2023: ASCILITE 2023 Conference Companion Materials

Overstimulated, anxious, and overwhelmed or relaxed, focused, and confident. Our environment affects the way we feel and recently the impacts of our environment on health and wellbeing have been widely publicised. We often associate

Overstimulated, anxious, and overwhelmed or relaxed, focused, and confident. Our environment affects the way we feel and recently the impacts of our environment on health and wellbeing have been widely publicised. We often associate mood-impacting environmental factors with our physical environments, both natural surroundings or built environments such as homes, workspaces, or classrooms. When considering learning environments through a post-digital lens, it is important to consider the impact of the design of the physical and digital learning spaces. Creating a learning environment that supports the wellbeing of learners, in addition to supporting academic success, can be difficult due to the individual needs of diverse learners and the nuances of the content being presented. However, by combining insights from environmental psychology and learner experience design (LXD), a sweet spot can be found. In this session, we will examine how these fields intersect with learning theory and how this intersection was leveraged to enhance course design through the inclusion of an LMS course template for credit bearing courses in a university. Canter and Craik (1981, p.2) defined environmental psychology as the relationship between “human experiences and actions with pertinent aspects of the socio-physical surroundings”. Aspects of the online environment as well as the physical environment that learners are in when engaging in online learning will be examined. We will look at how learners engage with components of the environment including course media, content organization, and connections with others and the alignment with learning theories such as cognitive load theory, situated cognition, and cognitive theory of multimedia learning (Brown, et al., 1989; Mayer, 2020; Schumacher, et al., 2013; Sweller, et al., 1998). According to Schmidt and Huang (2021), “LXD is a human-centric, theoretically-grounded, and socio-culturally sensitive approach to learning design, intended to propel learners towards identified learning goals, and informed by UXD methods.” It extends on principles from usability and User Experience (UX) design. This focus on the technical aspects of the learning environment considers how the learners’ interactions with the environment impacts the learning process (Schmidt & Tawfik, 2021). LXD may consist of both the learner's interaction with the learning environment and the perception of value of the elements in the learning space (Tawfik, et al., 2021). In January of 2023, the University of Canterbury implemented a course template for all credit bearing course instances in the LMS. The design of the template was informed by principles from learning theory, environmental psychology, and learner experience design. Efforts were made to decrease cognitive load, provide consistent organization of administrative information across courses, and to allow for flexibility in the presentation of subject specific content. Essential to this case is the human experience with the interactions with technology and content, as well as the role social elements play. When guided by the overlap of research-based theories and methods focused on learning, well-being, and technical interactions, courses can be designed to best support acquisition of knowledge and skills as well as to promote the wellbeing of the learners. This session aligns with the conference themes of Diverse People, Digital Partnerships, and Digital Pedagogy by supporting the work of learning designers, educators, and digital technologists. Deeper partnerships are encouraged between pedagogy and the community as well as people in distinct roles. The wellbeing of learners is supported through the advocacy of purposefully designed learning environments. The session also explores the relationship between people and technology.

Learning is being shaped/reshaped in this digital era and the pace of these changes is accelerated by the use of social media. Many teachers are spending an increased amount of time creating and distributing content via social media

Learning is being shaped/reshaped in this digital era and the pace of these changes is accelerated by the use of social media. Many teachers are spending an increased amount of time creating and distributing content via social media platforms. It is suggested that this practice can support their cognitive, affective, social and identity growth (Trust et al., 2022). At the same time, there is a growing body of literature debating the pros and cons of adopting social media in higher education (Willems et al., 2018; Hamadi et al., 2022). Although there is a significant number of studies examining the teachers’ use of Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for professional and educational reasons (Park, 2022; Davis & Yi, 2022; Randahl et al, 2022; Greenhalgh, 2021), a scarce attention has been paid to teachers, who create visual media content for YouTube. We aimed to explore the motivations and values related to teachers’ engagement in YouTube content creation practice. As we analysed the several theoretical lines of literature, we are settled on a comprehensive framework for interrogating the data. From the outset, we viewed the YouTube platform both as a landscape for teachers to interact and create artefacts, and an affective space appropriated by its users (Reckwitz, 2012). To this we added the concept of imagined communities (Gr?dinaru, 2016) that connects teacher through virtual sociability and sustain them as they create digital goods. Goffman’s theory of performance (1959) offered an additional layer of understanding the sense of belonging to these communities. Finally, we suggested the value creation framework by Wenger-Trayner et al (2019), which includes five dimensions of value for professional development. In the second part of our research, we applied our framework analytically to 105 YouTube video channels identified as teacher produced content. To date, in-depth, purposive, semi-structured interviews have been conducted with 15 participants (school teachers) through Skype, Zoom and/or Facebook Messenger. Our intention is to reach about 50 over the course of the study adding higher education teachers as well. Our initial analysis showed the three key messages: • Teachers take a proactive role believing that nowadays is the time of creating and sharing new knowledge; • Teachers signing up for this proactive vision become a part of the imagined community of like-minded colleagues; • The process of video-making involves constant research for new teaching ideas and personal transformative changes. We believe that our study may provide some implications for tertiary education. Importantly, it explores and analyses a different image of teaching and learning, crafted in visual media, which might spark enthusiasm to embrace the video sharing platforms in higher education and enhance agency in the digital world.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools based on Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT has generated significant interested within the higher education sector. The threats, challenges and opportunities for its use in teaching and

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools based on Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT has generated significant interested within the higher education sector. The threats, challenges and opportunities for its use in teaching and learning continue to be discussed widely, however it’s use within research and especially research involving marginalised perspectives is far less discussed. This panel will share how ChatGPT was used to add value to the conversations between researchers applying critical discourse analysis exploring Indigenous Australian perspectives with international students. As part of their study the researchers compared the efficacy of ChaptGPT and NVIVIO and the impacts on iterative discourse discussions between the researchers. While the data in this research revealed some very encouraging results, it also highlighted significant areas that need to be explored even further especially around ethical use of AI and untangling in-built biases within the tools’ algorithms.

This highly interactive and provocative hypothetical-style panel discussion will take the audience on a collective journey through the complexity and challenges of strategically designing and delivering online learning in a post-digital

This highly interactive and provocative hypothetical-style panel discussion will take the audience on a collective journey through the complexity and challenges of strategically designing and delivering online learning in a post-digital, post-crisis new normal. The aim of the panel is to collectively shift the dial on how we understand, articulate, and develop the benefit of learning design to the institution, how others have been extremely successful in doing that (and what can we learn from them) and how we are collectively struggling with precarious contracts, budgets, de-professionalisation and constantly shifting priorities as we return to a campus-based teaching and learning experience. Drawing on the principles of hyperreality, participants will become part of the community of a hypothetical university. Through highly interactive and immersive scenarios the panel session will collectively traverse the transitional, uncertain spaces of a post-crisis university and design for an educational future that learns from the relationships between people and technology to make teaching and learning better.

Whilst Covid-19 raised a range of questions about the utility of the Learning Management System (LMS) and other technologies for teaching and learning, the advent of Generative AI (GenAI) poses new and fundamental questions about the

Whilst Covid-19 raised a range of questions about the utility of the Learning Management System (LMS) and other technologies for teaching and learning, the advent of Generative AI (GenAI) poses new and fundamental questions about the teaching and learning technology ecosystem of our universities. We argue that these questions extend beyond the impact of GenAI on student learning, the assessment of students and academic integrity. Rather, the impact of GenAI on higher education represents a threshold concept that, once grasped, will entail a paradigm shift in the sector’s self-understanding.

This panel brings together a research team from five different universities in Aotearoa New Zealand who have collaborated since 2020 on a project exploring university students’ experiences of online learning during COVID-19. The multiple

This panel brings together a research team from five different universities in Aotearoa New Zealand who have collaborated since 2020 on a project exploring university students’ experiences of online learning during COVID-19. The multiple method project has yielded several co-authored publications. The symposium, led by each member of the project team, draws on our research to engage the audience with key provocations. Sharing brief insights from the research project, paying particular attention to people, partnerships and pedagogies, we aim to generate discussion of key learning stemming from diverse student experiences, with consideration to how these may inform responsive and sustainable strategies for teaching and online learning for the future. It is anticipated that audience participants will reflect and contribute diverse perspectives giving rise to new understandings in relation to the experiences of diverse people, research partnerships, and the theory and practice of online learning.

With the rapid growth of online learning in higher education, there is an increasing need to establish standards that ensure the quality of these educational experiences for our students. This panel presentation explores the evolving

With the rapid growth of online learning in higher education, there is an increasing need to establish standards that ensure the quality of these educational experiences for our students. This panel presentation explores the evolving landscape of online learning, discusses the need for robust standards for quality online education, highlights the development of the TELAS framework and programs, and explores the integration of standards into organisational contexts.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has put significant pressure on established assessment practices in tertiary education. These new technologies can produce key artifacts such as essays and laboratory reports that are routinely used

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has put significant pressure on established assessment practices in tertiary education. These new technologies can produce key artifacts such as essays and laboratory reports that are routinely used to infer where students are in their learning. This panel reports on the outcomes of an Australian national forum to develop a set of guiding principles in response to the ways generative AI is changing the landscape of assessment. This includes rethinking what we assess; how we assure students’ work is their own; how we promote learning through the use of gen AI; how we build appropriate digital literacies through assessment; and how we build human capabilities for working in an AI-mediated world. Building on the output of the workshop, the panel will delve into some of the key challenges and how the guidance can be applied across contexts in tertiary education.

The advent and proliferation of digital and online microcredentials present a paradigm shift in the traditional educational landscape. Panelists, including educators, learning designers, and educational technologists, will provide diverse

The advent and proliferation of digital and online microcredentials present a paradigm shift in the traditional educational landscape. Panelists, including educators, learning designers, and educational technologists, will provide diverse perspectives on digital pedagogical approaches, technology integration, and learner-centered design for microcredentials. Through thought-provoking discussions and debates, we aim to explore effective strategies and principles for designing quality digital learning experiences of microcredentials. By encouraging participant contributions, we will foster a vibrant microcredentials community of practice within Australasia. Join us to gain new insights, exchange knowledge, and shape the future of microcredentials in enhancing learner engagement and overall learning experiences.

In recent years, we have seen the ‘rise of the micro-credential movement’ (Brown, McGreal & Peters, 2023) From a people perspective, they promise more flexible and wider access to learning that can be more easily interwoven through

In recent years, we have seen the ‘rise of the micro-credential movement’ (Brown, McGreal & Peters, 2023) From a people perspective, they promise more flexible and wider access to learning that can be more easily interwoven through people’s life and work demands. They can offer more choices around the duration, pace, focus and purpose of learning. Further, micro-credentials can be used as a pathway into or through a macro-credential and showcase employability skills gained in and beyond formal learning environments. Growing global narratives around micro-credentials suggest they can potentially solve a multitude of challenges that have long been constrained by traditional education models. This interactive symposium offers an opportunity to explore the emerging potential of micro-credentials with consideration to diverse people, deeper partnerships and digital pedagogies. Using these foci, this symposium will facilitate engaging discussion and examination of this new and evolving topic.

Over the past decade many have attempted to articulate the connection between Learning Design (LD) and Learning Analytics (LA) in the form of a framework or model. However, there are now so many of these that it is difficult for

Over the past decade many have attempted to articulate the connection between Learning Design (LD) and Learning Analytics (LA) in the form of a framework or model. However, there are now so many of these that it is difficult for practitioners to determine which ones are best for which circumstances. In this workshop, participants will be introduced to a new LD/LA map which brings together the key elements from across the multitude of frameworks in order to assist in the operationalisation of learning analytics in higher education. The aim of the workshop is to apply the framework to learning scenarios to evaluate and critique its effectiveness in informing the development of LA systems and interventions. The outcome of the workshop will be a better understanding of the utility of the map and a shared vocabulary relating to how we can talk about the connection of LD and LA in educational environments.

A persisting assumption in education is that students have the same passion and motivation to learn that educators have to teach. This assumption can lead to the use of a familiar but narrow set of solutions for addressing teaching and

A persisting assumption in education is that students have the same passion and motivation to learn that educators have to teach. This assumption can lead to the use of a familiar but narrow set of solutions for addressing teaching and learning challenges. However, there are many barriers students face when attempting to engage fully with their courses or units of study, that are seldom addressed by educators. Behavioural science can offer valuable insights into addressing such barriers. From understanding students and the context of their learning better, to designing pedagogical methods better aligned with these needs, behavioural science can help create targeted solutions to the ongoing challenges experienced in the field of education. In this workshop, we offer a range of practical and theoretical examples from the area of behavioural science, that challenge the assumption that providing access to learning material is enough. We also draw on the expertise of educators and scholars in higher education, to brainstorm solutions, beyond just the use of pedagogy, that can address some of these challenges.

The launch of ChatGPT 3.5 in November 2022 has had a profound influence on teaching and learning from both students’ and staff members’ engagement. It is unclear how students are engaging with AI in creating submissions for assessments

The launch of ChatGPT 3.5 in November 2022 has had a profound influence on teaching and learning from both students’ and staff members’ engagement. It is unclear how students are engaging with AI in creating submissions for assessments tasks, potentially impacting their learning. It is also unclear how educators are modifying their assessment design and how this may be impacting the learning outcomes of their cohorts. University systems run at a slow pace meaning that policies, course and program changes are not able to engage at the rate staff need in order to respond to this new technology. Staff have been left to deal with the use of AI in assessment tasks, often with little guidance or sufficient digital skills to make relevant changes or modifications. This workshop will focus on the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and assessment. Participants will be given structured activities to understand and develop activities that provide learning for students without being compromised by artificial intelligence. They will apply their learning in the workshop to an assessment they are using or plan to use.