Some interesting articles
10-August-2006
permalink comments (4) forum (4) email thisI'm glad to report you three diferent intersting articles that might be interesting for the propouse of this forum discussion:
Cheers, Laura Alonso Diaz- E-portfolios: an assessment tool for online courses
- British Journal of Educational Technology, Volume 35 (November 2004). Page 717
by Robin , Mason
Abstract
This article considers the various uses of e-portfolios in an educational context and looks at the particular characteristics of the electronic version of portfolios. It then focuses on the application of the e-portfolio as an assessment method. A case is made for the use of the e-portfolio as an appropriate end of course assessment process where learning objects are the basis of the course design. Evaluation data from such a course is presented. This is a post-graduate online course run by the Institute of Educational Technology at the Open University. Conclusions are drawn from the evaluation about the appropriateness of e-portfolios as an end of course assessment method.
- Analysis of ill-structured problem solving, mentoring functions, and perceptions of practicum teachers and mentors toward online mentoring in a field-based practicum
- Instructional Science (January 2006), pp. 1-40.
by Hew KF, Knapczyk D
Abstract
This article describes an exploratory study of question prompts and online mentoring (specifically a lateral or peer mentoring experience) in a field-based practicum that focused on teaching ill-structured problem solving of classroom discipline. Data were gathered on 26 in-service practicum teachers through online observations, online journal reports, questionnaires, and reflection logs. Results showed that the practicum teachers were successful in using the approach to plan and implement effective interventions for their students and that they perceived the online mentoring approach as being very beneficial in supporting their learning. A more detail analysis of seven practicum teachers and their mentors indicated that their mentors engaged in eight types of online mentoring functions; the most frequently used were asking practicum teachers to elaborate, and valuing the practicum teachers’ contributions. The influence of the mentoring functions on the seven practicum teachers’ ill-structured problem solving is also discussed. The study offers evidence that asynchronous online mentoring and question prompts can enhance the professional development of both practicum teachers and mentors by helping them learn about and apply intervention strategies in solving real-world teaching problems
- Learning technologies for adult continuing education
- Studies in Continuing Education, Vol. 28, No. 2. (July 2006), pp. 121-133.
by Mason , Robin
Abstract
This paper discusses three technologies used in an adult continuing education Masters programme: blogging, learning objects and e-portfolios. My reflections on their use and on the literature underpinning their use form the basis of the discussion. All three of these technologies were used to promote self-directed learning, reflection and learner choice in the activities undertaken. Although these technologies were very successful for our students, the paper concludes that adult learners who take an online Masters programme are not typical of all adult learners, much less all adults.
4 Replies (comments)
1 Thanks, Laura - Al & I have added these items to citeulike and included the links here
Thanks for these interesting links!
Al & I have massaged the formatting of this entry a bit ( there was invalid html ), and took the opportunity to add links for the items referenced.
I have added the items to my social-bibrefs account at CiteULike, and added links in the blog entry to point to those citeulike items. Via citeulike, the full text etc is available in several formats - which may in future include free versions of the fulltext, and will already allow the links to resolve against user's university libraries if they have such things :o).
Please note that we have also added the RSS feed for the WLP tag at citeulike as a siebar in this blog -- ain't RSS grand? :o)
2 Here are some useful tags collecting hundreds of good links on eportfolios
If you like the link on eportfolios above, you may be interested in some of the other resources which have been collected in del.icio.us
3 Another useful follow-up article
Laura, these three articles are really useful and should help us to move our thinking on, but I did also pick up on one strand from the Robin Mason (2006) article and that related to 'learningobjects'. Their implementation has often been lacking in imagination, so it was interesting to see such a positive report. So it might be worth exploring this a little more!
Mason, R., Pegler, C. & Weller, M. (2005) A learning object success story, Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks , Volume 9, Issue 1, pp. 97-105.
ABSTRACT This paper outlines an approach to designing a course entirely in learning objects. It provides a theoretical basis for the design and then presents evaluation data from a master’s level course using this design. It also describes several re-uses of the learning objects on other courses and in different contexts. Each learning object is conceived as a whole learning experience, thus avoiding many of the problems associated with assembling components of disparate kinds. Now for me it is important to get a little more understanding of what they actually did on their programme and the most obvious lesson would seem to be that the 'learning objects' themselves have to be informed with all 'the major elements of a rich learning experience:
• A discursive element (the key issues and follow up readings).
• An interactive element (group or individual activity or online discussion).
• An experiential element (the activity).
• A reflective element (choice of readings and level of engagement).' (p. 100).
The content of the course, part of a Masters Programme in Online and Distance Education offered by The Open University, was constructed as follows:
'155 learning objects presented over four blocks, each block lasting for two months, and ‘pre-versioned’ to stand potentially as separate short courses in their own right. The course examines the impact of the internet and connectivity on learning from an individual, organizational, implementation and social perspective. It encompasses text, audio, animation, webcasts and audio conferencing activities to cover areas such as costing e-learning, organizational change, online communities and digital divide, as well as using new technologies such as instant messaging, collaborative tools and blogging. Each object is autonomous so that it can be re-used, removed or altered with relatively little consequence for the remaining objects. Each object is sufficiently rich and complex to achieve a specific learning outcome, but as learning objects the order of study and choice of objects studied can be varied by the student. One of the core principles of the course was that of choice—giving students opportunities to select which learning objects to complete, depending on their personal interests, job relevance or time and inclination. The course was deliberately designed to appeal to both the higher education and corporate sectors, through providing a wide range of substitutable topics and supporting several possible levels of engagement.' (p. 99).
Sounds impressive - does it not - and the students seemed to respond very positively too,
What do others think of this approach?
Alan
4 Learning to manage learning objects
The main reflection of this article for me is that it considers
• A discursive element (the key issues and follow up readings).
• An interactive element (group or individual activity or online discussion).
• An experiential element (the activity).
• A reflective element (choice of readings and level of engagement).
This is really significant because I’ve been learning through my PhD how the interactive element are most of the times the key to success in an e-learning course. Thus, it’s great to see how professionals of e-learning consider that e´learning object are not only the content or even the activities, but also the interactive element. In order to support this reflection, we have many interesting articles as:
Murphy, K.; Mahoney, S.; Chen, C.Y.; Mendoza-Diaz, N.; Yang, X. (2005). Constructivist Model of Mentoring, Coaching, and Facilitating Online Discussions. Distance Education, Vol. 26, No. 3, pp. 341–366.
Abstract
This case study of an online graduate course determines the message characteristics of the instructor, volunteer teaching assistants, and students in online discussions, and proposes a mentoring, coaching, and facilitating model for online discussions. The researchers developed a coding system based on the literature of mentoring, coaching, and facilitating to identify the characteristics of conference discussion messages. The instructor fostered the development of volunteer teaching assistants into coaches and of student discussion facilitators into facilitators of learning. The proposed constructivist model fosters active learning, provides scaffolding for students to becomefacilitators of learning, and suggests creative ways for online instructors to manage different types of teaching responsibilities. Recommendations for further research are included.
“Challenges also exist for instructors, who are caught in the role shift from content expert to facilitator of learning, a shift that has precipitated a change from teacher-centered to learnercentered instruction (Gunawardena, 1992). With this role shift, online teaching has redefined instructors’ schedules, duties, and relationships with students. Some institutions have developed policies for instructors to reply to all online student email”
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