Reconsidering Concepts for Support and Collaboration Eky Fioole & Rudi Clause Avans University of applied Sciences

Content Context Challenges 3 case studies Basics & Conditions Pitfalls Our wish list

Context Avans University has: students staff 18 Schools 60 bachelor degree programs (full time, part- time and co-op) 3 locations (Breda, Tilburg and ‘s Hertogenbosch)

Context Bb Learning & Community System  Blackboard Academic Suite –Learn to Use  Use to Learn –Students acquire the role of Instructor in their own courses –Implementation of ePortfolio’s –Storage of course materials in the Bb Content System -> Increased complexity Educational view –Problem based learning  Competence based learning –Digital archive  Interactive use –Assignments based on real life cases –Blending of institutional learning, work experiences and virtual learning ‘Stand alone' system  Links to a growing number of other systems –LDAP, institutional portal, … –Other user groups (companies, other institutions) Changing demands and needs from users –Students need to work together –Students need easy access to organisation information –Staff need to co-operate in multidisciplinary teams.

Challenges Growing complexity of our context Shortage of resources Need to make choices Diversity in level of knowledge, experience and motivation.

3 Case studies Training of Bb-coaches Working with staff and students Collaboration with other universities

Case study 1 Training Bb-coaches - How to use Bb  How to use Bb within our in an educational concept –New roles for Bb-coaches –Increasing complexity –Consequence: Training Bb-coaches based on the principles of competence based learning. Bb-coaches make their own ePortfolio.

Case study 2 Working with staff and students Road shows –Use of good practices –Active role for staff in training their colleagues, directed towards enlarging the existing body of knowledge Community of Practice ePortfolio –Sharing of information, knowledge and experiences –Active participation –Open access to users from other universities.

Case study 2 Working with staff and students Active participation of students in training staff (ePortfolio’s, manuals) Students are involved in developing, building and evaluating Bb Building Blocks.

Case study 3 Collaboration with other universities B4x initiative –Exchange and collaborate on constructing Building Blocks Informal sessions –Focus on questions and problems, not only on success-stories. –One-on-one approach

Basics & Conditions Trust your … students, staff members, schools and other universities, … Teach what you preach –Bottom up approach Share and collaborate –Open mind - Open source –Find news ways to communicate interactively

Basics & Conditions 2 Be creative Use different roles: –Not only the expert, but also facilitator and mediator. Connect

Pitfalls Resistance Faculty, Staff, students, eLearning coaches Knowledge sharing –A–Another way of training staff and faculty –A–Another way to receive (make) knowledge Vulnerability –n–not everybody wants to share and to collaborate –S–Showing failures can be more important than sharing success-stories.

Our wish list Staying in touch with the changing educational view. Develop ideas on support materials Long term sharing and collaborating Further use of collaboration tools in and outside Blackboard

Thank you Eky Fioole Rudi Clause