E-modelling – helping E-modelling – helping learners to develop learners to develop sound e-learning sound e-learning behavioursbehaviours
Sue Greener, Brighton Business School, University of Brighton
“The teacher is not only a communicator but a
model.”Jerome Bruner: The Process of Education
1977
What is the purpose of What is the purpose of Higher Education?Higher Education?
The day-to-day battle with timetabling, course design and delivery, student needs, scholarship, updating versus
The Humboldtian 19th century concepts of preparing people for citizenship, forming their conceptions of learning and shaping democratic societies (Gare 2005) – “socially purposeful education” (Crawford 2007)
Bourner (1997) Disseminate up to date
knowledge Develop the capability to
use ideas and information Develop critical faculties Develop the student’s
ability to generate ideas and evidence
Facilitate the personal development of students
Develop the capacity of students to plan and manage their own learning
Teaching conceptions and Teaching conceptions and statusstatus
Imparting information Transmitting
structured knowledge Teacher-student
interaction Facilitating
understanding Conceptual change(Kember 1997)
Teaching methods driven by teachers’conceptions of teaching (Kember 1997, Becher 1989)
Where are these challenged? Induction? Faculty debate? Student feedback?
Online learning and teaching begin to challenge teacher roles and conceptions (Mentis 2008, Greener 2008)
Teacher or
content-centred
Student or
learner-centred
Are we open to change?Are we open to change?Kember says we can adapt, with confidence
comes more openness
What if your conception of teaching is content-centred?
What if we have negative self-efficacy beliefs about ICTs, struggle with heavy teaching loads, face increasing “customer” pressure from students?
Learning to e-learn can be a straw on the camel’s back? Closing not opening
Role modelling as key to Role modelling as key to good teachinggood teaching
“To be so insecure that he dare not be caught in a mistake does not make a teacher a likely model of daring. If the teacher will not risk a shaky hypothesis, why should the student?” Bruner 1997 p90
“The modelling of effective self-regulated strategies can improve the self-efficacy for even deficient learners” Zimmerman (1989 p9)
Learners value openness, enthusiasm and integrity in their role models Paice et al 2002
The university teacher who is prepared to role model dealing effectively with technology in the classroom, will become an intermediary in developing the student’s self-efficacy, which in turn is likely to support learning.
Practical technology Practical technology modelling in class?modelling in class?
Using VLE and web in class to answer student questions, demonstrate search practice and discuss findings, leave a track of useful findings in the VLE for reference
Use weblinks and questions for activities, record class discussion output in message boards
Demonstrate evaluation of new web resources found
Personal response systems
Use videos and podcasts if appropriate to class questions
Reinforce navigation of VLE by demonstration in class
Solve student access issues in class
Share presentations, involve students in use of projected VLE in class
Most importantly, demonstrate coping strategies when technology fails
More formally, research among HE More formally, research among HE teachers suggested the following teachers suggested the following behaviours for online skills behaviours for online skills development to be modelled.development to be modelled.
Appropriate and alternative vocabularies
Knowledge of search tools Evaluation of information Adopting personal
reading strategies Referencing conventions
for online resources Presentation of academic
writing online
Asynchronous discussion guidelines
Blogging and journal writing for academic purposes
Social presence online Analysis and synthesis in
online communication Self-directed learning online Synchronous discussion
guidelines Adapting the virtual space
Concluding commentsConcluding comments Role models are often
seen as some kind of perfected example
In learning and teaching, we are not modelling perfection, but strategies for learning
Risk-taking and openness can help students to identify with and attend to the use of technology in learning
Valuing learning in class rather than content aligns with assigning greater importance to the student experience than the teacher experience
Working with an online environment in the classroom becomes a teaching method aligned to Bourner’s aims for HE – building able enquirers and critical thinkers
Greener, S.L. (2009) “e-Modelling – Helping Learners to Develop Sound e-Learning Behaviours” Electronic Journal of e-Learning Volume 7 Issue 3 2009, (pp265 – 272), available online at www.ejel.org
ReferencesReferences Bandura, A. (1977) Social Learning Theory.
Prentice Hall: Englewood Cliffs, N.J. Bandura, A. (1986) Social foundations of thought
and action: A social cognitive theory. Prentice Hall: Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
Baylor, A.L. and Ritchie, D. (2002) 'What factors facilitate teacher skill, teacher morale, and perceived student learning in technology-using classrooms?' Computers & Education, 39, (4), 395-414
Bourner, T. (1997) 'Teaching methods for learning outcomes', Education and Training, 39, (9), 344-348. [Online]. Available at: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet?contentType=Article&Filename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/0040390903.html#0040390903001.png (Accessed: 14/2/09).
Chickering, A.W. and Ehrmann, S.C. (1996) 'Implementing the Seven Principles: Technology as Lever', AAHE Bulletin, October, 3-6
Chickering, A.W. and Gamson, Z.F. (1987) 'Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education', AAHE Bulletin, 39, 3-7
Gare, A. (2005) Democracy and Education: Defending the Humboldtian University and the Democratic Nation-State as Institutions of the Radical Enlightenment. [Online] Available at: http://www.concrescence.org/index.php/concrescence/article/view/27/7 (Accessed: 15/2/09).
Greener, S.L. (2007) Exploring Readiness for Online Learning Thesis EdD. University of Brighton.
Greener, S.L. (2008) Identity crisis: who is teaching whom online?, European Conference on E-Learning (ECEL) 2009. Agia Napa, Cyprus, 5-7 November 2008.
Jacobs, R.M. (2005) Reflective Management. [Online] Available at: http://www83.homepage.villanova.edu/richard.jacobs/MPA%208002/Powerpoint/f-reflective/Index.htm (Accessed: 20/04/06).
Kember, D. (1997) 'A reconceptualisation of the research in to university academics' conceptions of teaching', Learning and Instruction, 7, (3), pp 255-275
Mehanna, W.N. (2004) 'e-Pedagogy: the pedagogies of e-learning', ALT-J, Research in Learning Technology, 12, (3), 279-293 [Online] Available at http://dx.doi.org/. Accessed: 10/03/06
Mentis, M. (2008) 'Navigating the e-Learning Terrain: Aligning Technology, Pedagogy and Context', The Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 6, (3), 217-226
Mezirow, J. (2000) Learning as Transformation. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco.
Paice, E., Heard, S. and Moss, F. (2002) 'How important are role models in making good doctors?' British Medical Journal, 325, 707-710
Salmon, G. (2000) E-moderating: The Key to Teaching and Learning Online. Kogan Page: London.
Seifert, T. (2004) 'Understanding student motivation', Educational Research, 46, (2), 137-149
University of Brighton. (2007) Corporate Plan 2007-2012. Brighton: University of Brighton
Zimmerman, B.J. (1989) 'A Social Cognitive View of Self-Regulated Academic Learning', Journal of Educational Psychology, 81, (3), [Online]. Available at: http://www.sfu.ca/~sbratt/SRL/A%20Social%20Cognitive%20View%20of%20Self-Regulated%20Academic%20Learning.pdf (Accessed: 12/2/09).