Technology enhanced learning in 21st century mass higher education' Aspects of design, practice and

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Technology enhanced learning in 21st century mass
higher education. Aspects of design, practice and
strategy for a necessary step change.
ALT-C 2009

• John Dickinson
• Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University

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BACKGROUND
Higher education cannot change easily
(Laurillard 2002)

• Changing nature of higher education
• Growth of mass education and international
  markets. Increased participation and access.
• Alongside the unprecedented rise of ICT -
  digitalisation and web 2 technologies.
• Changing student and institutional expectations.
• Variable practice - across programmes and student
  journey.
• Minimum standards, quality assurance.

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Contemporary Teaching and Learning Environments
the Challenges

• The Enhancing Teaching and Learning (ETL) Project
  (Hounsell et al 2005) identified
• Larger classes and teaching teams
  impersonality, inconsistencies
• Increasing student diversity
• Leaner unit costs and greater LT accountability
• Level of engagement first and final years
• Deep and surface learning
• Organised effort
• Constructive alignment - congruence

The coming of mass higher education has brought
larger classes, more diverse students and leaner
unit costs, but keener interest in teaching
quality and graduate attributes (Entwistle,
Hounsell et al. 2007)
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The Case StudyA typical large UG coremodule,
campus based and constrained to lecture seminar
delivery.Online support for materials,
activities, feedback, assessment, communication
and collaboration.
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Aspects of design and practice
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The Blended Learning Workflow
L e a r n e r s
T e a c h e r s
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Assessment and feedback

• Embraced both formative and summative assessment.
• Online quizzes and seminar activities align with
  mid MCQ and end full question assessment.
• Suggested answers are made available online each
  week for diagnostic and formative feedback
  purposes .
• .. increasing formative assessment within a
  manageable overall workload.
• Exam guidance, past papers and generic feedback.

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Online site design

• Assist navigation with clearly labeled menus and
  folders.
• Have separate sections for materials, directed
  study and assessment laid out to reflect the
  study plan.
• Use course links to connect related materials,
  directed study, seminar tasks and assessment.
• Provide direction by an at a glance study plan.
  
• Include details of the teaching team together
  with photos.
• Map to reading lists and resource links.

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Introducing students to blended learning

• Vital to integrate the on-line and classroom
  environments they must not be seen by students
  as separate systems.
• Opening lectures include time to introduce and
  explore together the module site and online
  resources.
• Explain the blended approach so students
  understand the fortnightly learning cycle and
  their role as learners.

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Ongoing integration

• Keep the VLE in the classroom.
• Start teaching sessions with a brief reference to
  the online study plan to focus the session
  objectives
• Access online materials in class. This is a good
  way for students to become familiar with the site
  and its functionality.
• Preview directed study activities and the related
  online material.

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Management of teaching team delivery

• Blended delivery offers very significant benefits
  coordinating large teaching teams.
• Teaching materials can be shared and only made
  available to students as required.
• Seminars tutors can keep place with lectures and
  directed study tasks.
• Regular module tutor-tutor email ensures the
  seminars (30) are kept in sync.
• An active weekly directed study and seminar
  forum is maintained by the module tutor.

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Evaluation - How successful?

• Difficult to prove as there many variables.
• Student feedback via online questionnaire, focus
  groups and programme committees generally very
  positive. Saw anytime anywhere access as
  fundamental
• Module mean scores increased from 52 (2004) to
  58 (2008).
• Contribution toward ETL Project
  challengesOrganised effortEngagement - deep and
  surface learningLarge teaching teams Congruence
  through design LTAs

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Wider blended learning strategic developments
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Minimum standards

• University LT strategy has a specific target for
  Schools to establish minimum standards.
• NBS has adopted a two phase strategy
• Minimum Standard - static content (materials)
• Minimum Standard - blended content (activities)
• Looking to explore the role of a quality
  frameworkGuidelines and Checklists to support
  design of pedagogies, resources and delivery
  strategies.

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Minimum Standard Static Content

• NBS wide template (guide)
• Consistency .. across programme and school
  provisions
• Clearer navigation and location of material
• Built around LT and Study Plans
• Encourages alignment of LTAs around lectures,
  directed study, seminars and assessment.
• Supports Information skills and ASk.
• A foundation for blending learning developments

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Blended development Design and Practice

• Strategic approach using projects to target
  programmes, modules, and teaching teams.
• Aspects of this work in design and practice are
  informing a blended learning framework
  addressing
• Programme and programme outcomes
• Differential study level strategies
• Group size
• The student journey

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Aspects of Quality Control

• Programme specificationsFormal programme wide
  frameworks DOCStudent journey aware
• Module pedagogic design DOCWorking with tutors
  Project based approach
• Staff developmentRenewal / Review eLearning
  Awareness Sessions Workshops
• Staff supportWorkload allowanceseLearning
  TechnologistICT Resource Room

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Any Questions?
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End
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Appendices
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Blended Module Design Matrix

• No one size fits all!

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Blended Module Design Matrix
BLEND OF CONTACT AND ONLINE LEARNING ADDITIVE or
TRANSFORMATIVE APPROACHES ONSITE/ONLINE RESOURCES
AND ACTIVITIES ALIGNMENT OF LEARNING TEACHING
ASSESSMENT LECTURE, SEMINAR, DIRECTED STUDY
SUPPORT FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT FEEDBACK
(AfL) REFLECTION INDEPENDENT STUDY
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Online Support for the staff awareness and
workshop sessions
Click here to access a media presentation
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Example MBA Programme
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EXAMPLE MODULE BLENDED FRAMEWORK MAPPING
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• List of references / resources helping to
  underpin the NBS Blended Learning Strategy
• Adamson, V. Plenderleith, J. (2008). Higher
  Education Academy/JISC e-Learning Benchmarking
  Exercise Phase 2 Review. Higher Education
  Academy.
• Biggs, J. (2003). Teaching for quality learning
  at university what the student does. Buckingham
  Open University Press. 2nd Ed.
• Hosie, P., Schibeci, R. Backhaus, A. (2005). A
  framework and checklists for evaluating online
  learning in higher education. Assessment
  Evaluation in Higher Education. Vol. 30, No. 5,
  pp. 539553.
• Hounsell, D. Hounsell, J. (2007)
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  mass higher education in Entwistle, N.J., et al.
  (eds) Student Learning and University Teaching .
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  Trends. British Journal of Educational Psychology
  Monograph Series II ) British Psychological
  Society, Leicester 91-111.
• Govindasamy, T. (2001). Successful implementation
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• Hounsell, D., Entwistle, N., Meyer, E., Beaty,
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  in Undergraduate Courses. London TLRP.
• JISC Benchmarking and Pathfinder Programme.
  (2008). Challenges and Realisations from the
  Higher Education Academy/JISC Benchmarking and
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• JISC InfoNet. (2005). Effective Use of VLEs.
  www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk
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• Ramsden, P. (2008) The Future of Higher Education
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