Interaction E-matters

I have chosen to evidence this as my specialism as it is a subject that I am passionate about, have studied in great depth, have a very wide experience of, and is wide-ranging and fundamental when examining the learners experience and the effectiveness of e-learning. I also believe that it is a more progressive and encompassing concept than the ‘Interface Design’ that it is related to, and stems from.

Since 1995 I have had experience working with interface design, graphic design and using multi-media. At that time the internet was far simpler than it is now, so I have been in a position to watch developments, including JavaScripting, CSS and the introduction of Flash elements. Each of these have allowed a greater range of interactions with Web objects. Course and learning object designers have now a huge palette of ways and means to engage the learner in interacting with their courses and materials. My interest is in seeing that these interactions are properly applied in ways that result in a coherent framework for learners using them.

As can be inferred from this, interaction design here goes far beyond making user-friendly screens for key materials, although it does also encompass this. It is more concentrated on thinking about the learners’ experience of studying the course. Will they know where to go for particular resources? To find out information? Where to interact with other students, and in what ways? When they have finished one set of materials, what should they do next?

There is a shift in the ethos of learning, especially in the HE sector, to create self-directed learners. Web 2.0 technologies can be used in order to support this, and many efforts are being made to get the learners interacting with each other using these tools, but the rage of tools for interaction does not stop there. Recently I have been looking at Second Life as a tool for interaction, and as an immersive and customisable virtual environment, can see a lot of uses. Even in the ways users interact with objects presented within, there are many opportunities for improvement, and it is interesting to see this technology at an early stage in its development. I look forward to presenting users and learners with many interesting and fulfilling interactions in the future.

This is an exercise for my PGCE, which involved looking at the different learning needs of 2 different students, and comparing them, along with providing a basis in learning theory.

An account of two learners, identifying their individual learning needs. This account includes:

i) A diagnostic analysis of each learners needs, and where appropriate*, ILPs for both, indicating specific learning objectives.

ii) A description of how your planning, teaching, and assessment can cater for these differences

iii) References to some relevant literature on theories of individual differences in justifying your analysis of needs, strategies and approaches.

The course:

The programme I am referring to is the Ferl Practitioners Programme. It is a level 2 qualification about using interactive elements, E-learning and blended learning in teaching. As such, most of my students are lecturing staff. Whilst I have not written the course from scratch, in that it contains materials from an external body, I have been responsible for the layout and presentation of the course in recent months.

Learner A

i) Diagnostic analysis:

This student lectures in an outdoor, practice based subject that is not generally associated with computing. It is likely that some of his students would be computer illiterate, and web access cannot be assumed.

This student has been asked to do the course by his Director. Time has been given in remission in order that he completes it, and he will obtain a level 2 computing qualification which he needs.

He is interested in the content of the course, and is finding that it contains ideas to incorporate into his teaching practice. With a lot of guidance, he is patiently working though the course requirements, and submitting satisfactory work.

ii) How I cater for this learner:

We have arranged to meet this learner once a week for a tutorial/workshop type session. He finds this very helpful, as I am on hand as a tutor to answer questions and provide tips and guidance at every stage.

This student prefers to be guided on a step-by-step basis. If there is any ambiguity or inconsistency in the course materials, he will stop and ask for a clarification.

Learner B

i) Diagnostic analysis:

This student is a well qualified lecturer, and uses computers every day. Web literacy is no barrier for him, and he prefers to study the course individually.

The assignments he delivers are of exceptional quality, going over and beyond what is required, and it is clear that the course materials have provoked a considerable amount of thinking as to how he can embed E-learning materials into his own practice.

He has a very critical eye towards the learning materials, and has drawn to my attention a number of mistakes and ambiguities in the course content. Although he understands that I have inherited the course complete with flaws, he becomes quite agitated if I agree that there is a fault with the course, and that the online materials need reviewing.

ii) How I cater for this learner

Since I have become responsible for the layout of this course I have made considerable improvements. I have:

• arranged the course so that each unit is proceeded by an overview, which describes, simply, what is expected from the student in order to complete the unit.
• made the navigation simpler, the student can see all the steps and materials in the unit on one screen
• undertaken a review of the online assessments to ensure that they tie in properly with the learning materials in that unit, which was not always the case.
• created overview record sheets, in which the students can see, on one sheet of A4 paper, exactly where they are on the course, and the assessments that they still need to complete.
• standardised the assessment submission procedure throughout the course, so that the same proforma is used, and this enables the mark, and the work submitted, to be accessed directly from the online gradebook, or the students homepage on the VLE.
• ensured that work submitted is marked promptly, and feedback given.

iii) References to relevant literature

In his book “Delivering Learning on the Net” (2002), Martin Weller speaks about problems arising from the nature of online delivery, namely that it can be instantly edited, and its effect on students.

The knowledge that something can be changed easily can lead to a rather casual attitude to publishing. For students, any ambiguity in material can be very confusing, resulting in wasted effort, discontentment, and loss of confidence.

Weller, M, (2002), Delivering Learning on the Net, London, Kogan Page, p.98.

This effect has been one of the major difficulties that we have had with this course. I have ‘inherited’ the format in a fairly ramshackle form from another member of staff, with many students still in varying degrees of completion. Whilst the changes I have been making have been to clarify and organise the materials, in order to make it easier and more straightforward for the learner, students have often reacted in a far less positive way to the changes that I would expect.

A possible explanation for the surprising extent of this reaction is described by Knowles’ Andragogy (Knowles, 1978), where he comments on the learning approach of adult learners, which I feel is particularly appropriate as the learners I am dealing with are teachers themselves:

the individual develops a deep psychological need to be perceived by others as being self-directing. Thus, when he finds himself in a situation in which he is not allowed to be self-directing, he experiences a tension between that situation and his self-concept. His reaction is bound to be tainted with resentment and resistance. Knowles, Malcolm S. (1978), The adult learner: A neglected species, Houston, TX:Gulf. P.56

This is interesting in that it describes the major differences between student A and student B. Whereas student A could be described as a child learner in this context, in that he is content to be guided step-by-step through the materials, student B wants to take responsibility for his own learning, and work individually. If he is unable to do this due to a fault in the course materials, he is quite resentful about having to ask for assistance, feeling that to do so represents a degree of disempowerment.

It is notable that whereas Knowles’ work can be summarised as

Bottom line: don’t patronise your students!

ATHERTON J S (2005)

In describing these two ways of learning, he refers to the labels ‘adult’ and ‘child’, which are, in themselves, very patronising.

In many respects, student A has been more satisfying to have as a student on the course, and, though the level of the work has been different, has probably achieved as much through it as student B, and possibly gained more.

Bearing in mind that the same degree of help and support has been available for all students on this course, I think it unfair to imply that student A’s approach to study is in any way inferior, or less ‘mature’, than that of student B.

I have, however, found the input of student B very useful in helping me design strategies to enable students to study independently.

(966 words)

Bibliography:

ATHERTON J S (2005) Learning and Teaching:  Knowles’ andragogy: an angle on adult learning   [On-line] UK: Available from: http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/knowlesa.htm

Accessed: 27 November 2006

Knowles, Malcolm S. (1978), The adult learner: A neglected species, Houston, TX:Gulf.

Weller, M, (2002), Delivering Learning on the Net, London, Kogan Page.

Year 2 portfolio index

As evidence for my CMALT application, this is the index for my year 2 PGCE portfolio.

Pedagogical Approaches

This presentation is similar to the flash unit below, but delivered in powerpoint.

Levels of VLE use

This powerpoint is based on concepts from the ILTPP introduction, and is intended to introduce academic staff to the range and extent of online approaches, and the tasks involved.

Introductory presentation

This is the Powerpoint used to introduce staff to the ILTPP course. It was based on that offered by FERL, but considerably modified by myself. 

This was a presentation created to raise awareness of Disability issues.

Please be patient while it loads.

http://intranet.havering-college.ac.uk/induction/

As this is currently still in use, the link to the original page is valid and requires no special log-in. It was aslo hosted within the Blackboard VLE in order that assessments and quality surveys could form part of a common student unit – In effect this was an emergency version in the event of someone not being able to log-in at the induction sessions.

The first thing I am doing is to apply for CMALT accreditation with the Association for Learning Technology. Therefore expect the next few posts to be packed with evidence of projects that I have created, so that I can link to them in my application.

Following on to the ideas yesterday (Here’s that link again) of how the levels of discussion in an online forum/space is defined by the culture that exists there; I have reached some interesting conclusions as to why education is struggling to grasp the nettle and use online forum tools effectively – “People don’t realize how much time goes into moderating these”; as was said to me.

The major difference here is that on the media talkboards (i.e. from newspapers, magazines, the BBC), new users come in, and join an already established group, and will usually, therefore, follow its conventions.

In an education context; there is no established group – each new year joins, and the online  learning culture starts from scratch; neither is there any input from people in other years who could potentially contribute not just some of their knowledge to the following group, but also their established online culture.

At first glance this may appear radical – “we can’t have the previous years group telling the new group the answers” I hear ; but if it were as simple as that, they could simply use the web to go and buy last years thesis anyway.

Part of the answer may be in establishing online forums that are continuous, probably across years, and perhaps even across disciplines, in order to share a culture of good manners and a high intellectual level of debate.