Education Commons^™

Scaffolding Clinical Problem Based Learning Within An Online Collaborative Environment, Lori Lockyer, John W. Patterson

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

With a specific focus on addressing the health care needs of regional, rural and remote communities, the new medical school at the University of Wollongong will open the doors to its first cohort of students in January 2007. Clinical placements will see students spend substantial periods of time in general practices located in these target communities – which may be as far as 1200km from campus. Problem based learning (PBL) is the underpinning educational strategy used to facilitate students’ integration of medical science knowledge and clinical competencies. Educational technology has made a significant impact on the quality of the resources …

Simulation Technology In Pre-Service Teacher Education: 'Pleasurable Learning' To Inspire 'Passionate Teaching', Lisa K. Kervin, Janice B. Turbill, Brian L. Cambourne, Brian Ferry

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Reviews of beginning teacher programs over the past eighty years within an Australian context continually identify a number of key skills that are not well developed by traditional pre-service teacher preparation programs. In more recent times the teaching of literacy has been targeted as needing specific attention, especially at the pre-service level. Advances in educational software have demonstrated that it is feasible to create a representation of a real situation through simulation. The authors believe that creating a virtual classroom environment for pre-service teachers to interact with is one way to support them with understanding the theory of literacy learning …

Authentic Tasks In E-Learning Designs, Janice A. Herrington

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Constructivist approaches to learning design, while gaining increased acceptance in the higher education community, are the exception rather than the rule in the majority of web-based courses currently offered by universities throughout the world. The adoption of university quality standards and the widespread use of course management programs have inadvertently constrained more authentic and innovative approaches to online learning. Contemporary trends in e-learning designs are highlighting the value of authentic approaches to learning. This paper argues that authentic tasks that guide complex and sustained learning endeavours can be adopted in web-based courses, and provides guidelines for implementation, together with examples …

Integrating Problem-Solving Strategies And Fieldwork Into An Authentic Online Learning Environment, Gwyn J. Brickell, Janice A. Herrington, Barry M. Harper

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

In this project, a technology-supported learning challenge has been developed to replace a conventional visitation program at Sydney Olympic Park. The educational approach taken is based on a general social constructivist model of learning, challenging learners with a problem based perspective directly linked to specific syllabus outcomes. Students engage in work on the web, in class, in the field and in technology ‘pods’ with an emphasis on student-centred tasks and field activities that will require them to explore data and information, construct and test hypotheses, and present conclusions and solutions in the form of artefacts. This paper describes the learning …

Curriculum Adjustments For Students With Learning Disabilities In Mainstream Clasrooms., Deslea M. Konza

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

The stated policies or mission statements of many education systems around the world reflect the widespread realisation that students with learning difficulties and disabilities have both the ability and the right to learn in a normalised environment, and thus include a goal related to helping all students achieve to their potential. Indeed, education is viewed as one of the major ways in which individuals may achieve life goals, as it often holds the key to level of employment and financial security, level of housing and other life opportunities in addition to personal satisfaction and achievement (Allen, 2003; UNESCO, 2001).

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

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

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 With The Arts: Palettes, Performance & Employability Skills, Claire Manning

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This research explores the ways in which the arts and learning with the arts can motivate adults to learn and build the skills needed to succeed at work. Through several case studies it unveils the learning experiences of adults who participated in courses, which utilised the skills, techniques and environments offered by the performing and visual arts. This paper presents an analysis of the participants' perceptions of learning with the arts by applying the Employability Skills Framework developed by the Department of Education, Science and Training in 2002 which identifies the skills valued in the workplace. With the emergence of …

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

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

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.

Operationalizing Nine Design Elements Of Authentic Learning Environments In A Classroom-Based On-Line Simulation, Brian Ferry, Lisa K. Kervin, John Hedberg, Janice B. Turbill, Brian L. Cambourne, David H. Jonassen

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Herrington, Oliver and Reeves (2003) assert that many researchers and teachers now accept that well designed multimedia environments provide an alternative to real-life settings without sacrificing the authentic context. Further, researchers report that recent educational software advances have demonstrated that it is feasible to create a motivational simulation that supports pre-service teachers by providing them with tools that allow them to view the effects of their decisions within a virtual classroom context (Aldrich, 2004) However, limited research has been reported on the use of authentic simulations in pre-service teacher education.

This paper describes the on-line simulation that we developed to …

Supporting The Development Of Pedagogically Sound Learning Environments Using Learning Designs And Learning Objects, Shirley Agostinho, Susan J. Bennett, Lori Lockyer, Barry M. Harper, Jason Lukasiak

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

In a climate where Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is becoming mainstream within the higher education sector, academics are faced with the ongoing challenge of incorporating World Wide Web and Internet technology within their teaching practices. Coupled with a “quality” agenda, academics will be required to examine their instructional strategies and to offer high quality learning opportunities. Reuse, in the form of sharing learning resources and modelling expert practice are seen as strategies to help academics in this change process. Whilst online repositories of learning resources (learning objects) are flourishing, what is lacking are tools to support academics to design …

Why Teachers Are Reluctant To Use New Technologies: Supporting Teachers' Action Learning Within A Web Environment, Garry Hoban, Anthony J. Herrington

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Action learning involves a small group (6-8 people) who meet regularly to share reflections and discuss ideas that they try out in practice. Key to the process of action learning is the sharing of personally relevant issues or problems in relation to the action being attempted. In this study a web environment was designed to support the sharing of strategies by teachers which also included a discussion space to provide feedback on the strategies attempted. One web environment was designed for an action learning team in a high school and another for a group in an elementary school. It was …

Hanging Out In The School Ground : A Reflective Look At Researching Children's Environmental Learning, Paul Tranter, Karen A. Malone

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

The authors take a reflective journey to explore the research methodology utilised in a multi-method, multi-site research study of children’s environmental learning in schoolgrounds in Australia. Informed by an extensive literature review and dialogue with researchers around the world, the study constructed a research design and procedure that could be utilized by practitioner researchers and academic researchers as the foundation for further research on children’s learning in schoolgrounds. This paper has the specific task of sharing our research story and lessons learnt as a conversation to those who intend to conduct future research with children on schoolground greening projects.

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

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

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.

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

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

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.