"So, how do we motivate our online participants? Keep this list in mind when designing your online courses and interacting with your learners and you may be amazed at what a difference a little motivation makes."
link
This paper provides an introduction to open source software in the context of Australian schools. It is intended to provide the basis for developing some shared understandings about what open source software is; its benefits; its limitations; and it provides a brief scan of what is happening in Australian schools and sectors. This paper may provide the basis for informing future discussions at state and national levels....
....
Pedagogical reasons have been the motivation for introducing the use of open source software within some non government schools including Sydney Church of England Girls Grammar School in New South Wales;71 and Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar School72 and Trinity College73, both in Melbourne. In doing so, students in these schools are able to develop an understanding of how to use technologies without assuming that the Microsoft® environment is the only one in which computing can occur. Consistent with the national goal of schooling 1.6, the approaches taken in these schools also facilitates the development of students’ understandings about the impact of technologies on
society, including the impact of multinationals on software development and use.
Teachers at Strathcona Baptist Girls Grammar School were initially concerned that by teaching students how to use open source software would be seen by parents and the local community as problematic. They were concerned that the view the school was not solely using Microsoft products would disadvantage students in their transition from school to work and further education and training. These concerns have not been realised and the use of open source software at this school is a ‘non-issue’.
Toward an effective Quality Assurance Model
Research Questions
After a review of the relevant literature on the quality assurance of Web-based learning, this paper will try to answer the following questions:
Are the quality benchmarks identified in the literature valid in the higher education sector in Hong Kong?
Do the benchmarks taken seriously by the higher education institutions?
To what extent are the benchmarks being incorporated into institutions’ Web-based learning operation?
Are there additional benchmarks that are not found in the literature but are being used by the practitioners that can contribute to the quality assurance of Web-based learning?
The research was done by surveying a group of academic staff from various local tertiary institutions in Hong Kong. The process mainly collected their opinions on various key issues related to quality assurance of Web-based learning.
This report documents the processes and findings of a research project examining
flexible learning in the workplace. For the purposes of the project, the researchers
determined, through consultation with the project reference group, that the terms
‘flexible delivery’ and ‘flexible learning’ would be used to define the full range of
learning/training activities occurring in enterprises including technology-based delivery
and learning.
BBC - BBCi Learning - Returning To Learning - Homepage
"Returning to learning can affect many areas of your life. You will be fitting your studies in around your daily routine and trying to budget for the cost of your studies. Don't panic, there is advice on how to manage both of these. There are also students who have been in your position. Hearing their stories will encourage you."
Sections on
Life
Money
Time
Becoming a better learner
Getting back into learning can sometimes seem a bit daunting, but studying doesn’t need to be difficult. There are plenty of ways of learning that can make your whole experience more enjoyable and manageable.
Sections on Study Skills
How we Learn
Study Tips
WebWise The BBC's beginner guide to the Internet
What is Becoming WebWise?
"It's a ten hour, online internet course which teaches you the basics of using the internet. In the course you learn all about web pages, e-mail and the other things you can use on the internet. (If your centre uses the extra material we give to tutors, the course may last longer.) "
Update 24/09/03
Read Stephen Downes' commentary on the BBS Learning site here in the Technology Source
http://www.users.bigpond.com/mariejas/E-Games%20and%20improvisation.pdf
The design and facilitation of email games is based on our belief that adult learners learn most effectively through people-to-people collaboration and construction of knowledge.
Email games are templates (or frames) for facilitating dialogue about different problems and issues and for encouraging the construction and sharing of new knowledge, understanding, perspectives and insights. The core of most email game templates contains real-world problems and issues that are salient to the players. An email game engages participants in interactive discussion of these problems and issues. Participants bring a variety of diverse experiences and previous knowledge to the task. The facilitator selects and implements appropriate structures for different rounds of the game to encourage collaborative problem solving.
Different email game templates are designed to facilitate different types of learning domains (including facts, concepts, principles and procedures) and different outcomes (application, analysis, synthesis, problem solving, creativity, abstract thinking and metacognition).
Louise Housden - Mon, 18 Aug 2003, 11:30
Thanks to the national Toolbox Champions and other clever critters out there using Toolboxes, I have been able to find a few good sites with information that should be helpful to anyone wanting to use a TB in their training.
Here are a couple you might like to check out:
Implementation help http://www.tafe.sa.edu.au/lsrsc/oes/tbcs/index.htm
South Australia’s Toolbox Champions team have put together this excellent website full of valuable information relating to Toolbox implementation, including practical suggestions on how Toolboxes can be used as well as some great models to support various implementation strategies, including fully online delivery.
Competency Units http://olvc.chisholm.vic.edu.au/toolbox/
Here you can search the Toolbox range for specific units of competence, whole qualifications and Training Packages that are covered to date. Handy if you’re trying to work out which Toolbox to purchase, or thinking about expanding your Toolbox collection.
Toolbox Reports http://flexiblelearning.net.au/toolbox/reports.htm
Here you can find some interesting reports on and evaluations of Toolbox usage nationally. One particularly useful document is the report on RTOs implementing selected Toolboxes from the Series 3 range. The evaluation looks at usage patterns, teacher and student acceptance, student learning, technical and organisational issues relating to Toolbox implementation.
Community Services Learning Community (CSLC) - this user group is for teachers in the Australian Community Service industry, accessed at: http://www.tafensw.edu.au/nsit/cslc/. Anyone can browse the web site. To go one step further and become a forum participant so you can talk with other RTOs using the Community Services Toolboxes, you need a password which is easily obtained from the site. The site showcases six Toolboxes:
Cybertots (Children's Services) , Alcohol and Other Drugs, Policy and Research, Case Management (Disability and Mental Health), Youth Work, Home and Community Care.
Frankie Forsyth - Thu, 7 Aug 2003, 10:40
Welcome to the discussion about the high and low lights of online facilitation.
List of tips in no particular order here
LearnScope
Discussion message posted during Learnscope Online Week
Mary Aquino - Wed, 13 Aug 2003, 16:09
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Learnscope has been fantastic at my college (Central TAFE in Perth) without it we wouldn't have our current Learning Technology Mentor program - which gives 6 Lecturers a day a week to mentor colleagues (beginners and "guns") in online teaching and learning ..after starting life as a Learnscope project which enabled us to identify and release online teaching champions to develop their skills the program is now funded by the college as a corporate initiative..
we have had several foundation skills projects and some really "out there' edgey projects over the course of Learnscope and without this funding we'd have been almost completely without opportunities to give people time and space to play and learn, find their online "entry point" and develop their engagement and skills
now we have a pretty good range of blended online learning models to demo and spruik across the college so lecturers can see and explore what's possible online and decide if they want to emulate any of the examples or if they want something completely different..this seems to work pretty well as a kick start
..we follow this up with a pretty smushed up/as needed mix of design advice and tech support, structured mentoring and just in time "aaarrgh help me now" kind of back up
IT skills are just the beginning or probably not even the beginning they are pretty much the preparatory gear gathering stage..a bit like pulling on your runners before you get to the starting line..we learned this the hard way by giving a lot of attention to technical skills early on and not enough energy to 'what do you want to do online and have you got a clue about what works on the web?'
we are much better balanced these days :-) and having huge fun pushing the e-velopes with RAMES and role play..and getting people to think and experiment much more widely with some more comlex collaborative , problem based learning strategies as well as using the web for simple and very effective administrative and communication stuff
this is a ridiculously long message *rueful grin*.. the short answer is probably..Learnscope funds fantastic experiential stuff ..time and space to play and think and try things out..the infection /osmosis method seems to be the best way to "catch" the online teaching and learning bug..we tried the " mass innoculation " method here for a while with very limited success
1-2-3 Steps (or is it 9-4-7?)
This blog is a quick (i.e. not comprehensive) introduction to blogging for educators, with hands-on steps for getting started in using MovableType as well as some conjecture on using MT as a student ePublishing or ePortfolio tool.
Training the e-trainer
by Clive Shepherd
"Perhaps not surprisingly, the virtual classroom appears tantalisingly similar to its bricks and mortar equivalent and trainers can justifiably expect to make use of many of their existing skills. However, there is a difference in working with an audience that could be thousands of miles away and which, to all intents and purposes, is invisible. In this article, Clive Shepherd explores what it is that the e-trainer needs to do differently to make a success of virtual classroom training and realise the benefits that synchronous online communication can bring to just about any organisation with a distributed workforce."
Building Success for E-Learners
By Jennifer Hofmann
"Training research reminds us that the following characteristics must be present in learning environment for programs to be successful:
-adequate motivation
-opportunities for learners to collaborate and interact
-a variety of delivery methods
-user-friendly technology
-active and participative instructors.
When implementing, designing, and delivering online programs, education and training professionals should strive to incorporate these success factors at the planning stages of the program. "
Motivating Online Participants
"So, how do we motivate our online participants? Keep this list in mind when designing your online courses and interacting with your learners and you may be amazed at what a difference a little motivation makes."
Blogging Across the Curriculum
Quoting Alan(?): "From Quinnipiac University comes this gem: Blogging Across the Curriculum. Pattie Belle Hastings from the Interactive Design Department shares this resource that rose from her 2002 experiments on using student weblogs as alternatives to paper design jounrals. Her site provides a nice overview of blogging, how to blog, the role of blogs in teaching, lots of resources, and links to the student projects. A good ideas is the Bibliography that includes the entire web site as a PD." By Pattie Belle Hastings, August 25, 2003
Developing e-learning courses for work-based learning
This paper outlines a case study from a European research project that developed an e-learning course designed for delivery through a virtual university, to learners in the workplace. It raises some of the challenges and issues that are part and parcel of the opportunities and pressures that prevail. The main focus of the paper is on the design and development of a pedagogic framework and course materials that meet the needs of the target learners and take advantage of the opportunities afforded by e-learning. The paper will highlight some of the issues that were raised as this development work progressed and how they were or could be overcome.
for conferences, meetings and workshops
In Open Space meetings, events and organizations, participants create and manage their own agenda of parallel working sessions around a central theme of strategic importance, such as: What is the strategy, group, organization or community that all stakeholders can support and work together to create?
When and Why?
Open Space works best when the work to be done is complex, the people and ideas involved are diverse, the passion for resolution (and potential for conflict) are high, and the time to get it done was yesterday. It's been called passion bounded by responsibility, the energy of a good coffee break, intentional self-organization, spirit at work, chaos and creativity, evolution in organization, and a simple, powerful way to get people and organizations moving -- when and where it's needed most.
And, while Open Space is known for its apparent lack of structure and welcoming of surprises, it turns out that the Open Space meeting or organization is actually very structured -- but that structure is so perfectly fit to the people and the work at hand, that it goes unnoticed in its proper role of supporting (not blocking) best work. In fact, the stories and workplans woven in Open Space are generally more complex, more robust, more durable -- and can move a great deal faster than expert- or management-driven designs.
Links to resources that help to answer the following questions:
I need a conceptual understanding of factors affecting curriculum collaboration.
I need to envision teaching on the Web.
I need to understand inquiry.
I need to know about authoring.
I need to see examples of resource collection tools.
I need to see models of high-level thinking.
I need to learn about alternative assessments.
This short page contains a number (thirteen, to be precise) of tips for librarians on how to use the web to address specific educational needs. Each tip is linked to an example giving readers a model to work from. The tips are good, too. Examples include sharing technology expertise peer-to-peer database, developing ideas quickly or providing current information with blogs, and creating a critical thinking structure. By Debbie Abilock, Noodle Tools, August 22, 2000 From OLDaily - Stephen Downes
site which offers a tutorial on Designing Instruction for Web-based Learning
Essential Elements: Prepare, Design, and Teach Your Online Course by Bonnie Elbaum, Cynthia McIntyre, and Alese Smith and
Facilitating Online Learning: Effective Strategies for Moderators George Collison, Bonnie Elbaum, Sarah Haavind, and Robert Tinker
EclipseCrossword - the fast, easy, FREE way to create crossword puzzles in minutes
From a Learnscope Online Chat Session:
Peter "hey teachniques was a typo - but I like it!"
Welcome to the OTiS Online Tutoring e-book
Introduction | Chapter 1 : Learning Online | Chapter 2 : The Tutor's Role | Chapter 3 : Building an Online Learning Community | Chapter 4 : New Assessment Methods | Chapter 5 : Evaluation | Chapter 6 : Culture and Ethics | Chapter 7 : Institutional Support | Chapter 8 : Staff Development | Chapter 9 : Quality Assurance |
article by Peter Allen
"But in reality, simple everyday tools like Microsoft word, a floppy disk or a CD burner is all you need to try out some online or flexible learning techniques.
How about these ideas to start on the road to online learning and flexible delivery?"
<a title="LearnScope" href="http://www.learnscope.anta.gov.au/learnscope/golearn.asp?Category=12&DocumentId=4180">Managing Workloads</a>
You might find this article about how to manage online teacher workload effectively interesting. Would these ideas work for you?
"Quite often when considering online workload issues, it can be tempting to focus on how to minimise it, though care should be taken as reducing workload can have a negative impact on student workload and learning quality. It may be more productive to think about how to manage online teacher workload effectively and this can be done in context with maintaining overall learning experience. Online teaching workload can be managed through successful time and information management, aspects of course design and effective teacher and technical support."
elearnspace. everything elearning: Articles: Contributors: Problem Based Learning Increasing Student Motivation and Quality of Participation in Discussions
through Problem-Based Learning by
Jennifer Gurrie
"Too often, I see online learning environments where students are asked to “read this and share your thoughts”, and this rarely results in high quality collaborative discussions. This observation, which I consider to indeed be a problem, inspired me to seek out alternative ways to engage students and increase their motivation to collaboratively think at higher levels. A tall order indeed"
elearnspace. everything elearning.
The following is a summary of "content created" as a result of Week 4 of discussions using a non-traditional approach to learning (participants of "elearning noncourse"). This article is best understood as a collage of thoughts, rather than a cohesive essay.
Ready Set Go: A student guide to Online Learning.
A preparation course for students considering online learning for the first time. It steps them through the issues they need to consider, the skills they need to have and gives them the basic skills they need for online leaning.
Any TAFE or RTO that would like to provide their students with a link to the course within their online environment may freely do so.
Zane Berge's web site on which he has a great tool to ascertain "Student Readiness for Distance Learning" in the form of an online tutorial.