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2018: ASCILITE 2018 Conference Proceedings

 

 

 

 

The proceedings of the 2018 ASCILITE Conference. Open Oceans: Learning Without Borders

M. Campbell, J. Willems, C. Adachi, D. Blake, I. Doherty, S. Krishnan, S. Macfarlane, L. Ngo, M. O’Donnell, S. Palmer, L. Riddell, I. Story, H. Suri & J. Tai (Eds.), Open Oceans: Learning Without Borders. Proceedings ASCILITE 2018. Geelong.

Deakin University, Geelong, Australia

November 25-28 2018

ASCILITE2018 Conference Website https://2018conference.ascilite.org/

 

Published: 20 November 2018

ASCILITE Conference - Concise Papers

  • Technology for the scalability of co-creation with students

    Mollie Dollinger

    Student-staff co-creation is a growing topic in higher education research. Framed as a mechanism for universities to better modify and meets the needs and expectations of students, student co-creation has a wealth of potential benefits. However, with the expansion of research, many scholars have stumbled upon a similar limitation, the scalability of co-creation. This issue is due to co-creation currently occurring in face-to-face (f2f) interactions (e.g. pedagogical consultants). However, co-creation can also arise in online spaces, enabled by technology, that could allow for greater scalability. In this paper, three strategies supported with technology to enhance the scalability of co-creation will be discussed including, crowdsourcing, customisation and prosumer behaviour with relevant industry examples for each as well as suggestions for practice in higher education. The limitations, benefits, and new directions for research will further be discussed. It is the aim of the paper to provoke ideas on how co-creation can be made more accessible to all students.

    Read article: Technology for the scalability of co-creation with students

  • Preparing to Succeed: An online orientation resource designed for postgraduate study success

    Joanne Elliott, Bianca Frost

    Students who study wholly online have different expectations and face different challenges than students studying on-campus. Similarly, the experience, capabilities and expectations of postgraduate students differ from those of undergraduate students, especially school-leavers. Both online and postgraduate cohorts exhibit high attrition rates, often linked to time constraints, poor preparation and dissatisfaction with learning experiences not tailored to their needs. Yet little attention has been paid to how orientation and transition support might be customised to better accommodate these cohorts. In this paper, we provide a rationale and case study for developing an online narrative-led orientation resource tailored to address issues of affiliation, connection and belonging, specific to postgraduate students.

    Read article: Preparing to Succeed: An online orientation resource designed for postgraduate study success

  • Advancing cultures of innovation: The change laboratory as an intervention to facilitate agency and collaborative sustainable development among teachers in higher education

    Claire Englund, Linda Price

    To cope with the rapidly changing Higher Education climate, teachers need the agency to act proactively to initiate and steer changes to meet their needs. The results of this study indicate that transformative agency emerges when teachers are given the opportunity to analyse, envision and redesign their practice collaboratively with the help of mediating conceptual tools. This has implications for academic development, suggesting that activities providing a ‘third space’ for discussion and criticism of current practices is needed to support the development of agency thus creating a culture of innovative practice.

    Read article: Advancing cultures of innovation: The change laboratory as an intervention to facilitate agency and collaborative sustainable development among teachers in higher education

  • Use of interactive video for teaching and learning

    Dilani Gedera, Arezou Zalipour

    This paper focuses on the findings of Phases I and II of an institution-wide project on the effective use of interactive video for teaching and learning in a university in New Zealand. Responding to the emerging growth of video in teaching and learning practice and scholarship, and also to the university’s strategic focus on providing blended, flexible learning opportunities, this project explores the ways in which lecturers currently use videos in teaching, their challenges, and their attitudes towards making video as well as students’ perceptions of learning through video. This paper discusses what we conceptualise as effective learning moments and conditions and how these can be created and maximised through the effective production and manipulation of relevant, purposeful interactive videos. The overall project combines both research and impact and develops opportunities for lecturers to enhance their competencies in creating interactive videos.

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  • Paper versus e-assessment: Biomedical students see advantages in moving away from traditional paper based in-semester assessments.

    Jessica Gibbons, Ingrid D’Souza

    Technology is becoming an integral part of the teaching and learning environment with e-assessment contributing to quality improvements in student learning experience. This research project investigated the potential effectiveness of using technology for summative assessment in an undergraduate Biomedical Science course. The results indicated that this cohort of students want choice in the location where the e-assessment is completed and choice in the device – personal or university owned. Biomedical Science students indicated that e-assessment is an effective alternative to invigilated, paper- based major in-semester assessments. Reliability of the technology and adequate feedback were also factors in the student’s perception of e-assessment. Based on findings from this study, it is our view that e-assessments in this format offers a promising alternative to traditional assessment modes.

    Read article: Paper versus e-assessment: Biomedical students see advantages in moving away from traditional paper based in-semester assessments.

  • Return on investment in higher education retention: Systematic focus on actionable information from data analytics

    David C. Gibson, Simon Huband, Dirk Ifenthaler, Eric Parkin

    This article describes the human and technical infrastructure analytics capabilities that have evolved at a university in Western Australia, which have been applied to curriculum and learning data with a focus on the return on investment (ROI) of improving retention. The ROI approach has been used to highlight the benefits of further inquiry and action by decision-makers from the classroom level to school and faculty levels. The article will briefly describe the capability developed and methods underpinning continuous on-demand production of analyses and insights aimed to stimulate inquiry and action to improve retention.

    Read article: Return on investment in higher education retention: Systematic focus on actionable information from data analytics

  • The voices of autism: Using MOOC technologies to meet the needs of vulnerable communities

    Michael Grimley, Timothy Moss, Emma Donaldson, Eoghan Hogan

    While Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) launched with great optimism and the promise of transforming higher education, their implementation has often failed to realise this potential. Across the sector, MOOCs typically attract an audience of already-educated participants with a curiosity for learning that ranges across multiple topics and issues; many engage with multiple courses. This community often do not present with the commitment required to expend the mental effort to achieve completion, and completion rates of 5-10% are not atypical. Given such low rates of completion, it has been argued that MOOCs are simply a fad, of poor quality and low retention (Haggard, 2013). However, relatively few MOOCs have been developed within Australia that leverage the opportunities provided by free, large-scale educational platforms to address the learning needs of specific communities. This paper reports on the development and delivery of such a MOOC, focusing on raising awareness of the lived experience of individuals with autism, designed for and with the autism community. Utilising MOOC technologies to meet the information and support needs of a specific community demonstrated participation and completion rates significantly above those reported in traditional MOOCs, and points to new directions and purposes for large, open learning environments.

    Read article: The voices of autism: Using MOOC technologies to meet the needs of vulnerable communities

  • Fostering teamwork skills across the School of Engineering using online self and peer assessment

    Tiffany Gunning, Paul Collins

    Teamwork skills have been a recognised key employability attribute in university graduates for at least the last two decades, as analysed by Curtis and McKenzie (2002) and continue to be a significant key selection criterion of many Australian employers (Graduate Outlook, 2014). This paper outlines the implementation process, learning and future directions associated with the use of an online self and peer assessment strategy, aimed to develop teamwork skills in engineering students, at Deakin University. Initially student feedback from a pilot study was used to inform and justify a three-year trial of the strategy. Then consideration was given to the professional development needs of academics to support and foster the teaching and assessment of teamwork skills in the school. Into the future, teamwork skill development depends upon the evaluation of course learning outcomes and development of minimum standard descriptors of teamwork skills across all year levels.

    Read article: Fostering teamwork skills across the School of Engineering using online self and peer assessment

  • Digital badges : What is the state of play within the New Zealand Higher Education sector?

    Maggie Hartnett

    The importance and influence of digital technologies as a mediator and facilitator of learning is fundamentally changing education; what it encompasses, what counts as learning, who has access, where and when it occurs, and the ways in which skills, knowledge and capabilities are recognised. One technological innovation that has emerged within the last few years is digital badges. Developed to act as indicators of accomplishment, skill, or interest, they are being used in a variety of contexts for purposes such as to motivate, capture achievement, or credential learning. Digital badging is a technology that has the potential to change how we engage learners, deliver content and acknowledge learning. Internationally, digital badge use is growing particularly in Higher Education. However, to- date, it is difficult to determine how many institutions are using digital badges and for what purposes. This is particularly true within the New Zealand Higher Education context where little research is currently available. The focus of this study was to identify the ‘current state of play’ of digital badge use (i.e. which tertiary institutions are using badges, and the perceived benefits and drawbacks associated with their use) within the public New Zealand Higher Education sector.

    Read article: Digital badges : What is the state of play within the New Zealand Higher Education sector?

  • Back to the future with old-fashioned conversations: Building relationships and individualising support with educational technologies

    Eva Heinrich, Jenny McDonald

    Recent advances in ICT have had a profound effect on tertiary education. However, critical and social theorists caution that the relationship between teacher and student is still central and educational research over many years suggests that some of the most successful pedagogical methods are those which strengthen the relationship between teacher and student and which support student development of relatedness, competence and autonomy. In this paper, we propose a new approach to course design and organisation which builds on lessons from the past while taking advantage of the affordances of contemporary technology. We summarise data from interviews with teachers and learning support staff and conclude with our hopes for the future.

    Read article: Back to the future with old-fashioned conversations: Building relationships and individualising support with educational technologies

  • Developing a design-based research methodology for designing MR technologies for mountain safety

    Jin Hong, Thomas Cochrane, Andrew Withell

    This paper outlines the first stage of a design-based research (DBR) project exploring the literature and establishing a research methodology for the design of mixed reality (MR) environments to enhance informal learning in preparation for engagement in high-risk environments. The context of the project is mountain safety education for expert climbers to prepare them for the critical risks involved in extreme mountain climbing environments. The paper outlines the scope, background, proposed research methodology and initially identified design principles for designing MR technologies for mountain safety. The research draws upon literature applying new pedagogies for informal learning, including heutagogy or self-determined learning.

    Read article: Developing a design-based research methodology for designing MR technologies for mountain safety

  • Utilising learning analytics for study success in higher education: A systematic review

    Dirk Ifenthaler, Jane Yin-Kim Yau

    This study examined the utilisation of learning analytics to support study success in higher education. The main research question was to identify whether there is a link between learning analytics and the respective intervention measures to increase study success at higher education institutions. The systematic review included empirical studies conducted during the past five years. Search terms identified 6,220 articles from various scientific sources. After duplicated articles were removed, there were 3,163 articles remaining. Each of the articles were screened and the inclusion criteria (e.g., peer- reviewed, rigorous research findings) limited the key studies to 41 articles. This paper presents an overview of the results of this systematic review. It is concluded that evidence can be found supporting the use of learning analytics to support study success in higher education. However, study success may not be exclusively the result of the use of learning analytics but also some additional means of technological or institutional support. The findings also suggest a wider adoption of learning analytics systems as well as work towards standardisation of learning analytics procedures which can be integrated into existing digital learning environments.

    Read article: Utilising learning analytics for study success in higher education: A systematic review

  • Building institutional cultures of innovation in technology enhanced learning:: UCISA findings on current challenges and developments in UK higher education

    Martin Jenkins, Richard Walker, Julie Voce

    This paper discusses recent developments in technology enhanced learning (TEL) across the UK higher education (HE) sector and considers the extent to which innovative practices have been able to flourish. In the context of an increasingly competitive marketplace for student recruitment, we explore the tension that HE institutions are now facing between establishing consistency in course provision as a way of satisfying student expectations, whilst at the same time encouraging academic staff to experiment and innovate with learning technologies, with the accompanying risks that this may present to the reception of learning methods.

    Read article: Building institutional cultures of innovation in technology enhanced learning:: UCISA findings on current challenges and developments in UK higher education

Showing 40–52 of 83 articles