www.le.ac.uk

Achieving innovation for learning at Leicester

Dr Alejandro ArmelliniSenior Learning Designer

Beyond Distance Research AllianceUniversity of Leicester, UK

Objectives

• To share the key learning innovation challenges we face at Leicester

• To describe our implementation choices regarding curriculum design and delivery approaches: Carpe Diem & e-moderating

• To illustrate innovations and results• To identify lessons learned

• Introduction and context• Challenges• Capacity building– Curriculum design: Carpe Diem & e-tivities– Curriculum delivery: E-moderation

• Summary: approaches that work

Outline

Introduction and context

University of Leicester

www.le.ac.uk

Learning Innovation Challenges - students

• 21st-century competencies for employability• Equivalent experiences for on-campus,

distance and mixed-mode students• Full access anytime, anywhere• Flexibility & choice• Exceeding technological expectations

Challenges - tutors

• Efficiency & effectiveness: low- cost, high-value• Equal value to teaching and research• Enabling evidence-based teaching• Teaching innovation• Doing more with less

Challenges - institution

• Elite without elitism• Student centredness• Global reach• Optimising capabilities of staff• Evidence for acceptable, successful and

sustainable change processes

Our mantras• Research to practice• Innovation to mainstream• Low-cost, high-value learning technologies• Design for learning, e-moderate for

participation

…to inform, embed, disseminate and sustain change

Research to practice

Core, niche, peripheral and mainstream technologies

The Alliance, University of Leicester

• Paste a series of pictures (groups, house, zoo etc)

Beyond Distance Research Alliance

The Alliance…

• Is a research and innovation Unit• Generates evidence collaboratively -evidence

colleagues can relate to- through funded projects

• Promotes and disseminates evidence-based, incremental change and embedding

• Shapes and informs policy and strategy

www.le.ac.uk/beyonddistance

Two key, inter-related aspects

Knowledge-based, e.g. academic disciplines

Skills-based, procedural, e.g. mandatory training,

health & safety

Content is King: ‘dump stuff online and they’ll

learn’

Task and pathways-based for active engagement and

generation of learning outcomes

Fire awareness course

MSc in Finance

Design

Subj

ect

area

s

I put my content online, therefore my students do e-learning

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bowena/

‘But they won’t engage!’

Design for learning

E-moderate for participation

Designing together: Carpe Diem

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/susanvg/

Seize the Day

Invest two days of your timeand get your course online

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/curtisperry/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/linksmanjd/

Carpe Diem addresses…

• ‘My use of e-learning is bad.’• ‘Help me redesign this.’• ‘The discussion forums are never used.’• ‘What is a wiki?’• ‘Can I run synchronous sessions? How?’• ‘What is Web 2.0 and how can my learners benefit from it?’• ‘Existing resources? What resources? Are they readily available?

For free? Really?’

Focus: designing for learning

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kleinerkuchen/

Occupational Psychology podcasts

E-tivitiesAsynchronous online learning activities that:

Foster effective and purposeful interactions Provide ‘hinges’ and reflective points between course

components Contribute to the achievement of learning outcomes May contribute to assessment

Criminology: e-tivities in a distance MA programme

Politics & IR dissertation e-tivities

E-tivities are…

• Brief and clear (not ‘mini-projects’!)• Motivating, engaging, purposeful • Mappable against learning outcomes• Designed to generate meaningful interaction• Useful as an assessment scaffold• Designed and led by an e-moderator • Asynchronous• Cheap to produce and easy to run: good design

leads to easier e-moderation

Discussion boards…

Voice Boards

Politics & IR dissertation e-tivities: a wiki

Key features of e-tivities• Stimulus or challenge (the ‘spark’) • Online activity, which includes individual

participants posting a contribution to a forum, wiki, voice board, etc

• An interactive element, such as responding to the postings of others

• Summary, feedback or critique from an e-moderator (the ‘plenary’)

E-moderation & scaffolding

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/daquellamanera/

E-moderation

www.e-moderating.com

1. Access & motivation

2. Culture building

3. Co-operation

4. Collaboration

5. Development

1. Access & motivation

2. Culture building

3. Co-operation

4. Collaboration

5. DevelopmentLink, feed back, enhance, apply

Interact, build knowledge

Navigate, save time, personalise

Receive and send

Access

1. Access & motivation

2. Culture building

3. Co-operation

4. Collaboration

5. Development Guide

Facilitate, tie loose ends

Lead

Host

Welcome, reassure

Key e-moderating skillsSource: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gaylon/

Weaving

Summarising

Cost and impact

Source: www.le.ac.uk/duckling

Dissemination of evidence

Dissemination of evidencehttp://beyonddistance.wordpress.com/http://twitter.com/#!/BDMediaZoo

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/48830217@N04/

• Build capacity and capability with course teams Learning design (e.g. through Carpe Diem) and

delivery (e-moderation) Capitalise on and design for openness

• Evidence for change• Enable small-scale pilots to inform policy and

strategy incrementally: move from practice to policy

Summary: approaches that work (1)

Wordle of an edited book by veletsianos

• Constantly evaluate and update staff skills• Recognise, reward and celebrate innovative

practice• Work in teams, including learning technologists

and subject librarians• Encourage dipping toes in the water and support

those who, based on the evidence, take the plunge

Summary: approaches that work (2)

Wordle of an edited book by veletsianos

University of Leicester

www.le.ac.uk

Dr Alejandro Armelliniaa277@le.ac.uk

February 2011

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/