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. 

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. 

TEC webinar - Enhancing online teaching practice

'Attended' the webinar offered by the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) last Friday. 

Recording of the session now available (2/7/2020) at thislink which includes video. transcript and presentation slides.

The topic was on enhacing online teaching practice. Two presenters, Dr. Mark Nichols, Executive director for Learning Design and Development at the Open Polytechnic and Ali Hughes  Learning expererience and success Manager from the Tertiary Alliance NZ (TANZ) presented for about 15 minutes each. Question and answer session followed. The session was ably facilitated by Sara Williams, Principal Advisor at the TEC and had 500 people registered.

Mark provided an overview of several online learning theories for practice including the SAMR model and TPACK. He reiterated the importance of context. What works well in one course or cohort of student, may not work with another. Also reiterated that teachers cannot always be content, pedagogical and technology experts. Hence the need to ensure there is a collaborative, co-constructed relationship between instructional/educationa designers/developers and subject experts to create the best means to engage with and support learners.

Ali Hughes' presentation charted the learner experience. What worked and did not and the importance of understanding learner needs. She detailed the TANZ process and how learners were supported through distance learning. Especially important given TANZ courses range from level 3 to 7 with many learners first in family and second chance learners, seeking to attain the first step back into tertiary learning.

Both presentations were good overviews and the Q & A session worked through various questions posted on the chat function.

Podcast - Tony Bates on Future of online learning and higher education - post covid-19

Listened to the podcast from Mark Nichols podcast series - Leaders and Legends in online learning with Tony Bates. Tony spoke about the future of online learning and higher education. 

Tony has summarised key points in his blog.

Covered many points relevant to NZ, especially given the formation of NZIST (the NZ Institute for Skills and Technology tasked with providing vocational education) but much of the chat grounded in the Canadian and North American higher education context.

Firstly, he emphasise that leadership is required in strategising and making decision with regards to the future of learning. How much should online learning be supported and promoted requires planned approach rather than happen due to having to respond to 'forced change'.

To deal with the rapidly evvolving needs of work, learners need to learn the transversal or 'transferable' skills  required to cope with changes wrought by technological, social and economic changes. In NZ, the emphasis on graduate profile outcomes assist with this process but still needs to be supported and promoted more deeply within the sector. Critical thinking was identified as something all employers desire of graduates. Yet, critical thinking is difficult to pin down as it is a mixture of skills, application of knowledge and specific attributes and therefore difficult to be taught and measure. Online learning has a role to play

Thirdly, there is a need for better stucture to ensure lecturers have the skills to teach (f2f and online) and keep up to date as technology and pedagogy progress. 

Then, the role of instructional designers need to be scaled up, not only having one on one relationships with lecturers/faculty but creating templates and working on courses/programmes with wider reach. Has implications for NZIST.

Warned about the need to take care in how online education is promoted as campus based/high costs programmes might become only attainable by the rich and online becomes the option for thoses unable to afford tertiary education. 

Technology-enhanced learning strategy launch at CPIT

Yesterday evening, CPIT launched its Technology enhanced learning strategy with a series of presentations and a networking function hosted by the Learning technology steering group.

A vision of the future: launching CPIT's technology enhanced learning strategy was opened by Judith Brown, Director for all our departments .Judith provided links to strategic plan and rationale of the TEL strategy to support a more learner centred approach. Including need to go beyond dissemination to provide interactivity, critical engagement, enhanced feedback and closer contact between students.
Video from TV 3 Campbell live on modern learning environments to summarise the future of kiwi learning. Martin Jenkins, Centre for Educational Development manager,  provided summary of the TEL framework . TEL strategy seeks to combine development of existing technologies with innovation in new technologies.

Mark Nichols, Faculty manager from the Open Polytechnic (OPNZ) provided an engaging keynote.
Mark's topic was on CPIT as a bold eLeap. A challenge to staff to view learning as a designed process with support from disruptive learning technologies. Hw provided an overview of Open Poly practice and the challenges they face as a distance delivery institute. CPIT on the other hand has the advantage of f2f and needs to leverage off this. Mark provided an example of a tablet based competency based course in real estate management. Activities embedded into traditional text based content. Then effectively used 'show of hands' on ownership and use of technology to illustrate how much mobile technologies in particular are now mainstream.
Keynote closed with hints on how to progress with our 'bold eLeap Hints were -- do not give up! get serious about it i.e. design for learning and teaching as science (recommended Laurillard' s book - teaching as design science - as reference) and reiterated " you are the important part of it" - to add value, not to be replaced. Don't be a 'lone ranger'. think of it (the TEL strategy) as a licence to innovate and disrupt those infinitives.

Martin then went through the five goals of the TEL. These are TEL used to enhance student learning experience and success; create rich TEL environments; as part of a culture of collaboration both with in and out of institution; used to transform practice.

Current new initiatives like our academic literacies framework, pilot of learning spaces, equella digital repository, moodle 2.4 upgrade, echo 360 pilot, project tablet (microsoft RT tablets) were linked to the TEL strategy.

Video of examples of use of TEL at CPIT with the work of Steve Tomsett (engineering - flippin g the classroom), Katrina Fisher (barista -multimedia to assist learning of difficult skills) and Phillipa Seaton (nursing - blended learning) then launched.

Judith closed to session and networking with drinks and nibbles served at Visions.

Inspire tech at wintec on 18april

A bit late with this one as Easter intervened and I lost access to the internet for a few days while out of Perth. So, here are notes taken at the very well organised and inspirational Wintec professional development event for staff.

Merran Davis opened the proffessional development progrmme after karakia. Teaching quality program led by Julia Bruce has an objective to raise cababilities in using technology to enhance teaching and learning. Staff interested but at least half of staff not confident with using IT in teaching. So inspire tech organized, a two day PD program.

Keynote to start things going with Mark Nichols now Executive Director for Faculty at the Open Polytechnic. His work on elearning summarised well in his e-ako series. Topic extend, enhance, excite, engage and above all educate. Mark spoke about the importance of pedagogy and how technology can enhance learning. Covered understanding learning, is extend, enhance, excite and engage the focus? How does technology help? Eleaning can be defined as pedagogy empowered by technology.

Cautioned about the seduction of technocentrism whereas sound pedagogy utilizes appropriate technology suitable to subject, content and student. So not content but process important.

Should elearning move into a deeper realm. Where to? Social media learning? Does information availability make education redundant? How can elearning be unlocked? How can information be useful for education? Introduced the following books that discuss the pluses and minuses of digital revolution.

Google and the myth of universal knowledge - Jeanneney 2007
Here comes everyone - shirky 2008
Cult of amateur - Keen, 2007
Dumbest generation - Bauerlein 2009
Shallow generation - what Internet is doing to our brain - Carr 2010.
Mcneely 2010 makes the link with short term memory as stimulus working memory and information but long term memory as education. Perhaps, stimulus - excite and info - enhance, excite engage not main aim of education! What is our role as educator? Helping to form mental schema, transform perspectives and help them become xxx.

Some guides offered.

Diana Laurillard - conversational framework of learning - dialogue leading to a particular goal. Education is an alignment of the understanding between student and teacher.

Mezirow 2000 -  transformative learning from whist we know to how we know. Adapted by king 2009 into four steps.

Mark provided five principles for learning application
Focus on end not the means
Aim to be conversational
Keep the subject at the centre
Emphasis feedback and conceptual understanding
Be shamelessly transformative.

I faciliated two workshops at this event. The one in the morning as a general introduction to Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 possibilities. A change to evaluate a range of e tools for helping to enhance student learning. After lunch, a workshop on mobile learning tools. Both sessions attended by keen tutors, so I hope they will follow through and introduce at least one form of IT into their teaching practice next term.

Group discussion with Mark Nichols

Last Friday, Mark Nichols came in for a brief visit to CPIT. Staff at CPIT involved in elearning had a ‘roundish’ table discussion with him. The meeting was facilitated by Dr. David Gough, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Health & Sciences and attended by Dr. Nicky Page(library manager), Dr. Philippa Seaton (school of nursing elearning leader), Dr. Shirley Wilson (academic quality), Nick Ford (elearning developer), Lyn Williams (adult education), John Delaney (faculty academic advisor), Robin Graham (staff development & myself. Most of these staff have worked extensively on various elearning projects. The primary goal of the meeting was to make contact with Mark and his work at his former (Massey University) and current (Laidlaw College) institutions.


Of interest was Mark’s philosophy on elearning as ‘pedagogy powered by technology’ and his use of core & custom pedagogies to assist with strategy direction in planning for elearning programme / course development. Mark has also contributed to the NZ tertiary sector with the publishing of the Ako e- primer series. A comprehensive series of 'reports' on aspects of elearning relevant to the tertiary sector. Mark updates the contents of the e-primers on a blog.

With the formation of a 'Centre for Learning Development' (name still unofficial) and the movement of staff developers, elearning and educational designers into the new centre, it is important to begin conversations towards direction for how the centre is able to support staff and student learning. Elearning is but one spoke in the wheel (maybe Learning Development Hub a better name?). An interesting year ahead as the emergent centre develops. A position for centre manager / leader / director in the pipeline :) to coordinate the centre's activities and herd the other 5 staff in the centre along.

Ascilite 2009 - day 1 morning plenary session

This session from Mark Nichols began with an invitation to engage with his presentation. Not with our laptops and other mobile devices.

Using rise and demise of Prensky's digital natives, he arques for the power of group think and how many of us accepted Prensky's premise which are now being seen to not hold up to detailed scrutiny.

Access to large amounts of information brings with it the challenge of making sense of all of it and making decisions of what to do with it. Group think may not be the best approach as the group itself may not reflect the correct direction.

A thought provoking presentation.

e-ako resource

Mark Nichols from Laidlaw College has compiled a series of e-primers. These are funded via Ako Aoteoroa and archived on their site. The site is now becoming an excellent resource for tertiary educators in New Zealand.

#1 – elearning in context sets the scene with an overview and introduction to elearning in Aoteroa-New Zealand and within the tertiary learning context.

#2 elearning & faculty explores how to engage and support faculty in using ICT and elearning in enhancing their own professional development and to enhance student learning.

#3 design for elearning provides guidelines on designing elearning ‘courses’ and in incorporating ICT into learning experiences for students.

#2 online discourse discusses online forums and other means for communicating with virtual learners.

Currently being written is - #5 - E-xtending possibilities Web 2.0; ePortfolios; virtual worlds; lifelong learning.

Mark also maintains a blog and there is a pertinent blog on mlearning which challenges assumptions made about the ubiquity and usefulness of mlearning.

All in a good resource for anyone teaching elearning to use as a source of readings or course activities or for teachers embarking on some self-directed study on elearning.