Online professional learning: Lessons, challenges, opportunities
Open fishbowl
Jonathan Powles
University of New England
@jonpowles
Shelley Kinash
University of Southern Queensland
@KinashinAUs
Aliya Steed
University of New England
@afsteed
Jennifer Lawrence
University of Canberra
@jennyalawrence
Catch this session
Tuesday 5 December, 12pm - 12.30pm
Stream 2
Room R113
Abstract
Often, our default pedagogies for professional, authentic, and/or work-integrated learning start with face-to-face assumptions. The “placement” is the starting-point for many academics’ thinking about how to provide students with authentic experience of professional work, and the placement is predicated on the assumption of physical presence in the workplace. Often, academics’ experience of other pedagogical strategies for authentic learning – for instance, problem-based learning, role play, action research – start with an assumption of physical presence.
On the other hand, we now have many rich experiences of professional, work-integrated and authentic learning that have been situated online. This fishbowl session allows participants to share, analyse and learn from these experiences. What are the challenges and opportunities in moving role play or simulation online? What have MOOCs taught us about how people seek to develop their professional education? What technologies and tools exist to capture authentic learning in the workplace and curate these as online records of professional practice? How do employers respond or react to professional learning conducted online? What sorts of pedagogical and business models have universities adopted around online professional qualifications, and how do these differ from more traditional models? Given that the great majority of students who study online are simultaneously working, how have we or can we leverage this body of existing professional experience as part of students’ learning journeys?
About the authors
Jonathan Powles
Jonathan Powles’ role at UNE is to lead the strategic pedagogical direction of the university. With 18,000 online students, UNE is Australia’s oldest provider of distance and online education, with a rich history of delivering online, professionally-focused education in fields as diverse as agriculture, education, healthcare, business, law and the performing arts. Prior to taking up his position at UNE Jonathan held education leadership positions at a variety of universities in Australia and the UK, where he led and contributed to a number of online and professional-education curriculum innovations.
Shelley Kinash
Shelley Kinash returned to USQ as Director, Advancement of Teaching and Learning in 2017. Previously she was Director of Teaching and Learning at Bond University, where her major achievements were championing employability throughout the everyday curriculum; migrating the student evaluation of teaching to an online system; and supporting a whole-of-university approach to blended / technology-enhanced learning. She has over 200 publications including 3 books. The central tenets of Shelley’s research portfolio are student voice, learning experience and employability and academic development. Shelley has a long history of research and practice in employability. She has co-led two national strategic priority research projects (Supporting graduate employability from generalist disciplines through employer and private institution collaboration; and Engaging postgraduate students and supporting higher education to enhance the 21st century student experience).
Aliya Steed
Aliya Steed has led and contributed to the development of online professional learning programs at ANU for nearly twenty years. For much of that time she managed the educational design programs at the ANU College of Law, where she led the development of pedagogical strategies and technological environments for a national program in Migration Law and Practice; a fully-online and Australia-wide simulation-based Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice; and most recently an online, PBL-based Juris Doctor program. As Manager, educational design at ANU Online, she and her team support online innovation ANU-wide, including programs ranging through business, science, languages and health, and the development of ANU’s suite of MOOCs. In October 2017 she joined the University of New England as Manager, Strategic Learning Initiatives.
Jennifer Lawrence
As Teaching and Learning Fellow (transition pedagogy) at UC, Jennifer Lawrence has led the development and delivery of “Foundations of Professional Planning”, a first-year unit taken by nearly all undergraduate students. This unit supports students to identify their potential professional destinations, and develop a five-year plan to acquire the specific and generic skills required to reach that destination through a combination of curricular and co-curricular learning. The unit is delivered both face-to-face and online. Jennifer also led the development and delivery of UC’s related MOOC, “Navigating Your Professional Future”. Prior to joining UC, Jennifer taught in the secondary sector, where her foci included authentic learning and learning technology innovation.
The effect of digital game-based language learning mobile application on the development of complexity, accuracy, and fluency in foreign language monologic oral production among Chinese Learners of English as a Foreign Language
Concise paper
Feifei Han
The University of Sydney
Zehua Wang
Shaanxi Xueqian Normal University
Catch this session
Tuesday 5 December, 11am - 11.20am
Stream 1
Room H102
Abstract
The study reports the effect of a digital game-based language learning (DGBLL) mobile application “Speaking English Fluently – An Automated Scoring Artificial Intelligent Tutoring System on Spoken English” on the complexity, accuracy, and fluency in foreign language (FL) monologic oral production among 31 second year Chinese university learners of English as a foreign language (EFL). The participants’ monological oral production was measured in the first (week 1) and last (week 21) weeks of a semester using the same narrative picture description task. The oral production was audio-recorded and transcribed. Both the transcripts and audio-files were analyzed on the complexity, accuracy, and fluency dimensions. The complexity was measured using the number of Mean (M) words per T-unit, the accuracy dimension was measured using the number of repairs and errors per 100 words; and the fluency dimension was measured via speech rate (i.e., number of words per minute), and M length of pauses. Students were required to download the mobile application and followed the monological practice section twice a week for 30 minutes each time. Using paired sample t-tests, we found that even though the participants’ repair rate and speech rate remained unchanged, they produced more complex monological speech, had significantly fewer errors, and reduced average length of pauses after 20 weeks treatment using the mobile application, demonstrating a positive effect of the DGBLL mobile application on FL learners’ monological oral production.
About the authors
Feifei Han
Feifei Han currently is an educational researcher at the University of Sydney. Her current research interests comprise of three broad themes: (1) language and literacy education; (2) teaching, learning, and educational technology in higher education, and (3) educational psychology.
Zehua Wang
Zehua Wang obtained a Bachelor of Arts (2010) from Xi’an International Studies University, and a Master of Education (2013) from the University of Sydney. Currently she is a Lecturer in the Department of English at Shaanxi Xueqian Normal University, Xi’an, China. Her current research interests are (1) language learning strategies and (2) educational technology in higher education. Ms. Wang has received funding on four research projects in China and she has published a number of journal articles.
The power of Us: Investigating the value of interaction and community in postgraduate studies
Concise paper
Oriel Kelly
New Zealand Tertiary College
@oriel.kelly
Nuhisifa Seve-Williams
New Zealand Tertiary College
Binky Laureta
New Zealand Tertiary College
Keshni Kumar
New Zealand Tertiary College
Catch this session
Tuesday 5 December, 11am - 11.20am
Stream 2
Room R113
Abstract
The power of community – of Us – has long been assumed to be important in adult learning. Student interactions on discussion forums are encouraged, and it has been claimed that they foster a learning community which makes a difference to student outcomes through collaboration and joint construction of knowledge. This paper reports on interim results of a research project to establish, firstly, if there is a correlation between student participation in forums and their overall course outcomes, and secondly, shares a matrix designed to code both social and cognitive forum activity, to support an investigation into the existence of a learning community in student forum conversations – the power of Us.
About the authors
Oriel Kelly
Oriel Kelly is the Academic Manager at NZTC. She has a Masters in Educational Administration and her tertiary background is in staff development, the uses of technology to support teaching and learning and educational leadership. She is a Fellow of the New Zealand Association for Educational Administration and Leadership and a winner of a New Zealand national Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award. Her research interests include learning technology, online communities and the NZ eLearning Guidelines. She has been teaching online now over 15 years, five with NZTC.
Nuhisifa Seve-Williams
Dr Nuhisifa Seve-Williams hails from the island of Niue but raised in NZ.
She completed her PhD in Education Sociology in 2009 from the University of Auckland. She is currently the Research Manager at NZTC.
Binky Laureta
Binky Laureta has a Masters in Family Life and Child Development and is a registered teacher in early childhood education. She has been involved in teaching for 20 years, both overseas, and in New Zealand. She started her career as a preschool teacher and then joined the tertiary sector. Currently, she is working as lecturer and Program Leader for the Graduate Diploma in Teaching ECE program at New Zealand Tertiary College. Her interests are in inclusive education, social competency, cultural diversity, multicultural education, adult/higher education teaching and learning, teacher training, online teaching and learning, curriculum and learning support.
Keshni Kumar
Keshni Kumar has a Postgraduate Diploma in Education and has 17 years experience in education. Her research interests are in science and early childhood education, and other curriculum areas. She is currently a lecturer in early childhood at NZTC.
The synergistic and dynamic relationship between learning design and learning analytics
Concise paper
Dirk Ifenthaler
University of Mannheim
@ifenthaler
David Gibson
Curtin University
@davidgibson
Eva Dobozy
Curtin University
@edobozy27
Catch this session
Tuesday 5 December, 11.20am - 11.40am
Stream 3
Room L206
Abstract
The synergistic relationship between learning design and learning analytics has the potential for improving learning and teaching in near real-time. The potential for integrating the newly available and dynamic information from ongoing analysis into learning design requires new perspectives on learning and teaching data processing and analysis as well as advanced theories, methods, and tools for supporting dynamic learning design processes. Three perspectives of learning analytics design provide summative, real-time, and predictive insights. In a case study with 3,550 users, the navigation sequence and network graph analysis demonstrate the potential of learning analytics design. The study aims to demonstrate how the analysis of navigation patterns and network graph analysis could inform the learning design of self-guided digital learning experiences. Even with open-ended freedom, only 608 sequences were evidenced by learners out of a potential number of hundreds of millions of sequences. Advancements of learning analytics design have the potential for mapping the cognitive, social and even physical states of the learner and optimise their learning environment on the fly.
About the authors
Dirk Ifenthaler
Dirk Ifenthaler is Professor and Chair of Learning, Design and Technology at University of Mannheim. His research focuses on the intersection of cognitive psychology, educational technology, data analytics, and organisational learning. Dirk’s research outcomes include numerous co-authored books, book series, book chapters, journal articles, and international conference papers, as well as successful grant funding in Australia, Germany, and USA. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Springer journal Technology, Knowledge and Learning (www.ifenthaler.info).
David Gibson
Professor David Gibson, Director of Learning Futures at Curtin University in Australia and UNESCO Chair of Data Science in Higher Education Learning and Teaching, received his doctorate (Ed.D. Leadership and Policy Studies) from the University of Vermont in 1999 based on a study of complex systems modeling of educational change. His foundational research demonstrated the feasibility of bridging from qualitative information to quantifiable dynamic relationships in complex models that verify trajectories of organizational change. He provides thought leadership as a researcher, professor, learning scientist and innovator. He is creator of simSchool, a classroom flight simulator for preparing educators, and eFolio an online performance-based assessment system, and provides vision and sponsorship for Curtin University’s Challenge, a mobile, game-based learning platform. He consults with project and system leaders, formulates strategies, and helps people articulate their vision for innovation; then helps connect people with the resources needed to fulfill their aspirations. His research has extended from learning analytics, complex systems analysis and modeling of education to application of complexity via games and simulations in teacher education, web applications and the future of learning. Dr. Gibson has also advanced the use of technology to personalize education via cognitive modeling, design and implementation.
Eva Dobozy
Associate Professor Eva Dobozy is Deputy Dean, Learning and Teaching in the Curtin Business School. She is engaged in Learning Design research, investigating the efficacy of traditional and new technology-enhanced learning and teaching offerings. Dr Dobozy is involved in the discovery, integration, application and testing of new learning design models and frameworks. Currently, she is working as part of a learning design group on the design and implementation of transdisciplinary pedagogical templates. Her research spans the intersection between learning theory, learning design, technology-enhanced learning and teacher professional development. She is the winner of a number of prestigious research and teaching awards. Her current research focuses on sustainable futures in higher education and the pedagogical modelling of novel course designs and quality assurance practices.
Exploratory panel: Privacy, trust, student data, and the university
Join us for a thought-provoking, and sometimes challenging, discussion on privacy, trust, student data and the university. This important discussion will be open and free for all to attend online.
Applications such as Facebook, Gmail, Twitter, and iTunes offer users convenience, connection, and content for no perceived upfront cost, but the currency of digital citizenship is privacy. Data collection, use, and resale by global companies reinforces the perception of private information as a commodity, with ethical, legal, and technological consequences largely unexplored.
As higher education institutions increasingly collect and use data, questions arise over student privacy and the impact on a relationship of trust. This is exacerbated by the use of third-party (and often commercial) products in the curriculum; from publisher texts and online resources that require unique student log-in, to test banks that track individual student performance, to the integration of services like Google+ and Facebook into learning and teaching activities. Furthermore, questions arise when companies dealing with student data are purchased by commercial interests and the data is seen as ‘goods and chattels’ in the company sale.
This panel seeks to explore emerging ethical, legal, educational, and technological issues surrounding the collection and use of student data by universities, and the impact these strategies have on student trust and privacy.
The session will be live-streamed and accessible either in-person at the conference, or online.
Please join us for what will be a thought-provoking, and sometimes challenging, session at ASCILITE 2017.
For those not able to attend the seminar, you can follow along via Twitter using the conference hashtag #ascilite17
About the panellists
Catch this session
Tuesday 5 December, 1.30pm – 3pm
Room H102 Allison Dickson Lecture Theatre
Live streamed via Zoom
Barney Dalgarno (facilitator)
Professor Barney Dalgarno is Director of Learning Online at Charles Sturt University, leading strategic innovation for Australia’s largest online learning provider. Professor Dalgarno’s research contributions have been in three broad areas: the relationship between learning technology and learning theory; learning in polysynchronous learning environments, including 3D virtual environments; and university teacher and student use of learning technologies. He has had international influence over many years through journal editorship, conference program committee leadership, and assessing of teaching awards and research grants for international bodies. He has obtained numerous grants and consultancies for higher education research and innovation and has authored over 75 refereed publications. Professor Dalgarno has received recognition for his innovative teaching and research including ALTC Citations in 2007 and 2011 and a 2013 ASCILITE Fellow Award.
Jasmine Thomas
Jasmine holds a Bachelor of Laws (hons) (USQ) and Graduate Certificate of Art and Design (UNSW). She has lectured in e-commerce law, privacy law and postgraduate legal research methodology. Her research interests lie in the areas of technology law, privacy law and legal ethics. She investigated technology use and the priority of place in lawyers’ ethics for her PhD (USQ) thesis, awarded in 2017.
Kirsty Kitto
Kirsty Kitto (@kirstykitto) is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). She models the ways in which humans interact with complex information environments, paying special attention to the interdependencies between language, attitudes, memory and learning. She works in the Connected Intelligence Centre (CIC) where she is seeking new ways of using data to help people navigate an increasingly connected world. She is currently leading a project funded by the Australian government which is developing xAPI based solutions for instructors who want to teach “in the wild” beyond the LMS, and a grant funded by Graduate Careers Australia which is seeking to use xAPI to use learning analytics to help university students work towards developing evidence about their skills and capabilities in a chosen career. In past roles, Kirsty has worked on many projects in partial secondments to QUTs Learning and Teaching Unit, including the Learning Futures project, the creation of a new generation of teaching performance metrics, and the REAL employability project.
Kate Young
Kate Young is currently studying a Bachelor of Health( Biomedical Science Major) as a pathway to medicine (however at the same time is totally prepared to fall in love with an area and end up in research!). Kate balances mixed-mode study with work and family, and is currently the Meet-Up Leader for Chemistry 1 and Chemistry 2, and is the president of the USQ Club of Science.
Allan Christie
Allan is currently the Vice-President, eLearning for Blackboard APAC and this reflects his 30+ years of experience as both an academic and industry leader in the area of eLearning. During his academic career, Allan published extensively and presented at many national and international conferences and was recognised for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at the University of South Australia. Through his long industry association with ASCILITE he was awarded a Life Member of the Society in 2003 and currently has the role of Treasurer. Allan has taken on a “thought-leadership” role in the region which includes conference presentations, panel membership, industry association involvement and social media (blog, twitter) engagement.
