1. E-Learning
Trends & Issues
By
Usman Arshad
http://e-learning-teaching.blogspot.com
2. Trends - OER
• Open learning and teaching
• OER (Open Educational Resources)
– "the open sharing of one's educational resources implies
that knowledge is made freely available on non-
commercial terms,"
(Larsen and Vincent-Lancrin, 2005).
3. Trends - OER
• Shared educational resources used by
– learners, instructors and lifelong learners
• Intentions including
– learning, teaching, research, training and professional
development
• Resources in the form of
– textbooks, journals, games, simulations, PowerPoint
presentations, templates, modules, guides, templates
– any other electronic educational and training resources
• Has no or little cost
4. Trends - OER
Benefits for stakeholders?
• Students
– access to a wide body of high quality learning content easily
– Diverse and flexible learning
– learn from each others learning styles
– use technology/methods they are comfortable with
– Enhance critical thinking and creativity skills
– Exploring other cultures thinking and beliefs
– no cost or geographical barriers
– formal learning becoming more expensive
– students want more for their money
5. Trends - OER
Benefits for stakeholders?
• Instructors
– technology beyond the institution standards
– globally exchange teaching styles, guides, templates and
learning resources
– less pressure to track latest learning and teaching advancements
– more time to design learning and reuse learning content
– more time to support students individually.
– hand pick, use, and modify individual resources in unique ways
• guarantees greater diversity of learning environments
6. Trends - OER
Benefits for stakeholders?
• Institutions
– supporting and widening participation of learning and teaching
– more diverse student body
– transparency - openly show procedures, teaching, and research
– increased recognition for their scholarships
– promote use of use of new technologies
– attracting local and international students
– allow less formal collaborations and partnerships
– rising costs sustained
– solution for expenses and course fees etc
– less staff training costs
7. Trends - OER
Who’s using it?
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
– early adopters in 2002
– OpenCourseWare project
– Currently holds course materials from around 2,000 MIT courses.
• Nationally funded e-learning hosting website
– Jorum
– nationally funded e-learning hosting website
– used by any UK academic
– find, share and discuss learning and teaching resources, shared by the UK Further and HE community.
• iTunes U
– provides lectures as audio and video content from:
• museums, universities, cultural institutions and public television stations
– Institutions can sign-up and upload content
• Since April 2009 The Higher Education Academy and JISC are working in partnership to support the HEFCE OER
pilot programme (HEA, 2010).
8. Trends - OER
personal experiences
• Youtube interview with Siemens on MOOC
• Twitter search ‘#eAssessment’
• Access and print blank storyboard templates
• Learning objects - existing flash games for
mouse training
9. Issues
• Current issues
– Students left feel isolated post-graduation
– Lack of motivation for personal development
– Current state of student feedback
• Lack of qualitative feedback
• grades only - numbers and letters
10. Issues
• Increase chances of employability
– Authentic feedback to trigger students for
lifelong learning and professional development.
• Steps:
Personnel Further
Authentic Enhance
ePortfolio Learning ePortfolio
feedback product
Network work
11. Issues
• Authentic feedback
– Text feedback more meaningful
– Personalised
– Constructive and motivational
– From a variety of learners/colleagues
– Timely-ongoing feedback for learning
Personnel Further
Authentic Enhance
ePortfolio Learning ePortfolio
feedback product
Network work
12. Issues
• Peer review feedback
– benefit for both the learner and peer
– Learner
• anonymous peers less apprehensive
• diversity of opinions
• learn from honest feedback
• tweak work from early stage
– Peer
• flavour of expectations
• clearer idea of the intensity and requirements of the activity/assessment
• learn good practice, techniques and methods
• Identify and diagnose and solve own errors
Personnel Further
Authentic Enhance
ePortfolio Learning ePortfolio
feedback product
Network work
13. Issues
• Enhance product
– using the feedback take a step further
– Constructive feedback = motivation
– Further enhancement of the product
– turn into ePortfolio piece
Personnel Further
Authentic Enhance
ePortfolio Learning ePortfolio
feedback product
Network work
14. Issues
• ePortfolio
– modern approach of an e-Portfolio described by
Sutherland and Powell in 2007 as:
– “A purposeful aggregation of digital items - ideas,
evidence, reflections, feedback, etc. which
‘presents’ a selected audience with evidence of a
person’s learning and/or ability.”
Personnel Further
Authentic Enhance
ePortfolio Learning ePortfolio
feedback product
Network work
15. Issues
• ePortfolio
– take control of learning
– reflecting on activities/products
– planning future directions
– connections among formal and informal learning
experiences
– continuity during breaks through lifelong learning
– linking achievements/work with skills required by
employers
– model professionalism
– Helps identify learning needs and closing gaps
Personnel Further
Authentic Enhance
ePortfolio Learning ePortfolio
feedback product
Network work
16. Issues
• build a Personnel Learning Network
– social media
• media sharing
• blogs
• wikis
• social networking
• virtual worlds
Personnel Further
Authentic Enhance
ePortfolio Learning ePortfolio
feedback product
Network work
17. Issues
• Benefits of social media as PLN
– Community of practice which continues to grow
– Any time, any place, any device learning
– Widely distributed, accessible and immediate format
– new things discovered, and continue to discover every day
– continue to learn from others
– motivation to share what you have learnt
– stronger social and intellectual ties with your community
of practice
– sharing knowledge comes back to you with interest
18. Issues
• Further work for portfolio
– Motivated by learning new
techniques, methods, concepts and interventions
• Further quality work to showcase employers
19. Issues
• Authentic feedback to trigger students for
lifelong learning and professional
development.
1. Authentic feedback
2. enhance product
3. ePortfolio
4. Personnel Learning Network
5. Further portfolio work