ICEE-2010 July 18–22, 2010, Gliwice, Poland 1 Trends in the Development of E-Learning in Engineering and Computing Education Dr James Uhomoibhi Faculty.

ICEE-2010 July 18–22, 2010, Gliwice, Poland 1

Trends in the Development of E-Learning in Engineering and Computing Education

Dr James Uhomoibhi

Faculty e-learning Co-ordinator, University of Ulster, UK

Chair of the BCS e-Learning Specialist Group

Email: [email protected],

and

Margaret Ross

Professor at Southampton Solent University, UK

Vice-Chair of the BCS e-Learning Specialist Group

Email: [email protected]

ICEE-2010 July 18–22, 2010, Gliwice, Poland

Overview

•University of Ulster and programme provision

•Blended learning at Southampton Solent University

•E-Learning at the University of Ulster

•BCS E-Learning Specialist Group

•Conclusion - Trends in E-Learning Development

Geographical Location and Teaching and Learning Context

•4 physical campuses•1 Virtual campus launched in

2001• http://campusone.ulster.ac.uk

–Institutional e-learning strategy

–Virtual campus powered by WebCT

–Fully online masters programmes

•Full institutional e-Learning implementation

–All staff and students have WebCT account

–Every module has module area in WebCT

COLERAINECOLERAINE

JORDANSTOWNJORDANSTOWN

MAGEEMAGEE

BELFASTBELFAST

FOUR PHYSICAL CAMPUSES-ONE UNIVERSITYFOUR PHYSICAL CAMPUSES-ONE UNIVERSITY

University of Ulster

ICEE-2010 July 18–22, 2010, Gliwice, Poland

•Largest University in Ireland – over 25,500 local, national and international student body

•International reputation in research

•“Excellence” in teaching

•Graduate employment well above national average

•Excellent study and recreational facilities

The Institution

University of Ulster in top 10 UK universities in national applications

ICEE-2010 July 18–22, 2010, Gliwice, Poland

Faculty of Computing and Engineering

Within the Faculty there are:

•4 academic Schools and

•1 Research Graduate School

•Approximately 3000 students

•200 staff

•Extensive specialist facilities on the Coleraine,

Jordanstown and Magee Campuses

The 5 Schools within the Faculty of Computing and Engineering

Academic Schools

• Computing and Information Engineering at Coleraine

• Computing and Intelligent Systems at Magee

• Computing and Mathematics at Jordanstown

• Engineering at Jordanstown and the

• Research Graduate School

ICEE-2010 July 18–22, 2010, Gliwice, Poland 8

Working Participation

•Geographically separated

•Housebound

•Small children

•Carers

•Disabled

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Due to increased availability of technology and lower-cost

•Broadband

•Web conferencing

•Skype etc

•Teleconferencing

•E-mail

•Second Life

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Historical Growth of Blended Learning and Remote Study

BSc (Hons) Professional Computer Studies at Southampton Solent University

•Based on information provided via the Internet

•Regular weekly e-mails to students

•1:1 e-mail and telephone communication

•Optional face to face Saturday tutorials sessions

•Students from UK, Ireland, Channel Islands, Africa, etc

ICEE-2010 July 18–22, 2010, Gliwice, Poland 11

BSc (Hons) Professional Computer Studies at Southampton Solent University

Assessments

•Work-related reports submitted via Internet

•Closed book examinations

•Attendance only required once a year for examinations and presentations of project

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MSc Six Sigma at Southampton Solent University

•Students from UK and mainland Europe

•Required attendance for one weekend every six weeks

•Material put up at the start of each pair of units on at the university’s e-learning environment

•Students attend to each six weeks for 2 days, one day per subject

•Assessment for both units handed in after 12 weeks

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Communication with MSc Six Sigma students

•1-1 e-mail communication

•Students given a microphone at the start of the course

•Regular communication by Web conference at agreed times

•Saturday and Sunday evenings preferred times by students

•Lecturers participate from their own homes

•Initial set-up problems of students' own equipment

•Assessment by reports and presentations on CD-Rom

ICEE-2010 July 18–22, 2010, Gliwice, Poland 14

Fashion and Journalism courses at

Southampton Solent University

Use of Second Life on degree courses

•Fashion students design clothes

•Set up virtual stores

•Arrange virtual fashion shows

•Journalist students attend virtual fashion shows to produce reviews of the shows

ICEE-2010 July 18–22, 2010, Gliwice, Poland 15

MSc in e-Learning at University of Ulster

•One of the many fully online courses available - MSc (e-Learning ) is an example of such a programme with focus on Interactive Teaching Technologies at the University of Ulster.

•Designed for teachers and those that administer educational establishments, including those working for educational departments of governments.

•Students on this course are geographically spread, mainly throughout Northern Ireland, Europe and the rest of the world.

ICEE-2010 July 18–22, 2010, Gliwice, Poland

MSc in e-Learning at University of Ulster

•Some students are involved directly in teaching and training using e-learning techniques, however others are more concerned with the technical or the managerial aspects of the use of e-learning.

•The interaction between the lecturers and the students are by the e-learning environment in addition to e-mail. The students are able to participate in group work using this learning environment.

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ICEE-2010 July 18–22, 2010, Gliwice, Poland

Engaging Students in Virtual Worlds – Active Learning

•Use learner-centred concepts, promote more interactions and use VLEs which support knowledge co-creation.

•The 3 Essential Elements

–Students interaction

–Provides opportunities to co-create and contribute to existing body of knowledge

–Provision of customised/individualised instruction

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Course Delivery

• jointly delivered by two faculties (Computing & Engineering and Social Sciences) and is designed to support those who wish to develop their abilities in online teaching and courseware design within the context of collaborative learning.

•Various delivery formats and media are used by the eTutors and products and programs are chosen so that they integrate methods of teaching and technology to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the learning process.

•Through the combination of the integrated approach to delivery and the use of a rich blend computer mediated communication and resources, the course offers real opportunity to widen participation and to evolve and support the development of professionals in the field of education and training

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BCS e-Learning Specialist Group

•1,000+ members

•Range of countries

•Arranging meetings usually with Branches or universities

•Website

•e-newsletters

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E-Learning Specialist Group eventin real and virtual worlds

•Physical meetings held in real then virtual worlds, in 2009

•Each a practical session in using Second Life, for those with no previous experience, followed by a virtual meeting in different islands in that virtual world

•Three participants relaxing together in the Solent island during the virtual meeting

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BCS e-Learning Specialist Group

Events such as

•Getting Started in Second Life

•Safe use of the Internet for children

ICEE-2010 July 18–22, 2010, Gliwice, Poland

INSPIRE annual conference Jointly with BCS Quality Specialist Group

Various topics– eLearning and e-safety

– Teaching and learning software quality and software process improvement

– Developing and support of high quality Resource Based Learning Environments and Materials

– The Bologna Process and computing curricula

– On-Line and Distance Learning

– Research and Learning Communities

– Teaching of Professional and Ethical Issues

– Continuous Professional Development for software practitioners

– Organisational Quality Management Systems in education

– Raising awareness of software quality issues

– Social Responsibility

– Greening issues

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BCS organises annual International conferences for years

INSPIRE conferences [http://get.to/inspire ]

•Aimed at academics, trainers and those interested in improving the quality of computer education.

• Included strong e-learning and GreenIT streams.

•Attendance at these small specialised conferences are from all parts of the world.

Software Quality Management (SQM) conferences [http://go.to/sqm ]

•Aims to promote co-operation and greater understanding among practitioners and academics by providing an opportunity to share research and practical experience.

Authors from Greece, Romania, Nigeria etc

ICEE-2010 July 18–22, 2010, Gliwice, Poland

Virtual Worlds and Gesture-Based Computing

Virtual and Remote Laboratories

• On-line laboratories or remote laboratories provide distant access to hands-on experiments

• Extend to the learners new possibilities of using lab equipment. They also help the dissemination of hands-on activity

• Many universities already have laboratory environments online through the web (eg. FEUP)

• The skills and time necessary to develop virtual laboratories is the main issue

ICEE-2010 July 18–22, 2010, Gliwice, Poland

Trends of Development and Future Directions

• The value of information is increasing in higher education

• E-Learning has made it possible for students to be able to choose education providers and mode of access to their field of study

• Universities and further education establishments could explore investing in shared databases over the internet

• More Information would be available to learners

• Students could then choose or be directed to education courses based on their preference

ICEE-2010 July 18–22, 2010, Gliwice, Poland

Trends of Development and Future Directions(cont.)

• This will give rise to improved access to education and enhance personal and professional life. We see a rise in the demand for education

• The multiple purposes of universities have been identified to include preparation of students for the labor market

• The future will see more and more e-learning modules developed and made available via Internet and Intranet with increase in blended-learning approaches

• Video conferencing and interactive videos will be used to extensively enrich the information supplied for instruction and learning. This will provide for more effective education for the learners

• The digitization of information and availability of digital libraries all over the world via Internet and Intranet will be a commonplace