Learning activities loosely coupled with UCT Andrew Deacon Learning Designer Centre for Educational Technology University of Cape Town

Developing learning activities at UCT A story about learning activities at UCT… … and developmental support from the centre Expectations Process Products (i.e., learning activities) Approaches Loosely coupled with Sakai (Vula)

Expectations: Healthy ecology Showing signs of more than just… –sharing files and URLs –doing quizzes Seeing learning… –as process involving scafolding and feedback –as developing a community or environment Tutorial-style learning –Ideals of Socrates, Oxbridge tutors & robot mentor –Being able to practice with scafolded support

Process: Supporting curriculum projects at UCT What curriculum projects? –Content specific to course & lecturer –Need learning design and additional support Use standard offerings (i.e., Sakai + support) Something more (e.g., Sakai + support + learning design)

Process: Pool of adopters Over the last two years: –Projects: 10 involving some development –Grants: 24 approved –Many more discussions and people’s own projects A fraction of: –Total Sakai (Vula) course owners (about 250) –Total creators of some educational technology (?) Reality is its difficult for lectures to: –Know what, who or how to ask for support –Identifying suitable projects and allocate time

Case: History course - digital archives History course using a digital archive –Wiki as introduction – students describe a document –Course site then used for announcements etc. –Interested in usability of the digital archive

Products: What is created at UCT What are typically developed: Stand-alone applications –Classical desktop apps (less common now) –Specialist code libraries (from research) Worldware activities –Adapt ubiquitous applications (e.g., Excel, PhotoShop) –Use scripting to add functionality (e.g., generate data) Web applications –Websites (typically information with links) –Web applications (e.g., simulations)

Case: Biology course - gene mapping tutorial Excel widely used for tutorial-style activities Familiar, widely installed, easy to edit Overlook usability, randomizing and automation

Case: Other Excel-based tutorials Could have used Calc in OpenOffice – are cases Attraction likely about confidence and autonomy Examples from UCT –Statistics use with lecture demonstrations –Numeracy Centre create ~200 tutorials –Saving responses to a database –Automated assessment Coupling with learning environments –Traditionally none or just downloads (is changing) –Psychology: used wiki as ‘shared database’

Approaches: How things often evolve… Stronger focus on content and learning implies: –Simple approach to sharing data / information Typically sharing files (straightforward) Rarely data objects (more interesting) –Simple approach to access control Typically global access Rarely group access (can get complex) –Minimal administration support Often little need but can become an issue –Little interest in standards Often no benefits and to time to learn

3. Building new models as solutions 5. Implementing new models 6. Reflecting on process 7. Consolidating new practices 2. Analyzing 1. Questioning Need state Constraints Breakthrough Challenges Stabilization Adjustments & enrichment 4. Analyzing and discussing models Yrjö Engeström Approaches: Cycle of expansive learning

Case: Film Studies - Director’s Cut Film theory course (250 students) Linking praxis & theory Integrate editing, rational, quiz Automate feedback and workflow Other variants with similar learning design…

Case: Media Studies - News scriptwriting

Reflections: Different points of view With strong focus on academic content… –Only needs to work for one student cohort per year –Incremental developmental cycle over years –Most familiar software used in research and admin –Software standards / architectures not always followed –Slow adopter of web services and new frameworks –Many ways to loosely couple components –Staff developmental role important

Reflections : Different points of view What do keen ‘Ed Tech’ educators do… –Are modifying / customising software apps –Reflects very much their own needs & interests What should designers do? –Cannot be seen as big-D Designers –Need many ‘disposable designs’ –Negotiate appropriate design choices –Use familiar, simple, cheap & fast prototypes –Using same tools gives bias towards same products

Conclusions Functioning as ‘boundary workers’ –Draw in what people just do anyway (cannot change) –Encourage sharing of experiences (rhetoric appeals) Trends observed… –Expectations: elusive indicators of learning –Process: starting points very different –Products: reflect local skills; available tools –Approaches: learning issues; choices under constrains –Loose coupling with learning environments –Need support for these processes