Experiences of a course in blended Learning (bL) developed in partnership between

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Delivering a blended-Learning (bL)postgraduate
course for practising teachers - keeping the lid
on the blender!

• Experiences of a course in blended Learning (bL)
  developed in partnership between
• Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College
• and the
• Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead

Higher Education Academy e-Learning
workshop Glasgow Caledonian University - 31st May
2006
Richard Jones, BCUC
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Topics

• Kitchen Wisdom
• Programme History
• The course structure, content and rationale
• Examples of student participation and material
• Lessons learnt
• Questions to be answered
• Discussion, comment and questions

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Kitchen Wisdom

• Keeping the lid on the blender!
• While keeping the lid on the blender is a
  fundamental tenant of culinary practice one must
  not lose sight of the goal of cooking to produce
  good and enjoyable food!

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Programme History

• Request from RBWM 2003 for some form of course on
  e-learning
• RBWM Ed. Auth. Oversees approximately 25 000
  pupils in a number of schools across the whole
  range of abilities
• Pilot course ran 2004 2005
• First full course runs 2005 -2006
• 14 students registered, 13 started, 12 are active
  at present

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The course rationale, structure and content

• BCUC RBWM Development team was established to
  design programme
• Rationale
• Postgraduate level
• Learning perspective but do not hide the
  technology (software and hardware)
• Practitioner based
• Delivered via a blended Learning paradigm
• Assessment will be integral to the student work

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The course rationale, structure and content contd.

• Structure
• Masters level Post Graduate Certificate
• 3 x 20 credit modules
• Assessment is integral to the students work e.g
  reflective journal
• Taught via a blended Learning approach
• Content
• Module 1
• Good practice in e-curriculum delivery learning
  and the establishment of good blended Learning
  (bL) criteria. Develop bL materials/resources
  based.
• Module 2
• Design an effective bL courses for use in their
  own subject area based on pedagogical factors
  including learner needs, syllabus requirements
  etc.
• Module 3
• Deliver the module 2 course, evaluate the course
  based on the criteria established in module 1 and
  re assess those criteria

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Requirements Technology

• All students have full support of home
  organisation
• VLE access (First Class) for all staff and pupils
• Video conferencing software (Click to Meet)
• All students have laptops, internet access,
  webcam, mike headphones, software

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Example material

• Minimum expectations for first piece of work
• Typical F2F session example
• Example coursework

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The lid bit!

• We must remember that the aim of blended
  Learning is to produce meaningful and rich
  learning which is the underlying basis of all
  good teaching.
• Whilst correct use of the technology is
  important, it is the food of thought that must
  be the focus of the output.
• The blend must not be just palatable but
  desirable and nourishing!

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First Class
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First Class
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Online Discussion
Synchronous discussion
A-synchronous discussion
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Video Conferencing
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Video Conferencing
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Video Conferencing
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F2F Session Example
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F2F Session Example
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F2F Session Example
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F2F Session Example
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F2F Session Example
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F2F Session Example
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F2F Session Example
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How did they get on?

• 20/01/06-A really useful day. . It comes
  together a lot easier and makes more sense now
  that I have more knowledge and can do far more.
• 01/02/06-I started to load software this morning
  at roughly 11 oclock and now at six oclock I am
  frustrated and upset. I do not feel I can cope
  with spending so much time to come to nothing and
  have nothing to show. The one issue that did come
  up was I could not contact anyone because all the
  phone numbers were home not school.
• 03/03/06-I really enjoyed this session I think I
  am a little bit clearer and some of the issues we
  discussed are really exciting. I know I have a
  lot to learn but if I can find the time to do it
  in the end it will make our photography course
  become state of the art. At the moment it is lie
  pushing an elephant up the stairs!
• 10/03/06 EUREKA- at last I am A video c
  onferencer, Thanks to XXXXXX and after a few
  problems its fixes it. Apparently it was the
  pop-ups. I then joined their conference and
  everyone in the department was thrilled.

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Another

• Great frustration today as I tried to video
  conference with XXXXX via Click to meet.
• I connected to the internet through my hard-wired
  Ethernet network at home.
• On connecting to Clicktomeet at first I had good
  video transmit and receive and good audio receive
  but no audio transmit. After around 5 10 mins,
  before I could test another microphone, the
  connection to the Clicktomeet server was dropped.
• In the end I had to reboot my laptop.
• Ill try again from the office.
• Total time spent including journal 80 mins.
• Evening - Another 2hrs 30mins spent experimenting
  with software.
• On My laptop, I have un-installed the Logitech
  4000 software and installed my own Clicksmart 510
  camera. The camera appears to work.
• I experimented with un-installing the Clicksmart
  510 camera and installing the Logitech 4000
  camera on my personal desktop computer. It
  appears to work.
• 7th March 2006 - Ive done quite a bit of
  reflecting rather than ranting over the last 10
  days.
• I have often been irritated, when delivering
  software training, by participants trying to use
  software as I am describing and demonstrating its
  functions. Maybe I need to take more account of
  individuals learning styles!
• by the second f2f on Friday 3rd March I was
  enthusiastically reaching for the internet to try
  to find examples of the issues under discussion.
  
• Ive got a remit at University XXXX to try to
  drive up the use of ICT by the Education staff
  even further than it is used at the moment. The
  University provide generic skills training on
  their learning platform Studynet but feedback
  from Education staff indicates that this lacks
  pedagogic underpinning and is therefore difficult
  to see how the learning platform could add to the
  learning experience for students.
• How about a series of workshops, on-line
  activities and resources that staff can dip into
  to increase their understanding of blended
  learning with new technologies, that uses blended
  learning techniques.
• After consultation with the head of school I will
  have to get this cleared with the head of the
  Universitys Blended Learning Unit.

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And Another!

• Sorry Richard got held up with an incident in
  school, involved some year 8 girls making
  websites about staff, police, parents and tears.
  Sorry. I can do most of this week if you let me
  know a time so I can set up in school. School is
  open 9 till 4 every day except Monday. I can't do
  Wednesday at all.

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Lessons Learnt Questions to Answer

• Personalisation
• Adaptable to the requirements and learning styles
  of the individual student (students
  group/cohort) - personalisation or customisable?
• Inclusion
• A practical method to provide a work group who
  find it difficult to logistically undertake CPD
  to move forward the digital divide effect?
• Flexibility
• Fits the need of the student life style,
  circumstances, work commitments work based
  learning, life long learning, should all the
  responsibility be with the individual?
• Productivity
• Scaleable? We think we are going to need
  technology to help here intelligent systems!

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Discussion

• Discussion board window into learning concept
• F2F sessions and on-line communities built around
  the design studio principle
• Blended learning (bL) in the e3 principle
• In our initial exploration of the potential uses
  of the VLE in the different contexts, we were
  interested in finding out what e-learning would
  enable us to do that we could not do before,
  rather than simply attempting to mimic offline
  experience (Garrison Anderson, 2003). In
  particular, we were hoping that the adoption of a
  blended learning approach would offer new
  opportunities to
• Improve the efficiency of course delivery
• Enhance the student learning experience and
• Extend the learning opportunities of the student
• We have referred to this concept as the e3 model
  to capture the essence of the three aims.
• Blended learning (bL) should not be technology
  led or focused
• Blended learning (bL) should be built on sound
  underlying good teaching learning practice and
  pedagogy

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Over To You

• Thanks you for you time and attention
• Discussion, comment and questions

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Reflective journal account

• Teaching and Learning strategies employed within
  the programme reflect the nature of the teaching
  experience at M level. Participant learning will
  be facilitated via workshops, which will include
  introductions on key topics facilitated workshop
  sessions and group debate. The workshops will
  explore specific themes focused on current and
  future assessment. They will also be used to
  develop a critical and evaluative approach in
  applying theory to own practice.
• Workshop sessions will include practical
  exercises and tasks which will require
  participants to explore aspects of working
  environments including their own along with their
  role within it. Participants will keep a
  reflective record of these activities, which will
  be developed into a Reflective Journal.
  Participants will also need to complete an
  integrating statement for inclusion in the
  reflective journal. The reflective journal will
  then form the basis for assessment work,
  presentations and symposiums, in which the
  participants will report on their learning in
  applying the theoretical concepts studied,
  outcomes and implications of practical exercises
  undertaken. Subsequently it will be a resource
  for their own practice as leaders/managers within
  the profession.

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Illustrative assessment procedures for Diploma
and Masters stages of the programme.

• At the Diploma stage, in addition to the
  workshops, participants will use Action Learning
  Sets to develop a Learning Contract through which
  they will identify themes and issues to be
  explored in greater depth. This will enable
  participants to develop themes raised in the
  programme, in a way that is most relevant for
  their own practice. The Learning Contract itself
  will specify the form of assessment and is likely
  to include a presentation within the
  participants own workplace the development and
  implementation of a small scale action research
  project and report (typically 4000 words),
  detailing the identified themes and issues, the
  agreed process of intervention and the outcomes
  and reflections upon that intervention.
• In addition, participants taking the Masters
  programme will also complete a dissertation
  (typically 10,000 words) on a topic of their own
  choice which is related to their own work
  situation. This will be supported through
  individual tutorials.
• It goes without saying that throughout the
  programme, participants will be supported via a
  VLE, which will be an important resource for the
  programme. It will serve to provide continuous
  contact between facilitators and participants,
  providing a forum for academic debate, practical
  support and the dissemination of learning.

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f2f

• Launch Day Today!
• Half day 1 03/03/06 1.30-4pm
• Half day 2 06/04/06 1.30-4pm
• Half day 3 03/07/06 1.30-4pm
• Half day 4 28/10/06 1.30-4pm
• Symposium Day 23/11/06
• Purpose To review current assignment work and
  introduce following assignment.
• To enable face to face discussion