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2012: ASCILITE 2012 Conference Proceedings: FUTURE CHALLENGES | SUSTAINABLE FUTURES

 

 

 

 

The proceedings of the 2012 ASCILITE Conference

Brown, M., Hartnett, M. and Stewart, T. (Eds.), FUTURE CHALLENGES | SUSTAINABLE FUTURES Proceedings ASCILITE 2012: Wellington, New Zealand

Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

November 25-28, 2012

ASCILITE2012 Conference Website - https://www.ascilite.org/conferences/Wellington12/2012/home.html

Published: 22 November 2012

ASCILITE Conference - Concise Papers

  • The design and development of a suite of online professional development resources for academic staff: Framing the project

    David Snell, Jane Terrell

    Professional development for teaching staff at Massey University has been comprehensively remodelled in order to foster teachers as “future makers”, exponents of models of teaching and learning that are suitable for effective 21st century knowledge creation and distribution. Given that the remodelling programme has strong support at significant levels of the university?s leadership, it has a high chance of succeeding in its aims. This paper traces the initial stages of one project in the programme: the production of a suite of online resources featuring successful academic staff discussing aspects of their teaching. Loosely modelled on other online teaching development videos, the videos in the suite were envisaged to provide staff new to teaching, and those wishing to improve their teaching practices, with a readily accessible, practical explanation of how some of Massey University?s leading practitioners operate. To help staff understanding at a deeper level, the suite included a series of brief information guides ("flyers") aimed at helping staff understand the theoretical terms underpinning the video discussions. This is an initial report on an on-going project.

    Read article: The design and development of a suite of online professional development resources for academic staff: Framing the project

  • A Brave New World: Introducing the planets online

    Natalie Spence, Dean Groom, Orsola de Marco, Robert Parker, Michael Ireland, Mark Wardle

    There are numerous challenges facing a class at university: limited access to tutorial rooms, fewer tutors and low student attendance in traditional lectures. A further challenge in science is the need to facilitate the learning—and develop the science literacy—of non-science majors, who in the case of this paper elect to study astronomy as part of their academic program. On moving a class online, the challenge includes finding, and becoming confident in using, effective methods and tools. This paper traces a process of review and collaboration between an educational development team and faculty academics to reconfigure an introductory astronomy unit. Part of the approach is to engage students using concept mapping to underpin enquiry-driven pedagogy using the university’s learning management system.

    Read article: A Brave New World: Introducing the planets online

  • The affordances of web conferences in online pre-service mathematics education

    Brett Stephenson, Jillian Downing

    In their books "Teaching the digital generations: No more cookie cutters" (2008) and "Windows on the Future" (2001), Ted McCain and Ian Jukes discuss the change that is necessary in education to respond to technological change. Web conferences are emerging as an important pedagogical tool for pre-service teacher education. In this study pre-service mathematics teachers shared their views of the benefits and limitations that web conferences offer. The collection of data for analysis was from students experienced in web conferences and was obtained by, appropriately, a web conference where questions were presented on the web conference whiteboard and responses and discussion were given using the text, talk, polling and whiteboard tools embedded in the web conference software. This paper will provide a synthesis of the findings and explore the implications for online pre-service teacher education programs.

    Read article: The affordances of web conferences in online pre-service mathematics education

  • Online learning preferences: Revealing assumptions and working with difference

    Sue Tickner, Tony Hunt

    This paper describes a trial of an online survey that was intended to reveal the online learning preferences of students and staff at a Faculty of Education, and our conclusions to date about the usefulness of the tool and the results it revealed. As part of a wider work in progress, the trial arose from our desire to better understand the learning needs of students from diverse cultures and how best to support online and blended students and teachers in increasingly global communities of learning. Our conclusions to date do not enable us to validate the cultural dimensions of learning on which the survey was based, but they do lead us to believe there is value in using the instrument to reveal and explore difference in online learning preferences.

    Read article: Online learning preferences: Revealing assumptions and working with difference

  • Mobile learning: Exploring the possibilities for rangatahi

    Travis Timoko

    This paper presents the findings of a small exploratory study that evaluated the effectiveness of mobile learning to supplement the face-to-face teaching and learning of a whakairo (M?ori carving) three-day course for secondary school age M?ori. The study found that in relation to participant learning, the use of mlearning to supplement the learning experience appeared to improve the knowledge transfer or ability to recall key elements relevant to the course for the experimental group. This study forms the basis for further research in the area of mlearning for secondary school age students within tikanga M?ori learning environments. It is anticipated that the research will contribute to a tikanga-based framework, shaping the future of learning in Aotearoa.

    Read article: Mobile learning: Exploring the possibilities for rangatahi

  • Understanding novice programmers: Their perceptions and motivations

    Kylie Turville, Grant Meredith, Philip Smith

    This paper presents the initial findings of an ongoing research program eliciting a basic understanding of students undertaking a first year programming course at the University of Ballarat, with a particular focus on their motivations and aspirations. This paper also provides a brief history of the course within its institutional setting including the different strategies that have been implemented over the last decade, an overview of the overarching study that is currently being undertaken, a discussion of some of the initial results, as well as a short discussion further research that is currently being undertaken. Results from the initial study indicate that students are positive coming into our courses but can become disillusioned as the course progresses. The research path forward will also be presented along with the discussion of these initial findings.

    Read article: Understanding novice programmers: Their perceptions and motivations

  • ANU Campus Quest: A Mobile App For Transition

    Jodi Tutty, Sage Leslie-McCarthy

    This paper outlines a new mobile application designed to assist student transition at the Australian National University (ANU). It briefly outlines the importance of addressing student transition in the current higher education climate, and explains why the ANU has decided to move into the mobile space in order to assist student transition to the geographical, social and institutional context of the university. The app is designed as an information-based scavenger hunt, informed by research into the social and learning utility of games. Students need to work in teams to devise strategies to approach the game, assisting them to make social connections, while the game itself takes students across campus to discover spaces and university cultures.

    Read article: ANU Campus Quest: A Mobile App For Transition

  • Assisting student learning through professional development: The affect of website materials and real world science on teacher development

    Lisa van Raalte, Rachel Boulay, Chris Campbell

    To improve student learning and success in a science field while at university, it is important that students begin their studies with good basic science knowledge. Thus, it is important for high school science teachers to be teaching current scientific methods. To update their skills high school teachers need to participate in professional development programs to update their own knowledge of current science research and techniques used in labs. Towards this goal, the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii developed a professional development program for high school science teachers. In 2012, eight high school science teachers attended the program for eight week days over a two week period. This study is a report of the teachers’ experiences within the program. Specifically, this paper reports on the results of the teachers’ evaluation of the online materials and their perspectives of real world application of the learned material are investigated. The data set in this study includes all eight teachers’ pre-survey responses and final survey data.

    Read article: Assisting student learning through professional development: The affect of website materials and real world science on teacher development

  • A Preliminary Investigation into Technology and Processes Facilitating the Assurance of Learning

    Brian R. von Konsky, Annette Watkins, Douglas Atkinson, Tania Broadley

    This paper reports on the outcomes from a preliminary evaluation of technologies and processes intended to support the Assurance of Learning initiative in the business faculty of an Australian university. The study investigated how existing institutional information systems and operational processes could be used to support direct measures of student learning and the attainment of intended learning goals. The levels at which learning outcomes had been attained were extracted from the University Learning Management System (LMS), based on rubric data for three assessments in two units. Spreadsheets were used to link rubric criteria to the learning goals associated with the assessments as identified in a previous curriculum mapping exercise, and to aggregate the outcomes. Recommendations arising from this preliminary study are made to inform a more comprehensive pilot based on this approach, and manage the quality of student learning experiences in the context of existing processes and reporting structures.

    Read article: A Preliminary Investigation into Technology and Processes Facilitating the Assurance of Learning

  • Twitter Learning Analytics in R

    Lyndon Walker

    There is presently no literature about the application of learning analytics to student learning activities that use Twitter beyond those describing the Twitter activities themselves and/or student survey feedback about these activities. This paper seeks to address this gap by examining the application of some data visualisation analytics to student activities on Twitter using the R statistics software programme. For those who already use Twitter as a teaching tool it illustrates some useful methods for analysing learner data in order to more effectively use Twitter in their teaching. For those who do not use Twitter in their teaching, they will hopefully still find the descriptions of various ways that Twitter is currently used, and the application of learning analytics informative for their teaching practice.

    Read article: Twitter Learning Analytics in R

  • Sustaining a problematic innovation: A ‘grounds-eye’ view of video conferencing through teachers’ experiences

    Nicola Westberry, Sue McNaughton, Helen Gaeta, Jennie Billot

    This paper reports on a study that explored the engagement of 17 academic staff with video conferencing technology in four large first-year classes in higher education during 2011. While the video conferencing brought a number of benefits, its implementation was far from straightforward, raising many issues about whether it should endure, and if so, in what form. Using an insider research approach, this paper considers 'grounds-eye' perspectives from teachers involved with the video conferencing. The findings identify three key issues that affected the sustainability of the video conferencing: a lack of synergy between individual, pedagogical, and organisational levels; the adoption of 'safe' practices by teachers when faced with uncertain learning settings; and the endurance of the video conferencing in an altered form. The paper casts some doubt on the positioning of teachers as 'future makers', showing how teachers can retreat into established practices when technology creates uncertainty in an educational context.

    Read article: Sustaining a problematic innovation: A ‘grounds-eye’ view of video conferencing through teachers’ experiences

  • Promoting engagement and interaction through a technology supported learning activity

    Sue Whale, Josie Fisher, Fredy-Roberto Valenzuela

    In this paper we describe a technology supported learning activity that was developed, implemented and evaluated in a postgraduate, online unit of study offered by the University of New England in 2011. A learner analysis and an analysis of the learning outcomes of the unit informed the development of this activity. The online activity was created within a Wiki and students completed it in the first few weeks of the teaching period. This design was intended to build social presence by encouraging ongoing interaction and engagement in the unit. A constructivist approach was utilised to facilitate this authentic activity in line with theories for learning futures. The activity provided scaffolding for subsequent assessment tasks in the unit. Students? outcomes and their feedback on the activity suggested it was successful in achieving the intended goals.

    Read article: Promoting engagement and interaction through a technology supported learning activity

  • Creating a Culture for Critical and Situated Technology Use Through Effective Learning Design

    Anne Wheeler, Panos Vlachopoulos, Sandy Cope

    The purpose of this concise paper is to propose, with evidence gathered through a systematic evaluation of an academic development programme in the UK, that training in the use of new and emerging learning technologies should be holistically embedded in every learning and training opportunity in learning, teaching and assessment in higher education, and not only as stand-alone modules or one-off opportunities. The future of learning in higher education cannot afford to allow Universities to disregard that digital literacy is an expected professional skill for their entire staff.

    Read article: Creating a Culture for Critical and Situated Technology Use Through Effective Learning Design

Showing 118–130 of 132 articles