Social Work Virtual Campus Vir Camps studentcentred teaching

Social Work Virtual Campus Vir. Camp’s student-centred teaching and learning

Presentation by: • XX • At the XXX V

Agenda • • • Study with students all over the world Aims and objectives Why an international e-learning course in social work? Students interests E-learner – a lonely rider? Teaching and learning philosophy Learning methods The VIRCLASS experienced How to build a “safe” learning environment Virtual learning material Community of learning Cooperation versus collaboration

Communication with students in social work all over the world Teaching and learning online • How to promote collaborative learning and develop a community of learning within an e-learning course?

Aims and objectives • Objective for our online courses: Develop international elearning courses for social work students • Promote international cooperation and understanding of social in different countries and different cultural contexts • Develop social understanding and social cohesion through an international specialisation in social work

Why developing international elearning courses in social work? • We belong to a globalised society with: – Labour mobility – Immigrantion – Globalised economy – International policy influencing national social policy – Common directives for educational development (as Bologna, LLL. . . ) – International student exchange important but not all student can study abroad

Students want: • • To study abroad To have placement abroad To be able to work abroad after education To learn about other countries and their social work practice • Improve their English language skills • Get friends and professionals contact in other countries

The e-learner - a lonely rider? • E-learning often seen as an lonely learning situation • Online courses constructed to stimulate individual study • Social work is interaction and F 2 F communication

Teaching and learning philosophy • Collaborative learning methods are gradually being adopted all over the world • . . . due to a new understanding of how people learn • Reflected in the Bologna framework • VIRCLASS/Vir. Camp learning philosophy: – We se learning as an interactive process where students discuss, reflect, collect and analyse information – Where students are active partners in a community of learners – With the aim of constructing new knowledge together

Learning methods Methods used can be • problem based learning, case based learning, group work, • discussions, reflection and other ways where • students become an active part of the learning process. Picture from a Berlin exhibition

The VIRCLASS experience The Virtual Classroom for social work in Europe www. virclass. net • Our VIRCLASS courses have aimed to help students to learn form each other and share information and knowledge about their own country. • Our experience from the past 5 years shows that it is possible to stimulate activities, cooperation and collaborative learning among students from different countries, even in an e‐learning setting.

How to build a ”safe” learning environment? • Make an open, friendly and inviting atmosphere. • A pre-start week to learn to navigate in the virtual learning environment (the VLE). • Present tutorials to show the students can manage the technical side of their new learning environment. • Have technical support and backup!

A transparent (open) classroom is the key to collaboration • • • E-Portfolio Peer feedback Teacher feedback Reflection on learning Carefully designed tasks and assignments which requires cooperation among students

Learning material can stimulate collaboration and discussions Audiovisual learning material • Screen lectures • Triggers • Video case

Community of learning • Teacher- or student lead collaboration? – Teacher invite students to collaborate through chats, discussions and tasks – Students initiate collaboration by themselves • Important to create a learning community both for socialising and professional discussions • Theme discussion and on-line “café”

Cooperation versus Collaboration • When students cooperate, they solve small tasks on their own, and put the different pieces together as parts of a jig-saw puzzle. • But then they have only learned from what they have done, not from other students work Figure of cooperation

Collaboration • When students work on authentic tasks where they have to share knowledge, and discuss, they create a new understanding and in this way they increase their knowledge in a more holistic way • F. ex. by co-writing in shared documents as google docs Figure of collaboration

Community of Inquiry (Anderson & Garrison) • Social presence: students and teachers present themselves on the platform, sharing both professional and personal experiences. • Teaching presence: setting the climate for learning, a good course structure, encouraging and facilitating discussions/chats, and a transparent classroom. • Cognitive presence is important to achieve deep learning. Through giving students authentic tasks for comparative work they are challenged to develop and co‐construct knowledge.

Partners in SW-Vir. Camp (i): P 1 - Hi. B: Bergen University College, Norway (coordinator) P 2 - INH: Inholland University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands P 3 - UCM: University of Complutense, Madrid, Spain P 4 - HHJ: School of Health Sciences, Jönköping University, Sweden P 5 - ISMT: Miguel Torga University College, Coimbra, Portugal P 6 - HSM: Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, Germany P 7 - Swansea: Swansea University, Wales, UK P 8 - HSM: Mittweida University of Applied Sciences, Germany P 9 - LPA: Liepaja University, Latvia P 10 -HIBO: Bodø University College, Norway P 11 -ULHT: Lusofona University, Lisbon, Portugal P 12 -KHKempen: KHKempen University College, Geel, Belgium

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