Embedding Blended Learning#GCUBlend
Professor Linda Creanor, Head of Blended LearningEmail: [email protected]
Twitter: @lcreanor
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Aims- to support GCU London staff to develop
effective strategic approaches to embedding blended learning in the curriculum
- To consider current practice, share experiences and identify ways of engaging GCU London students through the use of technology both in the classroom and online.
- To provide an opportunity to identify further development needs.
Overview of the sessionPart 1 – Overview and context• Welcome and introductions• Your experiences of blended learning (discussion)• Embedding blended learning (presentation)• Designing blended learning activities (group activity)
• Tea/coffee break
Part 2 – Practical approaches
• Social, mobile and open• Linking theory and practice• Changing roles • Reflection and development
#GCUBlend
Setting the scene
• Share your own experiences of Blended Learning e.g. -
– Why did you use technology for teaching?– How did you use technology for teaching?– Did it enhance the students’ learning
experience and how do you know? – Could it have been used more effectively?– What did you learn from the experience?
http://tinyurl.com/cnpuu8d
Could we live without it?
http://tinyurl.com/c7tntva
http://tinyurl.com/d55kv9q
http://tinyurl.com/cnpuu8d
Why technology for learning & teaching?
http://tinyurl.com/cmv6hnu
Student expectations
Knowledge economy - finding, evaluating and using information effectively
Global society
Employer expectations
Digital literacy skills
Forming professional and learning networks
Learning from others
GCU Strategy for Learning
Design Principles
Engaged learning
Divergent thinking
Personalised learning
Inclusive, accessible learning
Broader & deeper learningFlexible
learning
Global learning
Real world
Problem solving
Entrepreneur-ship
Responsible Leadership & Professionalis
m
Digital Learning/
Technology
Staff
Digital Learning/
Technology
Support Systems
Environment University systems
Student feedback/
evidence base
Effective Partnership
working
Enablers
Inspirational approaches to learning, teaching and assessment which embrace innovation and the imaginative use of learning technologies
Staff
Digital Learning/
Technology
Support Systems
Environment University systems
Student feedback/
evidence base
Effective Partnership
working
GCU Strategy for Learning
Enablers
Student expectations (NSS)
Module Leader is an inspiration, all
notes on Blackboard
GCULearn in general is such a helpful resource
Learning support through GCULearn
is fantastic!
Online modules with very poor
feedback
Communication via notice board rather
than through Blackboard…
Blackboard could have been used
more
Blended Learning at GCU
Face to Face Online Blended
An approach which combines excellence in established modes of learning and teaching with the innovative use of
learning technology.
In the classroom or lecture theatre
• Voting handsets (clickers)• Mobile devices (phones,
iPads, laptops)• YouTube videos• Podcasts• Twitter Feeds• Polling• Interactive whiteboards• ‘Flipped’ classroom
http://tinyurl.com/cmklr34
04/15/2023
Degrees of ‘blend’
Technology enhanced – content + support (20%) Some online resources & discussion groups or
blogs to supplement classroom-based teaching
Technology enabled – ‘wrap-around’ model (50%) Technology combined with classroom activities
to create a ‘blended’ model Includes online discussions, online activities,
group work
Technology dependent – integrated model (100%) Entirely online community Collaborative working, peer support, tutor as
facilitator
Student engage-
ment
Research activities
Special interest groups
Peer support &
review
National & inter-
national links
Digital literacy
Learning Theories
Social Constructivist
Building understanding
through dialogue and collaboration
Behaviourist
Practising skillsAbsorbing new
knowledge
Situated
Learning with others in situ: the
workplace, or communities of
practice
Constructivist
Building understanding through activity
and problem solvingHow can
technology help?
(Mayes & De Freitas, 2007)
Supporting students
Listening, reading & sense-making
(coping with course content)
Writing and presenting(preparing oral & written
assignments)
Communicating and community
(communicating with a group)
Searching and researching
(searching, evaluating & using online resources)
Listening, reading & sense-making
Encourage students to go beyond what is provided by the lecturer and the VLE
e.g. use file sharing sites such as Slideshare, iTunesU, YouTube and social bookmarking.
Podcasts and videos, blogs, wikis and virtual worlds
Mind-mapping tools
Focus on active, self-directed learning
http://www.flickr.com/photos/edinei/3176666887
Communicating and community
Online discussion groups from a student perspective – rationale, motivation, benefits
Blogging, social networking, Twitter, RSS feeds, mobile technologies, web conferencing for learning
Building learning networks with fellow students, lecturers, friends, family
Communication styles, identities, feelings
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adesigna/2952322725/
Searching and researching
Finding and evaluating digital resources for learning
Search engines, open content, multimedia resources
Library resources and e-books
Awareness of, and techniques for avoiding, plagiarism (Turnitin, PLATO)
SMILE , SMIRK and PILOT (Library)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adesigna/2940634261/
Writing and presenting
Academic writing, collaborative writing & oral presentations
Appropriate use of presentation software and office tools
Wikis, blogs, e-portfolios , audio tools
Using different technologies for organising, note-taking, file-sharing
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2059/2237177661_99d3e8de8e.jpg
Student survival guide (2010)
“I started a new course last year and was wondering how I was
going to cope with it all... I suppose I hadn’t really given
much thought to the technology, I hadn’t realised
how much it could help.”
www.flickr.com/photos/edinei/3176666887
The bigger picture
Learning & teaching approach
Learner profile + learning context
Module learning outcomes
Assessments
Learning activities
Which technologies?
Support for you, support for learners
Evaluate effectiveness
Over to you -
• How could you use technology more effectively in your own programmes and modules?
• What further support and development will you need?
Summary
• We have looked at -– What we mean by blended learning in GCU– How technology can help people learn– Tools and techniques– Designing blended learning activities– Shared experiences of learning and teaching with
technology
• Contacts for further information – – School Learning Technologists
References
A Guide to the Flipped Classroom, Chronicle of Higher Education, Jan 2015, http://chronicle.com/article/A-Guide-to-the-Flipped/151039/
Armellini A. & Nie M. (2013) Open educational practices for curriculum enhancement, Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 28:1, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02680513.2013.796286
Blaschke, Lisa Marie (2014) Using social media to engage and develop the online learner in self-determined learning. Research in Learning Technology, [S.l.], v. 22 http://www.researchinlearningtechnology.net/index.php/rlt/article/view/21635
Effective Practice in a Digital Age (JISC, 2009) http://tinyurl.com/34kekp8
Effective Assessment in a Digital Age (JISC, 2010) http://tinyurl.com/cwzphy4
Garrison, R. & Vaughan, N. (2008), Blended Learning in Higher Education, Jossey Bass, San Francisco
Mayes, T, & de Freitas, S. (2007). Learning and e-learning. The role of theory. In Beetham, H. & Sharpe, R. (2007) (Eds.) Rethinking Pedagogy for a Digital Age. Designing and delivering e-learning, 13-25. London: Routledge
MacDonald, J. & Creanor, L. (2010) Learning with Online and Mobile technologies: a student survival guide, Gower http://tinyurl.com/37g69ep
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