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2011: ASCILITE 2011 Conference Proceedings: Changing Demands, Changing Directions.

 

The proceedings of the 2011 ASCILITE Conference

G. Williams, P. Statham, N. Brown & B. Cleland (Eds.), Changing Demands, Changing Directions. Proceedings ASCILITE Hobart 2011

Wrest Point, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

December 4-7, 2011

ASCILITE2011 Conference Website - https://ascilite.org/conferences/hobart11/index.htm

Published: 8 December 2011

ASCILITE Conference - Full Papers

  • Bridging the Gap between OER Initiative Objectives and OER User Needs in Higher Education

    Amal Hanna, Denise Wood

    The Open educational resources (OER) movement is a new phenomenon in the field of education. Increasing use of Web 2.0 technologies along with growing competition between educational institutions have accelerated interest in the potential of such 'open' educational resources. Some educational institutions have made their learning resources available online for learners for the purpose of encouraging knowledge sharing and improving effectiveness of teaching and learning. Furthermore, some community organisations are also hosting and supporting OERs. However, at least some reports from educational institutions indicate that the motivation behind this move to OERs might be driven more by a desire to enhance their reputation and attract new students to their programs, rather than the promotion of OERs. This paper presents the findings of a content analysis of a sample of OER websites undertaken to identify whether 'Net Gen' learner needs are adequately addressed by current OER initiatives. The findings suggest that although many educational institutions state that their OERs allow learners to share knowledge and extend critical thinking and interactivity, the OER community organisation sites reviewed appear to be offering learners greater opportunities for online interaction, critical thinking, and reflective learning practices than the formal educational institutions reviewed. The findings of the content analysis also suggest that OER initiatives do not necessarily meet learners/users' needs. The findings from this analysis are discussed and the implications for future uptake of OERs as a strategy for supporting widening access to education in response to the changing needs of learners are explored.

    Read article: Bridging the Gap between OER Initiative Objectives and OER User Needs in Higher Education

  • Should we teach an old game new tricks?

    Mat Hardy, Sally Totman

    The Middle East Politics Simulation (MEPS) is a simulation of diplomacy and political tension in the Middle East. This online role-play exercise is aimed at providing students with an improved level of understanding of the political dimensions of the region. Having been run since 1993, the MEPS has not had any major updates to its platform in all those years. However, as such a mature online entity there is the question of whether the MEPS will continue to engage students as their expectations of what constitutes an online role-playing environment became steadily raised by their familiarity with more graphically immersive platforms. The reliance on social media tools for students and political figures to use as conduits for communication is also unrepresented in the MEPS and the subject of some student dissatisfaction in previous years. This research assesses student attitudes towards the MEPS with an eye to balancing the demands of technology, functionality, equity of experience, security and, most importantly, learning outcomes.

    Read article: Should we teach an old game new tricks?

  • Is reflective writing an enigma? : Can preparing evidence for an electronic portfolio develop skills for reflective practice?

    Bronwyn Hegarty

    Documenting reflective practice would be easier if practitioners were in agreement about the meaning of reflection for practice. Even though evidence exists to support the links between reflection, professional learning and reflective practice, agreement about how to effectively facilitate the reflective process for deeper levels of reflection is not yet established. The reflective writing of postgraduate teacher education students was scaffolded using a Three-Step Reflective Framework. Written reflections were prepared for an electronic design portfolio and assessed by the subject lecturer. All participants demonstrated three levels of reflection in their writing, namely, Descriptive, Explanatory and Supported. There was a degree of critical reflection although this was not directly scaffolded by the framework. All participants found the Reflective Framework useful for assisting them to write reflectively, and the majority intended to carry on using it to assist in constructing a professional portfolio.

    Read article: Is reflective writing an enigma? : Can preparing evidence for an electronic portfolio develop skills for reflective practice?

  • Using design principles to improve pedagogical practice and promote student engagement

    Jan Herrington, Thomas C. Reeves

    Design principles are fundamental to the conduct of educational design research (or design-based research) studies, a research approach that is becoming more widely used in educational technology research and pedagogy. In this paper, we argue that design principles can be used to guide the design and development of learning environments in higher education that are based on sound practical and theoretical principles, and that can promote student engagement through innovative learning tasks. We review the use of design principles in educational research, and describe how these principles can be used to design and refine educational innovation and technology-based learning initiatives. The paper describes four phases of design-based research, together with examples of how existing principles can be analysed and used by teachers to inform the creation and dissemination of innovative solutions to educational problems.

    Read article: Using design principles to improve pedagogical practice and promote student engagement

  • Leading an evidence-based, multi-stakeholder approach to evaluating the implementation of a new online learning environment: An Australian institutional case study

    Dale Holt, Stuart Palmer, Mary Dracup

    An Australian institutional case study is presented on the evaluation approach being adopted for the implementation of a new online learning environment. Well conceived and inclusive evaluation is seen as essential for the quality management of online learning environments. The focus is on identifying and reconciling the informational needs of various stakeholder groups in the institution, and developing a plan of action covering the key period of implementation. The significant judgements required to carry out evaluation in a multi-campus environment cannot be under-estimated. This is particularly the case given the more recent move to devolving resources and responsibility for the successful implementation of the environment to faculties in the institution concerned. It calls for a more sophisticated conception and set of practices around distributed leadership, as aided by institutions' teaching and learning centres. A set of strategic recommendations are offered to help with the evaluation task.

    Read article: Leading an evidence-based, multi-stakeholder approach to evaluating the implementation of a new online learning environment: An Australian institutional case study

  • Adoption of web and mobility technologies in a multicultural population of hospitality and leisure students: Search for empirical evidence

    Claudette John, Ian Jenkins

    The aim of the research is to gather empirical evidence on the current use of Web 2.0 and mobile technology in the population of first semester international students. The evolution of usage over time is analyzed. A quantitative analysis, comparing the results at an institute of higher education in Switzerland with those of three Australian universities was performed. The results from the research demonstrate that on average, 2010 students use computers more than their Australian counterparts in 2006. Significantly fewer students in 2010 did not use Web 2.0 technologies and mobile devices compared to 2006, which is important for learning styles and delivery of blended learning practices. The results of the first stage of this research support the notion that this cohort of students uses Web 2.0 and mobile technologies to communicate and consume content.

    Read article: Adoption of web and mobility technologies in a multicultural population of hospitality and leisure students: Search for empirical evidence

  • Learning style and digital activity: An ecological study

    Genevieve Marie Johnson, Tania Broadley

    In order to understand student engagement in higher education through the use of digital technologies, it is necessary to appreciate the broader use of differing technologies. Forty-eight first-year university students completed an online survey that queried patterns of digital activity across home, school and community contexts and that included rating scale items that measured learning style (i.e., active-reflective, sensing-intuitive, visual-verbal, sequential-global). Results suggest that students vary widely in digital activities and that such variation is related to differences in learning style. For example, active learners were more likely than reflective learners to engage in digital activities in the community and users of some specific application, as opposed to non-users, were more likely to be verbal than visual learners. Implications for instructional applications of digital technology in higher education are presented.

    Read article: Learning style and digital activity: An ecological study

  • Wins and hurdles: The ups and downs in providing professional development in elearning

    Jacqui Kelly, Kuki Singh, Judy Schrape

    Strategically aligning staff development to facilitate exploration and innovation in the application of learning technologies is a complex balancing act that integrates the influences of technological change, shifting institutional priorities and conditions, and uneven uptake among staff. In this paper we focus on (one aspect of) a multi pronged staff development strategy in a university context. As an evidence base, we draw on staff participation and evaluation data for an 18 month period to explore some of the factors that have contributed to how the professional development (PD) program has evolved in response to local conditions while deploying good practice guidelines. Quantitative and qualitative data from staff surveys are analysed to determine the impact and effectiveness of the program and to explore the factors that have influenced the evolution of the program.

    Read article: Wins and hurdles: The ups and downs in providing professional development in elearning

  • Understanding the reasons academics use - and don't use - endorsed and unendorsed learning technologies

    Gregor Kennedy, Deb Jones, Dianne Chambers, Jon Peacock

    Educational researchers have a longstanding interest in the reasons why academic staff use technologies in their teaching. The investigation presented in this paper considered drivers and barriers to the use of technology in a higher education context where it is increasingly possible for academics to not only rely on endorsed, university-based systems and tools, but also on unendorsed tools available 'outside' the university. The findings from this study showed that most staff were using a relatively standard, endorsed technology tool-set and, in most cases, there was limited use of external or emerging technologies and tools in learning and teaching. Five clear profiles of academic staff were established that represented diverse motivations for using or not using technologies in teaching. The implications of the results of this study are discussed in terms of staff training, support and professional development.

    Read article: Understanding the reasons academics use - and don't use - endorsed and unendorsed learning technologies

  • Using game-based inquiry learning to meet the changing directions of science education

    Shannon Kennedy-Clark, Vilma Galstaun, Kate Anderson

    This paper presents the results of a study designed to develop pre-service teachers' skills and pedagogical understanding of how game-based learning can be used in a classroom. The study used a technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) conceptual model. 18 pre-service science teachers participated in the study that used Death in Rome, a point and click inquiry-based game to learn how to teach scientific inquiry. In the workshop the participants were required to complete several activities using game-based learning that included the evaluation of a range of online games and virtual worlds. Participants were required to complete pre-and post-tests. The results of the pre-and post-tests indicate that there was a significant shift in pre-service teachers' attitudes towards game-based learning as a result of the workshop. Overall, this study showed a positive change in attitudes towards game-based learning in science education.

    Read article: Using game-based inquiry learning to meet the changing directions of science education

  • Preserving our Past with Toys of the Future

    Muqeem Khan, Penny de Byl

    This paper presents the initial outcomes of a key scoping study undertaken to explore the role of augmented reality and motion detecting technologies in the context of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) for museums related environments. Initial prototypes are in the form of an interactive infrared camera based application for children to engage with an Aboriginal puppet. This scoping study is unique, as it tries to combine two extremes: the curation of historical intangible artifacts and their preservation through digital intervention. Heritage related intangible content is always restricted because of its non-physical nature and can never be fully embed in an environment like museums and related exhibitions. This paper explores alternative opportunities for knowledge transfer of ICH content that manifest with playfulness in order to elicit a deeper understanding of such intangible cultural artifacts. This study is complementary to multiple disciplines including heritage preservation, museum technologies and emerging interaction design.

    Read article: Preserving our Past with Toys of the Future

  • Modeling pre-service teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) perceptions: The influence of demographic factors and TPACK constructs

    Joyce Hwee Ling Koh, Chai Ching Sing

    The TPACK framework comprises seven constructs that describe teachers' technology integration expertise. These TPACK constructs address a theoretical void in the area of educational technology and have been widely adopted by colleges of education for the planning of teacher technology integration courses. This study first describes Singapore pre-service teachers' TPACK perceptions with respect to these seven constructs. Using a stepwise regression model, this study then analyzes the relative impact of age, gender, and TPACK constructs on the TPACK perceptions of pre-service teachers. It was found that TPACK constructs had significant impact on pre-service teachers' TPACK perceptions whereas the demographic variables of age and gender were not signficant. Among the TPACK constructs, only technological pedagogical knowledge and technological content knowledge were found to be significant predictors of TPACK. The implications of these findings on the design of pre-service teacher ICT courses are discussed.

    Read article: Modeling pre-service teachers' technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) perceptions: The influence of demographic factors and TPACK constructs

  • Using collaborative peer feedback and supervision to support doctoral research at a distance

    Kwok-Wing Lai

    This paper documents a collaborative peer-support and supervision model with peers and supervisors provide critical feedback to doctoral thesis proposals within an online learning community in a New Zealand university. A content analysis was conducted on 26 online presentations from 10 EdD proposals to investigate the nature and types of feedback provided by a group of 10 students and 10 supervisors engaged in this collaborative learning and supervision process. Six students were also interviewed. Findings from this study show that the online feedback process was helpful in supporting revisions of thesis proposals, and was a valuable component of this new approach to thesis supervision.

    Read article: Using collaborative peer feedback and supervision to support doctoral research at a distance

Showing 27–39 of 147 articles