critical facilities for active participation in learning networks
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Critical facilities for active participation in learning networks. Hans Hummel, Colin Tattersall, Daniel Burgos, Francis Brouns, Hub Kurvers & Rob Koper Educational Technology Expertise Centre Open University of the Netherlands WBC 2005 (February 25th, 2005). Context and approach. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Critical facilities for active participation
in learning networks
Hans Hummel, Colin Tattersall, Daniel Burgos,
Francis Brouns, Hub Kurvers & Rob Koper
Educational Technology Expertise Centre
Open University of the Netherlands
WBC 2005 (February 25th, 2005)
Context and approach
• Technology Development Program: Learning Networks (2003-2008) (extra)
• Initial experiences with pilot implementations of LN architecture, i.e. LN4LD pilot 1 (paper)
-Information ecology perspective
-OSOSS: facilities for (active) participation• Incentive mechanisme LN4LD pilot 2 (extra)
Learning Networks use technology to network learners, institutions and learning objects in such a way that the network can self-organise
Learning Networks (LNs) are two-mode networks represented as a graph with nodes, where the nodes are ‘LN members’ and ‘Activity Nodes’ (ANs)
ANs can be anything that is available to support learning, such as a course, a workshop, a conference, a lesson, an internet learning resource, et cetera
Central to the notion of a Learning Network is the idea that all participants are in a position to contribute, within the constraints of any policies that may be operating
Position, target, learning route
Platform pilots
• Base reqs: open source, java based, ‘open pedagogy’ • (out of scope for pilot) general portal with LNs• Each LN modelled, e.g. in PHP Nuke• Each AN modelled, e.g. in Moodle (including services)• LN ‘seeded’ with initial set of ANs to get things going• LN further supposed to develop / emerge through
contributions & ratings
Objectives
LN4LD pilots have three objectives:• To gain early feedback on functional, technical and
organisational aspects of creating and maintaining a learning network
• To help meet the demand for further information on IMS Learning Design from those wishing to understand the specification, or who are engaged in its application (UNFOLD project)
• To investigate incentive mechanisms which stimulate learners to move beyond mere consumption of learning materials towards active participation in the creation of learning experiences
LN-layer (Nuke)
AN layer: Moodle
EML site (eml.org):
increase in participants
0500
10001500200025003000
Q1
2001
Q2
2001
Q3
2001
Q4
2001
Q1
2002
Q2
2002
Q3
2002
Q4
2002
Time
Nu
mb
er o
f re
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tere
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use
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LN site (learningnetworks.org):
increase in participants
0500
100015002000250030003500
Q12003
Q22003
Q32003
Q42003
Q12004
Q22004
Q32004
Q42004
Time
Nu
mb
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f re
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LN site: some participation data
(all forums)
Forum PostsPosts made by
originators
News 59 58
IMS LD + EML 74 57
Standardization 9 7
Valkenburg Group 8 5
Alfanet 3 3
Threads Repl Views
LD-online testing site 2 245
Environments definition 2 412
Referencing external Units of Learning 4 952
IMS LD + MD: taxonomies and vocabularies 1 469
Upcoming workshops 0 305
Help 2 558
6th Framework Coord. Action: UNFOLD 0 438
IMS-LD Editor Announcement 0 549
LN site: some participation data
(example forum)
LN4LD pilot 1 (june-sept 2004):
increase in participants
22
35
52
62
72 75 77 79 80 8390
98 99104
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
Time
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LN4LD pilot 1: some participation data
• Participants: 104 registered, but 58 never accessed; 20 regular visitors
• Passive: 21,011 page views, 427 downloads• Active: 24 post in general forums (Nuke); 24 posts in
course forums (Moodle)
LN4LD pilot 1: Lessons learned
• Transparent Policies: e.g. lower threshold• Better Usability: e.g. Nuke out• Less Structure: e.g. less fora• Explicit Reward: e.g. mechanism for extra access
LN4LD pilot 2 (oct ’04 – jan ’05):
reward system• (Because of time and technical constraints) simple
interrupted time series design with removal consecutive treatments => flexible within the life time of the learning network
• First treatment: incentive mechanism for extra access• Quantitative + qualitative points to be earned for
contributing (posting, replying, rating)• Extra access to ‘runnable examples of UoL’ in
CopperCore beyond threshold level of points
LN4LD pilot 2 (increased contribution)
Thank you for your attention!
URL (LN4LD)
http://www.unfoldproject.net:8085/UNFOLD/designers/
email [email protected]
Any questions?