Quality assurance in Connet

1
Quality assurance in Connet
FINLAND

• Pirkko Hyvönen, Jaana Lahti,
• Esko Marjomaa,
• Jukka Purma, Pertti Saariluoma, Jorma Sajaniemi

MENU/Valencia 2003
2
Conclusions

• Students need
• Area for
• embodied expressions
• Personal touch
• Flexible devoted tutoring
• Resourses for planning
• Goal

• Connet offers
• Research
• Multidisciplinary
• co-operation
• Sandbox
• Forced dialogue
• DCT-table

Narratives Discussions
3
Results
Discussions (EOC)
Narratives Me as a learner (EOC)

• Value laden
• Addiction in learning
• embodiment
• goal unclear,
• substance weak

• Analyses of emotions
• Expressions of intentions

Front
Back
Goal-oriented action Functional intentional
co-operation Supportive teamwork Debate

• Shame sorry
• Confusion
• - Tiredness
• - Anxiety

Inspire Humour Grateful
e-mail (Organization)
e-mail teamwork (EOC)
4
Embodiment People are seen as whole entities -
intentional, active and emotional persons.
(Merleau-Ponty 1962, Dennett 1996)
5
Embodiment means experiencing andcommunicating

According to our students Their personalities
and experiences are essential parts of virtual
learning.
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Scaffolding as a practice

• provides clear directions
• clarifies purpose
• keeps students on task
• points students to worthy sources
• reduces uncertainty and disappointment
• creates momentum
• McKenzie, J. 1999

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Scaffolding
Based on methaphors of breastfeeding
or construction of the house
The role and strategies of the scaffolders were
a major factor in shaping learning outcomes in
technology based environments. Light, P.
Light, V. 1999
8
The Connet network http//www.connet.edu.helsinki
.fi/

• A multidisciplinary virtual university program
• The students represent various faculties and
  disciplines in eight Finnish universities
• Focus on the scientific education of cognitive
  science, cognitive ICT, and cognitive technology

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Sandbox

• Open Source
• The virtual environment for all Connet courses
• Basically a Zope object management server with
  add-ons
• FLE3 Zwiki Eteria IRC
• Future plans include tight integration of CDT and
  LOM (Learning Object Model) into the system.

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Forced Dialogue

• Forces user to write dialogue with oneself
• A type of textual object suitable for distance
  learning
• A simple addition to any text-entering field
• By Jukka.Purma_at_helsinki.fi

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IRC

• Collects virtual students and scaffolders
  together
• Livingroom
• An inter-active part of courses
• IRC Protocol
• A meeting procedure applicable to
• IRC and Chat meetings
• where there are several participants
  (Henri.Kynsilehto_at_uta.fi)

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CDTs

• Easy-to-use supporting tools for the construction
  of curriculum
• Administrational work
• Students' planning of personal curriculum
• Quality assurance of the e-content of the courses
  
• Defining learning object metadata (LOM)

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Content Distribution Tables
CDT
CDT
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Multi-disciplinarity co-operation

• We'll need competent scaffolders
• - acquainted with cognitive psychology,
  educational science, media science and
  communication science
• to use and teach possibilities of developing ICT
• to evaluate the quality of e-content of services
  based on multidisciplinary activities
• co-operation with students

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Quality

• usefulness
• avoiding the risk of getting in Moore's Gap
• appropriateness
• course management, scaffolding,
• contents, goals
• embodiment
• convenience, appropriately challenging,
• how does it feel, summarization

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References

• Dennet, D. (1996). Kinds of minds towards an
  understanding consciousness. London Weidenfeld
  Nicolson. in Finnish (1997). Miten mieli
  toimii. Helsinki WSOY.
• Dewey, J. (1999). Pyrkimys Varmuuteen The Quest
  of Certainty. A Study of Relation of knowledge
  and Action 1929 Tampere Tammer-Paino.
• Dillenbourg, P. , Baker, M., Blaye, A., OMalley,
  C., (1995). The evolution of research on
  collaborative learning. In E. Spada P. Reiman
  (Eds.) Learning in Humans and Machine Towards an
  interdisciplinary learning science. (Pp. 189-211)
  Oxford Elsevier.
• Eestola, E. Elbaz-Luwisch, F. (2001). The
  Place of bodies in research of teaching.
  ISATT2001 Portugal.http//wwwedu.ou/homepage/life
  /eilaisa.htm
• Frank, A.W. (1991). For a sociology of the body
  an analytical review. In M. Featherstone M.
  Hepworth B. Turner (eds.) The Body Social
  processe and cultural theory. London Sage, 36
  -102.
• Heinämaa, S. (1996). Ele, tyyli ja sukupuoli.
  Merleu-Pontyn ja Beauvoirin ruumiinfenomenologia
  ja sen merkitys sukupuolikysymykselle. Tampere
  Tammer-Paino
• Heinämaa, S Reuter, M. Saarikangas, K.
  (1997). Ruumiin kuvia. Subjektin ja sukupuolen
  muunnelmia. Body Images. Variations of Subject
  and Gender, in Finnish. Helsinki Gaudeamus.
• Hyvönen, P., Lahti, J. Marjomaa, E. (2003).
  Embodied Subjects and Intentionality in Virtual
  Learning Environments. Paper submitted to EdMedia
  2003 - World Conference on Educational
  Multimedia, Hypermedia Telecommunications, June
  23-28, 2003 Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
• Johnson, M. (1987). The Body in the mind. The
  Bodily basis on meaning, imagination, and reason.
  USA The University Chicago Press
• Lave, J. Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning
  legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge
  Cambridge University Press.
• Lahti, J. Marjomaa, E. (2003). Scaffolding in
  Innovation, Implementation and Evaluation of ICT
  Supported Education. Paper submitted to EdMedia
  2003 - World Conference on Educational
  Multimedia, Hypermedia Telecommunications, June
  23-28, 2003 Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
• Mercer, N. (2000). Words and Minds How do we use
  language to think together. London Routledge.
• Merleau-Ponty, M. (1962 / 1945). The
  Phenomenology of perception. London Routledge.
• Oatley, K. Jenkins J.M. (1996). Understanding
  Emotions. Cambridge MA Blackwell Publishers.
• Rowlands, M. (1999). The Body in the mind.
  Understanding cognitive processes. UM Cambridge
  University Press
• Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of Practice
  Learning, Meaning and Identity. Cambridge
  University Press.
• Williams, S.J. Bendelow, G (1998). The lived
  body. Sociological themes, embodied issues.
  London Routledge

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Data / fall 2002 / Connet
Data
Course
Front stage Theme conversation (Fle3) 197
messages Back stage E-mail messages 110 pg,
about 200 messages
Organisations and modern communication, 19
students http//www.urova.fi/home/mpk/Organisaati
ot_kurssi
Front stage Me as a learner -narratives
(Zwiki) 47 pg, 12 stories Cognitive emphasised
dialogues (Fle3) 145 pg, 244 messages Back
stage Team work (by e-mail) 270 pg, about 300
messages
Education, learning culture 12
students http//www.connet.edu.helsinki.fi/zwiki/
KasvatusOrganisaatiojaKulttuuri