Handbook of Research on Humanizing the Distance Learning Experience
This chapter examines the complexities associated with achieving large scale change in online lea... more This chapter examines the complexities associated with achieving large scale change in online learning in a way that is humanizing for all stakeholders. Whilst rapid changes in online learning over the past decade have resulted in a more personalized and inclusive learning experience for students, leaders of these initiatives often fail to put in place strategies to ensure the change process itself is a humanizing one for those involved, including academic leaders and educators. Part of the reason for this is arguably the increasing and pragmatic need to achieve outcomes within short timeframes; this is compounded by the diverse skill base, influences and perceptions of individuals involved in changes of this kind. This chapter examines these complexities and offers strategies for humanizing large scale change in online learning following lessons learned from the Online Course Innovation project, a faculty-based initiative to redesign over 280 subjects in a two-and-a-half-year timef...
The focus of this paper is to present a case study of an integrated course approach to student tr... more The focus of this paper is to present a case study of an integrated course approach to student transition in an undergraduate agricultural business management program. This wholistic approach is particularly relevant to courses with small student intake (defined here as less or equal to 20 full time students). These small intakes represent approximately 38 % of all intakes in Australian universities. Most universities have an orientation week with generic and course specific activities to assist students in their transition to uni-versity life but very few have a “total package ” of sustained transitional support with an overnight tour, mentoring program, curriculum mapping and course design for all of the first stage subjects as just some of their strategies. The transition was planned to take place over the entire first stage of the course. A course team working collaboratively and cohesively was paramount to the success of this project. The ap-proach was first implemented in 2010...
At the University of the South Pacific, video broadcast courses, which integrate face-to-face and... more At the University of the South Pacific, video broadcast courses, which integrate face-to-face and distance teaching, are proving useful as a means of scaffolding the transition of lecturers from a conventional teaching learning environment towards new ways of teaching that emphasise interaction rather than content delivery. By providing ample support in a professional environment that uses technology to both replicate and supplement the traditional teaching roles, lecturers are allowed a “safe zone ” in which to generate new skills while maintaining lecturer comfort.
Skills in being able to interact with accounting information systems (AIS), are increasingly seen... more Skills in being able to interact with accounting information systems (AIS), are increasingly seen as critical components of undergraduate accounting courses in Australia. In an AIS subject developed at a tertiary institution, students were required to use a written practice set to acquire the necessary skills to use MYOB, a common, computerised accounting information system for small business. Following evaluation of, and reflection on, the learning process, there were indications that students did not sufficiently comprehend the written instructions provided as part of the practice set. To remedy this problem, onscreen-actioncapture tutorials were developed using a cognitive apprenticeship approach to skill development. A full cohort of students will commence use of the tutorials in 2007. However, some preliminary issues and constraints have arisen which require resolution and need to be addressed. This paper represents the first interim stage in a study that will be progressed onc...
With a focus on innovating practice, this paper details a research project which sought to unders... more With a focus on innovating practice, this paper details a research project which sought to understand institutional change in blended and flexible learning and distance education through stories of adaptation and leadership development at two major Higher Education distance providers, one based in Australia and the other in New Zealand. DeHub, a DEEWR funded research consortium designed to investigate best practice in distance education provided the funding and opportunity for this study.
The Faculty of Business at Charles Sturt University initiated the Online Course Innovation (OCI) ... more The Faculty of Business at Charles Sturt University initiated the Online Course Innovation (OCI) project in 2012. This project focuses on the transition of 280 print-based subjects into quality online offerings through the mindful redesign of resources, interactions and experiences. It is led by the Associate Dean (Courses), and involves a multi-disciplinary team of educational designers, academics and divisional staff. The aim of this research project is to explore this transition to the online learning and teaching environment and identify critical organisational elements that contribute to achieving quality outcomes. Specifically, this study seeks to identify factors that support or inhibit the academic’s ability to effectively design and teach quality online subjects, and the impact of leadership on the design and teaching process. Data is currently being collected from a range of institutional stakeholders involved with the project. Initial findings from the data analysis will ...
This paper discusses the significance of a research project between Charles Sturt University (CSU... more This paper discusses the significance of a research project between Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Massey University (MU) which aims to build knowledge and understanding of the impact of distributive leadership approaches to transforming teaching and learning in relation to distance education. Authentic, situated approaches to change offer a powerful conduit for building ―street level leadership, the sharing of knowledge, skills and information within and between schools and as a basis for whole-of-institution cultural change driven through practice. This research provides an opportunity for evaluation of authentic, situated approaches as a mechanism for institutional renewal of learning and teaching practices in relation to distance education (DE). Such a reorientation of practice affords CSU and MU a chance to increase the equity of student experience and engagement in learning through blended and flexible delivery.
Course Team Symposia are a funding opportunity provided by Charles Sturt University’s Flexible Le... more Course Team Symposia are a funding opportunity provided by Charles Sturt University’s Flexible Learning Institute to help course leaders engage their teams in blended and flexible learning design. Initial findings from this preliminary study suggest that course leaders and their educational designers have used the symposium process to ‘try out’ leadership practices on the job by clarifying and developing a shared vision of blended and flexible learning, supporting collaborative planning, helping their teams reflect on their own practice and forming strategies to improve that practice. In doing so, they are building a repertoire of leadership strategies to use with their teams in the future. Further research involving more symposium recipients will shed additional light on how leadership is being supported through this initiative, and any implications for student outcomes.
Higher Education institutions face a challenge: how to transform traditional learning and teachin... more Higher Education institutions face a challenge: how to transform traditional learning and teaching to create enhanced learning for current digital age students. In some universities this challenge is acute particularly in those Universities that focus on blended and flexible learning (BFL), and distance education (DE) approaches. Many universities have emphasised the development of leadership capacity. From 2008 to 2011, utlising a partnership research grant funded by DEHub, Charles Sturt University and Massey University studied their approaches to fostering change in blended and flexible learning and DE. The study research question was: What do the strategies and activities designed to foster change in blended and flexible learning and distance education developed at Charles Sturt University (Australia) and Massey University (NZ) help us to understand about learning leadership?
Personal learning is a complex terrain for students to navigate, and one that transcends discipli... more Personal learning is a complex terrain for students to navigate, and one that transcends discipline and cohort boundaries. This paper reflects on the introduction of a forum to promote, encourage and support student engagement with PebblePad, an ePortfolio / personal learning system. The forum provides students with an informal network beyond their course/subject cohorts in which they can ask questions and discuss issues as they traverse the technical and conceptual complexities in what is for many a transformational learning approach. It has developed as a partnership between students and staff, emerging from a student suggestion, establishing itself under the leadership of staff with student support, but gradually undergoing a role reversal so that students now take the lead. Now nearing the end of its second year, the forum demonstrates how staff-student partnerships can benefit a range of stakeholders in the university community – from students to academics, and particularly to ...
At the University of the South Pacific, video broadcast courses, which integrate face-to-face and... more At the University of the South Pacific, video broadcast courses, which integrate face-to-face and distance teaching, are proving useful as a means of scaffolding the transition of lecturers from a conventional teaching learning environment towards new ways of teaching that emphasise interaction rather than content delivery. By providing ample support in a professional environment that uses technology to both replicate and supplement the traditional teaching roles, lecturers are allowed a "safe zone" in which to generate new skills while maintaining lecturer comfort.
The purpose of this activity is to encourage students to think more holistically about their lear... more The purpose of this activity is to encourage students to think more holistically about their learning, and to develop their professional identity. They create an integrated webfolio which profiles their developing academic skills during the first stage of an undergraduate degree.The portfolio informs individual academic mentoring sessions with students, which take place four times a year. Over the first stage of the undergraduate degree students complete a range of activities that feed into the portfolio, presenting their development as university students and emerging professionals. While different elements or 'pages' in the portfolio are developed and assessed through different subjects, together they provide a more holistic, coursewide view of the students' first stage experience and their current level of academic skill.The overall portfolio is assessed through a 'long thin' module which spans across the first stage of the undergraduate degree (typically the first year for full time students), and draws together the industry practice, mentoring and portfolio components of the first stage curriculum.
Handbook of Research on Humanizing the Distance Learning Experience
This chapter examines the complexities associated with achieving large scale change in online lea... more This chapter examines the complexities associated with achieving large scale change in online learning in a way that is humanizing for all stakeholders. Whilst rapid changes in online learning over the past decade have resulted in a more personalized and inclusive learning experience for students, leaders of these initiatives often fail to put in place strategies to ensure the change process itself is a humanizing one for those involved, including academic leaders and educators. Part of the reason for this is arguably the increasing and pragmatic need to achieve outcomes within short timeframes; this is compounded by the diverse skill base, influences and perceptions of individuals involved in changes of this kind. This chapter examines these complexities and offers strategies for humanizing large scale change in online learning following lessons learned from the Online Course Innovation project, a faculty-based initiative to redesign over 280 subjects in a two-and-a-half-year timef...
The focus of this paper is to present a case study of an integrated course approach to student tr... more The focus of this paper is to present a case study of an integrated course approach to student transition in an undergraduate agricultural business management program. This wholistic approach is particularly relevant to courses with small student intake (defined here as less or equal to 20 full time students). These small intakes represent approximately 38 % of all intakes in Australian universities. Most universities have an orientation week with generic and course specific activities to assist students in their transition to uni-versity life but very few have a “total package ” of sustained transitional support with an overnight tour, mentoring program, curriculum mapping and course design for all of the first stage subjects as just some of their strategies. The transition was planned to take place over the entire first stage of the course. A course team working collaboratively and cohesively was paramount to the success of this project. The ap-proach was first implemented in 2010...
At the University of the South Pacific, video broadcast courses, which integrate face-to-face and... more At the University of the South Pacific, video broadcast courses, which integrate face-to-face and distance teaching, are proving useful as a means of scaffolding the transition of lecturers from a conventional teaching learning environment towards new ways of teaching that emphasise interaction rather than content delivery. By providing ample support in a professional environment that uses technology to both replicate and supplement the traditional teaching roles, lecturers are allowed a “safe zone ” in which to generate new skills while maintaining lecturer comfort.
Skills in being able to interact with accounting information systems (AIS), are increasingly seen... more Skills in being able to interact with accounting information systems (AIS), are increasingly seen as critical components of undergraduate accounting courses in Australia. In an AIS subject developed at a tertiary institution, students were required to use a written practice set to acquire the necessary skills to use MYOB, a common, computerised accounting information system for small business. Following evaluation of, and reflection on, the learning process, there were indications that students did not sufficiently comprehend the written instructions provided as part of the practice set. To remedy this problem, onscreen-actioncapture tutorials were developed using a cognitive apprenticeship approach to skill development. A full cohort of students will commence use of the tutorials in 2007. However, some preliminary issues and constraints have arisen which require resolution and need to be addressed. This paper represents the first interim stage in a study that will be progressed onc...
With a focus on innovating practice, this paper details a research project which sought to unders... more With a focus on innovating practice, this paper details a research project which sought to understand institutional change in blended and flexible learning and distance education through stories of adaptation and leadership development at two major Higher Education distance providers, one based in Australia and the other in New Zealand. DeHub, a DEEWR funded research consortium designed to investigate best practice in distance education provided the funding and opportunity for this study.
The Faculty of Business at Charles Sturt University initiated the Online Course Innovation (OCI) ... more The Faculty of Business at Charles Sturt University initiated the Online Course Innovation (OCI) project in 2012. This project focuses on the transition of 280 print-based subjects into quality online offerings through the mindful redesign of resources, interactions and experiences. It is led by the Associate Dean (Courses), and involves a multi-disciplinary team of educational designers, academics and divisional staff. The aim of this research project is to explore this transition to the online learning and teaching environment and identify critical organisational elements that contribute to achieving quality outcomes. Specifically, this study seeks to identify factors that support or inhibit the academic’s ability to effectively design and teach quality online subjects, and the impact of leadership on the design and teaching process. Data is currently being collected from a range of institutional stakeholders involved with the project. Initial findings from the data analysis will ...
This paper discusses the significance of a research project between Charles Sturt University (CSU... more This paper discusses the significance of a research project between Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Massey University (MU) which aims to build knowledge and understanding of the impact of distributive leadership approaches to transforming teaching and learning in relation to distance education. Authentic, situated approaches to change offer a powerful conduit for building ―street level leadership, the sharing of knowledge, skills and information within and between schools and as a basis for whole-of-institution cultural change driven through practice. This research provides an opportunity for evaluation of authentic, situated approaches as a mechanism for institutional renewal of learning and teaching practices in relation to distance education (DE). Such a reorientation of practice affords CSU and MU a chance to increase the equity of student experience and engagement in learning through blended and flexible delivery.
Course Team Symposia are a funding opportunity provided by Charles Sturt University’s Flexible Le... more Course Team Symposia are a funding opportunity provided by Charles Sturt University’s Flexible Learning Institute to help course leaders engage their teams in blended and flexible learning design. Initial findings from this preliminary study suggest that course leaders and their educational designers have used the symposium process to ‘try out’ leadership practices on the job by clarifying and developing a shared vision of blended and flexible learning, supporting collaborative planning, helping their teams reflect on their own practice and forming strategies to improve that practice. In doing so, they are building a repertoire of leadership strategies to use with their teams in the future. Further research involving more symposium recipients will shed additional light on how leadership is being supported through this initiative, and any implications for student outcomes.
Higher Education institutions face a challenge: how to transform traditional learning and teachin... more Higher Education institutions face a challenge: how to transform traditional learning and teaching to create enhanced learning for current digital age students. In some universities this challenge is acute particularly in those Universities that focus on blended and flexible learning (BFL), and distance education (DE) approaches. Many universities have emphasised the development of leadership capacity. From 2008 to 2011, utlising a partnership research grant funded by DEHub, Charles Sturt University and Massey University studied their approaches to fostering change in blended and flexible learning and DE. The study research question was: What do the strategies and activities designed to foster change in blended and flexible learning and distance education developed at Charles Sturt University (Australia) and Massey University (NZ) help us to understand about learning leadership?
Personal learning is a complex terrain for students to navigate, and one that transcends discipli... more Personal learning is a complex terrain for students to navigate, and one that transcends discipline and cohort boundaries. This paper reflects on the introduction of a forum to promote, encourage and support student engagement with PebblePad, an ePortfolio / personal learning system. The forum provides students with an informal network beyond their course/subject cohorts in which they can ask questions and discuss issues as they traverse the technical and conceptual complexities in what is for many a transformational learning approach. It has developed as a partnership between students and staff, emerging from a student suggestion, establishing itself under the leadership of staff with student support, but gradually undergoing a role reversal so that students now take the lead. Now nearing the end of its second year, the forum demonstrates how staff-student partnerships can benefit a range of stakeholders in the university community – from students to academics, and particularly to ...
At the University of the South Pacific, video broadcast courses, which integrate face-to-face and... more At the University of the South Pacific, video broadcast courses, which integrate face-to-face and distance teaching, are proving useful as a means of scaffolding the transition of lecturers from a conventional teaching learning environment towards new ways of teaching that emphasise interaction rather than content delivery. By providing ample support in a professional environment that uses technology to both replicate and supplement the traditional teaching roles, lecturers are allowed a "safe zone" in which to generate new skills while maintaining lecturer comfort.
The purpose of this activity is to encourage students to think more holistically about their lear... more The purpose of this activity is to encourage students to think more holistically about their learning, and to develop their professional identity. They create an integrated webfolio which profiles their developing academic skills during the first stage of an undergraduate degree.The portfolio informs individual academic mentoring sessions with students, which take place four times a year. Over the first stage of the undergraduate degree students complete a range of activities that feed into the portfolio, presenting their development as university students and emerging professionals. While different elements or 'pages' in the portfolio are developed and assessed through different subjects, together they provide a more holistic, coursewide view of the students' first stage experience and their current level of academic skill.The overall portfolio is assessed through a 'long thin' module which spans across the first stage of the undergraduate degree (typically the first year for full time students), and draws together the industry practice, mentoring and portfolio components of the first stage curriculum.
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