International perspectives on e- learning: mapping strategy to practice Gráinne Conole Towards a pan-Canada e-learning research agenda 13th May 2008

Increasing impact of technologies Funding drivers “ICT catalysts” National policy Organisational structures Roles, skills & practice Teaching, learning & assessment

Mapping the field Current research & development Contemporary perspectives in e-learning Methodological issues Historical perspective & policy timeline Discourses & tensions

Emergence of a research field 1.Pre-subject area – no perceived interest 2.Beginnings – questions arise 3.Emergence – more researchers 4.Diversification – different schools 5.Establishment – defined community and alignment with other fields 1.Pre-subject area – no perceived interest 2.Beginnings – questions arise 3.Emergence – more researchers 4.Diversification – different schools 5.Establishment – defined community and alignment with other fields

Current status  E-learning - Between stages 3 and 4  Influx of researchers into the area  Growth of new units and research centres  Specialised journals  Dedicated conferences  Community for fostering debate  E-learning - Between stages 3 and 4  Influx of researchers into the area  Growth of new units and research centres  Specialised journals  Dedicated conferences  Community for fostering debate

Organisational issues Changing roles Strategy & policy Structures & processes Staff development Pedagogical aspects E-literacies New pedagogies Models of practice Case studies of innovation Learning design Experiences & perceptions The e-learning landscape Underpinning technologies Mobile & ubiquitous technologies The Grid: E-Science Personalised & adaptive Standards Infrastructures Mobile & ubiquitous technologies The Grid: E-Science Personalised & adaptive Standards Infrastructures

Contextual factors  Funding and policy drivers  Cultural dimensions  Subject-specific aspects  Current hot topics  Accessibility  Widening participation  Lifelong learning  E-business  Plagiarism, digital rights, IPR  Funding and policy drivers  Cultural dimensions  Subject-specific aspects  Current hot topics  Accessibility  Widening participation  Lifelong learning  E-business  Plagiarism, digital rights, IPR

Underpinning technologies  New and emerging technologies  mobile and ubiquitous  intelligent agents  Understanding the media  multiple forms of representation  different characteristics of media  A distributed electronic environment  standards and interoperability  infrastructure and architectures  Access to information  structuring and distributing information  integrating different portals, gateways and resources  exploiting the different communication mechanisms  New and emerging technologies  mobile and ubiquitous  intelligent agents  Understanding the media  multiple forms of representation  different characteristics of media  A distributed electronic environment  standards and interoperability  infrastructure and architectures  Access to information  structuring and distributing information  integrating different portals, gateways and resources  exploiting the different communication mechanisms

Pedagogical aspects  Student and staff experiences  Best methods of  representing information  Designing and accessing resources  encouraging communication and collaboration  integrating with other learning and teaching methods  Development issues  new forms of literacy  mechanisms for skills updating and development  Understanding the affordances of technologies  Exploring the potential for new forms of pedagogy  Student and staff experiences  Best methods of  representing information  Designing and accessing resources  encouraging communication and collaboration  integrating with other learning and teaching methods  Development issues  new forms of literacy  mechanisms for skills updating and development  Understanding the affordances of technologies  Exploring the potential for new forms of pedagogy

Organisational issues  Developing models for  mapping institutional structures  supporting institutional processes  sharing knowledge  distributing information  supporting change  engaging different stakeholders  Awareness of external factors  Understanding changing roles and identities  Linking strategy and practice  Developing models for  mapping institutional structures  supporting institutional processes  sharing knowledge  distributing information  supporting change  engaging different stakeholders  Awareness of external factors  Understanding changing roles and identities  Linking strategy and practice

Common characteristics  Change  Political dimension  Interdisciplinary  Access and inclusion  Convergence and interoperability  Interactivity  Change  Political dimension  Interdisciplinary  Access and inclusion  Convergence and interoperability  Interactivity

Themes  The good and the bad of ICT  Speed of change  New collaborations and discourses  User focussed  Changing practice  Wider impact  The good and the bad of ICT  Speed of change  New collaborations and discourses  User focussed  Changing practice  Wider impact

Theme I  The good and the bad of ICT  Institutional vs. loosely coupled systems  The affordances of technologies  Appropriateness, fit for purpose  Ownership vs. open source  Simplifying the complex  Balance of content and activity  The good and the bad of ICT  Institutional vs. loosely coupled systems  The affordances of technologies  Appropriateness, fit for purpose  Ownership vs. open source  Simplifying the complex  Balance of content and activity

Theme II  Speed of change, the Web in 2010  Explosion of Web 2.0 (and 3.0 and…)  Immense amounts of information  New tools and resources  The Web for nomads  Predicting the unpredictable  Researching where the light is  A world beyond the Web  Speed of change, the Web in 2010  Explosion of Web 2.0 (and 3.0 and…)  Immense amounts of information  New tools and resources  The Web for nomads  Predicting the unpredictable  Researching where the light is  A world beyond the Web

Theme III  Supporting new collaborations and discourses  New distributed Communities of Practice  Self-sustaining Communities of Practice  Interacting with the media  Tailored and contextualised  Making sense of it all - new forms of digital literacy and the power of narrative  Supporting new collaborations and discourses  New distributed Communities of Practice  Self-sustaining Communities of Practice  Interacting with the media  Tailored and contextualised  Making sense of it all - new forms of digital literacy and the power of narrative

Theme IV  Harnessing needs, understanding end users  Adaptive and personalised  Ethnographic approach to users  The (semantic) web of meaning  Supporting the whole learning cycle  The perpetual beta  Developing for the unknowable  Harnessing needs, understanding end users  Adaptive and personalised  Ethnographic approach to users  The (semantic) web of meaning  Supporting the whole learning cycle  The perpetual beta  Developing for the unknowable

Theme V  Changing practice  Reflective research/practitioner  Changing roles  Passive to interactive technologies  The need for new organisational structures and processes  How do you motivate people to do this?  New methodologies for design and evaluation  Changing practice  Reflective research/practitioner  Changing roles  Passive to interactive technologies  The need for new organisational structures and processes  How do you motivate people to do this?  New methodologies for design and evaluation

Theme VI  Wider impact  New models for society  Blurring of boundaries  Distributed cognition  ‘Compelling’ experiences  A changing world  Technology is here and will continue to have an impact  Wider impact  New models for society  Blurring of boundaries  Distributed cognition  ‘Compelling’ experiences  A changing world  Technology is here and will continue to have an impact

Discipline issues  Variety of feeder disciplines  education research, cognitive psychology, instructional design, computer science, business and management, philosophy, semiotics, critical discourse analysis  Benefits  wealth of methods and approaches  different perspectives  Drawbacks  no shared language and understanding  lack of cohesion to the area  Variety of feeder disciplines  education research, cognitive psychology, instructional design, computer science, business and management, philosophy, semiotics, critical discourse analysis  Benefits  wealth of methods and approaches  different perspectives  Drawbacks  no shared language and understanding  lack of cohesion to the area

Choice of research methods  Tension between  Focus on evaluation or research  Quantitative vs. qualitative approaches  Choice of methodologies  Has an impact on outcomes  Tends to be based on previous experience, favoured methods  Approaches  Exploring individual case studies  Developing generic models  Undertaking systematic reviews  Applying specific theoretical perspectives  Active involvement and action research  Accounting for context - Activity theory, Actor Network Theory  Tension between  Focus on evaluation or research  Quantitative vs. qualitative approaches  Choice of methodologies  Has an impact on outcomes  Tends to be based on previous experience, favoured methods  Approaches  Exploring individual case studies  Developing generic models  Undertaking systematic reviews  Applying specific theoretical perspectives  Active involvement and action research  Accounting for context - Activity theory, Actor Network Theory

Methodological issues  Lack of  rigour  theoretical basis  ‘academic credibility’  Tensions  between policy makers and practitioners  stakeholders with conflicting agendas  efficiency gains/effectiveness vs improving learning  Research vs. roll out to policy and practice  Lack of  rigour  theoretical basis  ‘academic credibility’  Tensions  between policy makers and practitioners  stakeholders with conflicting agendas  efficiency gains/effectiveness vs improving learning  Research vs. roll out to policy and practice

Feeder disciplines Wealth of methods No shared language Tension between quantitative and qualitative Methodological issues Lack of rigor, anecdotal and case based Methodological innovations? New theoretical frameworks

Research Practice Informs Resources Improves Learning Enhances Networks Builds Strategy Guides Policy Shapes Theory Develops Developmen t Consolidates

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