Education Commons^™

Instructional Design: How Do We Know Our Learners?, Chris Morgan, Sophie Dicorpo, Meg O'Reilly

Dr Meg O'Reilly

This paper provides some background discussion to a workshop in which we will seek discussion on issues of evaluation and research of instructional design activity in distance and open learning. We question the theoretical underpinnings of instructional design and its appropriateness in open learning contexts. In particular, we question the usefulness of research containing limiting assumptions about how learners should appropriately use study materials. The workshop aims to raise these issues as a starting point for input to the development of an instructional design research and evaluation project which is currently being devised at Southern Cross.

Towards Using Www For Teaching And Learning, Meg O'Reilly

Dr Meg O'Reilly

Traditional forms of distance education course delivery rely on paper based exchange of information and invariably suffer from an extreme paucity of dialogue. On the other hand, telecommunications-based education (Debreceny, Ellis & Chua, 1995) makes use of both existing and new technologies for a variety of options in course delivery which maximise dialogue, interaction and interactivity.

Designing Webcds: A Low Cost Option To Enhance Learning And Interaction, Meg O'Reilly, Chris Morgan

Dr Meg O'Reilly

Candidates of Southern Cross University's Doctor of Business Administration are a unique group. Demands by these senior executives for flexibility of delivery and portability of courseware has been the recent impetus for course redesign. Informed by a student survey and expressed needs of staff, instructional designers focused on a low cost hybrid model for delivery of study resources. A collection of Web linked CDROMs have been designed to utilise advantages of online interaction while storing high resolution video materials without limitations of bandwidth and unwieldy download times. Enhancements to teaching, learning and assessment approaches are discussed.

Staff Development Responses To The Demand For Online Teaching And Learning, Allan Ellis, Meg O'Reilly, Roger Debreceny

Dr Meg O'Reilly

Australian universities are coming under increasing demand to deliver online courses. This demand is driven by four main factors; 1) the increasing availability of multimedia capable computers, fast modems and Internet access; 2) the emergence of online technologies such as the WWW that provides a crossplatform, non-proprietary multimedia delivery system; 3) the promise of enhancements to the quality of the teaching and learning experience; and 4) being part of the global education market. The academic who teaches successfully online now needs a knowledge of both pedagogy as it applies to the online environment and a knowledge of current appropriate software, …

Staff Development By Immersion In Interactive Learning Online, Meg O'Reilly, Jennifer M. Brown

Dr Meg O'Reilly

This is a story from an Australian perspective of the changes in staff development approaches over the past few years, in response to the rapidly changing educational and technological environments. In particular the authors reflect upon initiatives implemented and those planned for the future at Southern Cross University, as a result of the impact of staff development activities in our own institution and in other Australian universities to date. The paper concludes with a plan for the Teaching and Learning Centre’s website to move beyond delivery of information, exemplars and resources, to support a program of active immersion of staff …

Resource Directory For Assessing Learners Online, Meg O'Reilly

Dr Meg O'Reilly

To address the need for critical research, and to target access to the wide range of resources in the field of online assessment practices in higher education now published on the Internet itself, a research project has recently commenced at Southern Cross University. This project aims to improve the online assessment practices of academic staff through reflective practice and action research. An accompanying website is under development to provide a directory of resources including examples of the practices and theories pertaining to assessment online, as well as links to published literature. The poster presentation will provide access to this resource …

Educational Design As Transdisciplinary Partnership: Supporting Assessment Design For Online, Meg O'Reilly

Dr Meg O'Reilly

The design of student assessment for the online context can be a disquieting experience without the support of colleagues and a group of peers from across a range of disciplines with whom to share ideas. This paper reports on interviews conducted with academic “peak performers” as well as some educational design practitioners about the current practices of designing for online assessment. A transdisciplinary approach to educational design is proposed for further exploration.

Designing For User Engagement: The Altc Exchange For Higher Education, Meg O'Reilly, Geraldine Lefoe, Robyn Philip, Dominique Parrish

Dr Meg O'Reilly

The Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ascilite) has recently completed research to inform development of the ALTC Exchange, a new online service for learning and teaching in Australia. The research investigated resource identification and contribution, engagement with the repository and user community, and associated peer review and commentary processes. This article focuses on the data obtained and recommendations developed for engagement of potential end users. It reports a literature review and findings, including an international perspective on the ALTC Exchange, with specific focus on prospective user needs, contexts of use and policies necessary to facilitate engagement …

Exploring The Tensions In Educational And Instructional Design In Australian Universities, Jennifer Bird, Chris Morgan, Meg O'Reilly

Dr Meg O'Reilly

No abstract provided.

Ten Key Qualities Of Assessment Online, Chris Morgan, Meg O'Reilly

Dr Meg O'Reilly

No abstract provided.

Hallmarks Of Excellence In Online Assessment, Meg O'Reilly, Martin Hayden

Dr Meg O'Reilly

"This book arose out of papers given at the UGC-funded First International Conference 'Enhancing Teaching and Learning through Assessment', held at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in June, 2005"--Foreword. "The contributions ... are from ... Conference titled, 'The First International Conference on Enhancing Teaching and Learning through Assessment'--Acknowledgements.

A Needs Analysis Framework For Design Of Digital Repositories In Higher Education, Sue Bennett, Dominique Parrish, Geraldine Lefoe, Meg O'Reilly, Michael Keppell, Robyn Philip

Dr Meg O'Reilly

No abstract provided.

Online Assessment: Creating Communities And Opportunities, Meg O'Reilly, Chris Morgan

Dr Meg O'Reilly

No abstract provided.

Students' Responses To Optional Activities In Distance Education Materials, Meg O'Reilly, Helen Saenger, Lyndon Brooks

Dr Meg O'Reilly

No abstract provided.

The Student Assessment Handbook : New Directions In Traditional And Online Assessment, Chris Morgan, Lee Dunn, Sharon Parry, Meg O'Reilly

Dr Meg O'Reilly

"The Student Assessment Handbook looks at the effectiveness of traditional methods in the present day and provides guidelines on how these methods may be developed to suit contemporary learning outcomes and teaching practices. It is a practical resource, with case studies, reflection boxes and diagnostic tools to help the reader to apply the principles to their own practice."--Book jacket.

Technology For Assessing Open And Distance Learners, Meg O'Reilly, Chris Morgan

Dr Meg O'Reilly

This paper describes use of the WWW to enhance assessment in the open, distance and flexible learning contexts. From their experiences as practitioners in instructional design and Web development, the authors consider effectiveness, efficiency and new opportunities in facilitating student assessment via the WWW. Discussion draws upon the body of literature in Web-based developments, open and distance learning, instructional design, research and case study data. Case studies from Australian universities demonstrate emerging practices and reflections brought about by a shift towards flexible delivery and the use of WWW technology. The dissolving of distinctions between on campus and off campus is …

The Professional Doctorate On Webcd, Meg O'Reilly, Chris Morgan

Dr Meg O'Reilly

Students enrolled in Southern Cross University's (SCU) Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) are a unique group of senior business people. Their demand for greater flexibility of delivery and portability of study materials was the impetus for a redesign of this professional degree at SCU. With a rapidly growing student base around Australia and SEAsia, DBA study packages must be suitable for a very mobile and busy professional group. Most have convenient access to computers and network connection, unlike students in many other programs. On the other hand, DBA students do not have much time to devote to study. They are …

Sharing Learning Resources: Workplace Learning, Mentoring & Assessment, Chris Morgan, Meg O'Reilly, J Stewart

Dr Meg O'Reilly

This paper is a report of an example of two organisations sharing resources to provide a workplace based learning and assessment model for registered nurses. The issue of mentorship has been explored in the context of a nurse education program offered in distance mode. The role of the Clinical Teaching Associate (CTA), a workplace mentor and assessor is the focus of the paper which explains the model's evolution over the past seven years. Whilst there is still much to learn about facilitating workplace mentorship, this paper throws considerable light on the issues associated with partnerships between industry and higher education …

Technology For Assessing Open And Distance Learners, Meg O'Reilly, Chris Morgan

Dr Meg O'Reilly

This paper describes use of the WWW to enhance assessment in the open, distance and flexible learning contexts. From their experiences as practitioners in instructional design and Web development, the authors consider effectiveness, efficiency and new opportunities in facilitating student assessment via the WWW. Discussion draws upon the body of literature in Web-based developments, open and distance learning, instructional design, research and case study data. Case studies from Australian universities demonstrate emerging practices and reflections brought about by a shift towards flexible delivery and the use of WWW technology. The dissolving of distinctions between on campus and off campus is …

Instructional Design: How Do We Know Our Learners?, Chris Morgan, Sophie Dicorpo, Meg O'Reilly

Dr Meg O'Reilly

This paper provides some background discussion to a workshop in which we will seek discussion on issues of evaluation and research of instructional design activity in distance and open learning. We question the theoretical underpinnings of instructional design and its appropriateness in open learning contexts. In particular, we question the usefulness of research containing limiting assumptions about how learners should appropriately use study materials. The workshop aims to raise these issues as a starting point for input to the development of an instructional design research and evaluation project which is currently being devised at Southern Cross.

The Role Of University Web Pages In Staff Development: Supporting Teaching And Learning Online, Meg O'Reilly, Allan Ellis, Diane Newton

Dr Meg O'Reilly

This paper investigates the nature and quality of Web-based resources which support staff development in Australian universities. It details findings and recommendations derived from publicly accessible Web pages containing resources, information, activities and models provided by university centres concerned with the staff development for the online environment. Frameworks for this investigation were adopted from the literature on staff development, reflective practice and quality teaching in Higher Education. Two rounds of investigation were undertaken. The first round identified 32 of the 41 university Web sites visited as having an identifiable Teaching and Learning Centre (or equivalent) home page, as a starting …

Interaction Online: Above And Beyond The Requirements Of Assessment, Meg O'Reilly, Diane Newton

Dr Meg O'Reilly

Today’s literature is filled with new paradigms for learning, specifically in relation to the increasing adoption of computer-mediated techniques for interactive learning. In many cases, learning may now be enhanced through the experience of a shared online environment for critical discussion, knowledge building and the establishment of supportive social communities. Research data obtained from social science students at Southern Cross University over two semesters reveals students’ perceptions of the importance of online discussion whether these are assessable or not. This paper presents some findings and explores the impact of the emergence of a student-centred social learning environment.

Interaction Online: Above And Beyond Requirements Of Assessment, Meg O'Reilly, Diane Newton

Dr Meg O'Reilly

Today's literature is filled with new paradigms for learning, specifically in relation to the increasing adoption of computer mediated techniques for interactive learning. In many cases, learning may now be enhanced through the experience of a shared online environment for critical discussion, knowledge building and the establishment of supportive social communities. Research data obtained from social science students at Southern Cross University over two semesters reveals students' perceptions of the importance of online discussion whether these are assessable or not. This paper presents some findings and explores the impact of the emergence of a student-centred social learning environment.

Assessment Strategies For Global Learning: Ii Case Studies, Meg O'Reilly, Kay Gibson, Deborah Gordon, Glyn Rimmington

Dr Meg O'Reilly

The processes of assessment have begun to take pride of place in considerations of online teaching and learning. As the technological means become more robust for bringing students together online, designs of various kinds of assessment tasks reflect greater reliance on the strategies of interaction, collaboration, cultural exchange and the use and creation of Web resources. Where students living in different countries study online, their sharing of culture and perspective and their development of communication skills can be considered as elements of global learning. Best practice in assessment of global learning outcomes is still emerging from action research, as described …

Using Cross-Disciplinary Action Learning Sets When Designing Online Assessment, Meg O'Reilly

Dr Meg O'Reilly

The drive to find appropriate ways to integrate online technologies into assessment has come about within Australian higher education as a consequence of widely held aspirations to remain competitive in the global marketplace. An action research initiative at Southern Cross University reported in this paper suggests both extrinsic and intrinsic reasons why academics considering online assessment may or may not follow through with immediate implementation. More specifically, a crossdisciplinary action learning set in the case study presented has shown benefits in approaching educational design as a cyclical, collegial, creative and reflexive process for planning, implementing and evaluating online assessment.

Planting The Seeds Of Change And Growing The Fruits Of Transdisciplinary Educational Design, Meg O'Reilly

Dr Meg O'Reilly

The professional practice of educational design normally involves collaborating with a subject matter expert on a one-to-one basis and is only occasionally undertaken in teams. This thesis argues that a team-based approach to educational design is powerful and particularly so when transdisciplinary collaborations are facilitated. Transdisciplinary educational design is the process of standing outside one’s discipline to collaborate with colleagues from the technical sphere, the library and other disciplines. The common ground shared by the transdisciplinary teams in this research was student assessment.

The core data collection for this research was completed between July 2002 and June 2005. Using an …

The Carrick Exchange: Not Just Another Repository, Geraldine Lefoe, Meg O'Reilly, Dominique Parrish, Sue Bennett, Michael Keppell, Cathy Gunn

Dr Meg O'Reilly

In 2004, the Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education was established by the Australian government to “promote and advance learning and teaching in Australian higher education.” (Carrick Institute, 2006). One aspect of the role of this institution is to establish the Carrick Exchange, “a new online service that will provide learning and teaching resources and functions to support communication and collaboration across the national and international higher education sector” (Carrick Institute, 2007a). This paper provides an overview of the purpose of the Carrick Exchange and will focus on the research contribution of ascilite, a professional association in …