To enable collaborative and independent study of the ‘design, development and implementation of elearning’ in the context of professional practice and across national and discipline borders. To exploit electronic mediation rather than replicate the classroom.
Level and nature of learners
This is a Master’s level course for practising teachers in any context, discipline or country.
Training and experience required of teachers of the course
Not discussed in the project report.
Learning design
Teaching via discussion focusing on comparison and contrast with the experiences of other professional, online activities, such as design of elearning activities and resources, collaborative projects and a supervised online teaching practice.
Collaborative and (I assume) individual tasks are assessed
Students produce an edossier of papers on a negotiated topic
Special equipment and/or facilities
Initially, a VLE providing a pathway tool, resource centre, email, text-conferencing, e-portfolio and blogging.
Later also externally provided tools such as Skype, MSN, wikis and Googledocs
Key benefits
Flexibility resulting from asynchronous communication.
Many students have been promoted in their current job or secured a new job.
Student find the international nature of the student body brings new insights.
Opportunities to collaborate.
Study informing and being informed by professional practice.
Key lessons learned
For a conventional university, promotion is problematic as it needs to appeal beyond the local market.
Students on the course are not integrated with the main student body and cannot select modules outside the elearning provision.
Collaboration in an asynchronous environment can lead to frustration amongst students caused by perceived or actual inequality of contribution by their colleagues.
Asynchronicity and flexibility can adversely affect students’ (and, I assume tutors’) work/life balance.
A personalized learning environment helps to establish group identity, conducive to collaborative work.
Potential for further development
CPD for internal staff of the providing institution
Adoption of a new VLE makes possible further enhancements of provision
A rival to the MAODE?
The next project I’m reviewing is an elaborate one, which is directly comparable to the OU’s own MAODE.
University of Hull, On online MEd in e-Learning programme
Context and aim of project
To enable collaborative and independent study of the ‘design, development and implementation of elearning’ in the context of professional practice and across national and discipline borders. To exploit electronic mediation rather than replicate the classroom.
Level and nature of learners
This is a Master’s level course for practising teachers in any context, discipline or country.
Training and experience required of teachers of the course
Not discussed in the project report.
Learning design
Teaching via discussion focusing on comparison and contrast with the experiences of other professional, online activities, such as design of elearning activities and resources, collaborative projects and a supervised online teaching practice.
Collaborative and (I assume) individual tasks are assessed
Students produce an edossier of papers on a negotiated topic
Special equipment and/or facilities
Initially, a VLE providing a pathway tool, resource centre, email, text-conferencing, e-portfolio and blogging.
Later also externally provided tools such as Skype, MSN, wikis and Googledocs
Key benefits
Key lessons learned
Potential for further development
CPD for internal staff of the providing institution
Adoption of a new VLE makes possible further enhancements of provision