1 Using e-learning opportunities to best advantage Centre for Academic Practice Jay Dempster & Piers Nicholls School of Law IT Support Day 21 May 2003

Purpose of the session  CAP’s role in e-learning  Factors of change for HE  Opportunities, concerns, tactics  Implications for learning & teaching  Lessons learned in law teaching  Evaluation & curriculum design  Sharing messages

Tap into CAP  Developing academic staff expertise  Assisting departments  Supporting an e-learning community of practice  Promoting innovation in teaching & learning  Undertaking research & development  Evaluating effectiveness in learning  Providing accreditation & recognition  Encouraging embedding of available ICT  Disseminating good practice in e-learning

4 Factors of change in academic practice and the student learning experience Piers Nicholls

Factors of Change  Student profile  Curriculum  Sector  Political climate

Development ideas for projects  Using evaluation as a design and development tool  Building the student experience into the processes of innovation  Utilise a range of data to establish success and issues to be addressed  Manage degree of risk

7 Opportunities, concerns & tactics Jay Dempster

8 E-learning Shifting academic practice: Inspiring, imaginative & transforming

Potentially …  “The genuinely transformative nature of cyberspace lies not with access but with the potential for the production of knowledge and for new modes of collaboration and communication that can subvert and invert established authority relations, allowing the emergence of a democratising literacy.” Pedagogy, Politics and Power Stokes & Stokes, Computers & Texts, Ch.13 (1996)

Potentially …  “The genuinely transformative nature of cyberspace lies not with access but with the potential for the production of knowledge and for new modes of collaboration and communication that can subvert and invert established authority relations, allowing the emergence of a democratising literacy.” Pedagogy, Politics and Power Stokes & Stokes, Computers & Texts, Ch.13 (1996)

Potentially …  The interactive properties of e-learning are capable of creating a community of inquiry that is independent of time and space and with the combination of interactive and reflective characteristics that can stimulate and facilitate a level of higher order learning unimaginable to date. E-Learning in the 21 st Century: A Framework for Research and Practice, Garrison & Andersen,Ch. 5, p.53 (2003)

Potentially …  The interactive properties of e-learning are capable of creating a community of inquiry that is independent of time and space and with the combination of interactive and reflective characteristics that can stimulate and facilitate a level of higher order learning unimaginable to date. E-Learning in the 21 st Century: A Framework for Research and Practice, Garrison & Andersen,Ch. 5, p.53 (2003)

“[Through new technology,] there will be a fostering of greater student/teacher interaction and the promotion of greater student engagement wherever students are located. There will also be the opportunity to develop more instructional formats and increase information resources through use of the web. Such systems will provide law staff with functions to help with the easy management of courses without requiring major technical expertise; thus staff will be able to manage and customise their course area from work or from home, via a web browser. Pages will be updated regularly, and no knowledge of HTML will be required, either by academic staff or by students.” Professor Diana M R Tribe, Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Hertfordshire, Higher education futures, Learning in Law Initiative Conference 2002 Ideally …

Responding to your own professional role: A. What e-learning approaches do you see as offering the most possibilities to you (in your role)? B. What are your main areas of need or concern in implementing these? C. What approaches do you feel would really enhance the student learning experiences?

15 Implications of e- approaches to teaching & learning Interweaving pedagogy with technology Case studies from law teaching Jay Dempster

Strategically (in Law Teaching)  Benchmarks emphasise :  Generic skills  Understanding of the law  Transferability

Realistically (in student learning) ICT role in developing :  ICT & communication skills  Problem-solving  Critical thinking  Evaluation  Decision making

‘Learning gains’  Why might it be in your interest to utilise these e-learning tools?  What sort of benefits of delivery mechanisms are seen as good practice?

Cost-benefits Learning effectiveness Teaching efficiency

Cost-benefits Teaching efficiency Learning effectiveness

Cost-benefits Learning effectiveness Teaching efficiency

Pedagogical benefits of e-learning  Flexibility  Interactivity  Integration  Any place, any time access to materials  Increased availability of tutor and peer groups  Reflective & collaborative approaches  Resources – – Discussion – Group work  Human interactions – tutors/students/group  Content interactions– student/tutor/group/content  Iterative in real time & delayed time  ‘Traditional’ & online  Mix ‘n’ match  Social & cognitive  Mutually reinforcing

Establishing curriculum objectives  CONTENT   OBJECTIVES   PROCESS  Non-ICT teaching & learning resources Tutor focused Student focused

Mapping ICT to curriculum objectives  CONTENT  Web-based content management systems  E-libraries, databases, gateways  Multimedia/CAL resources  OBJECTIVES  Streaming video  Productivity & analysis tools  Computer based assessment  Simulations & workbooks  PROCESS  Virtual learning environments   Discussion lists/newsgroups  Student web publishing  Conferencing systems  Site Builder  SOSIG Law Gateway  Iolis Law Courseware  GroupWise  Forums Non-ICT teaching & learning resources Tutor focused Student focused

Observations from law staff   Web (CMS), Iolis  Discussion board  SOSIG Law Gateway  VLE (integrated tools)  The Communicator  The Deliverer  The Debater  The Researcher  The Facilitator

Integrating into a lecture based module  Objectives  High student numbers reduced student interaction  Contact sessions too large to cover required material  Use of ICT to promote student-centred discussion  Approaches  Use of to facilitate discussion & interaction  Weekly lectures maintained (passive)  Seminar style questions via (active)  Observations  Flexibility & interactivity  Loss of the physical presence vs. removal of barriers  Delay in responding vs. time for reflection  High demands on staff time (FAQs, 450 s!)  IT & communications skills, but not oral skills  Low techno-levels required. Poyton, D. Law Lecturer, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, Linking Iolis to the Web, Journal of Information, Law & Technology Issue 3 (2001)

 Objectives  High numbers & volume of material  Produce flexibility in course delivery  Use contact time more actively  Approaches  Weekly contact sessions more flexible  Small block format for varying sessions & student participation  Online delivery of materials (incl. FAQs)  Group presentation tasks – F2F & online  Observations  Flexibility & interactivity (new study practices)  Student-centred sessions enhanced rather than replaced  More efficient use of student & staff time (45 s!)  Balance of communication skills  ‘Cut & paste mentality’ & plagiarism  Higher techno-levels required & some training Poyton, D. (2001) ibid. Rethinking course design for integrated tools

 Visible law sources  Quality checked law resources  Structured, detailed site profiles  Content assessments  Dynamic links to 1 ο & 2 ο legal literature  The Researcher

The Facilitator emphasises learning that is  developed  individualised  autonomous  empowered  participative  adaptable  flexible  unrestricted David Grantham, Coventry University, IOLISplus: customising online learning using IOLIS and web pages, Learning in Law Initiative Inaugural Conference (1999)

30 Discussion (and interaction) …  encourages active and participatory learning, two cornerstones of effective online learning  is the focal point of the Socratic method  encourages learners to analyse alternative ways of thinking and acting  assists them in exploring their own experiences so that they can become better critical thinkers. Brookfield, S D, 'Discussion', in Adult Learning Methods: A Guide for Effective Instruction, M. W. Galbraith, ed., FL, Malabar, Krieger Publishing Company, (1990)

31 Evaluation & Curriculum Design Exploring new technology through pilot projects: Piers Nicholls

Developing the curriculum  Analysis and Design  Development  Implementation  Departmental Implications

The Student Experience  Students provide information, data and perceptions throughout project development  The views of students should be used alongside other data/sources (academic, IT, other colleagues etc)  Develop a range of questions to determine whether student learning has been enhanced and why

A Departmental Approach  Departmental commitment & support  What are the natural groupings of staff in the Law School for implementing an e-learning strategy?  How might you go about identifying pilot projects and setting up feedback mechanisms?  How will you share and learn from developments across the School?

35 Group feedback Sharing & discussing your messages