THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG MITE 6304 Designing

THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG MITE 6304 Designing Shared Virtual Environment for Learning HKU Faculty of Education

THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG Pedagogies and e-learning HKU Faculty of Education

THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG Instructor-led learning Community of Practice / socio-cultural learning Collaborative learning Pedagogies and e-learning Problembased learning complex learning Resourcebased learning Peer learning Content-led / instructivist learning Martin Weller (2007)

THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG 1. Community of practice/ socio -cultural learning • Based around the principles of engagement, intelligibilities and participation. • Learning is a social process • An academic discipline represents a community

Tools in e-learning context THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG • Discussion boards will play a central role. Students are brought into a culture • Webcasts and guest lectures can play an importance role, in allowing students to interact with other experts. • Well-populated resource area and library linkage would be suitable • Video clips will be beneficial in strong practical element • Audio and video aids student’s engagement with the community • News feed from discussion lists, newsgroup or forums. • • Example of webcast: http: //www. loc. gov/today/cyberlc/index. php Example of news feed: http: //news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/help/rss/

2. Resource-based learning THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG • Internet as a vast collection of resources – Encourages students to use a variety of resources to develop their understanding – Being able to analyse, select and critique resources is a major educational benefit. – Students perform as individuals or in groups in which they must solve a problem or produce an output by working with a range of resources – Approach that blends both discussion and the broadcast viewpoints

Tools in e-learning context THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG • Threaded discussion board – Support dialogue between peers and the educator is vital • Integration databases, repositories and resource banks • VLEs are being use as content management systems. • Example of repository: http: //www. opendoar. org/

3. Peer learning THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG • Social construct which is largely achieved by peer-to-peer interaction • Strong emphasis on interacting with and learning from peers • No hierarchy or degrees of membership, all individuals are on the same level • Possible to implement peer, or collaborative, learning without adopting a socio-cultural perspective learning

Tools in e-learning context THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG • Effective communication tools are important • Asynchronous discussion boards • Synchronous tools allow real-time group meetings to facilitate debate, organize tasks, share ideas

THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG 4. Content-led/Instructivist learning • Focuses mainly on content • Emphasis in largely on individuals interacting with that content

Tools in e-learning context THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG • Easy of use of the academic interface to upload and organize content • A wide range of formats, including animation, text, images, videos and audios • Interactive content can be achieved through animation (e. g. Flash)

5. Complex learning THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG • Focuses on the type of learning that takes place across or between courses • Development of complex skills such as critical thinking, analysis, synthesis and evaluation as well as metacognitive skills.

Tools in e-learning context THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG • Interface is aimed at the individual educator, or small team, creating their specific course online. • Tools such as discussion boards, email and calendars are set up so that students on a particular course can access them • A portfolio area for students to collect information, evidence • Online diary (blog) to promote reflection and ongoing activities

6. Problem-based learning THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG • Students are given an ‘ill-structured problem’ – Problem or scenario about which they do not currently possess enough information to reach a solution – Requires them to find the appropriate information and to gain any skills necessary to solve this problem

Tools in e-learning context THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG • Synchronous and asynchronous communication tools • Aid document sharing and collaboration for groups • Use of shared workspaces or the use of attachments in discussion boards in peer learning • Use of formative assessment tools for students to gauge their own understanding.

7. Collaborative learning THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG • Main advantage of the internet for distance education is that it allows collaboration and cooperation among students • Base much on the activity around group tasks and discussion • Include students working towards a joint goal, for instance constructing a group document or website • Focus on discussion – online debates

Tools in e-learning context THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG • Asynchronous discussion tools will be important – Shared whiteboards, audio-conferencing, chat rooms and instant messaging

8. Instructor-led learning THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG • Termed as information-transfer, didactic or instructivist model • Imparts knowledge to the students • Traditional mode of education.

Tools in e-learning context THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG • To structure a course in folders. Populate these with lecture notes and presentations, and create a discussion forum alongside, and this gives a simple replication of a standard course.

References THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG • Martin Weller (2007) Virtual Learning Environments: Using, choosing and developing your VLE. Routledge. London and New York. EBOOK Virtual learning environments [electronic resource] : using, choosing and developing your VLE / Mart Weller, Martin. London : Routledge, 2007. Limited Preview @ Google Book Search Click to access