Thursday, June 19, 2008

Blended Learning Curriculum Design workshop

Mark Russell and Peter Bullen, BLU, UoH

It's about harnessing tech for better LTA eg better f2f, greater flex,new ways to communicate
Hey! They mention 'extending', enhancing and replacing the classrooom.
Extending inc prevision, putting up resources ie doing more. extended in time and content.
But you've got to set out to enhance - not just extend.
Discussion: what constitutes a good learning experience? (What a huge question - generated an essays worth of responses in pair work).
Here are some answers from the floor: tailored, personalised, activity and engagement, motivated, meaningful for each and every student, broadening/widening, clear with shared expectations, negotiated perhaps, knowing you have progressed, a way to measure yourself, (they're also asking students in their work how they would answer the question), an engaged tutor (to model subject passion), not being sponn fed (like school).
Is it the same for a tutor and a student?
BLU at UoH use and promote '7 principles for good practice in undergraduate education (Arthur W. Chickering and Zelda F. Gamson, "Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education," AAHE Bulletin, vol. 39, no. 7 (March 1987), pp. 3–7, http://aahebulletin.com/public/archive/sevenprinciples1987.asp. )
encourages contact between students and faculty,
develops reciprocity and cooperation among students,
encourages active learning,
gives prompt feedback,
emphasizes time on task,
communicates high expectations, and
respects diverse talents and ways of learning.
Capture what you find yourself saying eg why do my students always... rely on me, ask what's on assessment, turn up late, etc
Ask academics to put those principles on likert scales (without numbers) and discuss. Where are they compared where they want to be?
Good Curriculum design exercise.
The principles/scale helps you to prioritise.
They use this in a Change Academy context, but may be useful if it is properly supported for use in isolation.
Win Hornby method of assessing Efficiency against Effectiveness.
ROI comes into this. Sally Brown says see a £4K price tag above every student's head. Yuk.
Q: By making it easier for the academics are we making it harder for the students? A: don't technologise what you're doing. Q: No, by going open-ended w're making it harder for studs. A: move away from a 'stuffed curriculum'.
Model of what they've introduced:
"How do I get my students to study outside of class?"
"What are they doing in independent time?"
"Why do they rely on me?"
(Principles inc: Time on task...)
Solution: bloggs for studs and staff modelling reflective practice
Impact: studs more prepare in f2f, studs online more effectively, better quality assignments, more questioning studs, established a supportive culture.

Finally, they note the value of teams in curriculum redesign (but that's difficult on resourcing re/design..)

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