From KAREN wiki

Contents 1 Education and Languages Case Studies 1.1 Heather Bell 1.1.1 Case study: Becoming a blended learning community: A tuakana-teina approach to professional learning . 1.2 Ben Kehrwald 1.2.1 Case Study: Researching Learner Experiences in Text-based Online Learning Environments. 1.3 Terry Stewart 1.3.1 Case study 1: Challenge – An authoring tool for Problem based scenarios, Delivered Alone or Over the WWW. 1.3.2 Case study 2: Developing interactive scenarios: The value of good planning, whiteboards and table-based schemas. 1.3.3 Case study 3: “But surely it’s harmless?” Developing a Multimedia Ethical Misadventure for Web Delivery. 1.4 Ute Walker 1.4.1 Case study: Accessing global perspectives through online tandem exchanges.

Education and Languages Case Studies

Heather Bell

Case study: Becoming a blended learning community: A tuakana-teina approach to professional learning .

Heather Bell. College of Education Massey University.

h.bell@massey.ac.nz 

This action research project investigates innovative approaches for improving the professional learning and practice of in-service teacher educators using blended (face to face and online) learning communities. In particular, a combination of face to face meetings and online discussions using social networking tools and strategies were explored for their roles in supporting and growing in-service teacher educators’ professional learning and practice. A workable model was identified, developed and implemented throughout the course of the research. Research findings indicate that blended learning communities require early phases of building knowledge and social relationships, and that developing pedagogical capability relies on these building blocks to be in place first. Blended learning communities worked most effectively to improve the professional learning of in-service teacher educators when the facilitator:
1. Provided a range of opportunities for in-service teacher educators to build their professional knowledge and gain confidence and competency in using online collaborative technologies, particularly in the early phases of the community’s development.
2. Engaged in-service teacher educators in a range of online opportunities to develop social relationships including non task-related activities to get them ‘talking’ comfortably online.
3. Challenged in-service teacher educators to use their growing knowledge and social relationships as platforms for critically reflecting on their professional learning and practice issues. The key Web 2.0 social networking tool that was used to facilitate the research was a wiki, a collaborative web-based site that can be easily accessed and changed by participants. eResearch tools included Survey Monkey (an online survey tool) and the Wikispaces statistics function for quantitative data. Qualitative data was gathered from analysis of the wiki discussion page.

The graphs illustrate shifting trends in the building knowledge, building social relationships and building pedagogical capacity themes that emerged from the face to face and online discussions as the learning community evolved.

Ben Kehrwald

Case Study: Researching Learner Experiences in Text-based Online Learning Environments.

Ben Kehrwald. School of Curriculum and Pedagogy Massey University.

B.A.Kehrwald@massey.ac.nz

This research responds to the methodological challenge of researching learner experience in a dynamic online learning environment. The research design investigated the learner experience by focusing on learner social presence online and the learner support made available to learners in text-based online learning environments. This design was a critical factor in allowing the researcher to locate and access information related to learner activity, experience and the resultant heuristic knowledge. Findings indicated that text based online learning environments provide opportunities for learners to:
1. engage in ongoing dialogues that allow them to refine their ideas
2. access individual and shared perspectives
3. accommodate the emergence of new and novel points of view
4. tighten their focus towards a conclusion
5. have opportunities to have their work validated
All data for the research was collected online and relied on electronic discussion and online collaboration with learners. Contributing online research tools included online questionnaires, online interviews and discussion groups. Researcher collaboration was supported by STREAM spaces for committees and project teams. SKYPE played a pivotal role in the supervision of associated research students.

Terry Stewart

Case study 1: Challenge – An authoring tool for Problem based scenarios, Delivered Alone or Over the WWW.

Terry Stewart CADeL Massey University.

T.stewart@massey.ac.nz 

Research focuses on CHALLENGE, an authoring tool designed for constructing and presenting problem-based scenarios to students of any level in any subject domain, either locally or across the Internet. Students can explore the scenario, examine objects and move them from location to location, interview people, conduct tests and undertake research. Information is provided by hypertext, images, sound or video either local or external. The exercise can be used as a basis for class discussion, or students may submit an analysis for marking by the tutor. Students can even create their own scenarios. The program tracks student activity and provides a tutor-supplied tailored debriefing dependant on that activity. Multichoice assessment is also catered for. Research describes the features of the software and identifies scope for further development including developing software so that it can respond to student behaviour as they work through a scenario. For example, utilize some kind of active persona which can comment on a student’s direction; include a built in “time” element in the scenarios as opposed to a ‘snapshot’ scenarios and; allow for some kind of adaptive behaviour within the scenarios. CHALLENGE was the precursor to SBL Interactive. The latter is a mature product, supported by Massey University and available for staff and students to use. Technological tools are fundamental to the development of software, and its application in learning situations.

FIGURE 1. THE SCENARIO PLAYER SHOWING A TYPICAL PROBLEM-BASED SCENARIO

Case study 2: Developing interactive scenarios: The value of good planning, whiteboards and table-based schemas.

Terry Stewart and Mark Brown. CADeL

T.stewart@massey.ac.nz 

Fictional or fact-based interactive scenarios (or cases), where students are able to explore a problem, event or issue, can assist with student problem-solving, decision making and interpretation of data or observations in a real-world context. Software exists to assist with authoring and delivery of these types of learning objects, but one of the hardest tasks is the planning and storyboarding of the scenario itself. Interactive scenarios are context-based, often include elements of drama, and may be required to follow a script of sorts. They must also link back to the learning objectives of the lesson. In goal-based scenarios in particular, where students are required to form hypotheses and test them in order to get to the root of a problem, the scope (and limits) of what they can do within the scenario must be carefully thought about. This research reports on the initial questions which need to be answered before commencing work, and outlines simple techniques such a whiteboard brainstorming and table-based schemas for developing scenario structure and content. Along with their function as planning aids, these techniques can also be useful in communicating the structure and content to other team members during development. Thirdly, they allow archiving of scenarios in an easy-to-access format, so content can be used in different authoring tools than the one they were originally designed for, and for other modes of delivery, such as face-to-face tutorials and scenario walkthroughs. Technology and software are fundamental research tools for online scenario-based learning and are used to gather, store, report, develop, share and implement the scenario-based learning paradigm.

Case study 3: “But surely it’s harmless?” Developing a Multimedia Ethical Misadventure for Web Delivery.

Terry Stewart and Mark Brown. CADeL

t.stewart@massey.ac.nz   m.e.brown@massey.ac.nz 

Ethics training for those engaged in research with humans is standard practice in most research institutions. However, the ethical requirements of social research have changed greatly over the past two decades (Tolich, 2001). Researchers now need to consider many new regulations and ethical reguirements (Israel & Hay, 2006). In this new culture of compliance e-learning can be used to provide contemporary guidelines and case studies for up-to-date ethics training for staff and postgraduate students.

Research focuses on the virtues of using web based interactive learning tools as a strategy for educating staff about ethics compliance requirements. In particular the development of a multimedia web-delivered interactive scenario constructed and delivered using the e-learning authoring and delivery tool, SBL Interactive is reported. The scenario shows what can happen if ethical considerations are ignored. While working through this fictional scenario, participants are “fly-on-the-wall”-type observers of an unfolding drama. They must click their way through the scenes, each one following the other in a chronological order. At various stages, video vignettes are shown or audio played involving two or three-way dialogue, often to emphasis tension between the major fictional characters. At frequent points through the scenario, trainees are asked to reflect and comment on what is taking place, either though short quizzes or longer deliberations which link back to ethic principles.

The entire development process was documented starting with initial concept through to the final output. This process involved initial conception, story-boarding, development of dramatic tension, humour, irony and scope for user reflection.

The core scenario can be used in many ways; as a stand-alone exercise, as a walkthrough with a tutor followed by discussion or as part of a much larger lesson to name just a few. This scenario has been made available to all New Zealand Tertiary institutions to customise for their own ethics training purposes. The development and analysis of interactive e-learning scenarios is aided by the SBLi authoring tool, web access and sharing capability, and the use of online computing tools.

Figure 1. The SBLi Player (top) and Builder (bottom) showing a part of the ethics scenario

Ute Walker

Case study: Accessing global perspectives through online tandem exchanges.

Ute Walker and Cynthia White. School of Language Studies Massey University

The eLearning/e-Tandem research project was set up to test the implementation of e-learning guidelines in an environment where distance learning has had a long tradition. The focus of this research was the effective pedagogical integration of online e-learning tools and the learning opportunities they provide for learning engagement in a German Language programme. A strategy for engaging students in authentic language interactions resulted in the development of the affiliated e-Tandem project. This project focuses on principles of reciprocity and learner autonomy in language learning and creates opportunities for students to engage in online learning experiences that are: • International/intercultural • Collaborative • Bilingual The online learning experience is used to facilitate collaboration in an international setting, involving two distinct learner communities: German English language learners and New Zealand German language learners.

Joint activities between student groups were designed to promote the negotiation of tasks and construction of joint knowledge and also fostered online social presence, which enriched collaboration in a number of ways including; • Reciprocal engagement and relationship building • Affective behaviors demonstrated by emotion, humor and self disclosure • Ongoing interactions that acknowledged and responded to student contributions • Cohesive group/partner dynamics and we/us commitments to the language learning process e-Research tools used to facilitate and enhance this research project included the use of both synchronous and asynchronous communication tools. Various types of tools were assigned to serve different purposes and to promote mutual engagement. Live conferencing tools supporting chat and voice were recommended for initial meetings where students got to know each other; asynchronous tools served information exchanges, and wiki were used for joint constructions of text. Students needed to navigate two learning platforms in order to access the full range of these tools, supporting both spoken and written communication (see figure):

Taking an inquiry-based approach in the project gave students an opportunity for meaningful and authentic interaction through collaborating on joint tasks. We chose a theme-based approach which would help create a focus on content and leave sufficient scope for students to develop their own topics within the thematic strands of mutual relevance. This overarching theme of “globalisation and localisation” served as a vehicle to encourage students to generate their own topics through which to explore contemporary issues and concepts from cultural, social or environmental perspectives. Mutually relevant topic areas also helped to accommodate the respective curricular demands of the Social Sciences majors and an according need to apply theory in Germany as well as to New Zealand students, whose textbook is content-based with a focus on contemporary issues. This approach provided a thematic platform for cognitive engagement and exposure to different views and perspectives.