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Professional ActivitiesProfessional Workshops/ SeminarsResearch SeminarResearching Networks in the Workplace: Insights from personal perspectives Presenter: Alison Fox, University of Cambridge and Open University To book a place please contact Elfrieda Callaghan at E.Callaghan@gcal.ac.uk, or telephone 0141 273 1319. Biography of Alison Fox: Alison Fox originally worked in the environmental science sector before retraining as a teacher. For 8 years she taught in Secondary and Further Education. Since 1999 Alison has been working as an educational researcher and, more recently, teaching at both the Open University and Cambridge University Education Faculties. Between 2002 and 2006 she worked on the Teaching and Learning Research Programme project ‘Learning how to Learn; in classrooms, in schools and in networks’ and this has led her to develop ongoing research interests in using social network perspectives to help understand the learning and support of teachers. During the project Alison developed a novel mapping tool which she has since applied in a range of settings to allow insights into the personal networks of professionals. She is in the closing stages of writing a book with colleagues formerly from the Learning how to Learn project entitled ‘Researching and Understanding Educational Networks’ to be published by Routledge in association with EARLI in 2010. Selected relevant publications: Fox, A. and Wilson, E. (2009) “Support our networking and help us belong!”: listening to beginning secondary school science teachers, Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 15 (6) Fox, A. and McCormick, R. (2009) Events and professional learning: studying educational practitioners, Journal of Workplace Learning, 21 (2), 198-218. Fox, A. (2008) Considering personal networks as a way of auditing professional development and therefore as a resource for a school, Professional Development Today, 11(2), 46-51. Fox, A. and Wilson, E. (2008) Viewing recently qualified teachers and their networks as a resource for a school, Teacher development, 12(1), 97-99. McCormick, R. Fox, A. Carmichael, P. and Procter, R. with Honour, L. (2007) Learning Through Networking, Chapter 5, in James, M. et al (Eds.) Improving Learning How to Learn in classrooms, schools and networks London: Routledge Falmer. Fox, A., Haddock, J. and Smith, T. (2007) A network biography: Reflecting on a journey from birth to maturity of a networked learning community, The Curriculum Journal, 18 (3) 287-306. Fox, A., McCormick, R., Procter, R. and Carmichael, R. (2007) The design and use of a mapping tool as a baseline means of identifying an organisation’s active networks, International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 30 (2), 127–147. Carmichael, P., Fox, A., McCormick, R., Procter, R. and Honour, L. (2006) Teachers’ networks in and out of school, Research Papers in Education, 21 (2), 217-234. Abstract: Networks and networking have, in the last 5 or so years, become part of the language of the educational world in the After presenting an overview of such network research, insights gained from taking an ego-centric approach to studying educational networks will be given. This will exemplify key concepts drawn from other fields and how they can be applied. Notions of there being nodes, connected to one another by links, allows exploration of the strength of links and the value of these links to individuals. An exploration of the networking activity of nodes can also reveal brokerage, bridge building and gatekeeping activity. One can also consider what travels across, through or within such links – often referred to as ‘traffic’. This latter aspect of the research is the least developed theoretically. A chance is given for you to map out your own personal professional network such that you can appreciate how these concepts might apply to you (and your own studies). Joint Caledonian Academy and Division of People Management & Leadership, CBS, Learning Communities ForumMomentum and Melancholia: Gender Equity in Higher Education The Caledonian Academy is pleased to announce a joint Learning Communities Forum with the Division of People Management & Leadership, Caledonian Business School on 19th February 2009. The presenter, Professor Louise Morley, University of Sussex, will share her experiences of international research on gender equity in higher education. If you would like to attend, please respond as soon as possible to Elfrieda Callaghan, E.Callaghan@gcal.ac.uk, Tel. 273 1319. Seminar PresenterProfessor Louise Morley AcSS is Director of the Centre for Higher Education and Equity Research (CHEER) at the University of Sussex. For info on the centre's publications, please visit their website: www.sussex.ac.uk/education/cheer She is an Academician of the Academy of Social Sciences and a Fellow of the Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE). Louise is currently directing an ESRC/DFID funded research project on Widening Participation in Higher Education in Ghana and Tanzania (www.sussex.ac.uk/education/wideningparticipation), and has recently directed a DFID/ Carnegie funded research project on Gender Equity in Commonwealth Higher Education (www.ioe.ac.uk/efps/GenderEqComHE). Some relevant publications include Gender Equity in Selected Commonwealth Universities Research Report No. 65, DFID (2006);Quality and Power in Higher Education (2003) Open University Press; Organising Feminisms: The Micropolitics of The Academy (1999), Macmillan. Seminar PresentationMomentum and Melancholia: Gender Equity in Higher Education Discussions on gender equality means that we have to refer to something that does not yet exist. The tendency therefore is to critique, rather than to engage in futurology. Gender and melancholy are often deeply connected with a sense of loss, hurt and grief often underpinning studies of gender and power in higher education. Desire, as well as loss, needs to be considered. Questions about the desired morphology of the university of the future seem to be eclipsed by pressing concerns in the present. In this paper, I will attempt to discuss these topics in a global context, and critically evaluate the gender gains to celebrate and the challenges that still remain. Seminar on Web2 and Social Networking in Higher Education Learning and TeachingThursday 12th February, 10.00 am -12.30 pm, Insight Area, Room H113 If you are interested in how you can use new technologies such as Blackboard and other VLE’s, and technologies to be found on the Internet in your teaching, and want to understand how students and lecturers experience their use, this seminar will be of interest to you. We invite you to participate in this Seminar on the use of Web2 and Social Networking in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, hosted by the Caledonian Academy at Glasgow Caledonian University. This is an advance notice, and further details will be circulated next week. The presenters are: Dr Chris Jones, Reader in the Institute for Educational Technology at the Open University. Chris is currently the principal investigator for a UK Funding Council funded project “The Net Generation encountering e-learning at university”. Chris will talk about his current research which focuses on the ‘Net Generation’ and the application of the metaphor of networks to the understanding of networked learning and to digital networks in relation to wider social structures in what has been called a networked society by Castells. Dr Thomas Ryberg, Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication, Aalborg University (AAU), Denmark. Thomas will present some reflections based on the use of social networking technologies within an educational context. In September 2007 approximately 180 first year students at Aalborg University were invited into the web environment Ekademia (Ecademy) when starting their education. Ekademia is a social networking site built on the open source system Elgg, and it contains features often characterised as social software or web 2.0 tools e.g. blogs, social networking, personal profiles, podcasting, widgets, RSS-integration, tagging and so forth. Thomas will discuss the theoretical and pedagogical considerations for experimenting with a social networking approach pedagogical, and will reflect and discuss the reasons for choosing Elgg and experiences so far with the small-scale experiment. If you would like to attend, please respond as soon as possible to Elfrieda Callaghan, Tel. 273 1319. Caledonian Academy Learning Communities ForumLearning literacies for the digital age Tuesday 27 January, 3.30-4.30pm (The address and the map of the venue are available from http://www.gcal.ac.uk/the-university/global/contactmaps/campus.html) The Caledonian Academy is pleased to announce a Learning Communities Forum on Tuesday 27 January 2009. The presenters are Helen Beetham, JISC consultant, and Lou McGill, Consultant. If you would like to attend, please respond by22 January to Fiona McBeth fiona.mcbeth@gcal.ac.uk Seminar PresentationAbstract At this seminar, Lou and Helen will report on our approach and interim findings from an investigation of learning literacies in UK HE. There will be opportunities for participants to:
Caledonian Academy Learning Communities Forum“eEducation at Graz University of Technology - on the move towards u-Learning” The Caledonian Academy is pleased to announce a Learning Communities Forum on 28th October 2008. The presenter, Dr Martin Ebner, will share his experiences of eEducation at the Technical University of Graz in Austria. If you would like to attend, please respond as soon as possible to Fiona McBeth, Tel. 0141 331 3735. Seminar Presenter The session will be hosted by Dr Martin Ebner, Head of "Social Learning" Group, Department of Computing, Technical University of Graz. For details see http://www.martinebner.at/ Seminar Presentation "eEducation at Graz University of Technology - on the move towards u-Learning" The presentation gives an overview of current e-Learning activities at Graz University of Technology. Practical examples are presented as well as new didactical concepts. The main questions this talk will address is how we can offer students a more personalized learning environment within an traditional educational institution? How can we use the power of new technologies also for teaching and learning? Buzzwords as e-Learning 2.0, EduPunk or EduPirates should be analyzed by bringing them into educational context in a Western European country. The use of Web 2.0 technologies in Higher Education and currently research work will point out the way towards m- and u-Learning. Caledonian Academy Learning Communities Forum“Transforming Teaching and Learning - an Australian experience” The Caledonian Academy is pleased to announce a Learning Communities Forum on 25th June 2008. The presenter, Margaret Hicks, will share her experiences of transforming teaching and learning at the University of South Australia. If you would like to attend, please respond as soon as possible to Elfrieda Callaghan, Tel. 273 1319. Seminar Presenter Professor Margaret Hicks is Director: Learning and Teaching at the University of South Australia's Learning and Teaching Unit. This unit has responsibility for academic development and online education for academic staff; and learning advice, counselling, disability services, and international student services for students. UniSA has recently revised its Teaching and Learning Framework with a greater emphasis on student engagement and experiential learning. The LTU has an integral role in supporting staff and students in the implementation of the new framework. Margaret's research interests include academic development in higher education, student learning in higher education and preparing teachers for university teaching. She has led the University's approach to integrated staff and student service provision through Learning Connection, and provided leadership in major initiatives such as the a foundation to university teaching course (Teaching @ UniSA), the Graduate Certificate in Education (University Teaching), and UniSA's approach to academic integrity. She has recently completed an Educational Doctorate titled: Positioning the professional practice of academic development: an institutional case study. Seminar Presentation Transforming Teaching and Learning - an Australian experience We are all aware of the importance of engaging students in their learning - the challenges and the opportunities. In this seminar, Professor Margaret Hicks, Director: Learning and Teaching from the University of South Australia, will share the experiences of a whole-of-institution approach to transforming the learning experience for students. During 2007, UniSA re-developed its Teaching and Learning Framework and has begun a major curriculum renewal project across the University. The newly developed framework continues the long held centrality of the development of graduate qualities, but now replaces the notion of student-centred learning with student-engaged learning. Engagement will be enhanced through the provision of active learning experiences developing an experiential approach to learning. The aim is that in each degree program that at least one third of all learning experiences will be involved in either practice-based learning, research experiences, or an element of service learning. This seminar will focus on both the institutional strategy to achieve this, and also developments which are occurring at a program level. Caledonian Academy Learning Communities Forum“A practical approach to embedding equality and diversity in learning and teaching:” The Caledonian Academy is pleased to announce a Learning Communities Forum on 29th May 2008. The presenter, Adrian Lui, will be discussing how equality and diversity can be embedded into learning and teaching, and will draw on his experiences at the University, as well as sharing examples from other institutions and sectors. There will also be an opportunity for participants to discuss and share issues relevant to their own role at the University, and to explore potential ways of addressing issues through collaborative approaches. If you would like to attend, please respond as soon as possible to Elfrieda Callaghan, Tel. 273 1319. Seminar Presenter Adrian Lui, MA (Hons) Sociology; MPhil Media and Culture, is the Equality and Diversity Adviser at Glasgow Caledonian University. Adrian developed his knowledge and expertise in equality and diversity through various roles in the voluntary sector, including housing and employment, with a focus on race equality, anti-discrimination and social inclusion. Adrian has been the Equality and Diversity Adviser at Glasgow Caledonian University since June 2003. He is based within the Organisational Development Team, and works with teams and people from across the university, including academic Schools, professional support departments and the Students’ Association, to help promote equality and diversity, and integrate legislative requirements and good practice into all functions. Seminar Presentation In this seminar Adrian will discuss: 1. The context and challenges of equality and diversity issues in relation to learning and teaching 2. The importance of top level commitment and recognition of equality and diversity in relevant learning and teaching policies and strategies 3. A range of different approaches and solutions to embedding equality and diversity in learning and teaching 4. Issues relevant to participants and potential ways of addressing these, through future partnership working. Caledonian Academy Learning Communities Forum"Self and Peer Assessment" and "Work-Ready Curriculum Integration" The Caledonian Academy is pleased to announce a Learning Communities Forum on 6th May 2008. The Presenter, Andrew Litchfield, will be sharing his experiences on two highly topical aspects of learning and teaching: "An Approach to Self and Peer Assessment" and "Work-Ready Curriculum Integration". We hope you will come along and join the discussion (please see below for further details). If you would like to attend, please respond as soon as possible to Elfrieda Callaghan E.Callaghan@gcal.ac.uk, Tel. 273 1319. Seminar Presenter Andrew Litchfield, BA(Communications) MAdultEducation, is a Senior Lecturer and Coordinator of the IT Education Research (FITER) Group in the Faculty of Information Technology at the University of Technology Sydney and responsible for supporting and improving the teaching and learning of academic award programs. His academic experience includes lectureships in Media Communications and Educational Technology. Andrew has extensive professional experience in media production, and the design and management of successful large-scale innovative educational projects. Since 1996 Andrew has worked in both central and local-area academic staff professional development in learning and teaching. Andrew’s research interests include the diffusion of innovations, media technology in education, curriculum design and change, and the design and production of educational mixed-media and online learning resources. He is the co-leader of a 2006 Carrick Priority Project Grant ‘Supporting student self and peer assessment in large groupwork projects’ and a related paper was awarded most outstanding paper at the ASCILITE 2006 conference. He is a team member of a 2007 Carrick Institute Project Grant ‘iCurriculum project - the development of an evidence-based curriculum design, outcomes, assessment & portfolio information tool’. He leads a 2007-8 UTS curriculum renewal project - ‘Work-ready: integrated into the curriculum contextualized by profession’. Seminar Presentation In this seminar Andrew Litchfield will discuss two of his current projects: 1. TeCTra - an online tool for developing student's self and peer assessment skills in large groupwork projects using both quantitative and qualitative data TeCTra supports the development in students of the ability to evaluate and give feedback, to reflect and review and so assess the work of others. Students practice making professional judgments, to articulate well-justified decisions and to communicate in a non-confrontational manner to their peers. These are all core skills and attributes for most novice professionals. 2. Work-Ready; integrated into the curriculum contextualised by profession. A project developing a 'matrix' of work-ready learning activities for integration into the existing curriculum. Each profession in the project has its own matrix of learning activities which have been contextualised in collaboration with the respective professional society. Caledonian Academy Learning Communities ForumTransformation, e-learning and pedagogy: the TESEP project's story The Caledonian Academy is pleased to announce a Learning Communities Forum on 22nd April 2008. This event is open to all staff with an interest in how pedagogy can underpin institutional change, and the role that e-learning can play in this. Seminar Presentation TESEP (Transforming and Enhancing the Student Experience through Pedagogy) is a £1M project in the Scottish Funding Council’s e-learning transformation programme. The project started in 2005 and has enabled three Institutions (Napier University, Edinburgh’s Telford College and Lauder College) to explore the transformation of learning, teaching and assessment practice by focusing on two simple ideas: 1. That to make a real difference to the learner experience, we must try to engage learners in active and self-directed learning at an early stage in their studies and to achieve that we need to encourage them to take responsibility for their learning. 2. That some e-learning approaches, particularly those employing Web 2.0 methods, can play an important role in this, particularly where learners can be encouraged to use technology to locate and co-create their own material and enable collaborative work, formative assessment and discussion with peers. The seminar will describe how these ideas have played out in practice so far in the three institutions, and will invite the audience to consider the wider implications of the TESEP approach. Seminar Presenters Professor Terry Mayes, Emeritus Professor, Caledonian Academy, will introduce the seminar. After retiring from GCU in 2006 Terry became the e-pedagogy advisor for the TESEP project. Andrew Comrie is Director of TESEP. Andrew has worked in the Further and Higher Education sectors in Scotland for over 20 years holding academic, management and senior management posts. Andrew was responsible for initiating the TESEP proposal, and went on to direct the project on behalf of Napier University. Recently he has been working with the Higher Education Academy as a Critical Friend on the Pathfinder Programme. Keith Smyth is a Lecturer in Higher Education at Napier University where he is programme leader for the new MSc Blended and Online Education. Keith’s role in TESEP was as Napier’s member of the cross-institutional expert group, and as such Keith was heavily involved in the staff development side of the TESEP project and the development of Napier’s own TESEP-related initiatives. We hope you will come along and join the discussion (please see below for further details). If you would like to attend, please respond as soon as possible to Elfrieda Callaghan, Tel. 273 1319. Caledonian Academy Learning Communities ForumResearch Teaching Linkages: Enhancing Graduate Attributes The Caledonian Academy is pleased to announce a Learning Communities Forum on 18th March 2008. This event is open to all staff with an interest in the Research Teaching Linkages theme. We hope you will come along and join the discussion (please see below for further details). If you would like to attend, please respond as soon as possible to Elfrieda Callaghan, Tel. 273 1319. Seminar Presentation What skills do we aim to develop in our learners as we prepare them for employment? How can the research skills of teaching staff be utilised in developing the key skills which define a modern graduate. The development of linkages between research and teaching to enhance graduate attributes is one of the current Quality Assurance Agency Enhancement Themes[1]. This seminar will discuss some of the background to the theme and consider key issues which have emerged from it. We will consider current practice at Glasgow Caledonian University and how a commitment to developing these graduate attributes can be embedded in key institutional strategies and initiatives. This presentation will also provide you with an opportunity to put forward your own views on the linkage between teaching and research. Seminar Presenter Dr Colin Milligan is a Research Fellow and Educational Communities Advisor with the Caledonian Academy. Although initially trained as a Molecular Biologist, Colin has worked in the area of educational development for almost fifteen years, undertaking a variety of roles (in Further and Higher education, in the commercial sector and as part of a commercial consultancy) and developed a broad range of experience in all aspects of teaching and learning, particularly where technology can support and enhance the learning process. His current research interest centre on the transition from HE to the workplace. [1] http://www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/themes/ResearchTeaching/ Emerging Technology sandpit sessions on 'Second Life'To compliment the Caledonian Academy Learning Communities Forum event: "Learning in a strange place: Second Life at the University of Edinburgh" being held on 6th March (see below), we'll be holding two Emerging Technology informal lunchtime sandpit sessions on 'Second Life'. The 1st session, is aimed at those who have not yet dipped a toe into this brave new world but who wish to have a first glimpse of Second Life prior to the above talk. We'll follow an avatar on a tour of some existing education islands in Second Life and give you a chance to begin to think about how we may use this emerging technology in GCU. This session will run twice: on Friday 29th February and repeated on Monday 3rd March, 12:30 to 1:30pm in H116 in the Academy offices. The 2nd follow up session aims to explore ideas on the potential of Second Life as an environment to support teaching and learning at GCU. We'll visit GCU's new island and provide an opportunity to discuss how you and your school could make use of this environment with your students - come armed with your thoughts and ideas! This session will run twice: on Friday 14th March and repeated on Thursday 20th March, 12:30 to 1:30pm in H116 in the Academy offices. Please feel free to bring your lunch with you. Tea and coffee will be provided. Places may be limited. Please email K. Trinder if you wish to attend any of these lunchtime sessions. Caledonian Academy Learning Communities Forum3.00 - 4.00pm, Thursday 6th March 2008 The Caledonian Academy is pleased to announce a Learning Communities Forum on 6th March 2008. This event is open to all staff with an interest in Virtual Worlds for Learning. The forum will be led by Dr Sian Bayne, University of Edinburgh. If you would like to attend, please respond as soon as possible to Elfrieda Callaghan E.Callaghan@gcal.ac.uk, tel. 331 1319 Seminar Presentation Learning in a strange place: Second Life at the University of Edinburgh Second Life is an environment which is both alluring and problematic when used as an educational space. I will be talking about some of the ways in which we are using Second Life for teaching and learning on the University of Edinburgh's online MSc in E-learning, in particular how it works to give our distance students a sense of community and presence. I will give a brief tour of 'Holyrood Park', our in-world teaching space, and describe the rationale behind its design. I'll then go on to talk about student reactions to Second Life and to consider what this shift into another 'reality' might mean for us as learners and teachers. I will draw in particular on the idea of Second Life as an 'uncanny' space, thinking about how it might function as a learning environment which nurtures a creative sense of dissonance, troublesomeness and 'strangeness' in both learners and teachers. Seminar Presenter Dr. Sian Bayne is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education at the University of Edinburgh, Programme Director of the MSc in E-learning, co-convenor of the Ideas in Cyberspace Education symposia and Principal Investigator on the research strand of the National Museums Online Learning Project. Sian is interested in how internet technologies subvert, challenge and bring into question the process and project of higher education. At present, this research is focused around social media and the ways in which online higher education and lifelong learning are engaging with it.
Caledonian Academy Learning Communities Forum2.00 - 3.00pm, Monday 10th December 2007 The Caledonian Academy is pleased to announce a Learning Communities Forum on 10th December 2007. This event is open to all staff with an interest in learning designs. The forum will be led by Sue Bennett, University of Wollongong. If you would like to attend, please respond as soon as possible to Fiona McBeth F.McBeth@gcal.ac.uk, tel. 331 3735 Seminar Presentation Using Learning Designs to bridge the gap between theory and practice in higher education This presentation will summarise the work being conducted in an ongoing research agenda focused on exploring how the 'learning design' construct can be used to support university educators to create both pedagogically sound and interoperable e-learning experiences. The premise of this work is that a learning design can be used to support the pedagogical design process and the integration of international e-learning standards, such as learning object metadata and IMS-LD, enabling resources and tools to be technically interoperable across different standards-compliant systems. The seminar presents the rationale guiding this research focus, describes the features of the research that is underway, and outlines future directions of this research. Seminar Presenter Dr. Sue Bennett is a Senior Lecturer in the University of Wollongong's Faculty of Education and Deputy Coordinator of the Centre for Research in Interactive Learning Environments. Sue has over 15 years experience as a university teacher and designer of technology-supported learning. Sue's research into learning objects and learning designs has attracted competitive grant funding and resulted in a significant body of publications. Sue's latest project, involving the University of Wollongong, the Open University of the Netherlands and Janison Solutions, is developing The Learning Design Framework which integrates learning objects and learning designs to support effective design of online learning.
Getting Published in Education and e-Learning Journals27 November 2007 2.30 - 4.30: Seminar Room 14, CPD Centre. The latest in this series of Learning Communities Forum events is open to all staff at GCU with an interest in getting published in education and e-learning journals. The forum will be led by Dr Jane Seale, University of Southampton and is aimed at academic staff (lecturers, researchers, educational and staff developers, learning technologists) and postgraduate students who are inexperienced in getting their research published, but are planning to submit their work in the near future. Contact Fiona McBeth, Senior Administrator if interested in attending. Caledonian Academy Learning Communities Forum2.00 - 3.00pm, Tuesday 16th October 2007 The Caledonian Academy is pleased to announce a Learning Communities Forum on October 16th 2007. This event is open to all staff with an interest in e-learning. The forum will be led by Dr David Nicol, Deputy Director of the Centre for Academic Practice and Learning Enhancement (CAPLE) at the University of Strathclyde. David will be talking about the experiences and impact of the transformational Re-engineering Assessment Practices (REAP) project of which he is Director. This project is investigating ways of improving assessment practices supported by technology across three Scottish HE institutions - Strathclyde, CBS in Glasgow Caledonian University and Glasgow University. We hope you will come along and join the discussion (please see below for further details). If you would like to attend the forum please respond as soon as possible to Frieda Callaghan E.Callaghan@gcal.ac.uk, tel. 0141 331 1319. Seminar Presentation Re-engineering Assessment Practices (REAP) The REAP project is one of six projects funded by the Scottish Funding Council (£1m) as part of its E-Learning Transformation Initiative. This project is investigating ways of improving assessment practices supported by technology across three Scottish HE institutions - Strathclyde, Glasgow Caledonian University and Glasgow University. It is funded by the Scottish Funding Council under its e-learning Transformation Programme. The vision of REAP is that over the course of an undergraduate degree, students should develop their own capacity to self-assess, reflect on, and manage their own learning. New technologies can help support the development of learner self-regulation. The REAP project draws on current research on assessment and feedback and on learning technology applications. This seminar will provide an overview of the research, examples of course redesigns in relation to the research and will highlight new ways of thinking about the nature of student learning in higher education. Seminar Presenter Dr David Nicol is Deputy Director, and Head of Research and Development in E-Learning, within the Centre for Academic Practice and Learning Enhancement (CAPLE) at the University of Strathclyde. He is also Director of the Re-engineering Assessment Practices (REAP). David has published in the areas of assessment, digital repositories, shared workspaces, electronic voting systems and on the social dimensions of e-learning. He is leading a QAA Scotland project on formative assessment in relation to the first year experience and is a collaborator in other JISC (community dimensions of learning object repositories) and HE Academy projects (learning from digital natives). He has also published on cost-benefit and risk analysis of investments in e-learning in higher education and provided workshops on these topics for the Centre for Excellence in Leadership. He led the University of Strathclyde's benchmarking of e-learning pilot and is currently convening a cross-institutional working party at Strathclyde which is revising policy and guidelines for assessment. Connecting with e-Learning book series Caledonian LaunchGlasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, 14th November 2007 The first titles in a new e-learning book series Connecting with eLearning, were published by Routledge in April 2007. To mark the occasion two authors from the series will be speaking on elearning themes at Glasgow Caledonian University on 14th November 2007. Copies of both Preparing for Blended eLearning (Littlejohn and Pegler) and The Educational Content of ePortfolios (Stefani, Mason and Pegler) will be available for inspection and to order (at discount) during this event. Schedule 2.30 - 3.00 Welcome and Introduction 3.00 - 4.00 Professor Allison Littlejohn Abstract: Recent innovations in social software are challenging social norms. They are changing the ways we meet people and interact, opening up opportunities as to how we broadcast personal information and collaboratively explore topics of mutual interest. We can create, control and share our own resource banks, blending a variety of resources sourced around the world. This, in turn, allows exploration of different forms of collaboration and dialogue, blending interactions in the physical world with those in hyperspace. All of this must have an impact on the potential and future directions of tertiary education. Changing social norms brings into question the purpose and functions of Universities and their contributions to national economies. However, there is evidence that lecturers find it difficult to plan for blended learning. This presentation will explore issues expressed by lecturers in a range of disciplines across the world. 4.00 - 5.00 Chris Pegler Abstract: What do we know about eportfolios so far? Are they here to stay? Worth the effort? What do they do and what more can we expect from them? Even more importantly, what might we be expecting that they are unlikely to deliver? This talk draws on experiences with wikis and blogs as well as eportfolios to consider whether this is a change worth making. 5.00 - 6.00 Refreshments To attend RSVP: Fiona McBeth, Caledonian Academy (Fiona.mcbeth@gcal.ac.uk) before 5th November 2007. Caledonian Academy Learning Communities Forum2.00 - 3.00pm, Monday 3rd September 2007 Room A426C, Govan Mbeki Building, Glasgow Caledonian University The Caledonian Academy is pleased to announce the second international Learning Communities Forum on September 3rd 2007. This event is open to all staff with an interest in e-learning, providing an opportunity to discuss ideas with our visiting scholar, Dr Rob Phillips from Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia. We hope you will come along and join in the very topical debate around Student and Staff Perceptions of Web-based Lecture Recording Technologies (please see below for further details). If you would like to attend the forum please respond as soon as possible to Frieda Callaghan E.Callaghan@gcal.ac.uk, tel. 0141 331 1319. Seminar Presentation Student and Staff Perceptions of Web-based Lecture Recording Technologies Some Australian universities have had a long tradition of capturing analogue recordings of lectures and providing these for distance students or storing them in libraries for students who may have missed a lecture. However the recent emergence of web-based lecture recording technologies has heralded a growing use of digital lecture recordings by all students. This is pushing the boundaries of established practice and challenging the role of the face-to-face lecture as a prime teaching strategy. Four Australian universities - Macquarie University, Murdoch University, Flinders University and the University of Newcastle - have been collaborating on a project funded by the Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education. This project investigates the impact of web-based lecture recording technologies on current and future practice in learning and teaching in higher education. Studies to date on the use and uptake of web-based lecture technologies have explored the technical and operational issues surrounding access and use. It is well documented that these technologies provide flexible access to lectures for students for a variety of reasons relating to students’ personal circumstances and timetabling arrangements. However, there are changes in usage and attendance patterns which have not been investigated that are thought to impact on the learning environment. Some lecturers report poor attendance, loss of contact with students, disruptions to the continuity of the learning experience and poor results. Others have reported no apparent changes. This raises questions of: Why is this happening? What other changes are taking place in the environment, from both a teaching perspective and a student learning perspective? Are these changes having a negative or positive impact on learning? This presentation reports on the first stages of this research, a survey of students and a survey of staff. The student survey investigates changes in lecture attendance; how lecture recordings are used; strategies for supporting learning; and perceptions of effectiveness in relation to learning and the achievement of better results. Significant differences were recorded across several variables for different cohorts: between net generation students and those born prior to 1980; between on-campus and distance students; and between surface and deep learners. The staff survey inquires into individual approaches to teaching, the role of lectures, the ways in which web-based lecture technologies have been used, and their impact on teaching practice. Seminar Presenter Dr Rob Phillips works in the Teaching and Learning Centre at Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia. He has worked with educational technology since 1992 and has a background in theoretical chemistry and computer science. He combines thorough pedagogical knowledge with strong information technology skills. Rob was responsible for the implementation of the WebCT Learning Management System at Murdoch, now used by 95% of the University's students, and he also plays a role in educational policy development. He spent some time managing Murdoch's external studies and Open Universities Australia areas. Rob is currently a Senior Consultant to the Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education on the development of the Carrick Exchange, an online system for the identification, dissemination and embedding of good individual and institutional practice into the higher education sector. He has research interests in university policy issues; evaluation of learning using ICT; learning objects and content management; making creative and innovative use of technology; and project management in ICT developments. He was President of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ascilite) from 1996 to 2000, and was an executive member of the Australasian Council on Open, Distance and E-learning (ACODE) from 2004-2006. He is also principal author of The Developer's Handbook to Interactive Multimedia - A Practical Guide for Educational Applications, Kogan Page (1997). He is a fellow of the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia and has recently been awarded a Carrick Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning "For leadership in scholarly academic practice in the use of Information and Communication Technology to improve learning and teaching". Views from the Other Side - Listening to Learner VoicesDate:Tuesday, 26th June 2007 Overview:This workshop will explore learner views of technology enhanced learning based on the findings of The Learner Experience of E-Learning (LEX) study. LEX researchers spent a year listening to learners in HE, FE and ACL contexts with the aim of drawing out their opinions of learning with technology and examining their coping strategies. Participants will have the opportunity to listen to learners' voices, match learner profiles to attitudes and approaches, reflect on the main themes and discuss the wider implications. Topics to be covered:
The Presenters:Linda Creanor is a Senior Lecturer in e-learning at Glasgow Caledonian University. She is currently Chair of ALT. Kathryn Trinder is a Research Fellow (e-learning) in the Caledonian Academy, also at Glasgow Caledonian University. Doug Gowan is Chief Executive of the Open Learning Partnership, an educational charity dedicated to opening up learning opportunities for all. Carol Howells is an e-Learning Developer, also of the Open Learning Partnership, with many years experience of designing and developing e-learning. Programme:10:00 Registration and refreshments 10:30 The Learner Experience of E-Learning (LEX) study:
12:30 Lunch There will be an optional short tour of the innovative Saltire Centre during the lunch break. 13:45 Lessons to be learned:
15:30 Close Contact:If you are interested in attending this event at GCU, you can book online via the ALT web site Caledonian Academy Learning Communities EventDate:Monday June 4th 2007 Location:Seminar Room 15, CPD Building, Glasgow Caledonian University Overview:The Caledonian Academy is pleased to announce an international Learning Communities Forum event on June 4th 2007. This event is open to all staff with an interest in e-learning, giving opportunity to discuss ideas with visiting scholar, Dr Geraldine Lefoe, from the University of Wollongong in Australia (further details below). We hope you can join in the debate on issues in supporting international learning communities in sharing and reusing learning resources. If you would like to attend please respond to: Fiona McBeth For further information on this event, including itinerary, view our News Blog. |