Hyflex #3

 With omicron now starting to spread across Aotearoa New Zealand, institutes are challenged on two fronts. The first, how to provide learning for students who are unvaccinated and not able to attend f2f classes; the second on the provision of learning to students who are ill/or have symptoms and unable to be in class. Coupled with the above is also the challenge of teachers who are unvaccinated and teachers who become too ill to teach.

Continuing on from posts made last hear - Hyflex introduction and Hyflex challenges and updates, this post is another addition to record the progress of Hyflex into the Aotearoa NZ portfolio of delivery options. 

Hyflex approach to online learning is where learners are able to have a choice as to whether to attend class f2f or complete the session online. Learners choose which delivery method works. Hence, the interest in hyflex has increased expotentially across the pandemic as one option to provide flexibility to students.

Columbia University have a good site providing information and Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) in Invercargil, Aotearoa begin offering the option to students this year, It will be interesting to follow their progress as the development of resources and teaching capability will be keys to success. The SIT programme is on 'screen arts' and the student cohort will be digitally fluent. This is a key to hyflex success for learners and not all programmes will have similar learner profiles. 

Metaverse - pros and cons

 Continuing on from last week's posting, I had a look through various posts on the pros and cons of the metaverse. What are its implications??

Firstly, EdSurge provides an overview with a focus the Facebook announcement  (the link takes you to the main EdSurge page and a search for metaverse will get you to the page). There is a brief 'bright and ugly' side of the metaverse on medium.com. 

Profulus provides a more indepth discussion. The post begins with a generalised overview and history including difference between cyberspace and Web 2.0. The main advantages are the expansion of social media beyond Web 2.0; innovative communications for work and education; new opportunities for business and marketers; complementing of the applications of blockchain technology; and the creation and promotion of a virtual economy. The main disadvantages relate to the digital divide; erosion of human relationships and society as we know it; and privacy and security issues. These are reiterated by Konsyse.

Techrepublic puts on the black hat and provides reasons for why jumping on to the metaverse is a bad idea.

For education, there are many challenges to bringing learners into the metaverse. Costs and the digital divide are the main barriers. Mixed reality is still the most cost effective approach but requires resourcing for learning design and programme development. Throw in the aspects of privacy, security and ethics, and the whole enterprise becomes even more challenging. So, as always, the hype provides a glimpse into future possibilties. The current pandemic may accelerate the shift to online and metaverse -based education. However, there is still some way to go before it is mainstream to have all learning in virtual environments. 

metaverse - what is it and how it may support education?

Had a look through a few resources to update on the hype surrounding the metaverse.  

This CNA documentary provides a good overview of the metaverse. Notes below: 

Summarises what it is, why it is NOW that it is more possible / accessible, and provides a range of examples.

The reporter also explains the contexts for the expansion of the metaverse beyond games. Second Life was a start with the popularity of Fortnite creating impetus for spending time online to socialise.

The current technology allow the creation of authentic avatars, creating more realistic inter-relationships.

Studios (sandbox VR) allow participants to play games in VR collaboratively. Participants do not only don VR goggles / hand controllers, but also a haptic vest. However, still not multimodal as spell/temperature etc. not possible.

Vocktails provide a concept where by taste / smell possible through virtual means. A range of flavours are possible, including sensations of  ‘tingling’ to enhance sensations of bitterness, sourness etc.

Commercial aspects of the metaverse well developed. Allowing accessories to be purchased for avatars. Services like interior design can also be purchased to ‘pimp’ ones VR environment.

Connecting the various aspects of current metaverse is being worked on, allowing for a virtual life.

Implications of how to distinguish between the virtual and real when one engages on the metaverse. Actions completed on the metaverse are stored/archived. Who owns this!! Digital ethics is a key aspect that is still nascent.

Still much to be done to allow for mainstream metaverse. Obvious advantages for education, especially bringing together AR and VR (mixed reality).

 In the educational context, edsurge provides an update. Still much to do for VR to be accessible. At the moment, the high cost of entry is a barrier. The coordination and integration of VR and AR is one way to provision experiences. This does require careful planning and design, again an added cost and time factor requirement. Will need to keep an eye on developments, especially given the current uncertainties of access to physical classrooms due to the pandemic.

Plans for 2022

Looking forward to another busy year. Covid-19 continues to be the unknown factor which will have an impact. Aotearoa NZ is set to open its borders to international travellers on 30^th April. Across the xmas and new year break, cases of the omicron variant has increased in many Northern hemisphere countries and in Australia. The ‘open’ border between NZ and Australia, set to begin mid-January, has been delayed to the end of February. It looks like the border opening may also be delayed.

From the beginning of the 2022 academic year, all colleagues and students will be required to be vaccinated for entry on to the campus. Given that over 95% of kiwis are vaccinated, there will only be small numbers of colleagues and students affected. Issues of equity and access to education means the institute must have plans in place to support all colleagues and students, regardless of their vaccination status. The work towards achieving this will keep my team busy as we start back at work for the year.

Apart from the effects of the pandemic, two other changes, one already in place and the other to occur beginning of next year, have consequences on my work.

Firstly, my line management is now through the People and Culture Division, instead of with the Academic division. There are 3 departments in P & C, Health, Safety and Wellbeing, HR and People and Capability. Learning design with learning technology and learning resources as part of Ara Whakapiki Ako (AWA) is now part of People and Capability along with teacher education and organisational capability. All of this re-jigging makes sense to ensure there is better cohesion across the support we offer our colleagues across the institution.

The other major factor is the amalgamation of all polytechnics and industry training organisations into Te Pūkenga. Details of the operating model or organisation structure etc. will be released early in the year. So a clearer picture of how things will work across the entire organisation will emerge. For the moment, Te Pūkenga capability development will be centrally managed. There should be major changes in the run up to next year.

On the research from, the edited book “Reshaping VET in Aotearoa NZ” is scheduled for publication by Springer. Co-editorship of the International Journal of Training Research continues with Professor SarojniChoy. We now have four associate editors as well, Professor Liz Atkins (UK), Dr.Benjamin Chan (Hong Kong), Professor Laurent Filliettaz (Switzerland) and Dr. Jason Skues (Australia). This will help us spread the load and maintain better oversight of the journal.

There will be a journal article to write, along with planning towards a book on ‘learning design for practice-based learning’. There is some work to be done as I need to become conversant with the extensive literature in the learning design area.

Let's hope this year sees the tail end of the pandemic.Whatever transpires, the year ahead will be busy and interesting :)