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Using e-learning opportunities to best advantage

Centre for Academic Practice

Jay Dempster & Piers Nicholls

School of Law IT Support Day

21 May 2003

Purpose of the session

CAP’s role in e-learning Factors of change for HE Opportunities, concerns, tactics Implications for learning & teaching Lessons learned in law teaching Evaluation & curriculum design Sharing messages

Tap into CAP

Developing academic staff expertise Assisting departments Supporting an e-learning community of practice Promoting innovation in teaching & learning Undertaking research & development Evaluating effectiveness in learning Providing accreditation & recognition Encouraging embedding of available ICT Disseminating good practice in e-learning

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Factors of change in academic practice and the student learning experience

Piers Nicholls

Factors of Change

Student profile

Curriculum

Sector

Political climate

Development ideas for projects

Using evaluation as a design and development tool

Building the student experience into the processes of innovation

Utilise a range of data to establish success and issues to be addressed

Manage degree of risk

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Opportunities, concerns & tactics

Jay Dempster

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E-learning Shifting academic practice:

Inspiring,

imaginative

& transforming

Potentially …

“The genuinely transformative nature of cyberspace lies not with access but with the potential for the production of knowledge and for new modes of collaboration and communication that can subvert and invert established authority relations, allowing the emergence of a democratising literacy.”

Pedagogy, Politics and Power Stokes & Stokes, Computers & Texts, Ch.13 (1996)

Potentially …

The interactive properties of e-learning are capable of creating a community of inquiry that is independent of time and space and with the combination of interactive and reflective characteristics that can stimulate and facilitate a level of higher order learning unimaginable to date.

E-Learning in the 21st Century: A Framework for Research and Practice, Garrison & Andersen,Ch. 5, p.53 (2003)

“[Through new technology,] there will be a fostering of

greater student/teacher interaction and the promotion of greater student engagement wherever students are located. There will also be the opportunity to develop more instructional formats and increase information resources through use of the web.

Such systems will provide law staff with functions to help with the easy management of courses without requiring major technical expertise; thus staff will be able to manage and customise their course area from work or from home, via a web browser. Pages will be updated regularly, and no knowledge of HTML will be required, either by academic staff or by students.”

Professor Diana M R Tribe, Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Hertfordshire, Higher education futures, Learning in Law Initiative Conference 2002

Ideally …

Responding to your own professional role:

A. What e-learning approaches do you see as offering

the most possibilities to you (in your role)?

B. What are your main areas of need or concern in implementing these?

C. What approaches do you feel would really enhance the student learning experiences?

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Implications of e-approaches to teaching & learning

Interweaving pedagogy with technology

Case studies from law teaching

Jay Dempster

Strategically (in Law Teaching)

Benchmarks emphasise:

Generic skills

Understanding of the law

Transferability

Realistically (in student learning)

ICT role in developing:

ICT & communication skills Problem-solving Critical thinking Evaluation Decision making

‘Learning gains’

Why might it be in your interest to utilise these e-learning tools?

What sort of benefits of delivery mechanisms are seen as good practice?

Cost-benefits

Learning effectiveness

Teaching efficiency

Pedagogical benefits of e-learning

Flexibility

Interactivity

Integration

Any place, any time access to materials Increased availability of tutor and peer groups Reflective & collaborative approaches

Resources – Email – Discussion – Group work Human interactions – tutors/students/group Content interactions– student/tutor/group/content Iterative in real time & delayed time

‘Traditional’ & online Mix ‘n’ match Social & cognitive Mutually reinforcing

Establishing curriculum objectives

CONTENT

OBJECTIVES

PROCESS

Non-IC

T teaching & learning resources

Tutor focused

Student focused

Mapping ICT to curriculum objectives

CONTENT Web-based content management

systems E-libraries, databases, gateways Multimedia/CAL resources

OBJECTIVES Streaming video Productivity & analysis tools Computer based assessment Simulations & workbooks

PROCESS Virtual learning environments Email Discussion lists/newsgroups Student web publishing Conferencing systems

Site Builder

SOSIG Law Gateway

Iolis Law Courseware

GroupWise

Forums

Non-IC

T teaching & learning resources

Tutor focused

Student focused

Observations from law staff

Email Web (CMS), Iolis Discussion board SOSIG Law Gateway VLE (integrated tools)

The Communicator The Deliverer The Debater The Researcher The Facilitator

Integrating email into a lecture based module

Objectives High student numbers reduced student interaction Contact sessions too large to cover required material Use of ICT to promote student-centred discussion

Approaches Use of email to facilitate discussion & interaction Weekly lectures maintained (passive) Seminar style questions via email (active)

Observations Flexibility & interactivity Loss of the physical presence vs. removal of barriers Delay in responding vs. time for reflection High demands on staff time (FAQs, 450 emails!) IT & communications skills, but not oral skills Low techno-levels required.

Poyton, D. Law Lecturer, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, Linking Iolis to the Web, Journal of Information, Law & Technology Issue 3 (2001) http://elj.warwick.ac.uk/jilt/01-03/poyton.html

Objectives High numbers & volume of material Produce flexibility in course delivery Use contact time more actively

Approaches Weekly contact sessions more flexible Small block format for varying sessions & student participation Online delivery of materials (incl. FAQs) Group presentation tasks – F2F & online

Observations Flexibility & interactivity (new study practices) Student-centred sessions enhanced rather than replaced More efficient use of student & staff time (45 emails!) Balance of communication skills ‘Cut & paste mentality’ & plagiarism Higher techno-levels required & some training

Poyton, D. (2001) ibid.

Rethinking course design for integrated tools

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Discussion (and interaction) …

encourages active and participatory learning, two cornerstones of effective online learning

is the focal point of the Socratic method

encourages learners to analyse alternative ways of thinking and acting

assists them in exploring their own experiences so that they can become better critical thinkers.

Brookfield, S D, 'Discussion', in Adult Learning Methods: A Guide for Effective Instruction, M. W. Galbraith, ed., FL, Malabar, Krieger Publishing Company, (1990)

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Evaluation & Curriculum Design

Exploring new technology through pilot projects:

Piers Nicholls

Developing the curriculum

Analysis and Design

Development

Implementation

Departmental Implications

http://www.ltsn.ac.uk/genericcentre/

The Student Experience

Students provide information, data and perceptions throughout project development

The views of students should be used alongside other data/sources (academic, IT, other colleagues etc)

Develop a range of questions to determine whether student learning has been enhanced and why

A Departmental Approach

Departmental commitment & support

What are the natural groupings of staff in the Law School for implementing an e-learning strategy?

How might you go about identifying pilot projects and setting up feedback mechanisms?

How will you share and learn from developments across the School?