Theory and methodology of e-learning research

Gráinne ConolePhD research day, 21/2/12

University of Leicester

Outline

• An overview of e-learning research

• Empirical evidence• Examples of current

research• Theories underpinning the

field• Methodologies

E-learning research

• Learner experience• Teacher practice• Social & participatory media• Learning design• Learning spaces• Mobile learning• Virtual worlds

E-learning research

• Learning analytics• Use of Virtual Learning Environments• Open Educational Resources• Pedagogical patterns• Digital literacies• Creativity and technologies• Openness

Cross cutting themes

• Affordances of technologies• Barriers and enablers• Case studies of good practice• Emergent technologies• Changing practices• Institutional implications

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• Metaphors•Camp fire•Watering hole•Cave•Mountain top

• Principle of learning space design

•Comfort•Aesthetics•Flow•Equity•Blending•Affordances•Repurposing

Learning spaces

www.skgproject.com

Play

Performance

Simulation

Appropriation

Multitasking

Distributed cognition

Collective intelligence

Judgement

Transmedia navigation

Networking

Negotiation

Jenkins et al., 2006

Participatory culture shifts the focus of literacy from one of individual expression to community involvement. The new literacies almost all involve social skills developed through collaboration and networking

Creativity

New digital literacies

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• Technology immersed• Learning approaches: task-

orientated, experiential, just in time, cumulative, social

• Personalised digital learning environment

• Mix of institutional systems and Cloud-based tools and services

• Use of course materials with free resources Sharpe, Beetham and De Freitas, 2010

Learner experience

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EDUCAUSE study• Students drawn

to new technologies but rely on more traditional ones

• Consider technologies offer major educational benefits

• Mixed views of VLEs

• Technologies not extensively used (Molenda)

• Lack of uptake of OER (McAndrew et al.)

• Little use beyond early adopted (Rogers)

• Despite rhetoric and funding little evidence of transformation (Cuban, Ehlers)

Pandora’s box

What would it mean to adopt more open practices? Open design, open delivery, open research and open evaluation?

Teacher practices: paradoxes

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Pandora’s box

Open design Open delivery

Open dialogue Open research

Open practices

Open design

Shift from belief-based, implicit approaches to design-based, explicit approaches

Encourages reflective, scholarly practicesPromotes sharing and discussion

Learning DesignA design-based approach to creation and support of courses

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Course views

Course map

Learning outcomes

Pedagogy profile

Task swimlaneTask swimlane

Course dimensions

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I find the document quite thought-provoking, especially as a starting point in this journey for developing good understandings

I could understand the learning design process and would feel able to use this when designing some learning activities

It is iterative and so helps with ironing out any issues

But does it work?

Open resources

Open courses: MOOC

http://mooc.ca/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW3gMGqcZQc

MassiveOpen Online Course

Open accreditation

http://www.p2pu.org/en/

Peer to Peer University

http://wikieducator.org/OER_university/

OER University

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•A space for sharing and discussing learning and teaching ideas and designs

•Application of the best of web 2.0 practice for teaching

•To bridge the gap between technologies and use

•Teachers say they want: examples, want to share & discuss

•Helps develop skills needed for engaging with new technologies’

http://cloudworks.ac.uk

Open dialogue: Cloudworks

ParticipationSustained over timeCommitment from core groupEmerging roles & hierarchy

IdentityGroup self-awarenessShared language & vocabSense of community

CohesionSupport & toleranceTurn taking & responseHumour and playfulness

Creative capabilityIgniting sense of purposeMultiple points of view expressed, contradicted or challengedCreation of knowledge links & patterns

Galley et al., 2010

Community indicators

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Open scholarship

Weller: http://nogoodreason.typepad.co.uk/

OpenDigital Networked

DiscoveryIntegrationApplicationTeaching

Boyer

Open research

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The future of learning

Distributed

Personalised

Blurred

Distributed

Collective

Creative

Responsive

Open

Just in time

Empirical evidence

• Review of social and participatory media (Conole and Alevizou, 2010)

• Review of e-learning pedagogies (Conole, 2010)• Review of TEL researchers (Conole, et al., 2011)• Networked learning ‘hotseat’ on theory and

methodology (Conole, 2010)

Theory

• Activity theory• Actor Network Theory• Community of Practice• Social capital• Cybernetics

Activity Theory

Methodology

• Case studies• Evaluation• Virtual ethnography• Content analysis• Action research• Design-based research

My influences• Laurillard• Salomon• Lave and Wenger• Engestrom• Wetsch • Cole• Daniels• Schon• Atkins• Seely Brown• Pea • Perkins

Tips

• To do list, milestones, deadlines• Share drafts and get comments!• Present and get feedback at

conferences• Network, network, network!• Publish as you go• Up to date bibliography, use ref

software!• Nail your methodology

Final thoughts• Open, participatory and social media enable new forms of

communication and collaboration• Communities in these spaces are complex and distributed• Learners and teachers need to develop new digital literacy skills

to harness their potential• We need to rethink how we design, support and assess learning• Open, participatory and social media can provide mechanisms for

us to share and discuss teaching and research ideas in new ways• We are seeing a blurring of boundaries: teachers/learners,

teaching/research, real/virtual spaces, formal/informal modes of communication and publication