learner needs, circumstances and objectives. Defining modes enables education by design. 

Overviewed the asynchronous (most to least) OFDL distance, work-based, study centre, negotiate) and synchronous (most to least) live classroom, virtual class, flexible, local group, road show, supervised self-paced. Details in https://tinyurl.com/teachingmodes

Provided two examples, one in business to show the ways the modes can be mixed to provide flexibility for learners. Learning activity - what learners do, teaching activity - what do teachers do, resources - what academic support, subject representation, courseware, timetable - asynchrous/synchronous and assessment - enduring assessments tasks and also pre-determined, must be decided on to design the learning. 

The work on modes of learning was undertaken to inform Te Pūkenga as it brought together diverse delivery modes. However, with the disestablishment of Te Pūkenga, this work has not been taken further. 

The work is helpful though to try to place some rigor into how delivery modes are difined. Encouraged the use of these modes of learning and to help with further investigation to refined the modes, identify exemplars and explore the planning dynamics (costs, operating considerations). Challenged us to reflect on - education is always designed 'how deliberate is it?

Leaders and Legends Online learning - Professor Mike Sharples

 Dr. Mark Nichols' podcast on Leaders and Legends of Online Learning this week is with Professor Emeritus Mike Sharples. 

Began with an overview of his career, how it started with a degree in computer science and worked towards his PhD on cognition, computers and creative writing. He has always worked with AI and Gen AI for over 50 years. 

He compared the 'sudden awareness' of AI to how the internet developed. Much work undertaken over many decades before user relevance and other parts supporting the concept, took it into the mainstream. As with the www, important to think through implications and have guardrails with AI as there are many ways it can be utilised for good and also for bad.

Discussed his involvement across the 2000s with mobile learning as a means to provide more personal and individualised learning. 

Then provided an overview of how the UK version of MOOC - futurelearn - was set up to bring in good practice and pedagogy based on understanding of neuroscience into the design of futurelearn. A successful learning platform, distinctively difference from other MOOCs which are based mainly on lectures. In contrast, futurelearn stresses social learning opportunities along with the usual online learning platform mechanics.

Then introduced his most recent books including Story Machines: How computers have become creative writers.

Discussed the importance of social constructivist learning. Personalised learning is one piece but not the only one. There is still a need for learners to interact with their peers, teachers etc. to springboard and synthesise, discuss and defend their stance, weight up and evaluate their conceptual understanding. AI should not be only a technological tool but needs to be led by pedagogy. Encouraged the need to ensure the use of technology is more human centred. 

Summarised the important components of a new online system. Pedagogy is essential. Concepts include the need to have spaced learning, ensure learning is a social process, feedback is provided at the right time,and the need to build learner efficacy. AI-enhanced collaborative learning must be the goal.

Proposed the most important research is to find out how to best leverage technology to encourage and support social learning, rather than just go down the personalised learning route. New methods of assessment also need to be considered to allow for social learning and to focus on assessments for learning. Some ideas include peer assessments, the opportunity for learners to express their judgment, and evaluative and critical thinking. 

Now he is retired, his research interest centres around the future of technology-enhanced education. He is able to concentrate on research without the distractions of the other aspects of an academic career. Recommended to follow the work of colleagues at the University of Sussex and Looi Chee Kit (Nanyang Technological University and The Educational University of Hong Kong) who has had success introducing many principles of learning sciences at the primary school level. 

Unpicking Te Pūkenga - commentary on what is happening and what may work

 Roger Smyth  has had a long association with Aotearoa NZ tertiary education and his occasional blogs  provide viewpoints from his background as a policy analyst. He draws from both his experiences, scholarly work and his networks, to provide commentary on contemporary issues affecting tertiary education.

His latest blog, discusses a 'where to next' with regards to Te Pūkenga' as the process of its disestablishment begins. He summarises the reasons for the formation of Te Pūkenga, as a solution to the challenging financial position almost all of the country's polytechnics faced before merger. Discussion is had on the many facets of the reform of vocational education (RoVE) and the problems with combining the two arms of VET, the polytechnics with the industry training organisations (ITO).

He then discusses a few options for the creation of a network of regional polytechnics, how to try to bring some synergy between the objectives of polytechnics and the work-based support provided by ITOs, what do do with the funding system, and how to ensure employer and industry representations on skill needs is carried through to the standards setting function, currently held by Work Development Councils (WDCs).

It will be interesting to see how prescient some of his suggestions are, given that to date, little information has been available on what the post-Te Pūkenga landscape might look like going into the future. 

Sociomaterial design: Bounding technologies in practice - book overview

The book - Sociomaterial-Design edited by P. Bjorn and C. Osterlund was published in 2014 by Springer. 

There are 9 chapters, including the first chapter which introduces the concepts of sociomateriality and design.

The precepts of sociomateriality are argued to be useful in better understanding complex interactions. Design is brought in as to how processes are developed, and planned, initially impact on how people and things interrelate and interact. Therefore there are connections and commonalities between the two. How sociomateriality is affected by design and in turn feeds back on the efficacy of design, is a basis for better understanding intricate human associations, reactions and responses. 

5 chapters follow the introduction, reporting on a project (the emergency department in a hospital) and using it as a way to further illustrate the principles of how sociomateriality impinges on work. The last three chapters bring the various threads together with a chapter specifically on 'boundaries' and how actions affect these, how the findings can be applied to contexts beyond the healthcare sector and the overall implications on the discipline.

The concepts are now even more relevant as humans and machines' interactions and even the intertwining of the two into 'enhanced' entities become reality. 

AI tools for instructional designers

 The number of Gen AI supported apps/tools available is increasing rapidly. Here is a list from the eLearning Coach of recommendations for instructional designers. Many of these are also useful for teachers and learners.

The tools are organised into categories of animation, audio enhancement or improvement, audio text-to-speech tools, chatbot builders, classroom instruction, content search and generation, course creation, image editing, meeting apps (record, transcribe, summarise etc.), presentations, productivity, scholarly research, translation, video, and writing. 

In all, a good collation, showing the versatility of Gen AI incorporation into many tools that already existed but now 'enhanced'.