Skip to main content
ASCILITE Publications logo
Search

2006: ASCILITE 2006 Companion Materials

The proceedings of the 2006 ASCILITE Conference.

L. Markauskaite, P. Goodyear, & P. Reimann (Eds.)  Who’s Learning? Whose Technology?                                                            University of Sydney, Australia

December 3-6, 2006.

Published: 30 November 2006

ASCILITE Conference - Posters

  • Team Contribution Tracking System (TeCTra) for assessment of individual contributions in groupwork

    Andrew Litchfield, Ryszard (Richard) Raban

    The purpose of the poster is to present a self and peer assessment tool (Team Contribution Tracking system – TeCTra) that has been used in a software development capstone project in 2004 and 2005. TeCTra allows peer assessment and review – both quantitative and qualitative comment – throughout the duration of the project and thus it can formatively and positively influence individual contributions and behaviours within the team. The tool also calculates summative peer assessment outcomes that guide the student’s final mark and grade. The capacity for peer review facilitates diagnostic attributes and thus influences the project management process and outcomes. The poster will present key elements of the tool and results achieved through using it in self and peer assessment of individual contribution in groupwork.

    Read article: Team Contribution Tracking System (TeCTra) for assessment of individual contributions in groupwork

  • A French Master’s degree in e-learning: Are the students’ needs met?

    Debra Marsh, Rachel Panckhurst

    In 2004, a new 2-year Master’s programme on “Knowledge Management, Learning and e-learning” in the Language Sciences department of the University of Montpellier 3 was devised. The first year of the programme is both on and off-campus, and the second year is entirely off-campus. Some students enter the second year directly from the first-year course while other students enter from other Universities (either based in France or abroad). Two years down the track, after a full cycle completed by students, we were keen to check how well we know our learners and to what extent their true needs are met. A questionnaire was designed and issued to students, tutors and teachers involved in the programme. At an initial stage of the research, questionnaire results were examined and provided knowledge about the “typical” learner and indicated if and how their needs have been met so far in relation to the Master’s programme as it is currently structured. At a second stage, current models for online teaching/learning (Salmon’s five stage model, Salmon, 2000) are discussed and compared with the Master’s programme. Suggestions are made on how the programme can be improved based on both learner profile/needs and current online teaching/learning trends.

    Read article: A French Master’s degree in e-learning: Are the students’ needs met?

  • Interactions of students in online graduate courses

    Joyce McCauley, Susan Wegmann, Catherine Stoicovy, Mary Robbins

    Online learning is gaining in popularity with students and with university faculty worldwide. Most researchers agree that developing and nurturing communities within the online environment are critical elements in creating rich and empowering learning experiences. There is, however, little direction for developing a community of learners among a global student body. This poster describes one university’s investigation of its online courses as it explores the participation of the graduate students in four types of interactions: (a) learner-content (the interaction between students and the course materials), (b) learner-teacher (the interaction between the students and the instructors), (c) learner-learner (the interaction between and among students), and (d) learner-interface (the interaction of the students with the online environment). A survey was created based on these four types of interactions and sent to previous and current graduate students. Preliminary results show positive responses in all four types of interactions. The surveys returned, however, were from Anglo-American students that comprise the majority of our graduate population. As our program expands to attract more students from outside of the United States, we will continue to administer the survey to monitor our focus on establishing rich interactions and rapport among and between students and teachers.

    Read article: Interactions of students in online graduate courses

  • Podcasting and education: Time to start listening

    Leon Newnham, Charlynn Miller

    Universities are constantly challenged to seek methods to improve student engagement. Leading edge technologies such as podcasting may be one of the most effective ways to accomplish this engagement, particularly for those students aged between 18 and 25. Students within this general age group have been termed by many as Generation Y or the iLife generation. This is due to this group being attracted to new technologies, particularly Apple’s iPod®. This attraction to multimedia based technologies may indicate that podcasting, an online multimedia delivery method, could become a valuable educational technology for Generation Y tertiary students. This poster will present findings from a pilot study which aimed to measure student perceptions toward podcasting as a teaching and learning technique. Students of an introductory information system unit were provided with an educational podcast. This podcast included short discussions each week which would supplement lectures. The students in this unit were then surveyed to determine their perceptions of the technology, including whether they believe it enhanced their educational experience. Over 90% of enrolled students completed the survey, while over 90.2% of those respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that lecture material was easier to understand as a result of the podcast.

    Read article: Podcasting and education: Time to start listening

  • Evaluation of genetics educational technologies used by science teachers

    Amy Nisselle, Gregor Kennedy, Sylvia Metcalfe, MaryAnne Aitken

    The explosion of information and communication technologies has dramatically expanded the number of multimedia teaching and learning resources available. In addition, genetics is a rapidly-evolving subject that can be difficult to understand and requires up-to-date resources. Genetics educational technologies may be useful for teachers as the technologies may have the capacity to be updated and could overcome some difficulties in teaching and learning genetics. However it is not clear who the technologies should be tailored to – the teacher or the learner – and there is a lack of explicit guidelines relating to their use in the classroom. The first phase of this doctoral research project will determine what technologies are currently being used to teach genetics in Australian secondary schools. The second phase will comprise eight case studies of classroom practice, using the most popular technologies to evaluate: (i) how teachers incorporate technology into classroom learning environments; (ii) the degree to which popular resources accommodate a range of approaches to teaching and learning; and (iii) practical factors that enhance or diminish teachers’ and learners’ educational experiences in the classroom. From these evaluations guidelines will be produced for teachers, learners and the wider community on how to appropriately select and use genetics educational technologies.

    Read article: Evaluation of genetics educational technologies used by science teachers

  • There’s more to it than instructional design: The role of individual characteristics in hypermedia learning

    Maria Opfermann, Peter Gerjets

    Hypermedia environments offer a high amount of learner control including the option to select and combine different representational codes and address different sensory modalities. Additionally, learners can access information in a linear as well as a nonlinear fashion. However, according to prior studies, it can be questioned whether learners are able and willing to appropriately use this navigational and representational freedom. Research suggests that the relationship between the design of hypermedia environments and learning strategies as well as outcomes is moderated by individual differences, i.e., learner characteristics. In our study, we investigate the role of epistemological beliefs, attitudes, and metacognition. Two questions are in our research focus: (1) Is their influence domain specific or general? and (2) Is there an optimal degree of learner control for learners differing on these dimensions? The study is being conducted using a learning environment on probability theory. First results show that learner characteristics come into play when a high amount of learner control is provided in that sophisticated beliefs and positive attitudes lead to longer learning times and higher performance. For metacognition, however, we found that low scoring leads to better performance. These partly surprising results will be presented and discussed in December.

    Read article: There’s more to it than instructional design: The role of individual characteristics in hypermedia learning

  • Bringing together accessibility research and enterprise activities

    Elaine Pearson, Steve Green

    Universities are now expected to generate income through business activities as well as through increasing student numbers. One of the many challenges facing us in meeting this demand is how academics can apply their research expertise to income generation and at the same time feed back into their teaching activities. At the University of Teesside, (in collaboration with the University of Sunderland) one way we are tackling this challenge is through the Digital Knowledge Exchange( DKE), a project funded through the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF). The DKE has been granted over £1M for its initial four years of operation. The aim of the project is to bring together businesses, public bodies, charities and other organisations to support innovation and income generation activities. The rationale is that by providing access to specialist research groups and expertise, we can effect transfer of knowledge that enables business to realise new skills, facilitate joint research activities and support new initiatives. DKE offers services that draw on the research expertise of the School of Computing, in accessibility, usability, web services, serious games and elearning. This poster will illustrate one particular aspect of this project – the interplay of research and enterprise in supporting accessible online practices.

    Read article: Bringing together accessibility research and enterprise activities

  • Pilot study to review use of WebCT in taught units

    Lynnae Rankine, Janne Malfroy

    The University of Western Sydney has a high level of use of the e-learning system, WebCT, with more than 1100 staff and 33,000 students accessing more than 2,300 sites. Within the University, there was a perception that the e-learning system was largely used by staff to provide learning materials and resources to students. To investigate this further, a pilot study was set up to examine the range of flexible learning approaches used in WebCT across a sample of undergraduate and postgraduate sites. The pilot study reviewed 100 of the 700 taught unit sites in WebCT from Spring Semester, 2005, and checked for types of usage in these sites. A framework was developed to examine the 100 sites and record the diversity of ways in which WebCT was being used. The framework focused on the key areas of Content, Communication, Assessment and Explicit Learner Support. The results show that academics are using WebCT for a range of purposes, with a particularly specific focus on explicit learner support. These results have helped de-bunk the myth that academics are only using WebCT to put up content, such as lecture notes. The study has provided results that need to be examined in more detail and in a larger study.

    Read article: Pilot study to review use of WebCT in taught units

  • Living English simulation learning for non-native English speakers

    David Ross, Fiona McMullen

    The poster presentation will be to show and illustrate an ‘edutainment’ computer learning methodology that creates an immersive learner simulation where users encounter various scenarios that occur in daily life requiring them to speak English. The simulation is modelled on the popular Sim City series. Learners will be able to move throughout a virtual learning environment interacting with different situations and program features whilst learning English. Decisions they make along with their current speaking abilities will then affect their progress through the simulation. The simulation can be offered as an online activity with other learners from around the globe or through a DVD for localized communication interactions. The English speaking educational program already operates internationally providing English learning educational content to universities and companies. The computer simulation part of the total program is branching more into educational entertainment in Asian markets. Both The University of Southern Queensland (USQ) and Lanstar the corporate partner have track records in their fields and the simulation activity is one of several interactivities that complete the whole program. Features: A Karaoke Feature Games Simulation An Audio and Video record and playback feature Interactive Dictionary Lessons supported by several thousand exercises Artificial Intelligence Offered through a face to face e-learning and or DVD delivery methodology

    Read article: Living English simulation learning for non-native English speakers

  • Debating pain: A collaborative online group activity

    Grace Tague, Liz Devonshire, Allan Molloy, Stephen Loftus, Philip Siddall

    This poster reports on an action research project investigating the development and implementation of an online debate activity in a core unit of study within the Graduate Studies in Pain Management Program. The activity required that students work in groups to debate the topic ‘pain is merely a symptom, not a disease’. It aimed to encourage critical engagement with a contemporary pain management issue, promote collaborative learning in an online context, and provide opportunities for reflection on the benefits and challenges of the group process. Learning design considerations included the: timing and focus of the activity in the curriculum; structure and sequencing of tasks; scaffolds and learning supports required; and student readiness. Initial findings highlighted the engaging and enjoyable nature of the task. Students reported the activity encouraged adoption of a more critical stance towards the course content and provided them with a valuable and worthwhile learning experience. They also commented that the cross-disciplinary discussion enriched learning and enabled new insights into the management of pain. From a teacher perspective the activity reinforced the importance of providing enough structure and appropriate learning supports to assist learners collaborate effectively in the online environment and achieve a specific group task.

    Read article: Debating pain: A collaborative online group activity

  • What is ED?

    Elizabeth Tuckerman

    Our brief as members of central support groups was to re-develop the learning and teaching website for RMIT University. Our challenge was to provide a resource that educators would actually want to read, contribute to and enjoy. The result is ED, a unique resource that combines the conventions of a website with those of a magazine. ED is characterised by its visual appeal and inclusiveness. It offers a different approach to discussion of learning and teaching than other university websites.

    Read article: What is ED?

  • All the world's a stage: Using dramatised scenarios to foster discussion in online management courses

    Keith Tyler-Smith

    Role playing, scenario-based activities and video dramatisations have been used extensively in management training for the past thirty or so years. In the online environment there has been keen investigation in the use of computer generated simulations as well as online role playing games intended to engage learners and replicate, as near as possible, the sorts of problems, decisions and judgements that a manager might face in the so called real world. This poster presentation is a case study of the development and implementation of a low cost, low-tech approach to developing effective, engaging and realistic dramatised scenarios that uses a combination of visuals, audio and text. These scenarios tell the story of a work group in a public service ministry. They are designed to engage public sector workplace learners with the complexity and infinite variability of human relationships and the dynamics of social groups, whether in the workplace, on the sports field or at home. The learner is required as part of a group-based activity to investigate the dynamics of a team under pressure within a typical public sector organisation environment. By engaging with and reflecting on this affective content in an online environment the learners are able to gain insight and understanding of group dynamics in way that provides the learner with a multi-sensory experience, not available in text only content.

    Read article: All the world's a stage: Using dramatised scenarios to foster discussion in online management courses

  • 21st Century higher education management: Networked educational management

    Philip Uys

    Various questions arise when considering the interplay between digitally enhanced learning and conventional forms of learning, and the effects of this interaction on educational leadership and management. Is it practicable for conventional higher education to embrace digitally enhanced learning fully within its current management practices, or are new forms of educational management required? The writer’s PhD (2000) focussed on the implementation and management of digitally enhanced learning and in particular networked learning in higher education, during which he developed the networked educational management framework. This model addresses the distributed nature and human issues present in a digitally enhanced learning environment. This paper therefore presents a key aspect of the doctorate research of Uys (2000) since 1995 grounded in literature on educational management. It further uses a comparative analysis of three case studies over nine years that reaches beyond the doctorate research. These case studies are the eLearning implementation on the Wellington campus of Massey University, New Zealand from September 1995 to December 2000, a five-month consultancy in 2000 at the Cape Technikon, South Africa to lead the enterprise-wide wide implementation of eLearning, and four years of implementing eLearning at the University of Botswana up to January 2005.

    Read article: 21st Century higher education management: Networked educational management

Showing 14–26 of 46 articles