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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

  • Applying a Reverse Induction Process for Improved Definition of Higher Education Technology-Supported Research Projects

    Joanne Doyle, Helen Farley

    Scoping out the detail of a Higher Education research project can be a time-consuming and frustrating experience. The excitement of a research project is frequently stifled by the tedious process of mapping out project activities, estimating required resources and developing project schedules. Reverse induction provides a fresh approach to defining technology-supported research projects. In much the same way as new product development must be guided by an understanding of customer needs, reverse induction focuses on research outcomes before formulating research aims. Using a systematic process of backward reasoning, researchers can define a project concept in a structured and efficient manner. There is significant potential for reverse induction to deliver time and cost savings in a complex and challenging Higher Education environment.

    Read article: Applying a Reverse Induction Process for Improved Definition of Higher Education Technology-Supported Research Projects

  • Using a blogging tool to assess online discussions: An integrated assessment approach

    Xinni Du, Chris Daly

    This paper presents a summary of an experimental assessment design in a fully online undergraduate course. It details a task design relating to assessing discussion forum contributions and how lessons learnt from the original design have impacted on the current course design. From a task that often resulted in 2500 posts across a semester – impossible to read and assess in a fair and equitable manner to the combined design offered today. The task is equitable and manageable with the aim of building students’ capability as active learners.

    Read article: Using a blogging tool to assess online discussions: An integrated assessment approach

  • Beyond the afterglow: Transfer of learning in an online “applications” course - preliminary results of a mixed methods study

    John P. Egan

    This exploratory study examines aspects of student experiences both during an online applications course in the University of British Columbia’s Master of Educational Technology (MET) programme, and subsequent to having completed the course in the realm of professional educational practice. Transfer of learning (Caffarella, 2002) related to specific learning activities, a learning community-centered/community of practice course structure, and the overall course design were examined. Broadly speaking, transfer of learning was significant for nearly all study participants; specific learning activities designed to foment this did so successfully for most participants. However, the community of practice aspect during the course (Lave and Wenger, 1991), whilst strong, was not as evident after the course ended. This paper represents a preliminary analysis of the findings from the quantitative (questionnaire) portion of a larger, mixed methods study.

    Read article: Beyond the afterglow: Transfer of learning in an online “applications” course - preliminary results of a mixed methods study

  • Google Analytics as a tool in the development of e-learning artefacts: A case study

    Damon Ellis

    The design, development, and evaluation of e-learning artefacts requires extensive and potentially time-consuming evidence collection in order to verify that the artefact is fulfilling its educational goals. There is a need for inexpensive tools that can facilitate the quantitative portion of this evidence base. This paper explores the use of Google Analytics in this capacity. The needs analysis, design, testing, embedding, and evaluation of APA Interactive – an e-learning artefact targeting students at Massey University – serves as a case study, demonstrating how analytics data can inform all stages in the creation of web-based educational resources.

    Read article: Google Analytics as a tool in the development of e-learning artefacts: A case study

  • Bridging the digital divide: Bringing e-literacy skills to incarcerated students

    Helen Farley, Angela Murphy, Tasman Bedford

    Incarcerated students face a number of additional challenges to those faced by most other students studying at a distance. Lack of internet access is especially problematic for those studying in a sector that is increasingly characterised by online course offerings. This paper reports on a trial project that will attempt to address the digital challenges that hinder access to higher education by incarcerated students, and to provide them with inclusive learning experiences. The trial utilises Stand-Alone Moodle (SAM) and eBook readers with a small sample of incarcerated students participating in the Tertiary Preparation Program (TPP) at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ). This project potentially addresses the digital divide experienced by incarcerated students as compared to the general student population. It is anticipated that students will participate in learning experiences more closely related to those experienced by students who study in online environments, that and they will acquire relevant e-literacy and e-research skills.

    Read article: Bridging the digital divide: Bringing e-literacy skills to incarcerated students

  • Implications of the non-traditional student becoming the traditional

    Lorraine Fleckhammer, Helene Richardson

    The challenge that the new digital technologies brings to education today is in the shift to online education. Online education, as delivered through Open Universities Australia, is open access, and affords entry into Higher Education for many non-traditional students who are much more diverse in terms of academic skills than traditional-entry students. The aim of this study was to improve academic writing skills, specifically in the correct use of APA formatting for psychology research reports. A "low-stakes" assessment task worth 5% replaced optional referencing, formatting and report writing exercises. The results found no improvement in student reports (i.e., no increase in assignment grades) in the intervention year compared to three other years where the tasks were optional.

    Read article: Implications of the non-traditional student becoming the traditional

  • “It gave me a much more personal connection”: Student-generated podcasting and assessment in teacher education

    Dianne Forbes, Elaine Khoo, Marcia Johnson

    This paper reports on a qualitative case study of an online initial teacher education class in New Zealand, exploring the potential of student-generated podcasts as a form of interactive formative assessment. Findings from interviews with teaching staff indicate that podcasting was useful for supporting multimodal learning valuing student voice and reflections. Podcasting enhanced the affective and relational connections in the online class, and empowered students to develop technical skills and confidence relevant in their teaching careers. As such, this study positions educators as future makers and as leaders in a climate of change. We suggest implications for student-generated podcasts in similar contexts.

    Read article: “It gave me a much more personal connection”: Student-generated podcasting and assessment in teacher education

  • Using Mobile Learning to Facilitate Early Engagement

    Paul Goldacre

    Mobile Learning is an emerging learning and teaching field and the strategies for conceptualising, designing, developing and evaluating the mobile learning experience are embryonic and evolving. This paper describes the process of development of a mobile learning experience for use on an iOS device with "engagement" and "learning" sitting at the core of the research, design and development of the project.

    Read article: Using Mobile Learning to Facilitate Early Engagement

  • Leading the evaluation of institutional online learning environments for quality enhancement in times of change

    Maree Gosper, Dale Holt, Stuart Palmer, G. Allan, M. Hicks, R. Hollenbeck, Judy Monro, Michael Sankey, I. Solmonides

    This paper reports on findings from a nationally funded project which aims to design and implement a quality management framework for online learning environments (OLEs). Evaluation is a key component of any quality management system and it is this aspect of the framework that is the focus of this paper. In developing the framework initial focus groups were conducted at the five participating institutions. These revealed that, although regarded as important, there did not appear to be a shared understanding of the nature and purpose of evaluation. A second series of focus groups revealed there were multiple perspectives arising from those with a vested interest in online learning. These perspectives will be outlined. Overall, how evaluation was undertaken was highly variable within and across the five institutions reflecting where they were at in relation to the development of their OLE.

    Read article: Leading the evaluation of institutional online learning environments for quality enhancement in times of change

  • Sustaining the future through virtual worlds

    Sue Gregory, Lisa Jacka, Frederick Stokes-Thompson, Helen Farley, Sheila Scutter, Penelope Neuendorf, Shane Mathews, Jaime Garcia, Grant Meredith, Scott Grant, Angela Giovanangeli, Andrew Cram, Tracey Muir, Jenny Grenfell, Anthony Williams, Angela McCarthy, Brent Gregory, Stefan Schutt, Denise Wood, Lindy Orwin, Ian Warren, Matt Bower, Des Butler, Jay Jay Jegathesan, Eimear Muir-Cochran, Clare Atkins, Karen Le Rossignol, Dale Linegar, Ben Cleland, Lyn Hay, Simeon Simoff, Mathew Hillier, David Ellis, Yvonne Masters, Ieva Stupans, Caroline Steel, Charlynn Miller, Merle Hearns, Ross Brown, Kim Flintoff, Belma Gaukrodger, Ian Larson, Xiangyu Wang, Edith Paillat, Ning Gu, Anton Bogdanovych

    Virtual worlds (VWs) continue to be used extensively in Australia and New Zealand higher education institutions although the tendency towards making unrealistic claims of efficacy and popularity appears to be over. Some educators at higher education institutions continue to use VWs in the same way as they have done in the past; others are exploring a range of different VWs or using them in new ways; whilst some are opting out altogether. This paper presents an overview of how 46 educators from some 26 institutions see VWs as an opportunity to sustain higher education. The positives and negatives of using VWs are discussed.

    Read article: Sustaining the future through virtual worlds

  • The 5 C’s of Literacy and Literary Skills Development: Conversations, Community, Collaboration, Creativity, and Connection

    Michael Griffith , Diana Simmons, Wai-Leng Wong, Simon Smith

    The use of blogging has been explored on how it can enhance and extend support for student participation and learning: as collaborative learning spaces, for increased participation and interaction amongst students, as a valuable asset to the learning schedules of large cohort university teaching, for promoting writing skills. The limitations and lack of perceived benefits have also been acknowledged in some studies. At our university, blogging has been applied in a course to enhance the engagement of students in the study of literature, to extend community with peers, and to build skills for future employability. It is precisely because of the less formal nature of the blog, one more in harmony with students' own social networking practice, that this Web 2.0 tool segues so effectively from students' native skills into the academic arena. The increasing use of social media in academic contexts has however, raised the question of whether the largely informal nature of Web 2.0 can act as a pathway to develop students' writing or if this could hinder the development of competence in academic discourse.

    Read article: The 5 C’s of Literacy and Literary Skills Development: Conversations, Community, Collaboration, Creativity, and Connection

  • Moving down Stream: Using e-technology to enhance social work field education

    Kathryn Hay

    In 2009, Massey University introduced Moodle (aka Stream) as an institutional innovation to support and enhance teaching and learning. The social work field education (practicum) programme has embraced Stream as an opportunity to creatively advance current educative practices. The development of a meta-site for field education provides academics, students and field educators1 a forum in which field education can be advanced. This paper will outline the rationale for a research project that examines the perspectives of field educators and academic staff on the opportunities and challenges associated with on-line teaching and learning in the field education area. The research will assess the value of the Stream environment and consider ways in which the current innovation can be further developed.

    Read article: Moving down Stream: Using e-technology to enhance social work field education

  • Leading by Example: The start of a journey towards transformation of teaching practice in the online space

    Elaine Huber, Scarlet An

    This paper outlines the design of a study to investigate how a collection of example units was used as part of a wider training and support strategy during the transition between learning management systems. Example units can be thought of as a type of learning object or template from which innovative uses of learning technologies can be shared and used for professional development purposes in the design of online teaching spaces. Using a Developmental Evaluation approach, questions were asked about the authenticity and reusability of the example units to enhance their design in the next round of iterative planning. This paper will be of interest to Educational Developers and Academic staff interested in course design with technologies as well as co-ordinators of professional development strategies.

    Read article: Leading by Example: The start of a journey towards transformation of teaching practice in the online space

Showing 79–91 of 132 articles