Update from Innovating e-Learning 2008

The closing days of JISC online conference saw some deep discussion. The session we were facilitating asked whether we should free the maniacs (or students!). Prof Mark Stiles was interested in the reasons education tended to be "controlling". He saw a downward spiral where embedding innovation led to regulation, which could act as a barrier to further innovation. Mark felt a philosophy of "minimum control" within institutions was the way forward.

Various examples of control (and concerns over relinquishing it) were cited, with the inference that we need to 'unpick' what is meant by control. Mark offered a spectrum of control to act as a guide:

• Control - to exercise restraint or direction over; to hold in check
• Manage - to take charge or care of; to govern, or control in action or use
• Facilitate - to make easier; help forward (an action, a process, etc.)
• Enable - to give power, means, competence, or ability to; to make possible or easy
• Recognise - to identify from knowledge of appearance or characteristics

He highlighted that "as [organisations] move up from merely 'recognising' something happens to having a fully 'controlled' institutional approach that we stop at the LOWEST level needed". Peter Bullen (Mark's co-presenter) reminded us that while controls are normally introduced for a good reason, they can become embedded and later, as organisations change, the original reason can be forgotten and the control can become unnecessary. A clear example of why process improvement or continual review is essential.

Both presenters had outlined the change processes introduced within their organisations. With particular emphasis at the University of Hertfordshire of involving students in this process. This process is called CABLE (Change Academy for Blended Learning Enhancement) and is described in detail in 'CABLE: an approach to embedding blended learning in the curricula and across the institution'.

Labels: #jiscel08, conference, control, elearning, online conference, transformational change

Day three of the JISC online conference sees the opening of the second theme - "Going boldly into the dark". The session we are facilitating ('Achieving Transformational Change - making it happen') features presenters Mark Stiles from Staffordshire University and Peter Bullen from the University of Hertfordshire.

Some really interesting and varied discussion has started on this first day about encouraging change at institutional, departmental and individual levels. Just as a taster these included discussion around 'Collaboration in transformational change'; whether embedding is a barrier to innovation and the question of how we measure transformation (and related to this - what is transformation!).

Other discussion covered issues such as ownership and control; motivations for staff to participate in transformational initiatives and what approach to staff support is taken (DIY or DIFM - do it for me!).

Lots more discussion to come from the second day of this theme!

Labels: #jiscel08, change, conference, JISC, onlineconference, transformation

Although details aren't yet available on the eLearning Alliance site, the next annual conference sounds to be a must attend event! Entitled Jock Tamson's Bairns (a reference to a Scot's saying meaning "underneath we're all the same"). The conference aims to question whether Web 2.0 marks a transformation in approaches to learning. Will this present further challenges in providing access across organisations, considering that learners could come from across four generations?

Headline speakers include Clive Shepherd chair of the eLearning Network and author of The Blended Learning Cookbook and Stephen Downes renowned eLearning expert. This slideshow is one of Stephen's more recent on the development of online community since the mid 90's, and includes lots(!) of examples of Web 2.0 tools in use for education and learning.

Labels: conference, digitalnatives, elearning, futures, scotland, web2.0

It was a week for assessment events - the e-Assessment Association Glasgow seminar, and a joint Assessment meets Enterprise meets Portfolio CETIS meeting. While the eAA is perhaps more focused on schools and colleges, and CETIS relates more strongly to HE, there was still some interesting links between the two events.

Helen Ashton and Cliff Beevers gave a presentation at the eAA that covered some of the history, current status and future of e-Assessment. This wasn't just the technology though, Helen talked us through the pros and cons, referring to the three stages of generational change proposed by Randy Bennett in his forecast on the future of large-scale educational assessment, published in 1998. Even ten years on, we are some way off Bennett's "Generation 'R' Tests (Reinvention)". Yes, assessment is being "administered at a distance" and it does "use complex simulations, including virtual reality". But, can we really say that assessment is "integrated with instruction (teaching)" and "designed according to cognitive principles"?

Helen went on to talk us through how paper-based assessment questions had been converted for delivery online. There were quite a few examples from maths (she is a mathematician afterall!) but it all served to demonstrate that we need to remember to look at comparability, and Helen gave an overview of various comparison studies. Cliff and Helen's presentation is available as a pdf.

The first presentation at the CETIS event concerned forthcoming calls for studies from JISC. One of these was described as a mixed methods study regarding the 'Quality of e-Assessment'. It was suggested that it is intended to address some of the "deep-rooted concerns" regarding quality amongst those sceptical of e-Assessment. It sounds as those members of the eAA are already working in this area.

Labels: assessment, conference, education, elearning, futures, organisation

Just been dipping into the Eduserve symposium on 'Inside Out: What do current Web trends tell us about the future of ICT provision for learners and researchers?' It's all streamed, which is nice for those of us who couldn't make it to London in person, especially with the linked live chat. I particularly like the way the chat is set up alongside the video stream - sounds obvious and simple, but has probably taken someone a lot of head scratching on the technical front. Shame we can't see who is in the live chat, but you can't have everything. There is a efsym2008 social network tho.

The first presentation was from Larry Johnson of the New Media Consortium. (NMC is the organisation that along with the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative produces the Horizon report.) Larry talked through some of the history of innovation and the impact of inventions (like washing machines!) drawing on "When old technologies were new. Thinking about electric communication in the late 19th century". He moved onto the Horizon report which "charts the landscape of emerging technologies" especially as they expand the "boundaries of teaching, learning and creative expression by creatively applying new tools in new contexts". The report is in its fifth year, and part of his talk included a meta-analysis of the last five years. It was striking how despite changing membership of the panel who produce the report, there was a shared vision over the years.

Larry's presentation was delivered via his avatar in Secondlife, which was a neat idea, but not so easy to see his slides over the video stream. Although Kate has just pointed out in the chat that if Larry shares the location, anyone can explore the presentation later and chat together there, "which would be a much richer experience than just looking at his slides somewhere online".

I'll just have to read the report direct, which is probably a good thing!

Labels: conference, education, efsym2008, futures, web2.0

It's that time of year again, time to look out your brollies and head down to the SECC in Glasgow for the Scottish Learning Festival 2007 (formerly SETT).

Seminars this year are grouped around key themes in Scottish education (with a strong schools based focus, as to be expected by a LTS organised event):

* Towards the Curriculum for Excellence
* Excellence and Ambition
* Support for Teachers and Learners
* Leadership
* Skills for Work and Life
* International Perspectives

The festival will run on the 19th and 20th September, at the SECC in Glasgow. See the Scottish Learning Festival website for more details.

Labels: conference, elearning, LTScotland, schools, scottish

The REAP07 conference site will be archived and made publicly available in the near future. In the meantime you can register to view conference material on the existing conference website. If you would like to be kept informed about publication of conference material please contact Inspire Research.

Labels: assessment, conference, online conference, REAP project

The REAP 07 online conference came to a close on the 31st May, with a very lively panel session on Sharing responsibility for assessment: reflections on the conference.

We have been delighted by the interest shown in the conference, with 400 delegates from over 46 countries attending and some great key note speakers and case study authors, all contributing to make a really interesting and successful online event.

As conference organisers from Inspire Research Ltd, we have worked with the REAP team to design the format and structure of the conference. Inspire Research Ltd played a key role in taking the idea forward – planning the organisation of the conference and the bespoke online environment. This has included creating the case study template, tracking submissions, keeping everyone informed and up to date (including authors, facilitators, keynotes, panellist and moderators), scheduling the programme, building the conference structure online, keeping everything on track during the conference, preparing the conference updates, and much more behind the scenes.

Having seen the interest generated by the REAP conference, I’m sure you can appreciate the value and opportunities presented by this kind of online event. If you would like to talk through the implications and consider whether this would work for you please do contact us. We can advise on all aspects of hosting your own online event.

Remember that all the case studies, forums and chat sessions can still be accessed at the REAP07 conference webstite.

Labels: assessment, conference, online conference, REAP project

We are pleased to announce that Inspire Research Ltd are the conference organisers for the REAP International Online Conference. The conference is part of the Re-engineering Assessment Practices (REAP) project, a £1m initiative funded by the Scottish Funding Council under its e-Learning Transformation initiative. REAP is a collaborative project involving the University of Strathclyde, University of Glasgow and Glasgow Caledonian University.

This entirely online conference will address "Assessment design for learner responsibility", with three themes focusing on:

• Assessment and the first year experience;
• Great designs for assessment; and
• Institutional strategies (designs) for assessment.

Over 60 case studies were submitted to the call for submissions, which closed last month. The conference will include keynote presentations, expert facilitator led discussion of case studies, panel sessions, and more. The programme is currently being finalised, with details due to be released early in May. The conference itself will run from the 29th to the 31st May 2007 with reading time beforehand.

For more information, please visit the conference website or contact us at reapconference@inspire-research.co.uk.

Labels: assessment, conference, online conference, REAP project