1. RMITs E-learning Advancement Program (REAP) Dr Garry Allan Educational Technology Advancement Group RMIT

2. Introduction The context

Trends and Challenges affecting learning and teaching over the next 5 years:

Abundance of resources andrelationshipsreadily accessible via the Internet

Student work is increasingly collaborative by nature

Web 2.0 the read/write web. Knowledge work is increasinglyknowledge networking

Credibility of information is critical(An illustrative aside Course Hero)

3. Trends and Challenges affecting learning and teaching over the next 5 years (cont.):

Students expect to be able to learn at a time and place of their choosing and arrive at University with an array of personal Web 2.0 environments

Personal Web 2.0 environments typically no-fee, advertising subsidised

Technologies are increasingly cloud based

4. Student patterns - Web 2.0 and mobile devices

Australian Metrics October 2009 Neilson Online

-29 per cent of all time spent online by Australians is in Facebook

- Facebook's "unique audience" was 8.1 million, YouTube 5.8 million, Wikipedia 5.2 million, MySpace 2.3 million

- Australians now average 15 mins/day in social media (highest in the world)

RMIT Undergraduate student mobile phone use

n = 242,Nov. 200993% Mobile phone ownership, ~ 45% Smartphones accessing the Internet on RMIT Wifi or Plan

Of these smartphone users, usage pattern is: Social Networking: 60%, Email: 30%, Uni-related: 18%

5. Web 2.0 - opportunities

Web 2.0 offers the promise of building a University experience based on an architectureof participation

Increased capability for mass-managed individual learning experiences the Personal Learning Environment

Increased ability to use online resources and networks to create valuable learning experiences

Addressing cost-sustainability

Harnessing no-fee Web 2.0 services to support the mission of the University(Resolution of privacy issues, effective identity management into University systems, Culture of student utilisation of social spaces for University learning?)

To the illustrative aside

6. Illustrative aside: An example of academic knowledge networking external to Universities Course Hero 7. An example of academic knowledge networking external to Universities Course Hero

Strong and direct link to Facebook ID

Results placed back to students in Facebook account

Course Hero:www.coursehero.comsocial learning network

On Course Hero , for example, students can type in a college name and course number to unearth the previous semesters particle physics final exam. They can find examples of research papers on, say, the causes of World War I NY Times May 2009

coursehero.com (LMS) university.edu.au Student 1 Student 2 facebook.com 8.

Course Herooffers three million student-submitted items from 400,000 courses at more than 3,500 institutions, .. Users who submit such items can navigate the site free of charge; others pay a monthly fee.

Mr. Kim also said thatCourse Hero , whichwarns users against cheating and plagiarism , had honoured a handful of requests from professors to remove certain notes. They felt that some material was released only to their students and they didnt want it disseminated beyond that, he said.

NY Times May 2009

9. 10. 11. RMITs E-learning Advancement Program (REAP)

Subservient to the University Academic Plan,

University dimensions: 71,000 students, 12,000+ courses

REAP strategic development of elearning capability, completes at the end of 2010.See:www.rmit.edu.au/reap

Three phases:

1.) Minimum online presence- All courses/subjects have a presence in the LMS (Blackboard)

Consistent increase from 2006 to 2009. HE the percentage of courses that had some level of activity rose from approx 33% - 80%. In TAFE during the same period it rose from approx 0.3% to approx 40%.

2.) Enhanced learning environments

3.) Active learning.

12. REAP Phase 2: Enhanced learning environments

Lecture recording: Flexible access to educational content via web-based lecture recordings (Lectopia) provided through Blackboard:82 venues

Uptake rate 2008-9:63% increase in lecture recordings, 110% increase in student downloads

Enhanced student/student and student/teacher interaction throughthe systematic deployment of educational Blogs (reflective journals) and Wikis (collaborative workspaces) within the Blackboard System

Scaling of AV/IT-enriched learning spaces in a systematic and cost-effective deployment:93 venues

- Standard high-quality push-button environment

- Digital technologies

- Remote and immediate service support

13. REAP Phase 3: Active Learning

LMS review: upgrade to Blackboard 9.1

Blackboard Enhancement: Elluminate, Equella Learning Content Management System

ePortfolio:

See:www.rmit.edu.au/eportfolio

Assessment transformation, Accreditation/mobility, Career Development Learning, Work Integrated Learning, Graduate Attributes

Personal Response Systems:

See:www.rmit.edu.au/teaching/prs

Student-instructor in-class interaction

14.

1.) Foundation technology : which address all of the issues necessary to scale the technology in support of RMITs Global Learning and Teaching operations.

2.) Staged implementation : Focused on program accreditation requirements, and supporting key University strategic initiatives, an implementation path that incrementally builds ePortfolio usage within RMIT programs.

Staff Development:

Initiated ePortfolio Leader -Embedded, Meaningful and Purposeful

Academic Development Groups, ITS Training(educationally contextualised)

3.) Ongoing expertise development : Continued evaluation and research, in collaboration with key university partners, to inform, refine and optimise the use of ePortfolios at RMIT.

e.g. Uni S.A. Partnership, Biannual ePortfolio Forum

The RMIT ePortfolio initiative 15. Approach at RMIT, a managed implementation

Resources at:www.rmit.edu.au/eportfolio

Staff accounts available at this URL, Staff and student support resources, Program/Course usage tracked, Only placed in priority areas, all staff can get an account

Platform:PebblePad(UK)Hosted: Sydney/Melb.

Licencing : 5200 users (48 Programs)

PebblePad considered the ePortfolio tool valued by students, provides ready access to individuals outside of institution, Web 2.0 functionality, IMS standards compliant, Profiler functionality

Rapid technology change with ePortfolio tools 50+ to be rationalised

Peoplesoft (Student Management System) integration is required to facilitate scaling

Same process for deployment globally (inc. Vietnam Campus)

Evolution path to Personal Learning Environment

16. Conceptual structure of PebblePad

PebblePadPebblePad

Student Student ePortfolio Content Gateway Program/Course Vacation Reporting Content owned and managed by the studentDigital artifacts and evidence accumulated over University program enrolment. Presented and published to internal and external audiences as requiredLinking to personal Web 2.0 resources Building and demonstrating Career readiness ExternalIndustry/Work placement/External Collaboration RMIT institutional space Employer Profiler Customised capability checkpoints Academic TemplateProfessional Practice CareerTrack Accreditation Personal Web services Zoho, Twitter RSS Youtube, Flickr 17. How students are working with ePortfolios.

1.Students can produce many times the volume of work compared to 15 years ago.

2. Students can use many different file types photo, video, audio, specialist data formats etc.ANYdigital object can be used to evidence learning

3. A mobile phone (with inbuilt camera) is now a portable data collection device (as well as computer in the case of Smartphones)

4. Some of the work students do is integrally linked with sites outside the University and work undertaken external to the University.

5. Students and staff engage in interactions through e-mail, blogs, wikis, chat, conferencing software, etc., and these interactions can be preserved and used as evidence of learning.

Examples.

18. Personal Response Systems (PRS)

In an era of streamed lecture delivery, we must have a clear rationale for bringing students on campus.

Creating an active on-campus learning experience with personal response technology

See:www.rmit.edu.au/teaching/prs

Providing the capacity for individual engagement with the on-campus lecture/teaching experience

Technically mediated real-time instructor/group/individual communication.

Currently hybrid technology model at RMIT:

- traditional clicker type KeePad feedback devices

standardised process and loans system: ~ 1000 units91% utilisation

student mobile phone based feedback(Full alphanumeric keypad)

19. Personal Response Systems (PRS)

PRS Usage on smartphones:

Effectively student provision of University infrastructure

Question:Is this a workable model?

Using hosted (US) server environment: KeePad Interactive Responseware

Utilising RMIT WiFi network- $0 cost to student

Website access or downloadable application

Opportunity for more expansive student response i.e. assessment

Issues:

Student willingness to use personal (social) device as an active part of their University learning experience

Distraction technology in the teaching space

Privacy management

Policy framework to support assessment in this form

20. Firewall

Turning Technologies Server (US)

Hosted institutional account

Student smartphone RMIT Wifi Basestation Instructor PC PowerPoint University WiFi Schematic Responseware interaction path Teaching Space 21. Personal Response Systems

Would you be willing to use your phone, iPod, laptop, netbook or other device in a lecture or tute to interact with the lecturer during a lecture (using the WiFi at no cost)?

22. Questions? Reference sites: REAP:www.rmit.edu.au/reap ePortfolio:www.rmit.edu.au/eportfolio PRS:www.rmit.edu.au/teaching/prs