The Open University's Institute for Educational Technology Using ICT for curriculum design, development and delivery: design for active and interactive networked learning NADEOSA, Pretoria, 2006 Professor Mary Thorpe The Open University
Dec 25, 2015
The Open University's Institute for Educational Technology
Using ICT for curriculum design, development and delivery:
design for active and interactive networked learning
NADEOSA, Pretoria, 2006Professor Mary Thorpe
The Open University
The Open University's Institute for Educational Technology
ICTs for effective teaching and learning
Conceptualising ICT for curriculum design, development & delivery
Action and interaction – the goal of ICT use
Learning from good practice examples
Learning design & designs for learning: design contingent on context
Re – use: design & content can be re-used: what’s the challenge?
OU OCI - Open Educational Resources & partnership projects with Africa
The Open University's Institute for Educational Technology
Networked learning is learning in which Information and communications technology
is used to promote connections between one learner and other learners,
between learners and tutors and between a learning community
and its learning resources.(Centre for Studies in Advanced Learning Technologies, Lancaster)
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Overall theme: more interactivelearning, more discussion & dialogue
We want the current dominant focus on information rich resources to shift towards greater attention to the processes which support interaction & dialogue
ESRC seminar series manifesto, 2002
We want the current dominant focus on information rich resources to shift towards greater attention to the processes which support interaction & dialogue
ESRC seminar series manifesto, 2002
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A social constructivist approach to learning
The learner: constructs meaning through engagement in relevant learning activities
The teacher: constructs an integrated system where all aspects of the teaching and assessment work together to support active and interactive learning
Mathemagenic activities – activities the learner can carry out that will result in their learning
(Laurillard, 2002)
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Learning design Knowledge is relational, situational, probabilistic
Learning outcomes
Learner characteristics
SettingCharacteristics
Mediacharacteristics
Learning Design
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Learning design knowledge – from theory, best practice, & designs Derived from theories of learning and instruction
Identify best practice examples of teaching and learning
Identify the design of the learning activities embedded within best practice examples
learning designs are more generic than
the teaching episode/unit, &can be used/adapted elsewhere (Koper & Tattersall, 2005)
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If…then…
If you understand why my best practice works, then you might be able to learn from it & apply that learning to your own designs for learning
If you see the design of teaching and learning activity in my example, you may be able to adapt it
If your context matches mine, then you might be able to apply my best practice to your own teaching context
Context: university study, Environmental ScienceNamed degree, level 3 course, 60 points,
distance teaching, adult learners,networked learning,
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Web-based course, up to 50% of study is online
Study led by around 10 online activities per block/4 blocks
Students alternate between independent study of online activities, using external websites, CDROM resources & tools, and
interaction with peers, using asynchronous conferencing, whichis assessed; they attend one day school
Course is skills focused and students learn how to debate online, use climate modelling tools, write environmental web-journalism,
complete a project, and submit assignments as web pages
U316 – The Environmental Web
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The Environmental Web: Context
Four main themes – governance, uncertainty, globalization and sustainability – inter-disciplinary teaching approach
Pedagogy of active involvement and participation delivered through a variety of forms of interaction
Research explored how students and tutors perceived what the course delivers, from their perspectives
‘Our overall aim is to provide you with the skills needed to develop your own environmental literacy and to take part
in informed environmental debate and action, rather than to expand your environmental knowledge as such.’
Course Chair, introduction
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What evidence for good practice success?
Rates of completion (base = all students at HEFCE return)
2003 2004 2005
The Environmental Web
78.6% 74.0% 77.6%
Science Faculty average for all level 3 courses
69.2% 68.5% 66.5%
Social Science average for all level 3 courses
76.4% 77.3% 76.5%
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What are the challenges in achieving active & interactive learning, in this context?
Engagement – can’t be assumed, need to create a context
Participation – won’t happen by asking; need structure to encourage learners to interact & participate online
Independence – learners need support to work independently
Workload – can learners complete the work in the time available? Learners need help to manage workload
Assessment – fit for purpose, constructively aligned
Support – high social presence and access to help required to reduce drop out
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Engagement: Authentic tasks Biodiversity data collection activity
Use detailed field notes on a sample of birds, dragonflies and woodlice Students observe their area, noting what species they find
Complete field notes and upload to the U316 Biodiversity database
This creates a geographically referenced map of all the students’ data, enabling students to see where there are species ‘hot spots’ and to work out what might be good strategies for nature reserves
Submit an assignment based on this activity, for credit
The OU data is submitted to the national biodiversity database and so adds to ‘real’ knowledge
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tutorThe fact that it reflects what is happening today…It makes it something completely
different…from a lot of science courses…it’s very alive… The sort of study…where they count woodlice and things like that…they
feel most of them very much part of a bigger whole.. It’s all very immediate, it’s real research, it’s actually useful for the
scientific community and there are people all over the country feeding into this and …
for many of them it captures their imagination – although they do complain a bit about sitting outside and not finding any
dragonflies for example.
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Participation: design the organisation, the task & the environment/resources
Course team commitment – no compromise on conferencing - and tutor support. Tutors contact all students by phone/correspondence to make sure they’re online from week 1 .
Conferencing is structured – there is a phased design for the activities and tasks are clearly specified, integrating individual & group learning.
Assessment includes the work done in online conferencing groups, and is graded.
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Research your Island’s data
Using websites
Complete Short report on your island & upload to the group conference
Complete Short report on your island & upload to the group conference
Role play meeting of AOSIS, Representing your
Island’s needsFor environmental
protection
Group decides on a set of demands from AOSIS to the UN
Group decides on a set of demands from AOSIS to the UN
Assignment- Student Reports onRole play
& uses dataon their island
To supportthe consensus
reached35% marks
Blue= individualGreen= report to groupcream= group work
AOSIS conference activity
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Intellectual tasks required to achieve understanding through interaction
Describe Explain Find out/search/research Reason/justify Predict Argue/debate Critique/evaluate Define Calculate Articulate Reflect
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Research &Evaluate dataOn your island
Articulate your island’s Vulnerabilities& set out someClaims to UN
Articulate your island’s Vulnerabilities& set out someClaims to UN
Discuss and evaluateDraft UN proposals;
Articulate the needsof your island in
debate
Argue for & agree on a set of demands from AOSIS to the UN
Argue for & agree on a set of demands from AOSIS to the UN
Explain your Demands,
justify them,Explain how
you Reached a Consensus & Reflect on
your role35% marks
Blue= individualGreen= report to groupcream= group work
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Task and roles enabled interaction without knowing other students
Interviewer: So did you find it difficult to contribute…because you hadn’t met these people first?
Student: No no not at all. Because in there we had an aim, we had a target so I didn’t mind at all that I did not know the fellow students. We just exchanged views...
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Interaction promoted reasoned discussion & argument
Interviewer: did you find it possible to disagree?
Student: Oh very much so – people did disagree a lot and managed to put forward their points of view a lot, which I really liked, and backed it up with examples…most people’s decisions were informed and you could see that.
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Student:(we used a)…spread sheet to see what kind of opinions were coming forward, and it was quite clear that three issues were coming forward from most people, so you…thought …if you weren’t in that consensus you would be in a minority and probably you’d have more sway if you felt able to join the majority…on most of the issues I could but there was one or two issues where I said no there’s no way I’m going to compromise on that…I was Haiti, so I was very poor…there was a lot of wealthy islands, so some people didn’t have the issues that Haiti did so there was some things that I just couldn’t compromise on.
Interaction promoted reasoned discussion & argument (2)
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Student:…from what I’ve heard on the conferencing and the website in general, people put different opinions on and it’s been discussed by quite a few members of the group and people have either changed their minds ‘cos they’ve seen an argument from a different perspective, or they’ve said no I still think the same thing.
Interviewer: Did that happen in your group?
Student:…it did to some extent. We had a discussion about tourism…and that was one of the points that we’d agreed on the Sunday and then after some more of the comments the following week it was changed to not stopping tourism at all but going for eco-tourism and going for high taxes on air flights…so that opened up a separate debate in that area and that was one of the things that we altered the opinion on.
Students provide evidence for views, Change their views through debate
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Social presence increases through onlineinteraction student
It’s a lot better because you feel a bit more supported…you put your mails on the website and get your replies and you start talking to people and you do build up some sort of rapport with them, and so far its quite enjoyable and not as difficult as I was expecting it to be. I thought it was going to be a bit impersonal and its not like that at all.
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Assessment tasks - test understanding
not memory Develop criteria to evaluate information obtained from websites,
Summarise online debate: what were the main views and minority views, what were the main arguments and sources of evidence cited, did some people’s views change and if so why, what was the consensus or range of views at the end ?
Submit a web page with a news story based on your own research on governance and sustainability; submit your ‘activity log’ of the research and the references you used and why; vote on the best stories
Complete a project on own topic choice, and submit report as web pages
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Evidence: Student learning outcomes
Student response on the Course Experience Questionnaire shows above average achievement on generic skills
Helped me develop problem solving skills
Helped my ability to work as a team member
Sharpened my analytic skills
More confident about tackling unfamiliar problems
Helped me develop ability to plan my own work
…and appropriate assessment: strong disagreement with
This course was more to do with testing memory than understanding
To do well on this course all you need is a good memory
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Support: keeping learners studying
tutor
Without question the computer conferencing aspect of the course offers so much support both at a
national and tutor group level…the overwhelming feedback from that…
was that it had been a huge help. And the students are very supportive of
each other…so I think from the support point of view it’s unparalleled really. I
spend more time with my online students than I do with my
conventional students.
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Support (2)
tutor Email makes a huge difference to the speed you can communicate without
being intrusive because you don’t want to ring people up
all the time…it’s a lot quicker for me too
I think they’re more effectively supported
because I’m checking the conferences and my email everyday…they could get day to day support on the
course.
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tutor It feels much more like – how can I put it – more like genuine teaching if you see what I mean. I have a lot more contact with students…the
level of interaction is much higher, much more enjoyable. Certainly the students say that to me and I find it
much more enjoyable
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Tutor perspective – interview comments
Definitely interactive – probably the most interactive course I’ve come across
Creates a buzz – comparable to face to face Works better than other courses: gets all
students conferencing Students enjoy it – even if they’re compelled to
participate Students don’t feel alone; gives a role to student
experts to help other students Students definitely better supported than a
conventional ODE course
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BUT…
Time spent studying – 54% say ‘a lot more than expected’ (higher than usual)
Lack of choice over how to study – and impact of increased deadlines – difficult for some students
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Student perceptions (1)
Enjoying the course…finding it a very heavy workload but find the
biggest drawback is not being able to tailor my studies to fit in with other ‘life events’ – so many deadlines/conference etc to meet
all the time adds quite a bit of pressure
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Student perceptions (2)
Whilst thoroughly enjoying the content of this course, I find the restrictive timetable quite stressful. Conferenceswithin specific dates, data collection allgo against the flexible ethos of OU study.
While I like (the course) in general I find the workload overwhelming and having to do specific tasks at specified times can get in the way of trying to get ahead
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Evidence of success: EPIWAS
Challenge areas √x
Engagement √
Participation √Independence √Workload/flexibility x
Assessment √
Support √
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Design does not guarantee outcome
Design specifies the context, the learner works within a setting specific to them
Design specifies the task; the learner carries out an activity as they see fit
Design specifies the organisation; the learner chooses whom to work with, whether to collaborate, build a community, etc
But we can reuse and improve designs & we canreuse and version content
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Good Content – reusable, versionable
Learning objects – content that is digitally created and stored, portable and easily reusable
‘Grain size’ varies - chunks of content should be free standing – not integrated with other material
Debate continues over how much teaching can be included in a learning object; depends on ‘grain size’
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‘It’s the context stupid’ (Saffo, 1994)
‘A grab-bag of unrelated stuff’ - Wiley, (2003)
You need mortar as well as bricks – if you’re going to build understanding
Learning objects need a context and narrative for learners to make effective use of them
OU reuses material extensively and has good reason to make versioning and reuse easier – for annual updating, for repurposing materials and finding new markets
Moving ahead with structured authoring and a new content management system
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Academic attitudes
OU academics tend to reuse/version the material produced by themselves and departmental colleagues
This is because they see opportunities where material they know well might be usefully developed for new learners/new purposes
Research with Cambridge and MIT showed similar picture
77 respondents to an online survey of teachers of CMI(masters) classes: 92% report some sharing within own organisation; three quarters were less willing to share with others – even CMI colleagues
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60 point Science
FoundationCourseS103
Edited extracts fromStudy Guide & block 1
WraparoundMaterial
S103 video
CDROM
S103 Block 2
10 pointGlobal
WarmingS190
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Students able to disagree, used reasoned argument
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Open Content Initiative
£5.65m with funding also from William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
Open Educational Resources will be open source and freely accessible, providing access to selected course materials from all faculties and on study skills
The Repository – for learners 900 learning hours from October 2006. Tools will be
available to support learning and development of communities
The Depository – for creators a ‘lab site’ for any educator or designer to re-use or version
materials, which must then be made available to the community
Leading edge contribution to both the method and the scale of OERs available globally
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OU partnership projects involving Africa - TESSA, Open Door
Teacher Education in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2005-2015
A bank of teacher training resources in literacy, numeracy, Primary science, personal & health education: OU working with a
consortium of African & other organisations
Open Door
OU course materials licensed to African Universities freeA pilot funded by DfES is underway in Fourah Bay College,
University of Sierra Leone, OU of Tanzania and Zambia University - All areas of Internet scarcity
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Open University partnership projects (2)
International Fellowship Project
Digital Education Enhancement Project
Bursaries 3-6 months at OU UK, for interchange on direction of ODL: Fellowships awarded to applicants from Kenya,
Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Swaziland & Zambia
DEEP worked in Eastern Cape and Cairo with 12 schools each,Exploring ICT for literacy, numeracy and science at primary Level. Successful use of laptops shows positive impact on
Curriculum & learning. Scaled up 2006 integrating with N.MandelaFoundation & University of Fort Hare’s Unit of Rural Schooling
And Development.
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Networked learning - Learn and Live
Learning Designshave to fit with
Learners’ own contexts &Learning settings
Engagement, enjoyment& effectiveness
Are key to learning
learning
HOME WORK
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How widespread is the issue of study time?
Evidence over decades that students find it difficult to manage study workload
When under time pressure, they prioritise tasks and do what is required for assessment only
For some the pressure is too great – and they drop out/stop studying
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Students who withdraw from their courses
I fell behind with my course work
46%
General person/family or employment responsibilities
43%
46%
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Students who complete their courses
Between one third and two thirds of all students are studying for longer than the recommended study times of our courses
23% say the amount of time spent studying was ‘a lot more than expected’ 25% ‘a little more than expected’
40% say amount of time spent studying was ‘about as expected’
57% fell behind the study calendar
Falling behind is the majority experience
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Do these pressures affect other lifelong learners?
A study of full-time undergraduates found significant term time working (CHERI, 2005)
Over half did paid work: average hours worked – 12 to 14 a week, even in final year
The impact strongest on students over 25 – two thirds said term-time work meant they sometimes produced poor quality assignments
We can’t stop term-time working – can we do more to help students make more effective use of their study time?
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OU strategy to address study workload issue (1)
Course models being developed, specifying media usage and study time
Workload identified as a key element in the quality of courses
Research into student study time ongoing
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OU strategy to address study workload issue (2)
Course teams mapping study time week by week
All elements in study are ‘counted in’ – including studentship
Strategies used to help students catch up and not fall behind
Clear weeks before an assignment, no work over national holidays, break week, review time
Clear communication of workload to the student
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Study time breakdown - Level 2, 30pt course
0
2
4
6
8
10
Wk
0
Wk
2
Wk
4
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6
Wk
8
Wk
10
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12
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14
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16
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24
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26
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28
Wee
k 30
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32
Wk
34
Stu
dy ti
me
(hou
rs)
Student-directed
Studentship
Review/consolidation/revision
Assessment
F2F tutorials
Online tutorials
Online resources/services
Studying learning materials
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Independent study – scaffold learneractivity
Provide a clear structure
Explain the link to learning outcomes
Tell learners why they should do the activity
Suggest a time frame
Explain ‘what you will do and why’
Provide ‘hints and tips’, ‘what to do if…’
Give them feedback on actions
Use this list as a proforma – reduce cognitive load by giving learners a predictable structure