Education Commons^™

Nationwide, Collaborative Assessment Of Medical Student Learning Outcomes: The Australian Medical Assessment Collaboration, David Wilkinson, Benedict J. Canny, Jacob Pearce, Hamish Coates, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

No abstract provided.

Nationwide, Collaborative Assessment Of Medical Student Learning Outcomes: The Australian Medical Assessment Collaboration, David Wilkinson, Benedict Canny, Jacob Pearce, Hamish Coates, Daniel Edwards

Dr Jacob Pearce

No abstract provided.

Digital Fluency : Skills Necessary For Learning In The Digital Age, Gerald White

Dr Gerald K. White

This article examines the skills that will be required for the 21st century that will need to be embedded in educational curricula in order achieve them. It begins by considering how communicating between people has changed and current educational responses. A view of 21st century skills follows with an argument for some core subjects that will be necessary. Learning and teaching are then discussed leading to a view about what is needed in order to develop digital fluency in education, for now and the future.

Recent Research In Community Disaster Education And Its Implications For Emergency Management, Neil Dufty

Neil Dufty

Community disaster education is an integral component of emergency management around the world. Its main goal is to promote public safety and, to a lesser extent, reduce disaster damages. However, there has been relatively little research into the appropriateness and effectiveness of the community disaster education programs and learning activities, including those provided by emergency agencies. This is due largely to the general lack of evaluation of these programs, the difficulty in isolating education as a causal factor in aspects of disaster management performance, and disaster education not being embraced strongly by the academic field of education. Compounding this situation …

The Importance Of Gestures In Learning, Gale Stam

Gale Stam, Ph.D.

No abstract provided.

Towards A Learning For Disaster Resilience Approach: Exploring Content And Process, Neil Dufty

Neil Dufty

This paper is a first attempt to scope the possible content and learning processes that could be used in a holistic Learning for Disaster Resilience (LfDR) approach as a possible improvement to current disaster education, communications and engagement practices. The research found that LfDR should not only cover public safety aspects, but also learning about the community itself, including how to reduce its vulnerabilities and strengthen resilience. In relation to learning process, a review of learning theory found four broad learning theory groups - behavioural, cognitive, affective, social – that have relevance to LfDR. The research identified a range of …

Blended Learning: An Asian Tale, John G. Hedberg, Geraldine Lefoe

Geraldine Lefoe

Over the past few years increasing online learning is part of the normal educational experience of students. This paper examines the changes faced by two universities in different countries as they move to blend traditional face-to-face learning activities with those online. In particular, it reviews lessons that can be drawn for others moving into blended learning environments for successful implementation.

Creating New Learning Environments Off Campus In The Faculty Of Arts: What Impact On Teaching And Learning On Campus?, Geraldine Lefoe, Rebecca M. Albury

Geraldine Lefoe

For a university in regional Australia, a new degree program on offer to a remote campus and access centres, provided a supportive environment for faculty to trial new teaching and learning methods, specifically making use of learning management system (WebCT) for aspects of communication and content. This paper examines the impact this had on the faculty, in particular at the increased usage of ICT in subjects on offer on campus and also examines other issues which were identified as problematic by faculty as they embraced innovative methods of teaching and learning.

Where Learning Analytics Meets Learning Design, Lori Lockyer, Shane Dawson

Professor Lori Lockyer

The wealth of data available through student management systems and eLearning systems has the potential to provide faculty with important, just-in-time information that may allow them to positively intervene with struggling students and/or enhance the learning experience during the delivery of a course. This information might also facilitate post-delivery review and reflection for faculty who wish to revise course design and content. But to be effective, this data needs to be appropriate to the context or pedagogical intent of the course - this is where learning analytics meets learning design.

An Analysis Of Learning Designs That Integrate Patient Cases In Health Professions Education, Susan Bennett, Lori Lockyer, Lisa Thomas

Professor Lori Lockyer

No abstract provided.

A Technology-Enhanced Multiliteracies Learning Design For Geography Education, Lori Lockyer, Barry Harper

Professor Lori Lockyer

Educators are being challenged to prepare students to effectively participate in our increasingly globalised society. Contemporary views of pedagogy suggest supporting learners by providing scaffolds for their engagement in real world tasks - tasks that provide opportunities to both explore and apply their learning through multi-modal expressions' within their diverse contexts. This article describes a project that draws upon the emerging views of multiliteracies in the design of a K-12 education excursion program. The multiliteracies learning design developed for .the program is applied to specific discipline-focused learning objectives and implemented within a technology-enhanced environment, which provides learners with access to …

Learning Designs To Support Educationally Effective E-Learning Using Learning Objects, Barry Harper, Susan Bennett, Jason Lukasiak, Lori Lockyer

Professor Lori Lockyer

This paper describes a design approach for integrating learning objects based on a strong pedagogical framework, the Smart Learning Design Framework (SLDF). The framework is based on the assumptions that good learning settings focus on pedagogically sound design and that reusable learning objects can be effectively located and incorporated into learning settings. This paper describes a tool developed to illustrate the framework through metadata tagging of learning objects using an application profile which incorporates a pedagogical vocabulary, and development of units of study based on high quality learning designs and the inclusion of learning objects.

Supporting University Teachers Create Pedagogically Sound Learning Environments Using Learning Designs And Learning Objects, Susan Bennett, Shirley Agostinho, Lori Lockyer, Barry Harper, Jason Lukasiak

Professor Lori Lockyer

With Information and Communication Technology (ICT) becoming mainstream in the higher education sector, university teachers are faced with the ongoing challenge of incorporating Internet technologies into their teaching practices. At the same time there is significant pressure to raise the quality of university teaching to make it more student-centred and more flexible. This climate requires that university teachers examine their instructional strategies to offer high quality learning opportunities. Reuse, through the sharing of digital learning resources and through the adaptation of learning designs that model expert practice, offer strategies to support university teachers in this change process. Whilst online repositories …

Reusable Learning Designs In University Education, Susan J. Bennett, Shirley Agostinho, Lori Lockyer

Professor Lori Lockyer

This paper discusses the application of reusable learning designs as a support mechanism to guide teachers in designing learning experiences for students. Learning designs, which describe a sequence of learning activities, together with the necessary resources and supports, can serve as a framework which a teacher can then adapt to suit the needs of his or her students. The paper draws on an ongoing study of university teachers using learning designs to design their subjects to highlight reusability issues and outline what further research is necessary.

Health Education In A Web-Based Learning Environment - Learners' Perceptions., Lori Lockyer, Barry Harper, John W. Patterson

Professor Lori Lockyer

The increasing utilization of the World Wide Web in higher education allows instructors to re examine pedagogical strategies and explore ways of taking advantage of the Web's potential to provide for learning experiences that go beyond that possible in the traditional classroom environment. Assumptions on how this enhances the learning experience for students require examination. This paper discusses a study which examines, among other issues, student perceptions of the learning experience when asynchronous, Web-based, collaborative tutorial activities are utilized within an undergraduate health education subject. Analysis of the study data demonstrates that students' perceptions of the effectiveness of the Web-based …

The Development Of An On-Line Learning Community Of Physical And Health Education Professionals, Lori Lockyer, Gregg S. Rowland, John W. Patterson

Professor Lori Lockyer

While ad hoc, course-specific projects have allowed early adopters to explore possible innovations in the use of information and communication technologies in facilitating flexible learning situations, educational institutions are now exploring more integrated strategies to such developments. This paper describes the development of one such strategy that attempts to foster a community-wide approach for a group of professionals coming to terms with the most effective way to utilise technologies -- physical and health educators. The Faculty of Education at University of Wollongong is developing an on-line learning community to facilitate the pre-service education and continuing professional development of students, faculty …

Understanding Roles Within Technology Supported Teaching And Learning: Implications For Students, Staff And Institutions, Susan Bennett, Lori Lockyer

Professor Lori Lockyer

No abstract provided.

Online Mentoring And Peer Support: Using Learning Technologies To Facilitate Entry Into A Community Of Practice, Lori Lockyer, John Patterson, Gregg Rowland, Douglas Hearne

Professor Lori Lockyer

A vital aspect of any professional education is the opportunity for students to engage in meaningful practical experiences. In pre‐service teacher education in Australia, this vital teaching practice component has undergone challenges in recent years due to increasing student numbers (linked to the increasing demand for new teachers) and limited resources in university and school sectors. As such, initiatives to enhance the practical component of this professional degree have been sought. This paper details the methodology and outcomes associated with a pilot project that utilized asynchronous Web‐based communication tools to facilitate mentoring and peer support through the teaching practice experience. …

Measuring Effectiveness Of Health Education In A Web-Based Learning Environment: A Preliminary Report, Lori Lockyer, John Patterson, Barry Harper

Professor Lori Lockyer

Driven by claims of efficacy, flexibility and resource effectiveness, higher education is increasingly utilising the Web as an instructional tool. The claims for pedagogical effectiveness are often just that – claims — and appear not to have been proven in the reality of subject presentation and evaluation. Thus, it is necessary to examine assumptions regarding the benefits of Web‐based instruction in terms of effectiveness. This article discusses aspects of an investigation which examined and compared the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS related collaborative tutorial activities carried out in both a Web‐based learning environment and a face‐to‐face class situation within an undergraduate health …

The Practicum - A Starting Point For The Development Of An On-Line Learning Community Of Physical And Health Education Professionals, Gregg Rowland, Lori Lockyer, Leah Carter, John Patterson, Doug Hearne

Professor Lori Lockyer

While ad hoc, course-specific projects have allowed early adopters to explore possible innovations in the use of information and communication technologies in facilitating flexible learning situations, educational institutions are now exploring more integrated strategies to such developments. This paper describes the development of one such strategy that attempts to foster a community- wide approach for a group of professionals coming to terms with the most effective way to utilise technologies - physical and health educators. The Faculty of Education at the University of Wollongong is developing an on- line learning community to facilitate the pre- service education and continuing professional …

Web 2.0 In Higher Education: Blurring Social Networks And Learning Networks, Lori Lockyer, Shane P. Dawson, Elizabeth Heathcote

Professor Lori Lockyer

This paper reports on a study that investigated how two cohorts of students (in medicine and education) adopted a social networking platform to assist their university studies. The study examines the sites of dissonance between predicted and actual usage of the tool. Although the integration of social technologies into higher education is not new, there is mounting imperatives for developing creative, flexible, technologically literate graduates. Yet, to date, limited research has focused on how contemporary learners expect to and in actual fact, utilise these tools to support their study. This study observed that students’ perceptions of how technologies should support …

Cross-Cultural Online Communication: Making Connections Through Project-Based Learning, Mike Keppell, Morris Jong, Harold Tsang, Susan J. Bennett, Lori Lockyer

Professor Lori Lockyer

This paper examines a project that encourages cross-cultural communication among teachereducation students through online discussion and project-based learning. An authentic case was presented to eleven students (divided into two groups) who volunteered to participate in the project over one semester. The case focussed on the development of a website by the two groups which would provide information to local Hong Kong students visiting the University of Wollongong on an intensive English immersion programme. The students were encouraged to seek advice from their HKIEd mentor and UOW advisor via synchronous and asynchronous communication tools available in the Blackboard Learning Management System. …

Investigating The Factors That Influence The Use Of Digital Learning Resources In The K-12 Educational Context, Susan J. Bennett, Lori Lockyer, Ian M. Brown

Professor Lori Lockyer

Australian and New Zealand governments have made a significant investment in the establishment of an on-line repository that will make digital learning resources, also called learning objects, available to teachers in the K-12 sector. The focus of this, and similar learning object initiatives around the world, has been on content development and delivery. Much of the current learning object research has been concerned with resolving the technical issues to support these processes, with little attention paid to pedagogical and practical issues that might influence learning object use. This paper argues for research to address this gap and reports on a …

Learning Technologies And Professional Development: Enhancing A Community Of Physical And Health Educators., Lori Lockyer, John Patterson

Professor Lori Lockyer

No abstract provided.

Delivering Health Education Via The Web - Design And Formative Evaluation Of A Discourse-Based Learning Environment., Lori Lockyer, John Patterson, Barry Harper

Professor Lori Lockyer

Constructivist learning theory suggests that important components of the learning process are learner interaction and discourse. The nature of health education is such that emphasis is placed on discussion of health attitudes, beliefs, values, and behaviours as a key instructional strategy. It follows then, that health education learning environments designed using constructivist learning principles and employing instructional strategies that allow for learner discourse and interaction should contribute to knowledge construction and attitude change. The rapid development of the World Wide Web and its increasing use for educational purposes provides a unique medium for such a learning environment. This increasing utilisation …

Developing A Model For A Self-Study Professional Learning Community, Garry Hoban, Peter Mclean, Wendy Nielsen, Amanda Berry, Christine Brown, Gordon Brown, Barbara Butterfield, Patricia Forrester, Lisa Kervin, Jessica Mantei, Jillian Trezise, Louise Rossetto, Irina Verenikina

Jessica Mantei

Although the term self-study may suggest an individual teacher educator studying his or her own practice, most self-studies involve pairs or small groups of teacher educators working together in what is often called collaborative self-study. An extension of an informal collaboration is to formalize self-study as professional learning for teacher educators. This means that a group of teacher educators and other academics can study their practices over an extended period of time and share experiences as a community. This chapter identifies and explains the nature of a professional learning framework that underpins a group of academics becoming a self-study community. …

Forward Thinking : Three Forward, Two Back : What Are The Next Steps?, Gerald White

Dr Gerald K. White

The use of digital technologies and digital media in teaching, learning and leadership in education has gradually gained momentum since the 1980s, when personal computers first became popular. The resultant media hype and educational posturing by technology evangelists were given a boost with the take up of the World Wide Web in the early 1990s. And significant investment followed nationally and internationally. So what have we learnt in that time about using technology for teaching, learning and educational leadership? What will be the challenges for successfully using digital technologies in education in the next five years?

This address briefly traverses …

The Place Of Education In Building Disaster Resilience: A Strategic Examination, Neil Dufty

Neil Dufty

No abstract provided.

Computer Literacies And Australian Indigenous Communities: Sharing, Scaffolding, And Supporting In An Online Learning Environment, Michelle Eady, Irina Verenikina, Wendy Nielsen

Michelle Eady

Current reports indicate literacy rates among adult Indigenous Australians remain low despite years of improvement initiatives. Synchronous learning technology has potential to provide literacy and training to Indigenous learners living in remote communities. Although considerable research has been devoted to the area of internet-based learning in general, there is less research in the area of online synchronous learning opportunities for remote Indigenous learners. This paper offers insights gained from a unique research project that empowered members of a remote Indigenous community through a hands-on opportunity with synchronous technology where learners shared their strengths, and saw potential for their own futures.

Understanding The Need: Using Collaboratively Created Draft Guiding Principles To Direct Online Synchronous Learning In Indigenous Communities, Michelle Eady, Stuart Woodcock

Michelle Eady

This article reports on the experience of members of an Australian Aboriginal community as they used synchronous computer technologies to enhance their literacy learning. The aspiration to learn meaningful and relevant literacy and computer skills was discussed in focus groups, as well as the need to articulate the group’s position within the wider community, the value of the wisdom of the Elders, and the importance of the dissemination of traditional language and Aboriginal knowledge. Educational integrity was deeply embedded in the project’s approach to the Aboriginal learning experience, and included ensuring respect for cultural needs and traditions, as well as …