Skip to main content
ASCILITE Publications logo
Search

2007: ASCILITE 2007 Conference Proceedings

 

 

 

 

The proceedings of the 2007 ASCILITE Conference.

R. J. Atkinson, C. McBeath, S. K. A. Soong, & C. Cheers (Eds) (2007).

ICT: Providing choices for learners and learning.

Proceedings ASCILITE 2007.

Centre for Educational Development, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

December 2-5, 2007.

Published: 30 November 2007

ASCILITE Conference - Full Papers

  • Student centred teaching of accounting to engineering students: Comparing blended learning with traditional approaches

    Anne Abraham

    Blended learning is growing in popularity, but there is conflicting empirical evidence in relation to how it affects students’ exam marks and final grades. This paper compares a blended learning approach to the traditional delivery of an accounting subject to engineering students. Data was collected from two cohorts of students over two semesters and analysed to determine whether the students who were exposed to the blended environment displayed increased participation in a non-compulsory learning task and higher marks in both in-session and final examinations. Results indicated significant improvements in every area, supplying valuable evidence that the adoption of a blended approach in higher education can appreciably enhance students’ results and experience by providing a more student-centred learning environment.

    Read article: Student centred teaching of accounting to engineering students: Comparing blended learning with traditional approaches

  • The impact of audience response systems in a multicultural Asian context

    Rozz J. Albon, Tony Jewels

    This research investigated the implementation of an audience response system (ARS) to learning in a multicultural Asian context using multiple case methodology. Four academic staff teaching in four diverse units with different student numbers (n=133) used ARS as one of their teaching approaches with each using it in very different ways. Both quantitative and qualitative data was collected through questionnaires and convergent interviewing of staff and students. Six constructs emerging from the literature were investigated and five are reported. Although some results aligned with other research, some specific issues were identified and appear relevant not only to other similar cultural contexts but possibly all contexts. The paper concludes with questions for further research into ARS in a multicultural Asian context in pursuant of choices for learners and learning.

    Read article: The impact of audience response systems in a multicultural Asian context

  • Virtuality, veracity and values: Exploring between virtual and real worlds using the 3V model

    Simon Atkinson, Kevin Burden

    With the emergence and popularity of online social networking technologies (Web 2.0) students are exploring new concepts of self, identity and community both in real and virtual spaces. New theories are necessary to develop social policy responses, including those of educational systems and institutions, to the consequences of these new conceptualisations. We present an original theoretical model, the 3V model, to assist in the interpretation of existing theory, illustrated through an exploration of higher education students’ concept of identity in the interface between the ‘real’ and ‘virtual’ worlds. We wish to explore whether the theoretical and methodological instruments available within the broader Social Sciences are adequate to examine emerging notions of identity. Our emergent theoretical model outlines a set of complex assumptions concerning the concept of the “real-virtual” interface; it presents an internal structure to this realm and provides a framework for further empirical study.

    Read article: Virtuality, veracity and values: Exploring between virtual and real worlds using the 3V model

  • Teaching business English to adult Malay learners: The potential of agent technology

    Harmi Izzuan Bin Baharum, Alexei Tretiakov, Kinshuk

    We analyse the needs of adult Malay business English learners, and demonstrate that they can be met by using an on-line teaching environment relying on animated pedagogical agent technology to implement scenario-based learning.

    Read article: Teaching business English to adult Malay learners: The potential of agent technology

  • The impact of faculty interaction on the learning experience and outcomes of online learners

    Kanishka Bedi, Helen Lange

    The last decade has witnessed e-learning evolving as a major force in higher education delivery. The role of faculty in an e-learning educational environment is still debated. This paper reports the findings of a study of the role of faculty interaction in a pedagogically rich online environment, grounded in a constructivist model of learning. The study examines the results from 145 sections of graduate management programs, covering 2005, 2006 and 2007, and also covering quantitative, behavioural and hybrid subjects. The findings of this study support the arguments that faculty interaction adds value to learner perception and satisfaction, and finally, may also positively impact actual learning outcomes as measured by student grades. It also showed that there is value placed on email communication by graduate learners. Finally, the study showed that both perceived and real value (in terms of grades) is found by learners in both quantitative subjects and behavioural subjects.

    Read article: The impact of faculty interaction on the learning experience and outcomes of online learners

  • Learning designs: Bridging the gap between theory and practice

    Sue Bennett, Shirley Agostinho, Lori Lockyer, Lisa Kosta, Jennifer Jones, Rob Koper, Barry Harper

    This paper summarises the work being conducted in an ongoing research agenda focused on exploring how the ‘learning design’ construct can be used to support university educators to create both pedagogically sound and interoperable e-learning experiences. The premise of this work is that a learning design can be used to support the pedagogical design process and the integration of international e-learning standards, such as learning object metadata and IMS-LD, enabling resources and tools to be technically interoperable across different standards-compliant systems. The paper presents the rationale guiding this research focus, describes the features of the research that is underway, and outlines future directions of this research.

    Read article: Learning designs: Bridging the gap between theory and practice

  • Teaching in context: Some implications for e-learning design

    Robyn Benson, Gayani Samarawickrema

    One of the major advantages of e-learning technologies is the expanded opportunities that they offer for when and where learning takes place. Until recently, little attention has been given to the implications that variation in the learner’s context creates for e-learning design. The context of learning with technologies is often considered quite narrowly, sometimes at the level of specific learning transactions, with limited acknowledgement of whether learners will be engaging with them on-campus, off-campus, across national boundaries or in some other contexts. While there are limitations to teachers’ control of contextual variation, their knowledge of the student cohorts to whom a particular unit of study will be offered provides some clear implications for choices to be made in relation to e-learning design. This paper illustrates these choices through the use of examples from e-learning showcase sites at two institutions. The examples are analysed within a selected theoretical framework to provide preliminary guidelines for accommodating contextual variation in e- learning.

    Read article: Teaching in context: Some implications for e-learning design

  • E-learning policy issues: Global trends, themes and tensions

    Mark Brown, Bill Anderson, Fiona Murray

    This paper provides an overview of experiences in the development of e-learning policy for the tertiary sector across a number of countries. It contrasts how different countries have responded to e-learning and proposes a discernible pattern to policy development. Consistent trends, themes and tensions run through the policy implementation process and these raise a number of questions about the way policies might define e-learning; address and acknowledge gaps in e-learning policy; align and differentiate levels of policy, and account for the national and global education context. The paper concludes with a brief consideration of issues and implications for local policy-makers as governments endeavour to embed and connect e-learning policy with other strategic social, economic and educational goals.

    Read article: E-learning policy issues: Global trends, themes and tensions

  • Commonalities in an uncommon profession: Bomb disposal

    Edwin Bundy, Roderick Sims

    The bomb disposal community seeks to attract, train, and retain individuals who are physically, mentally, and emotionally capable of performing diverse and complex tasks. However, while bomb disposal technicians and organisations tend to believe that bomb disposal requires a certain “type” of individual, little research has been conducted to identify the cognitive characteristics that make a “good” bomb disposal technician. The purpose of this study therefore was to investigate the extent to which individual learner preferences, as measured by learning styles and multiple intelligences, impacts on the effectiveness of bomb disposal training. The investigation used a non-experimental, descriptive methodology, and focused on a geographically dispersed group of 100 current and former bomb disposal technicians. The Canfield Learning Styles Inventory (LSI) and Multiple Intelligences Developmental Assessment Scales (MIDAS) instruments were used to assess learning style preferences and intelligence strengths. Overall, ten demographic variables, eight intelligence strengths, and 17 learning style preferences were examined, covering 250 different dimensions, 16 of which (6.4 %) showed a statistically significant difference between intelligence strengths and learning style preferences. The data supports the contention that learning style preferences and intelligence strengths can be used as predictors for academic and vocational success. As such, the results have specific implications for bomb technician education and training in terms of technician selection and the potential to learn and retain the knowledge and skills being taught.

    Read article: Commonalities in an uncommon profession: Bomb disposal

  • Learning challenges faced by novice programming students studying high level and low feedback concepts

    Matthew Butler, Michael Morgan

    This paper describes an investigation into the nature of the academic problems that face novice programming students. These learners are required to demonstrate competencies in high-level abstract principles of programming and logic, such as program design and OOP principles, which are conceptually difficult. During the programming task learners receive relatively high levels of feedback on low level issues, such as syntax rules, but tend to receive low levels of feedback on conceptually more difficult issues. This problem tends to be exacerbated by the trend of learners to study independently, outside the classroom or in online modes, which further reduces the options available for quality feedback on high-level issues. This paper analyses the results of a survey given to students enrolled in an introductory programming unit across three campuses at Monash University in 2007. The survey focused on student perceptions of the relative difficulty in understanding and implementing both low level-programming concepts, such as syntax and variables, and high-level concepts, such as OOP principles and efficient program design. An analysis of the approximately 150 responses has indicated that a significant percentage of students experienced difficulties in high-level concepts. Also while many students may indicate an understanding of the principles of many high level concepts more students reported experiencing difficulty in implementing such concepts. This indicates that many students may achieve a level of understanding allowing near transfer of domain knowledge but fail to reach a level of understanding that enables far transfer.

    Read article: Learning challenges faced by novice programming students studying high level and low feedback concepts

  • Documenting learning environments and experiences

    Leanne Cameron

    At their best, ICTs can support knowledge construction, learning-by-doing, by conversing and by reflecting (Jonassen, 1999) but managing all this in a student-centred environment is a complex task that might be made more manageable by teachers sharing and re-using effective learning designs. Furthermore, if these designs were available in machine- readable format, educators would be able to select a learning design to suit their context “off the shelf” and plug-and-play it. A number of attempts are currently being made to comprehensively document learning designs that would allow educators to share successful, stimulating and engaging learning environments and experiences. IMS-LD, LAMS and the AUTC Learning Design Project are three developments where a comprehensive system is being produced that utilises a consistent data standard and vocabulary to describe the teaching and learning environment and the different theoretical approaches employed (Oliver & Littlejohn, 2006) and two of the three are machine-readable (INS-LD and LAMS). This paper provides a review of each of these methods of documenting learning designs and details the results of a study that demonstrated that a system that educators can use to comprehensively describe successful, stimulating and engaging learning designs so that they can be shared and re-used is still beyond the reach of the average pre-service teacher. However, all have features that illustrate that the dream of an easy-to-use, machine- readable and comprehensive learning design documentation system may not be too far away.

    Read article: Documenting learning environments and experiences

  • From repositories supported by communities to communities supported by repositories: Issues and lessons learned

    Tom Carey

    The Carrick Institute for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education is developing the Carrick Exchange to provide a forum for sharing resources and expertise about learning and teaching. This paper reflects on relevant experience in North America with related initiatives, which highlight (a number of) issues to be considered and (a few) lessons which can be incorporated in the design and development of the Carrick Exchange. Most of the experience cited here comes from the MERLOT network, including both the MERLOT discipline community Editorial Boards and related communities such as the Cooperative Learning Object Exchange in Canada, the disciplinary Teaching Commons sites within the California State University, and the new MERLOT Innovation Projects such as ELIXR creating reusable resources for staff development. This paper also analyses the resulting reflections in the context of an independently-developed taxonomy for distributed collaborations in a parallel domain: large-scale scientific collaboratories. This analysis suggests that a full range of possibilities needs to be explored across dimensions such as aggregation versus co-creation and the range of valuable contributions of resources, information and knowledge. Another conclusion is that a number of user needs can be met without the full infrastructure of a distributed community of practice.

    Read article: From repositories supported by communities to communities supported by repositories: Issues and lessons learned

  • Academic perceptions of the use of Lectopia: A University of Melbourne example

    Shanton Chang

    Since the introduction of the Lectopia (iLecture) technology to higher education, there has been debate about its relevance and effectiveness as a teaching and learning tool (Fardon, 2003). Anecdotally, students expect to access Lectopia recordings for their revision and for going through points that were made which they missed in lectures. From the academics’ point of view, resistance has resulted from the perception that the Lectopia option will reduce attendance in lectures and also the notion that not all lecturing styles can be suitably recorded by an admittedly limited technology. Fardon (2003) also argues cogently that Lectopia is not necessarily conducive to some styles of lecturing. The classifications of different lecturing styles (Brown and Bakhtar, 1988; Behr, 1988; Saroyan and Snell, 1997) as highlighted by Fardon (2003) present a useful tool in determining if particular styles of lecture may be more or less conducive to Lectopia. However, lecturing styles alone do not determine a willingness or resistance to adoption of the technology. Some other reasons may include perceptions of the reliability of the technology, the technology as a pedagogical tool, the engagement levels with students and suitability for the curriculum. This qualitative project examined 11 academics’ perception of Lectopia at the University of Melbourne. The results affirmed some of the benefits and concerns around the use of Lectopia, and highlighted some academic practices in using the technology. Initial results point to some recommendations on incorporating Lectopia technology into the teaching toolkit as well as indicate some future areas of research.

    Read article: Academic perceptions of the use of Lectopia: A University of Melbourne example

Showing 1–13 of 127 articles