A learning design toolkit for fostering effective elearning

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A learning design toolkit for fostering effective
e-learning
Professor Gráinne Conole, University of
Southampton Email g.c.conole_at_soton.ac.uk NVU
Konferansen 2005, Kaltur for e-elearning Levanger
15-16th March 2005
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Growth of e-learning tools
Online information tools Gateways and portals
Integrated learning environments Blackboard, WebCT
Assessment tools TOIA, QuestionMark
Communication tools Email, discussion boards, chat
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Increasing impact of ICT
ICT as mission critical
Drivers
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E-learning hype
ICT promises
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Negative aspects
Patch use of communication tools Stilted
collaborations
VLEs for admin and as content repositories
-ve
Information overload
Not pedagogically informed
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Positive aspects
Critical mass of mediating tools and resources
Shift from individual to socially situated
ve
Learning in context
Learning through problem solving
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Technology pros and cons
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Beyond the web - the next generation
The Grid
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Vygotsky
Papart
Learning by doing
Constructivism
Laurillard
Paiget
Social learning
Mercer
Kolb
Through experience
Through dialogue
Theories of learning
Key characteristics of learning
Dewey
Wenger
Through reflection
In the company of others
Socially situated
Lave
Jarvis
Cognition
Communities of practice
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Reality check repackaging the box

• Passive learning
• Pedagogical bias
• Mismatch of resources to tasks
• Learner and tutor confusion!
• Identity and roles
• Plethora of resources and tools
• Lack of clarity of what is important and when

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The missing link
Gap between the potential of the technologies
(confusion over how they can be used) and
application of good pedagogical
principles (confusion over which models to use)
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Back to the drawing board

• Use of a learning design toolkit to
• Rethink teaching, learning and assessment
• Make learning and teaching approaches more
  explicit
• Enable appropriate use of
• Tools and resources
• Choice of teaching and learning techniques
• Innovative approaches to assessment

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What is a toolkit?

• Toolkit are
• Easy-to-use for practitioners
• Produce demonstrable benefit
• Provide guidance, but are not prescriptive
• Adaptable and easy to customise to local context
• Used to plan and scope
• Used iteratively over time
• Reusable can share resources and templates

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Learning Activity Toolkit

• Guides teachers through the process of
  articulating their teaching approach
• Results in the production of a lesson plan for
  a particular learning activity
• Prompts and supports teachers as they create or
  modify learning activities, linking pedagogical
  approaches to teaching techniques, tools and
  resources

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Methodology

• Reviewed
• Learning theories and identified key elements of
  learning
• Definition of a learning activity
• Distil out Geographers implicit thinking
• Definition of a learning activity and its
  components
• Relationships between components
• Mapping and reality check with real examples

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Learning activity components

• Context
• Subject, level, learning outcomes, environment,
  etc
• Learning and teaching approaches
• Theories and models
• Tasks
• Type, techniques, tools, resources, interaction,
  roles
• Associated assessments types, techniques

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Tackling the problem

• Need to understand
• The way e-learning can (and cant!) be used
• Changing organisational context
• New skills needed and impact on individuals
• Rethink designing learning activities
• Apply learning theory
• Make appropriate use of tools and resources
• Devise innovative approaches to assessment

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Creating learning activiites

• Use of a learning design toolkit to
• Rethink teaching, learning and assessment
• Make learning and teaching approaches more
  explicit
• Enable appropriate use of
• Tools and resources
• Choice of teaching and learning techniques
• Innovative approaches to assessment

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Making the link

• Pedagogical approach didactic
• Learning outcome knowledge
• Tasks assimilative
• Assessment - focusing on re-production of
  knowledge
• MCQs, drills, short answer, essays
• Tutor feedback, tutor assessed

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Making the link

• Pedagogical approach cognitive apprenticeship
• Learning outcome application
• Tasks - experiential
• Assessment - focusing on use of concepts in
  different contexts
• Report, field work, project
• Tutor assessed may be peer- or self-evaluated

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Making the link

• Pedagogical approach problem-based
• Learning outcome analysis
• Tasks information handling
• Assessment focus on application of concepts to
  problems
• Exercise, practical, project
• Tutor assessed or peer- or self-evaluated

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Making the link

• Pedagogical approach dialogic
• Learning outcome evaluation
• Tasks communicative
• Assessment - focus on critiquing and argument
• Group presentation
• Peer-evaluated

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Making the link

• Pedagogical approach problem-based
• Learning outcome analysis
• Tasks information handling
• Assessment focus on application of concepts to
  problems
• Exercise, practical, project
• Tutor assessed or peer- or self-evaluated

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Uses

• Guidance
• On the development of learning activity
• Mapping pedagogy to tools and resources
• Repurposing
• Query database of existing learning activities
• Research
• Development of new e-learning models
• Quality assurance

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Benefits

• Providing guidance and support
• Making link between pedagogy and tasks more
  explicit
• Mapping of approaches with techniques and
  associated tools and resources
• As a means of articulating out practitioner
  understanding
• Generation of generic templates and models

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References

• Conole, Dyke, Oliver, Seale, (2004), Mapping
  pedagogy and tools for effective learning
  design, Computers and Education, June 2004
• Conole and Dyke, (2004), The affordances of
  ICT, ALT-J, 12.2
• Conole and Fill, (Submitted), Specification for
  a learning design activities toolkit, Computers
  and education
• Conole, (2004), Report on the effectiveness of
  tools for e-learning, report for the JISC
  commissioned Research Study on the Effectiveness
  of Resources, Tools and Support Services used by
  Practitioners in Designing and Delivering
  E-Learning Activities

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Acknowledgements

• People
• Karen Fill
• Martin Dyke
• Chris Bailey
• Martin Oliver
• Helen Beetham
• Jonathan Darby
• Funders
• JISC/NSC DialogPlus project
• HEFCE E-Learning Research Centre
• JISC e-pedagogy programme

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A learning design toolkit for fostering effective
e-learning
Professor Gráinne Conole, University of
Southampton Email g.c.conole_at_soton.ac.uk NVU
Konferansen 2005, Kaltur for e-elearning Levanger
15-16th March 2005