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2014: ASCILITE 2014 Conference Proceedings. Rhetoric and Reality: Critical perspectives on educational technology

 

 

 

The proceedings of the 2014 ASCILITE Conference

Rhetoric and Reality: Critical perspectives on educational technology

B. Hegarty, J. McDonald, & S.-K. Loke (Eds.), Rhetoric and Reality: Critical perspectives on educational technology. Proceedings ASCILITE 2014 Dunedin, New Zealand

St. David Lecture Complex, Dunedin, New Zealand

November 23 - 26, 2014

ASCILITE2014 Conference Website https://ascilite.org/conferences/dunedin2014/

Published: 20 November 2014

ASCILITE Conference - Concise Papers

  • Does technology matter? : Students’ and teachers’ experiences of electronic portfolio (e-portfolio) systems in teacher education

    David L. San Jose

    Electronic portfolio (e-portfolio) systems have the potential to change learning outcomes where student learning is achieved through the process and the final product. However, previous research has identified problems with the technical features of some e-portfolio platforms (Deneen & Brown, 2013), and with the rigidness and complexity of user interface (Shroff, Deneen, & Ng, 2011) that may subvert intended learning goals. These e-portfolios were evaluated since they serve to document the achievement of the Graduating Teacher Standards and to assist in job hunting. A combination of interviews and self-reports on the User Information Satisfaction (UIS) instrument were utilised, along with the Usability Evaluation Method (UEM) to evaluate the usability and learning design of the various technology platforms. An exploration of technology and user characteristics will be factored in to discern the quality of student portfolios and eportfolio systems maturation.

    Read article: Does technology matter? : Students’ and teachers’ experiences of electronic portfolio (e-portfolio) systems in teacher education

  • Iterative approach to implicit student-generated mobile learning to promote visual literacy and peer mediated learning

    Hardy Ernst, William McGahan, John Harrison

    This paper aims to report early findings of the second iteration of an implicit student-generated mobile learning project that promotes visual literacy and peer mediated learning. The first iteration was conducted with first year health science students at the University of Queensland, Australia, in 2013. We found that while the video assessment task may have aided learning for each student around their specific chosen topic, overall course learning outcomes did not improve. This was perhaps due to a failure of the peer mediated learning aspect of the learning activity. Furthermore, the labour intensive nature of the task may have attenuated overall performance in the course. Acting on these findings, we adjusted the visually based, peer-to-peer mobile learning activity accordingly. The revised assessment task was reintroduced in 2nd semester 2014, and early findings on the efficacy of the revised task on learning will be presented at the ascilite 2014 conference.

    Read article: Iterative approach to implicit student-generated mobile learning to promote visual literacy and peer mediated learning

  • Developing deep, widespread and sustained improvements in online learning in a Faculty of Business: An analysis of the change process

    Carole Hunter, Louise Hard, Brian D’Netto, Harriet Ridolfo, Donna Read

    The Faculty of Business at Charles Sturt University initiated the Online Course Innovation (OCI) project in 2012. This project focuses on the transition of 280 print-based subjects into quality online offerings through the mindful redesign of resources, interactions and experiences. It is led by the Associate Dean (Courses), and involves a multi-disciplinary team of educational designers, academics and divisional staff. The aim of this research project is to explore this transition to the online learning and teaching environment and identify critical organisational elements that contribute to achieving quality outcomes. Specifically, this study seeks to identify factors that support or inhibit the academic’s ability to effectively design and teach quality online subjects, and the impact of leadership on the design and teaching process. Data is currently being collected from a range of institutional stakeholders involved with the project. Initial findings from the data analysis will be shared through the conference presentation.

    Read article: Developing deep, widespread and sustained improvements in online learning in a Faculty of Business: An analysis of the change process

  • Creating digital self-reflective frameworks to encourage learner autonomy in post-graduate courses

    John Clayton, Sarah-Jane Saravani

    The almost universal acceptance of constructivist views of education has firmly placed the learner at the centre of the teaching and learning experience. This acceptance has required educationalists to critically review existing educational strategies, techniques, methods and beliefs. Learner autonomy, the ability to take charge of one's own learning, is based on the concept that learners have the capabilities to reflect on their current skills and identify areas of development. Interactive self-reflective frameworks enable learners to firstly, make independent and informed decisions about their learning needs and secondly, establish a personalised learning plan to address the needs identified. This paper explores how the development and implementation of a digital self reflective framework for post-graduate study in transdisciplinary education contributes to wider acceptance of the conceptions of learner autonomy.

    Read article: Creating digital self-reflective frameworks to encourage learner autonomy in post-graduate courses

  • Students’ perceptions of BYOD open-book examinations in a large class: A pilot study

    Teck Keong Seow, Swee Kit Alan Soong

    A bring-your-own-laptop high-stakes open-book final examination for a General Biology course with an enrolment of 672 students was held in November 2013 at the National University of Singapore. Pre- and post-exam online surveys were conducted to solicit the perceptions of the students with regards to the introduction of a bring-your-own-device open-book electronic final examination. Focus group discussions were also held to deliberate on the perceptions in greater detail. Both the surveys and discussions revealed several key areas of satisfaction and also areas for improvement, which will be explicated in this paper. The implementation and limitations of the exam will also be discussed.

    Read article: Students’ perceptions of BYOD open-book examinations in a large class: A pilot study

  • The Failure of Defining Failure in Social Networking Sites

    Erika Pearson, A.C.M. Moskal

    Despite the widespread use of the terms ‘failure’ and ‘success’ within social networking site (SNS) literature, determining benchmarks of either is a complex undertaking. Success and failure both are often identified according to the presence or absence of context-specific ‘markers’. ‘Snapshot’ metrics such as network growth or activity are pointed to as indicators of a network’s overall success. However, such reductive approaches oversimplify the underlying social processes. This paper presents a review of current literature, and argues for the conceptualisation of failure at the macro-level as the constraint of network actors, regarding ‘success’ and ‘failure’ as recurrent processes in the lifecycle of a social networking site rather than outcomes. It is hoped that theorising failure independent of specific ‘markers’ will provide the basis for future development of predictive and analytical models to identify instances of failure in SNS case studies.

    Read article: The Failure of Defining Failure in Social Networking Sites

  • Designing a bespoke App to address Botanical literacy in the undergraduate science curriculum and beyond

    Lachlan Pettit, Matthew Pye, Xiaolong Wang, Rosanne Quinnell

    At the University of Sydney we are offering a revised botany program within the biology curriculum that has reduced the time dedicated to the study of botany. Given the overall decrease in basic botanical science courses taught at university level and the need to improve the botanical literacy of our future biology graduates and high school teachers, how can we better connect students to the practice of botany and so improve botanical literacy? One solution is to draw on ‘App’, ‘mobile’ technologies to map the campus flora and our aim was to develop a dynamic and interactive geo-locating botany iPhone app, which aligns to the Botany curriculum and offers a unique opportunity for the broader community to view the campus through a botanical lens.

    Read article: Designing a bespoke App to address Botanical literacy in the undergraduate science curriculum and beyond

  • iBus: Perceptions of the rise of mobile learning in a business degree

    James Oldfield, Wajira Dassanayake, Nick Kearns

    Wireless mobile devices (WMD) introduced in the first year of a tertiary business education programme at a tertiary institute in Auckland gave students the opportunity to experience mobile authentic learning as part of an initiative called iBus. Students were provided course material in an interactive iBook format, encouraged to engage in collaboration through authentic activities and utilised the device’s capability for a range of study related tasks. Their responses to this experience were recorded by anonymous online survey at the end of the semester. Responses were positive with high use rates recorded for students accessing course material (91% used ibooks) and lower yet positive rates (67%) for interactive use of the WMD in class. This paper reports on the initiative to date and the feedback provided by students on its impact upon their learning experience.

    Read article: iBus: Perceptions of the rise of mobile learning in a business degree

  • Promoting dialogue through authentic conversations in change management education

    Sue Whale, Muayyad Jabri, Tim Cluley

    This paper highlights a learning design intended to promote dialogue and social construction of meaning through the presentation of a series of workplace video scenarios related to change management. By delivering to students an authentic presentation of the conversations that occur during change processes, and facilitating dialogue through open ended scenes and activities, an immersive situated learning platform is created. Social construction is utilised both as an educational process and as a key theory for the management of organisational change. The scenarios facilitate both goals through providing a focal point for the former and demonstration of the latter.

    Read article: Promoting dialogue through authentic conversations in change management education

  • Exploring students’ interpretation of feedback delivered through learning analytics dashboards

    Linda Corrin, Paula de Barba

    The delivery of feedback to students through learning analytics dashboards is becoming more common in higher education. However, it is not clear what ability students have to interpret this feedback in ways that will benefit their learning. This paper presents the preliminary results of a mixed methods study into students’ interpretation of feedback delivered through learning analytics dashboards and the influence this feedback has on students’ self-regulated learning. The findings from a preliminary analysis of the data from the first two phases will be discussed and the future phases of the research outlined. The outcomes of this research provide new insights into how dashboards can be designed to provide effective feedback in blended learning environments.

    Read article: Exploring students’ interpretation of feedback delivered through learning analytics dashboards

  • The role of instant feedback in improving student understanding of basic accounting concepts

    Brent Gregory, Philip Uys, Sue Gregory

    An Accounting Practice Set that provided immediate feedback was developed in an attempt to accelerate the acquisition of accounting skills by students. A number of metrics were used to measure student engagement in the practice set and to measure if students did acquire accounting skills more rapidly. While results to this stage are still preliminary, through the analysis of Phase One it does appear that many students can gain significant benefit from the practice set. However, there are still a portion of the students that have not engaged.

    Read article: The role of instant feedback in improving student understanding of basic accounting concepts

  • Three good reasons to understand the research impact of a technology-enabled initiative

    Joanne Doyle, Helen Farley, Mike Keppell, Michael Cuthill, Lisa McDonald

    The real-world impact of research is gaining much attention across the international Higher Education sector. Funding agencies, government organisations and community groups are seeking evidence that research initiatives are delivering impact beyond contributions to academia. Researchers, practitioners, educators, learning designers and developers require a good understanding of research impact, and associated terminology, to articulate the real-world benefits of technology-enabled initiatives. There are three good reasons to understand research impact in a Higher Education context. Firstly, comprehending the language of research impact facilitates meaningful discussion with research stakeholders. Secondly, recognising and communicating the real-world impact of an initiative affirms the ‘so what’ factor of a research project. And thirdly, demonstrating research impact, rather than reporting research outputs, is becoming more important in funding applications and project documentation. This paper concludes with a brief review of assessment frameworks developed to evaluate the real-world impact of Higher Education research.

    Read article: Three good reasons to understand the research impact of a technology-enabled initiative

  • Badge trouble: Piloting open badges at the Australian National University

    Inger Mewburn, Katharina Freund, Emily Rutherford

    Despite calls for innovation in learning technologies, setting up new tools for learning at large institutions is an often difficult road. This paper will address the challenges involved in setting up a small pilot of open badges at the Australian National University (ANU). It will investigate the options available for trialing badges when system administrators are unable to support the endeavor, and discuss the university policies and government legislation which have impacted the use of badges at ANU. Drawing on actor-network theory, it examines the complex techno-social environment and power structures surrounding the piloting of new technologies. This paper will also provide suggestions for other institutions struggling with concerns relating to privacy, branding, and reliability of open badges and invite discussion on ways to move forward.

    Read article: Badge trouble: Piloting open badges at the Australian National University

Showing 79–91 of 114 articles