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. 

FLANZ presentation on impact of AI on online, flexible and distance learning

Notes from today's   'AI is here to stay: Its impact on online, flexible, and distance learning', offered by FLANZ (Flexible Learning Association NZ) in partnership with EdTech NZ and as part of TechWeek here in Aotearoa.

Panellist include  Dr. Rebecca Marrone, Dr. Mark McConnell, Shanon O' Connor and Dr. Truman Pham with facilitation from Bettina Schwenger. 

Shanon O'Connor from Tōnui Collab starts things off. Shared experiences as to how to provide equitable access to Māori, especially with those who live in rural/isolated areas and those currently affected due to damage to infrastructure from the Cyclone. AI could be useful in providing personalised learning. At the school level, some are finding AI challenging. However, digital inequity is also an important first step as without hardware, capability/ adequate digital literacies, AI tools are not accessible. Cautioned on the use of AI which, due to its underlying epismological sources, can be biased for non-mainstream cultures. Māori digital sovereignty is an important aspect to keep in mind (see work of Dr. Kariatiana Tainui). 

Dr. Mark McConnell shared reflections from a 'front-line' university teacher. Background with all all University of Auckland exams are now online, with most being open book and submitted online. The immediate challenge is how to work through students using AI and how to find out if students actually has the knowledge and skills to complete the assessment. Found that Chat GPT scored well on first year assessment questions (multiple choice and short answer for legal questions). Borderline for year 2 questions but failed with complex legal issues and concepts. Case studies, legislations etc etc often made up by ChatGPT!! but seems to have improved over time. Responded by putting all questions into ChatGPT, and reworking questions where required. Discussed the challenges with large numbers of students, to detect AI content and how Ai tools do not always provide opportunities for students to learn essential thinking skills. Shared guidelines (as decision made not to ban Chat GPT): use at your own risk, need to verify accuracy of answers, academic integrity and no expectation to use it. Strategies to use to: include using images, integrate ChatGPT into the question to evaluate what has been produced for authenticity, validity etc. 

Dr. Truman Phan from AcademyEX next with discussion on the approach taken with students, to ensure they are attain all aspects of digital, including AI literacies. AI needs to be used with responsibility but also ensure inclusive and equitable for all. Digital divide is very real. As with Shanon's presentation, first steps to ensure digital equity needs to be attained before engagement with AI is possible. 

A recording from Dr. Rebecca Marrone from the University of South Australia followed. Provided an example of an adaptive learning platform, which is also mediated with AI. Learning is personalised or differentiated as they move through the platform. Discussed ethical considerations with regards to learning analytics. Presented on opportunities for both learners and lecturers/teachers. 

Q & A followed. 

Handbook of Open, Distance and Digital Education - open access

 This open access book published by Springer at the end of last year and edited by Olaf Zawacki and Insung Jung, collects a contemporary range of articles on open, distance and digital education. This field is very large and the book captures some of the work and projects undertaken.

The book has 80 chapters. An introductory chapter by the editors sets the scene and providers a summary of each of the six sections. Sections include:

- the macro level overview of the field with history, theory and research

- collated global perspectives and internationalization

- the meso level reports on institutional perspectives, management and organisation with leadership and change

- meso level infrastructure , quality assurance and support systems

- the micro level with learning and teaching including learners, teachers, media and technology

- design, delivery and assessment.

All in, a good range of articles to dig into as the need/interest arises. The entire book can also be downloaded as with each chapter. 

Reshaping vocational education and training in Aotearoa New Zealand - book link and overview

 

Disclaimer: I am co-author for this book. 

This book, the fruit of two years of effort by many authors from across Aotearoa New Zealand, records the many initiatives, innovations and developments across the vocational education and training (VET) sector as the country enacts the outcomes of the recent reform on VET (RoVE). Industry Training Organisations (ITOs) with 30 years of history and service to their industries, and Institute of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs), many with contributions of over a century to VET, all merge into Te Pūkenga, the NZ Institute of Skills and Technology (NZIST) as of January 2023. 

There are 20 chapters: 4 chapters covering the histories of the ITOs and ITPs, along with the rationale, outcomes and possible implications of RoVE. There are chapters on how ITOs and ITPs work towards addressing inequitable access and outcomes especially for Māori, Pacific, workplace learners and women in the trades. "Innovations" across the sector are also covered, including the application of design thinking towards development and deployment of a culinary arts degree programme, degree apprenticeship in infrastructure asset management, networked/distributed learning in degree midwifery programmes, collaborative development and delivery of the Bachelor in Engineering Technology (BEngTech) programme across 6 ITPs, recognition of prior learning, learning design for practice-based learning, definitions of distance and online learning, and the need for ongoing professional development to assure quality VET provision.

All in, the book makes a contribution towards recording the sector as it moves towards new ways of collaborating and managing VET in Aotearoa NZ consolidates. 

Handbook of Open, Distance and Digital Education - a living book

 Springer is publishing a series of 'handbooks' using a progressive publication model. The Handbook of Open, Distance and Digital Education is published using a 'living edition' model whereby chapters are uploaded, as they complete the peer review and editorial review processes.

All the chapters in this book are open access and currently there are 15 chapters (was 13 last week). Will keep an eye on this book as chapters are uploaded as they provide a current 'state of play' with regards to the macro, meso and micro-level developments in the field. At the moment, the categorisation of the chapters is not complete but will be in place as the number of chapters increase.

Asia-Pacific Online and Distance Learning (APODE) presentation - distance education in the new normal

Through my membership with the Flexible Learning Association of NZ (FLANZ), I am able to access the presentations for this week's Asia-Pacific Online and Distance Learning (APODE) 2021. Presentations run all week but I am only able to attend a couple. Hopefully, recorded sessions will be available on the FLANZ website.

Here are notes are from a panel discussion with Dr. Aras Buzkurt and Dr. Ramesh Sharma on 'distance education for a new normal: Implications for a post COVID world. 

Dr. Sharma began with welcome and thanks to the other associations aligned with APODE and for their support. Introduced the role and objectives of APODE. 

Reiterated how the pandemic has spotlighted distance education and the importance of leveraging off this. Introduced Dr. Buzhurt and himself. 

Dr. Sharma began with overview of the pandemic and how it has affected education across the world. Made the connection to the possibilities availed - see The Fourth Education Revolution (Sir Anthony Sheldon) - with the 4th revolution based around AI. 

Sumised there were 3 waves of pandemic pedagogy - f2f to screen - screen - mask to mask education. Provided an example from India whereby the school used loudspeakers to broadcast learning to students living in several apartment blocks as the students did not have internet. Suggested 'it is better to fail originally than not to innovate at all'. Normal is very much based on context. The pandemic provides the impetus to question existing pedagogies. Building to last is now not viable, it should be build to adapt. Need to humanise pandemic pedagogy, especially in countries which have digital equity challenges. Transactional distance can be bridged using a range of methodologies. Affective proximity always important in teaching/learning. An intellectual renaissance required to work through and seek solutions which will work across many contexts.

Reminded the audience to look at Asian Journal of Distance Education.  

Dr. Bozhurt then presented a series of reflections - sometimes it takes a natural diaster to reveal a social disaster (Jim Wallis). Shared the shift of paradigms BC (before covid) and AC (after covid) leading to a new and next normal- with normal being a relational / subject to interpretation term. Responses from education (teaching and learning) are also not predictable or set. Emergency remote education (ERE) summarised as 'not normal' due to the need to respond rapidly. Trying to use substitution approach has not been successful in may cases. However, we could have created a global /online village for all learners! New learning ecosystems - transformations, digital ecosystems and digital 'twins' are now available. For both teachers and students, digital burnout and fatigue have made the experience more difficult. Issues of surveillance, ethics and data privacy have been highlighted. The digital divide began visible and obvious, leading to social divide and inequities in access to education. Called for more opennes and open education. 

Called for the need to support parents as teachers and the building of relationships between families, teachers and school. Including support for the mental anxieties triggered across the pandemic. Pedagogy of care and trauma-informed teaching and learning anchors human-centred pandemic pedagogogy. Support communities need to be financial, emotional and pedagogical. 

Contented that Higher Education especially has had their approaches revealed (not all for the good). Proposed a shift towards a hybrid/blended modality in education with openess, flexibility and different entry points to address inequalities. Now is the time to renew, recalibrate and reposition. People first, content second, technology third (Dennen, 2020). Teaching and learning are primarily about human beings, for human beings and by human beings. Finished with 'what will learners remember from this time' - students will remember not the content, but who cared about their learning'. In the educational kingdom, context is king, content is queen, quality is the crown and care and empathy are the kingdom itself. 

Good summary. 

 

Top 10 elearning books

 Catching up on reading, especially around learning (instructional) design as there is a need to critique, connect, synthesise etc. the current approaches for learning design, with what we currrently understand about practice-based learning.

I found this useful list of top ten picks on online learning (for 2019).  Which then led on to their full list of elearning books - must read books on online learning. 

The resources are curated by a Canadian organisation - teachonline.ca. and is perhaps best known for their 'pockets of innovation' series. The latest version published in 2019. 

The site also maintains an searchable directory of upcoming internaitonal education and technology conferences - most of which are now offered online, providing an opportunity for NZers to attend :) 

Teaching on-line resources

 There has been a large amount of energy poured into supporting the shift to online learning due to the closure of educational institutions as a consequence of the covid-19 pandemic.

Through Proffesor Mark Brown's LinkedIn post, comes this link to a large collection of resources. 

The resources are largely from higher education, produced by universities to support their lecturers. 

There is a useful list of research reports (see 5.7) of relevance for reference and this is followed by a section on the planning for the new future of education. In sum, these resources call for the need to have a longer term plan, strategy and vision, going forward beyond 2020.

A good site archiving contemporary material and the responses to the pandemic as things evolve. 

Kick off sessions #8 - Students' and student advisors' perspectives

 

I assist with the facilitation of two sessions today at the Ara Institute of Canterbury Kick-off series of professional development workshops.

Firstly, session #8 with Marion Hale revisiting students perspectives on ‘distance learning’ and then session #9 with Alan Hoskin to introduce the concept of flexible learning - see later blog.

#8 ran from noon to 1 pm. We began with reiterating the importance of the student voice as it is part of Ara strategic focus to have the learner at the heart of learning.

3 vignettes from the session we ran in May were replayed. These were recorded statements from students on how their courses went. In the main, the students appreciated the pastoral support provided from their lecturers and the wider Ara team. They were happy with the many ways lecturers restructured their courses, the use of zoom to run synchronous sessions and access to zoom recordings and resources via Moodle. Challenges were individualised to the contexts of students. Finding resources for learning was difficult for trades student; students with young family found it very difficult to carve out time and space for their own study over the lockdown; most found there was too much communication from Ara coming their way – a balance would have been good.

Statements from student advisors were then played. Our student advisor team support students with outside of course pastoral care. Their perspectives were enlightening with respect to two important items. The first is the issue of digital equity. Many students did not own a laptop or have access to a PC. Mobile phones were not sufficient for distance learning structured around using a laptop or PC. Access to WiFi/mobile data was also difficult for some students. The other issue was the implication of withdrawal/deferment. Lecturers advised some students to defer or withdrawal last semester and these now impact on students’ eligibility for student allowance and entry back into programmes. These implication need to be better understood.

We then went through the common themes and discussed how Ara has responded and what needs to be still done to address the themes.

The themes indicate the need to be prepared by ensuring learners and Ara knew the types of digital devices learners had with them to access learning. Lecturers need to introduce the tools likely to be used if distance learning is required. Resources (videos, online quizzes, learning activities etc.) require preparation or finding before distance learning needs to be started up. 

Therefore prepareness are keys to ensuring the next time around (hopefully not!) the online learning experience is less stressful and more enriching for all. 

Educational technology research and development journal - good contemporary articles

Doing a catch up on reading in preparation for putting together a short book on the topic of 'practice-based learning via distance learning' or similar title - perhaps 'digitally enabling 'learning by doing' in vocational education and training' or 'technology-enhanced learning: Supporting learning by doing'.

One journal I am able to access via the Ara institutional databases is 'Educational technology research and development' published by Springer. There is a 1 year wait for access to articles which I can live with :)

The focus of the journal - as the only scholarly journal in the elearning/educaitonal techology field focusing on R & D, makes the articles pertinent, given one of the chapters in the proposed book will be on 'how technology enhance learning' may support the future of work/future of learning for practice-based, experential type learning.

The journal is into it's 68th volume!! so rather a lot to catch up on but I am concentrating on articles published in the last decade as educationaly technology type R & D, does have a 'use by date'.

There is a US of A slant in the articles, given the editors and most on the editorial board are also from the US of A, and the journal's affliation is to the Association for Educational Communications and Technology. See this link for useful resources (higher education) to cope with Covid-19 challenges.

A useful resource for all who work in the technology-enhanced learning area.

Transforming universities with digital distance education - book overview

Mark Nichols has written a timely book - Transforming universities with digital distance education: The future of formal learning, published by Routledge (2020).

Mark is the executive director of learning design and development at the NZ Open Polytechnic and a well recognised supporter and scholar in the distance education/elearning field.

The book is a 'must read' as it summarises the many challenges faced by higher education (and by inference and association, also the vocational education and training) currently and into the future. The pandemic has amplified the challenges and also reinforced the need to provide for alternatives to the majority direction of HE. That is HE is front-loading, with a full-time cohort of young people, seeking qualifications to obtain stable employment. The opposite is now required as the impacts of the future of work, likely now accelerated by the impact of the pandemic on world economies and societies, require quite a different way to provide for life-long education. Importantly, the book provides some suggestions for a way forward.

The book is relatively short (160 pages plus) with eight chapters. Therefore a quick read over the weekend :) Chapters 1 and 2 lay out the context, the current ways things have proceeded and the rationale for change.

Chapter 3 overviews a series of models possible for university education and chapter 4 sets out the Digital Distance Education (DDE) model. The next 4 chapters than go through the ways to operationalise the model for learners, teachers, learning design and organisational change.

The DDE model is premised on 5 precepts (page 5). These are accessibility, scalability, personalisation of learning, shaped by societal needs, and also driven by learners' interests and motivations. The first chapter rationalises these precepts providing a clear argument for why change is required and how this could be accomplished.

The DDE proposed is characterised by being consistent, data-analytics driven, digitally agile, evidence based, expert taught,(including lead academic, learning activity designer, teacher/tutor/facilitator and learner pastoral support team), flexible, learning activity orientated, part-automated/AI assisted, relational (as in sociocultural supported by teachers and peers), success driven and systematic.

The book summarises and provides details for putting into practice, constructivist and androgogical learning models. The needs of learners are supported with quantifiable evidence including the use of learning analytics and data from 'AI assisted' platforms to assist with providing learners with 'personal learning environments'. What is good about the book is that it provides examples, readily understood especially by the NZ audience due to the use of the NZ qualification frameworks etc., and pragmatically guides the processes of distance learning programmes.

Principles introduced and discussed through the book will require much work, on the part of educational institutes to operationalise. There is a clear need for strategic direction, resourcing and capability building across the sector before DDE fulfils its potentialities. Leadership is key to leveraing off some of the shifts, post-pandemic in NZ - to move forward. Of importance is the need to ensure the learning is 'placed at the heart of learning' but with sufficient support for learners to reap the benefits of personalisation of learning. There is still much work to be done! but hopefully, NZ is travelling along the right trajectory towards ensuring learning is led by the learners' motivations, capabilities and future direction. 

Tertiary teaching and mental health - Ako Aoteoroa Academy Talking Teaching webinar with Professor Marc Wilson

Attended the inaugural Ako Aotearoa Academy Taking Teaching webinar presented by the Acadmy president, Marc Wilson. The topic was  'making sure you've got your mask on before helping others': post-secondary teaching and mental health in the context of a pandemic.

About 30 participants from across the NZ tertiary education sector. Recording of the session uploaded to the Talking Teaching website in due course.

Mark covered mental health and well-being as it is a topic he has done work on. Began with rationale for the talk - with an increase in studies being undertaken on the effect of Covid-19 and associated changes to the way learning had to be shifted. Mental health of students, given faculty are not counsellors, has risen. There is a call to make online learning 'less brutal' and to provide sufficient support for students to cope with the change. 

Had participants do a quick check using the University Stress Scale (Stallman, 2008) on 'how much have the following caused you stess in the past?' 60% of students score indicates university study as being stressful. Academics teaching in university perhaps no different (UK stats in 2019 report 40% of academics there are stressed by expectations and workload, supported by Times Education 2017 survey).

Important to ensure well-being not only for students but also for tertiary educators - see TWANZ for background and Okanagan charter. 

Discussion centred around coping with continual, unremitting change and the stresses associated with challenges not only at work but, home, the ongoing pandemic, economic fall-out post 'lock-down' etc. plus the unknowns of the near future.

The progressed to strategies for teaching and learning that worked or were difficult. There was impetus to share resources and to continue the conversation. 

Online assessments - Matthew Hillier podcast

Another podcast from the Leaders and Legends podcast series recorded in May with Dr. Matthew Hillier on the topic of online exams and assessments.

Began with background and how he became interested in e-assessments. He has worked in several universities and started working on e-assessments with Geoffrey Crisp. 
The focus of the podcast is on online exams/assessments as summative assessments.

Provided a summary of the evolution of e-assessments from over a decade ago, moving from using USB sticks to learning managements systems, virtual environments (second life) etc. or conducting exams via distance.

Sees covid-19 as a tipping point in having to pay attention to online learning which could be disregarded in the past. Designing for good online learning does not have to have so many synchronous sessions. Exams do not have to be synchronous and expensive on-line proctoring systems are not necessarily the solution. Shifting to distance needs to be carefully considered and not rushed - as is happening now. Provided an example of University of New England's 5 year journey to implement on-line proctoring and this did set them up well for the current challenges.

Supported the 'not all have to do the same' scenario as each discipline, student cohort, accreditation requirements etc. Therefore important to understand the 'needs' and work at finding a good solution.

Covered the important underpinning systems to be taken into account which include authencity, security and scalability. Difficult to have all three in place and each requires careful consideration. Security may result in usability issues. Authenticity of assessment and learner is key. To ensure both authencity and security makes scalability difficult. Cost effectiveness is also difficult if both authencity and security are to be met. Effectiveness of these also need to be balanced with pedagogical approaches.

Therefore, need to look at assessments and how innovation can be used to shift the way assessments are carried out. Example is the use of augmented reality exam (on second life) and to collect spatial data as the evidence of learning. Authencity of the activity and the learner's reactions and interactions is possible using this form of assessment.

Ethics needs to be considered and some online proctoring platforms are being resisted due to the challenges of ensuring privacy for the learner. Exams are passe and other ways of assessing must be considered. However, accreditation agencies etc. still require exams :( so educators need to think of ways to modernise exams which still have rigour. Opportunities are still to be explored, including the use of workplace practice, oral 'exams' etc.

Overall, a good summary of the challenges, potentialities and update on online exams and eassessments.

Educational technology - textbook - free download during pandemic lockdown

The book 'Educational technology - a primer for the 21st century', published in 2019 by Springer, and authored by Ronghuai Huang, J. Michael Spector, Junfeng Yang, is available for free download during the pandemic lockdown period.

It is a handy reference guide and textbook for learning instructional designers and academic developers. The main pedagogical theories and approaches are covered with brief overviews. As the book is structured as a textbook, each chapter begins with main topics, the learning objectives and suggested learning activities. Therefore, the book can be usefully applied for self-study as well as supporting courses in instructional design, teacher education and technology-enhanced learning. The subject matter is generalised to all sectors/levels of education.

The first three chapters provide a good background introduction to the subject and covers the main pedagogical theories - behavourism, cognitism and constructivism along with a chapter on the importance of connecting learning objectives to learning activities and assessments (i.e. constructive alignment).

Part 2 with 4 chapters on -perspectives of education - is recommended reading. The perspectives are the system, educational technology, user and learning experiences. Roughly tracing the trajectory of using technology to support education.

Then Part 3 with 5 chapters, cover the 'how to' aspects of implementing and integrating technology to support teaching and learning. A chapter on learning spaces is included.

The last chapter looks into emerging issues. A bit dated already by covers the technologies of learning analytics, wearable devices etc. ethics, security and privacy and emerging issues.

Overall, the book is useful as a text book. It is not a scholarly work on educational technologies as such but more of a guide and 'how to' which is useful for practitioners interested in understanding the underlying theories to support their teaching or learning design. 

Returning to LinkedIn as a resource - distance/remote learning

I joined LinkedIn quite a few years ago but never really participated until a couple of months ago.

The reasons are many, but one would be the 'corporate' or 'organisational management' focus for many of the posts in my feed due to the people I am linked in with.

However, the international effects of Covid-19 has meant everyone has been affected as people scramble, in their own contexts, to cope with the need for rapid change.

The effect on having to shift education online has therefore created a large amount of activity and LinkedIn has been a source of many good articles, resources, think pieces and guides on how to cope.

Here is a small selection, gleaned over the last couple of weeks:

- Inge de Waard has provided some 'quick guides' on shifting from f2f to remote/distance learning, albeit from a higher education context, but still good templates to customise from.

- Alison Miller who consults in the elearning arena, provides links to a range of resources.

- Mark Nichols work on distance learning is always good to keep up with.

- Derek Wenmoth often helps educators see beyond the present and presents implication for current decisions.

- Michael Sankey's work is focussed on bigger picture and organisation strategy  related to on-line learning.

- Peter Mellow often links to useful resources for educators.

- Joyce Seitzinger is a go to for learning design in the area of distance/online learning.

- Mark Brown provides a mix of links to the big picture and educator practice.

Therefore, tapping into the present social networking opportunities, provides for a way to benchmark what we are doing at Ara. In particular, some idea of what others are doing, the important theoretical underpinnings for decisions made on curriculum and learning design, and reflections on things that have worked and challenges. All in, a good way to be supported and not feel that we are not the only ones caught up in a massive shift from the known into the unforseeable.

Holding on to institutional learning in response to swift change

We are now into our third week of Level 4 'lockdown' in New Zealand, with another week to go. Indications are promising, with a decline in number of covid-19 cases in the last several days. A decision will be made Monday next week (20/4) on what will happen next. Whether the country will continue at L4 or move progressively to L3. Even at L3, most schools and VET institutes and universities will likely remain closed for the short term.

Therefore, we continue with distance/remote delivery for the short term, with plans to move back into normal delivery soon. Planning for the next month or so, will therefore be difficult, given the uncertainties. At the moment, after 3 weeks of intense activity providing professional development and support to our lecturers to move to distance delivery, we move into the next stage of ensuring distance delivery challenges are provided with sufficient advise and information to solve these. Coupled with this work, is the next step of ensuring learning and teaching for the rest of the semester is also well resourced and supported. One key task will be to help lecturers re-configure summative assessments to allow for distance learning. We have begun looking into on-line invigilation/proctoring platforms. These tools come at some costs and summative assessments online have not been encouraged. However, there will be a few programmes requiring traditional exams, due to registration board requirements and we will need to find, evaluate, test and implement a process very quickly, if exams have to be run online.

The Easter 'break' has also provided some time to reflect on the swift changes. I have been ambivalent about the range of on-line tools we have been supporting our lecturers to use. In the main, these tools (LMS, video conferecing, video lecture capture), provide a way for our lecturers to replicate f2f teaching on-line. The 'push' content out to learners model, is still the majority approach instead of a 'pull' and co-constructed model of learning which is possible. Digital literacy challenges and some equity issues with learners access to hardware and infrastructure (wifi) mean some programmes have been able to move into a holding pattern of sorts. However, in the main, we still see the teacher directed model as predominant. Therefore, in a way, as with the earthquakes, the opportunity to sift practice has been lost, due to constraints of time and capability.   However, there will be pockets of innovation, these we need to record, evaluate, celebrate and disseminate.

Derek Wenmouth provides some ideas for moving forward. There is need to think through what is to be emphased, going forward. Is education to meet compliance/'quality'/learner outcomes? or should we transition to something better? In the VET sector, the combination of the sudden move to another mode of delivery, unfamiliar to many institutes, and the formation of the NZ Institute of Skills and Technology, provide a once in a generation opportunity to shift practice. We learnt much from coping with the earthquakes, almost a decade ago. However, may initiatives moved back to the status quo once the market driven model of education took precedence. After all, Canterbury providers had to compete with all the other institutes and 'doing thing differently' was often 'less cost efficient'

Hopefully, this time around, some of the learnings from having to move to another form of delivery, will provide the nucleus for really actioning the mantra of 'the learner at the heart of learning'. As meeting the covid-19 challenge has shown, we have the technology and much of the capability with some innovation being shown. These need to be tapped into, going into the future, to ensure VET is 'seamless' as far as the learner is concerned and that 'delivery' is driven by the learner, not by the educational provider, as has been the case thus far.

Are you zoomed out?

I think I can speak for many when I say 'I am zoomed out!'. Last week, our team ran 4 workshops for our lecturers as they prepare to embark on distance learning. We had daily zoom team meetings to coordinate the workshops, debrief and additional meetings with our learning technologies to work out the technology. Average number of video conferencing meetings - 4 per day! All of this activity, left little time to do actual work.

This week, we are only offering one workshop this morning, to tie things together and bring the series of 'distance learning teaching' workshops to a close. However, we will be supporting the learning technologies team with their workshops covering our core learning platforms, Moodle, Panopto (for video sharing) and zoom (for video conferencing). They are offering 5 workshops this week, Taking that is a short week as Friday is a public holiday, it will be another busy week on-line in virtual meetings.

Therefore, it was good to read through this blog by Daniel Stanford on iddblog on alternatives to video conferencing. Our lecturers have become attached to zoom as it provides an easy entry into distance teaching. However, the 'stage on the sage' delivery approach is prevalent when all you do when you move to teaching on-line, is replicate the lecture. Therefore, the blog provides a platform for thinking through, more critically, the other ways possible to connect with and engage our learners.

Preparing for a digital university - report and new learning management system alternatives

This came up a couple of weeks ago and I have been dipping into the report off and on to glean items relevant to my various projects.

A review of the history and current state of distance, blended, and online learning

2015 edited by Siemens, G., Gasevic, D. and Dawson, S.

Publication supported by the the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Overviews the history and state of distance education, blended learning, online learning, credentialing and assessment (with discussion on badges), massive open online courses (MOOCs) and a final, wrap up chapter, on future technology infrastructures for learning.

Background to the report is provided on Siemen's blog along with a reply to critique from Stephen Downes. There is also review and overview of the above discussion here from Geoff Cain.

As usual, there is no definitive way to approach the review, but as brought up by Downes, there are some omissions in the chapters on distance learning / blended learning which should have been part of the report. However, the report does provide some updates on alternatives to learning management systems, worth further exploration.

The last chapter – indicates some movement towards assisting learners to form their own personal learning environments. Tools / apps / platforms profiled include:

prosolo – has a support framework towards assisting learners to become self-directed – self direction and competency.

Others include Knewton, SmartSparrow, 

OLI - Domain of one’s own/reclaim, open learning initiative

 

LoudCloud - provides measured control, ownership between learner and institution, integration as loosely coupled or enterprise level and structure as decentralised or centralised

TEx - from the University of Texas to bring competency based education into the mix

Unizin  and Apereo

Research projects exploring the PLE landscape include Athabasca University's The Landing, federated wiki, gRSShopper, Learning and perfomance support system (LPSS) with  Canadian example, and Known - an open source social publishing site.

So there is movement across various countries at PLEs. something to keep an eye on.

  

Ascilite day 2 morning

Day 2 begins with a keynote from Professor of elearning Niki Davis from the University of Canterbury. Niki presents on 'prizing' open eduction as in getting to grips with and with treasuring. We are good at doing new things and seeking new ways but we are not so good at finding out whether what we do is any good. Call to revisit the trends scenarios set up after the DEANZ conference in 2009. Shared notes are on Google doc http/tinyurl.com/ascilite2014

Four scenarios are articulation, supermarket, self determination and quality brand consortia. 

Provided example of development of a MOOC on technology diffusion and models of change in education. In conjunction with Wayne McKintosh as MOOC deployed OER. Course in 2013 as a micro MOOC alongside a normal course with OERu.

Challenge of open journals as resource for the MOOC and ease of access to journals by DEANZ and ASCILITE.

Has technology improved education for all? Digital equity gap not diminishing. New project elearning for adults with literacy and numeracy needs. Need to ensure elearning is relevant to and useful for adults with literacy needs. Re engage and motivate students in a variety of ways to suit individual needs - truck drivers with low literacy and mobile work, use mobile computing as focus. More communication and tutors feedback suited to device ownership and work context. Family communication, grand parents digital literacy. Culturally appropriate with informal and familiar environment. Numeracy in authentic situated learning. Application of games where relevant. 

Elearning needs to think about global and equity aspects. 

Ascilite awards made for innovation and excellence to University of Queensland flip classroom, Macquarie University and Auckland university for work in portfolios in health science.

Life membership to Gregor Kennedy. 

After morning tea, concurrent session begin and I chair 3 papers. First up, Jo Lander from the University of Sydney on the role of the interpersonal in online knowledge construction. Reports on investigation on asynchronous discussions potentials and challenges. Importance of building an online discussion community but student tend to not be able to reach higher level of critical thinking through learning based on asynchronous discussions. In 3 context on communicable disease, obesity and tobacco control. Used linguistic discourse (systemic function) to analyse discussions to establish interpersonal, ideation/ knowledge building and textural / mode/genre. Provided examples from the data to study how community building proceeds, instruction giving. Expectations for knowledge construction include bring in prior knowing, a synthesis  or transformation, opinion or argument etc. need for moderators to open space for other voices. Interactions between moderator and students and between students were rarely challenging, negative and / or critical. Online discussions become blends of conversation and academic, fragmented, incomplete and jointly constructed. So, academic writing not practiced and discussions do not use language of academia. Implications on social media Type relationships and disconnect to academic discourse. 

Second session with Salome Meyer from EIT with blended learning: student experiences. Blended learning of 5 Batchelor degrees through merger of 2 institutes in 2011. Evaluated student experience with BL with focus on development and delivery across skills. Study in 2012. Prior to start of BL most students who completed the survey had not experienced online learning. When BL started, majority of students expressed positive engagement with online learning. Students felt support for shift to online learning was insufficient but most other including taking responsibility for learning and flexibility. Staff capability was an issue which students picked up. Recommendation to develop comprehensive plan to support BL initiatives. 

The third session is with Penelope Rush from the University of Tasmania wide open listening: what is it really like to be a distance student? Survey undertaken to improve support services to students and raise awareness of support. Survey of 1000 plus students a 17% response rate. Themes through grounded theory included enables self determinism, flexibility, necessity, location and positive. Highest responses in flexibility with the second in necessity. Worse aspects included isolation, resources responsibility, unconsidered balance/ travel. Distance learning improvements included improvement of resources, contact, consideration, communications. Flexibility needs have to be balanced with synchronised sessions by webinars or similar.