Skip to main content
ASCILITE Publications logo
Search

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 - Concise Papers

  • Grounding the curriculum

    Sean Dolan

    This article argues that with the advent of online learning and the widespread use of discussion forums, there is an opportunity for faculty to encourage students to collaboratively reflect on their own teaching experience from their own unique viewpoints and contexts. Moreover, this shift towards active participation in online discussions has become essential to the student learning experience so that the full range of views and values from an increasingly diverse and non-traditional student base are shared and reflected. In this way it is suggested that traditional notions of curriculum as being defined and controlled by tertiary institutions are being transformed by the grounded experiences of student teacher practice.

    Read article: Grounding the curriculum

  • Stop lecturing me, I want to learn

    Richard Evans, Anne Matthew

    Re-evaluation of pedagogical practice is driving learning design at Queensland University of Technology. One objective of the design for learning is to support approaches to increase student engagement and attendance in physical and virtual learning spaces through opportunities for active and problem-based learning. This paper provides an overview and preliminary evaluation of the pilot of one of these initiatives, the Open Web Lecture (OWL), a new web-based student response application that seamlessly integrates a virtual learning environment within a physical learning space.

    Read article: Stop lecturing me, I want to learn

  • Recent developments in virtual worlds and their potential impact on their use in higher education

    Helen Farley

    Educators have been quick to spot the affordances of virtual worlds (VWs) for authentic learning, distance education and for creating community among students. Though the affordances for many disciplines are obvious, there have been significant barriers to the widespread adoption of virtual worlds in the higher education sector. This paper examines some of the recent developments in VWs, user interfaces and company policy that may have a significant impact on the uptake of VWs. Some of these developments include simplification of user interfaces, increased options for VW hosting and changes in pricing policy. Future developments such as the advent of Microsoft's Kinect and the availability of VW apps for both Apple and Android devices are also considered.

    Read article: Recent developments in virtual worlds and their potential impact on their use in higher education

  • Teacher engagement in a Web 2.0 world: Developing your online teaching and learning Community of Practice

    Edward Flagg, Diana Ayling

    Recent developments in web-based tools have presented new opportunities for teachers and learners to engage in new ways, not only with their specific discipline, but also with themselves, with each other, and their learning. Online Communities of Practice (CoPs) serve not only as clearinghouses for what teachers already know about a discipline, but also as places where new knowledge and skills are developed. They can be a place where professional identities can be shared and grown as knowledge and skills are grown; they can provide space for ideas to be shared, considered, developed, and then used by all members of the CoP; and they are certainly a place where we are able to confront and develop the ways in which we learn. The researchers are two academic developers currently at Unitec Institute of Technology. In the Spring of 2009, the researchers, as technology stewards, created "The Teaching and Learning Community at Unitec' (T & L Community), an online CoP (http://tlcommunityunitec.ning.com/). The T&L Community is where teachers share and develop teaching and professional resources as well as announce events such as professional development opportunities, conferences, and other gatherings. Members participate in conversations through blog posts and comments, real-time chat and themed chat sessions. This new tool for engaging teachers with each other and their profession resonated with the early members and the CoP began to grow twice as fast as the technology stewards had anticipated. This paper explores the background, context and aims of the research, presents preliminary findings, and presents the methodology for further data collection. The paper draws early conclusions and implications about using online communities of practice in a teaching and learning environment.

    Read article: Teacher engagement in a Web 2.0 world: Developing your online teaching and learning Community of Practice

  • The role of tutors in facilitating online student engagement

    Lorraine Fleckhammer, Lisa Wise

    This paper discusses the role of the tutor in developing an online learning community to promote student engagement for large online cohorts. Information overload on the discussion boards was addressed by separating students into streams of 150 - 200 students promoting greater student and staff engagement. A new feedback strategy was introduced to streamline the assignment-marking process and this feedback process has proved to be more socially engaging than traditional feedback via comments embedded within student assignments. The new feedback model involves commentary on assignments, which becomes a "conversation" with the student rather than a series of comments embedded within assignments. In addition, easier access to comments allows greater opportunity for moderation of marks by tutoring teams and for "feedforward" for subsequent assignments. The importance of the level of engagement and commitment to teaching of the tutoring staff has been made apparent by the serendipitous changes to the tutoring role.

    Read article: The role of tutors in facilitating online student engagement

  • Using log data to investigate the impact of (a)synchronous learning tools on LMS interaction

    Steven Greenland

    This paper presents exploratory examination of LMS log data from ten undergraduate business courses that differ in terms of learning activity design. Data were derived from the Unit Statistics and User Activity functions on Blackboard versions 8 and 9.1, which report the number of student hits across the various LMS applications. The research identifies obstacles encountered when using log data. Findings suggest that the design of learning activities has substantial impact upon levels of student interaction with the LMS. Furthermore the greater the amount of asynchronous learning activities, versus synchronous ones, may generate increased student interaction not just with the interactive applications but with the LMS overall. This outcome is particularly relevant given the correlation between LMS interaction and student results reported in other studies. The research confirms the potential of log data to inform online teaching practice, highlights some of challenges involved and outlines avenues for future research.

    Read article: Using log data to investigate the impact of (a)synchronous learning tools on LMS interaction

  • Students' engagement with technologies: Implications for university practice

    Maree Gosper, Janne Malfroy, Jo McKenzie, Lynnae Rankine

    The inexorable pace of technological change demands frequent modernisation of learning technologies and services to ensure they support equitable and engaging learning environments. Because of the resources involved, costs incurred need to be carefully weighed up against the potential benefits that upgrades will bring to students and their learning. In order to provide an evidence-based approach to planning, three Australian universities have recently completed a multidimensional survey to gain a better understanding of students' experiences and expectations of technologies in everyday life and for study purposes. More than 10,000 students responded. Technologies surveyed included established (email, learning management systems) and the more recent Web2.0 technologies (YouTube, Facebook). This paper presents the initial findings and implications they have for the development of technology- rich environments that are equitable, engaging and support quality outcomes.

    Read article: Students' engagement with technologies: Implications for university practice

  • Implementing e-learning: A migration story

    John Hannon, David Hirst, Matthew Riddle

    The shift to an open source learning management system (LMS) raises questions for the integration of technology and pedagogy in an institutional approach to e-learning, and for strategies to build effective student learning through staff development. Implementation at La Trobe University involved the migration of over 1300 subjects to Moodle by the start of Semester 1, 2011. This paper describes this process as a migration story in which successful implementation is a necessary but not sufficient stage to achieving an effective e-learning strategy, in this case, one that meets particular pedagogical needs by embedding pedagogical choices that match the blended learning needs of a multicampus university. The risk is that implementation defaults to technology requirements, and is enacted in a way that pre-empts and sets the conditions for academic development in e-learning. This paper examines the ambiguity of "implementation" that arises from the separate goals of LMS configuration and pedagogical needs.

    Read article: Implementing e-learning: A migration story

  • He ara hou ka tu mai: NZ institutions of higher learning unpacking demands and facilitating change

    Merle Hearns, Scott Diener, Michelle Honey, Judy Cockeram, David Parsons, Erik Champion, Gareth Schott, Garry Falloon, David Thompson, Tim Bell, Mick Grimley, Richard Green, Todd Cochrane, Niki Davis, Donna Morrow, Deborah Corder, Alice U-Mackey, Tony Clear, Anne Philpott, Roy Davies, Swee Kin Loke, Clare Atkins, Sue Gregory

    The Virtual Worlds Working Group began with the DEHub research consortium in November 2009. In December 2010, New Zealand joined the VWWG. This paper highlights the current work of the NZ based members of the group and presents the work of 23 authors at 11 institutes of higher education in New Zealand. The scope of the work covered is diverse, and a number of platforms have been used. Virtual worlds enable educators to provide realistic simulations, engaging role-plays, immersive and genuine tasks, and social interaction that encourages group collaboration, and highlights the ability that virtual worlds have to transform both teaching and learning.

    Read article: He ara hou ka tu mai: NZ institutions of higher learning unpacking demands and facilitating change

  • Let's talk : Providing virtual ESL learning support from a distance

    Mareena Ilyas, Oriel Kelly

    This paper describes the results of a pilot undertaken to find how suitable the Wimba virtual classroom option is in providing academic learning support from a central Learning Support Centre for English as Second Language (ESL) students not based on the main campus of the institution. With the increasing number of remote campuses being established there is a need to provide equitable learning support to remote students. While learners had positive perceptions of the virtual classroom's interactions as language learning tools, the pilot study highlighted some complications to the transition to virtual support. A number of lessons were learned and will be shared.

    Read article: Let's talk : Providing virtual ESL learning support from a distance

  • Re-engineering for Australia's engineering skill shortage

    Patrick James, Diana Quinn, Brenton Dansie

    To address Australia's engineering skills shortage, the University of South Australia has teamed with Open Universities Australia to create an online version of an approved Associate Degree in Engineering from 2012. This initiative involves large-scale pedagogical and technical staff development. Content is being modularised. Current lectures are being recorded and summarised for delivery using our new Moodle-based Personal learning environment. Asynchronous assessments and activities are being written and tested for individual and small group learning and community building. Simulations, visualisations and interactive experiments are being created and sourced to support practical skill development. Mahara ePortfolio systems are helping to engage students in reflection and support collaborative learning and career planning. Virtual classrooms provide regular synchronous Helpdesk consultations. The re-engineering process is creating a blend of traditional and cutting-edge learning experiences which is also re-energising our current face-to-face and regional teaching as well as satisfying the needs of a new cohort of students.

    Read article: Re-engineering for Australia's engineering skill shortage

  • Integrating bioscience and clinical learning through technology

    Terry Judd, Kristine Elliot, Geoff McColl

    Successfully integrating bioscience and clinical learning is a major challenge for designers of medical curricula. A new learning system being developed at the University of Melbourne will make it easier for medical students to locate, access and utilise bioscience and clinical learning resources to support both formal and informal learning activities. Backed by a comprehensive database of curriculum, bioscience and clinical resources, students will have immediate access to the best available bioscience and clinical resources via interactive activity and search-based interfaces. Student portfolios, based around new patient record and procedural log systems will be fully integrated within the system. Implementation will be supported by an extensive program of evaluation and research, with particular emphasis to be placed on student's selection and use of digital resources and the use of electronic health records to support clinical learning.

    Read article: Integrating bioscience and clinical learning through technology

  • Changing spaces: Using technologies to enhance student and teacher engagement through effective pre-lecture engagement (EPLE)

    Sophie Karanicolas, Ian Green, Craig Willis, Catherine Snelling

    Many leading innovators in higher education are seeking to change the nature and purpose of face-to-face (f2f) sessions, aiming to morph the traditional university lecture into something that is more interactive and student driven. Underpinning this changing lecture dynamic is a focus on the learning that students are required to achieve in order to be best prepared for, and thus gain maximum benefit from, the f2f session. This project team has been successfully carrying out a range of effective pre-lecture engagement activities (EPLE) through the use of learning technologies, with attested improvement in student outcomes and progression rates, across two different disciplines. Both student and teacher engagement has been enhanced through the development of 'interactive online learning modules' (TOLMs) in Oral Health that are completed prior to the scheduled f2f session, and 'crash courses' (CCs) in Civil Engineering that are conducted in class within the first 10 minutes of the f2f.

    Read article: Changing spaces: Using technologies to enhance student and teacher engagement through effective pre-lecture engagement (EPLE)

Showing 92–104 of 147 articles