2007_034

Pedagogy for the eLearning Environment
 * PROJECT TITLE**

Nathan Rose (Western Sydney Institute) nathan.rose-at-tafensw.edu.au
 * MANAGER**

Bob Thurlow bob.thurlow-at-tafensw.edu.au (Western Sydney Institute)
 * FACILITATOR**

The aim of this project is to identify those pedagogical skills that are required for a face-to-face teacher to be able to deliver the same material as effectively as possible to both face-to-face and online students (not necessarily concurrently). We believe that teachers need a combination of good face-to-face skills and specialist online delivery skills. Our hypothesis is that most face-to-face teachers don’t innately possess the (quite different) skill set needed to deliver effectively to online students. Other projects have examined new learning technologies and innovative ways in which they can be used. There is often however a lag in the development of pedagogical skills needed to take full educational advantage of these technologies. This is especially so with teachers who work mostly in the face-to-face environment. This project will evaluate strategies for addressing that lag in a test environment.
 * SUMMARY**


 * CONTEXT**
 * Most team meetings will be held online in Adobe Connect. These meetings will be recorded and stored online. Links will be made available to these recordings.
 * Project team members will use blogs to keep a reflective journal of their work-based activities. These blogs will be accessible by all members of the team, and by authorised LearnScope administrators. Blog entries can be made publicly viewable as appropriate.
 * A wiki will be used to record activities, observations and finding and to meet reporting requirements.

We are currently using the following technologies with currently enrolled or previously enrolled students:
 * TARGET GROUPS**
 * Video and audio recordings of interviews for upload to websites and distribution to students in the workplace;
 * Audio recordings of segments of face-to-face classes for upload to a website;
 * Audio recordings of instructions made by teachers especially for online students;
 * Uploading of teachers’ resources and links to online resources for access by students;
 * Trial use of Adobe Acrobat Connect with currently enrolled students.


 * TEAM**

bob.thurlow-at-tafensw.edu.au Bob has been a computer professional since 1975 and has been teaching people how to use computers since 1992, most of that time with WSI TAFE. He has been a champion of computer-based learning since the expression was first used. As computer-based learning evolved to the Internet and online learning, Bob’s experience evolved with the technology. More recently his focus has shifted to the pedagogical skills required to make effective use of the increasingly sophisticated technological resources available to us. Bob brings to this project energy, enthusiasm for the possibilities of educational technology and a realistic attitude concerning the difficulties associated with using technology for effective elearning.
 * Bob Thurlow**

Nathan.Rose-at-tafensw.edu.au Nathan has a passion for the Internet, Web Design and Online Media (including webcasting). As a full time teacher of Information Technology, he can fulfil his passions, teaching a range of web design classes, both within the physical “traditional” classroom and increasingly online with students located in Canada, Regional NSW & locally. Prior to working as a teacher, Nathan worked as a web designer as well as establishing and running a local internet service provider.
 * Nathan Rose**

Elizabeth.Hobbs-at-det.nsw.edu.au
 * Beth Hobbs**

Paula.E.Williams-at-tafensw.edu.au
 * Paula Williams**

Timothy.Smith-at-tafensw.edu.au
 * Tim Smith**

Roger.Hanlon-at-tafensw.edu.au Roger Hanlon is a part-time TAFE teacher at Richmond IT section with a passion for making the learning experience fun. Continually on the lookout for teaching aids, illustrations, jokes, role plays and practical exercises to illustrate a lesson, Roger is enthusiastic about the content he is delivers. The reduced interactivity and feedback while teaching on-line students is a challenge that Roger has responded to by generating (and providing links to) resources of reasonable quality but he is still concerned that remote students may lose interest. Roger will be keen to improve his skills communicating with on-line students so he can sleep better at night...
 * Roger Hanlon**

Michael.Reifenstein-at-tafensw.edu.au
 * Michael Reifenstein**

Angelina.Santoro-at-tafensw.edu.au
 * Angelina Santoro**

Meredith.Collins2-at-det.nsw.edu.au
 * Meredith Collins**

June - Initial focus group (face-to-face and online), two days for introduction, planning and all team members. Client representatives will be invited to this focus group. June – Initial survey and/or interview currently enrolled students (face-to-face, online and in the workplace) to gather data on effectiveness of current pedagogical methods. Fortnightly online focus groups with EDNA and LearningTimes Fortnightly face-to-face/online focus groups with team members who are delivering to students. These focus groups are for the purpose of analysing and evaluating those pedagogical skills that have been identified and applied in work-based situations. Ongoing workplace application of pedagogical skills between focus group meetings. Reference will be specifically to the application of pedagogical skills in the context of:
 * KEY DATES**
 * Audio recordings for e-learning students
 * Video recordings for e-learning students


 * SHARING KNOWLEDGE**
 * Share knowledge via our own website [|http://richmondit.com.au] using a wiki to document the pedagogical principles that are identified over the course of the project blogs to diarise our reflections as we progress.
 * Team members will continue to self-assess in the workplace as they reinforce pedagogical skills gained during the project. This will be monitored by the project facilitator.
 * Presentation at a showcase or similar event within each Institute involved in the project.
 * Key members of the team will continue to share learning through established online networks within and beyond the RTO.

Work-based learning will be recorded by team members in reflective journals in the form of blogs. The team facilitator will use these blogs as a gauge of team members' self-evaluation and progress. The facilitator (and others) will respond to the blogs with appropriate comments. Team members will also be expected to actively seek client feedback on-the-job, and document and respond to that feedback. Reflective blogs will be used for documenting, with postings being made publicly viewable where appropriate.
 * WORK BASED LEARNING STRATEGIES**


 * ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES**
 * Client survey results at start of project.
 * Client survey results at completion of project.
 * Written analysis of survey results.
 * Representative samples of recorded pedagogical approaches at beginning and end of project, with written or recorded evaluations by team members and clients. (Clients will be from face-to-face, online and industry backgrounds).
 * A document setting out “pedagogical principles for the e-learning environment” that have been identified as a result of the project.
 * Team members’ learning plans.

Clients will be engaged in the project primarily in three ways:
 * CLIENT / INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT**
 * By being involved in the teaching and learning process as students.
 * By responding to surveys at the beginning and end of the project period.
 * By client representatives providing input and feedback to focus groups.


 * IMPACTS ON LEARNERS / CLIENTS**
 * An increasing demand that we teach in the workplace and online, those courses that we have previously only taught face-to-face. This began in earnest in 2006 and continues to grow in 2007.
 * A shortage of specially prepared, up-to-date learning resources that can be presented online and in the workplace equally as well as on campus and face-to-face.
 * A realisation that our most of teachers are lacking in the skill sets needed to teach students whom they may never see face-to-face.
 * These students to whom we need to deliver are real, enrolled students in 2007. This work will continue beyond 2007. The project will help provide the specialist skill set needed to do this work as effectively as possible.

Replace this text with your URLs ( links ) when you have completed the requirements listed below. Midway through the project your team will be required to; Meet with a member of the NSW LearnScope Management team face-to-face. A podcast recording will be conducted during this meeting which captures your progress and reflections on your teams learning. These podcasts will be available via the [|NSW LearnScope podcast]
 * REPORTING MID PROJECT**

Your team will be required to submit a 250 word Postcard From The Field for publication in the [|NSW LearnScope blog]. Note : This should be submitted in text form only and be accompanied by a link ( URL ) to an image in your own respective Flickr site.


 * END OF PROJECT REPORT**

For our final report we created a [|blip.tv video clip] of our reflections as a discussion panel. Nathan Rose (Project Manager), Bob Thurlow (Project Facilitator) Roger Hanlon (team member) had a lot of fun looking back over the project and sharing our thoughts. The clip, which runs for about 16 minutes, records a fun and relaxed panel discussion of our journey into the challenging world of delivering both face-to-face and online. Did we succeed? Listen in and decide for yourself.