northern ireland elearning partnership elearning, nic and post-primary review post-primary review...

Northern Ireland

eLearning Partnership

elearning, NIC and post-primary review

Post-Primary Review Working GroupThursday 4th September 2003

John AndersonRichard Wallace

Northern Ireland


What is elearning?

‘elearning’ refers to teaching and learning enhanced

by information and communication technologies (ICT).

The term is often used broadly to refer to any use of

digital resources in the classroom, but in the context of

this elearning partnership it means teaching and

learning online, delivered 'anywhere, any place, any

time' using communication tools, content and resources

which can be accessed online.

… it is not just using ICT in a lesson!

Northern Ireland


Main Messages• eLearning is “already here”• But, little is known about elearning in schools• Northern Ireland is well placed to take forward R&D

• eLearning – has the potential to improve teaching and learning in schools. – can substantially broaden curriculum choice– will provide greater flexibility where there are limitations to

provision.

• Further independently-evaluated R&D should be planned & coordinated to create a Northern Ireland Virtual School

Northern Ireland


eLearning applications can help to:

• overcome limitations to curriculum provision in small schools;• support consortia of schools (and colleges) to mount joint

programmes;• allow, otherwise non-viable, classes and courses to be offered;• give access to a wide range of searchable global resources; • promote collaborative approaches to learning;• extend the range of high quality teaching expertise available;• improve the quality of online provision as a result of quality

assurance;• support the professional development of teachers;• improve access opportunities for excluded pupils;• extend pupil profiles through the use of digital portfolios.

Northern Ireland


C2k platform

• £250 million over 5 years• Broadband in all schools, widely distributed• Common schools network; data-centre• Secure access/mailboxes 400,000 users• 40,000 networked systems, 12,000 laptops• Learning NI … online learning environment• Licensed content and assessment tools• Video conferencing

Northern Ireland


Northern Ireland


First-step Competence

• 21,000+ teachers and school librarians voluntarily completed NOF ICT training;

• pupil entry to CCEA KS2 and KS3 ICT accreditation schemes are rising rapidly, with portfolios submitted indicating an increasingly high level of expertise

Northern Ireland


Education Technology Strategy

• 1998 – 2003– common infrastructure and

network– universal broadband

connectivity– reliant managed ICT service – common curriculum content– teachers’ professional

development– instances of excellent

practice – awareness of need for

change

Northern Ireland


emPowering Schools Strategy

• 1998 – 2003– common infrastructure and

network– universal broadband

connectivity– reliant managed ICT service – common curriculum content– teachers’ professional

development– instances of excellent

practice – awareness of need for

change

• 2003 – 2008– a context of systemic change– changed practice for the

learner– enhanced professional practice

for the teacher and the school leader·

– whole-school improvement – building collaborative

approaches to curriculum provision and professional development

– capacity-building across the service ·

– service enhancement and innovation

Northern Ireland


elearning pilots 2002/03

• Curriculum• GCSE ICT – 2 modules – 165 pupils• GCSE ICT – 1 assignment – 111 pupils• A2 Geography – 1 module – 130 pupils • KS3 Citizenship – 1 module - 52 pupils

• Teacher Education• Student teachers - 39 (UU) 8 (QUB)• Teachers - 24 (SELB and NEELB)• Head teachers - 8 (BELB)• PQH tutors - 26 (RTU)• CASS advisory - 8 (SEELB)

Northern Ireland


Blackboard Learnwis

e

Northern Ireland


Northern Ireland


Discussions on real issues … Is the Internet a menace?

Northern Ireland


Type responses here

Main points here

Insert websites for discussion here

Northern Ireland


What are they talking about in your class?

… another significant difference

Chat transcript … can be viewed over and over by pupils and teachers.

8pm on Tuesday 6th May

More than one group can be controlled by the teacher

‘Overall I thought the virtual classroom meeting was a really good experience. I found I tried to answer questions more clearly because I was talking to strangers, rather than my normal class. Also I learnt far more about teleworking and uses of the Internet than I would have done in class. This was because I was concentrating on listening to EVERYONE and answering everyone. As there are so many people in the classroom many different points were expressed, this meant I had a wider understanding.’

Northern Ireland


Assessment

• Instant feedback for pupils

• Scaffolding for wrong answers

• Pools of questions

• Gradebook for pupils (parents) teachers

• All answers displayed in essay type

questions

• Help included at the assessing stageWord Qns

Northern Ireland


• Multiple choice

• Multiple answer

• Order

• Fill in the blank

• Matching

• True/false

• Short Essay

Northern Ireland


Feedback for teachers

All responses

Northern Ireland


Online Gradebook

Northern Ireland


Where have they been

… when were they there?

Pupil Tracking

Northern Ireland


Combining the VLE and the CCEA Web Site

Northern Ireland


Teachers can now plan for different learning styles … don’t look for a single

lesson plan. Look at how a topic will be delivered

Let’s look at part of the site

Northern Ireland


The Garden Centre

Northern Ireland


Support for Pupils and Teachers

Face to face visit to schools to meet with pupils and teachers

Teacher’s guide with all the site content and hints on its use

Northern Ireland


The two pilots … one with 6 schools in NEELB and the 5 below

Six schools in the North Eastern Board

5 other schools

… one from each Board area

Lumen Christi

St Patrick’s Keady St Malachy’s Castlewellan

Ashfield Girls

Ballyclare High

Northern Ireland


Factors influencing effective elearning

• Course design, planning and preparation• Project management and coordination• Learning materials• Technological requirements• Access and accessibility• Effective online teaching and mentoring• Prepared online learners• Learner assessment• Course evaluation

Northern Ireland


The pilots have taught us that

• The hybrid model guarantees most success

• The role of the teacher is changing• The online learner must be

adequately prepared• Evaluation and QA are axiomatic

Northern Ireland


The Challenges

• Technology

• Timescales

• Economic justification

• Pedagogical, organisational and cultural change

Northern Ireland


Possible curricular areas

• vocational education 14-19;• Science; • Learning for Life, Work and Citizenship; • courses in the Irish language; • mentorship; • Critical and Creative Thinking; • KS3 taster for KS4 courses; • EOTAS (Education Other Than At School)

Northern Ireland


2nd phase R&D - project focus

1. Blended learning approaches

2. Content adaptation

3. eAssessment

4. Management of learning

Northern Ireland


2nd phase R&D - evaluation focus

• eModerating

• Effective online learning factors

• Professional Development

• Quality Assurance

northern ireland elearning partnership elearning, nic and post-primary review post-primary review...

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