6 posts tagged “pd”
Bettina Schwenger and I recently presented at The student experience: HERDSA 2009 in Darwin. As part of the presentation we asked participants to add details to the mindmap pictured below - the original mindmap only included the nodes that have images. Participants collaborated in pairs or small groups to add to the mindmaps, and we collected all of their contributions at the end of the session. The results have been collated and added to the original mindmap, which has created an insightful visual resource into beliefs around Professional Development and the embedding of Literacy, Language and Numeracy into programmes.
At the end of the presentation we asked for evaluation of our session via sticky notes that were left on the door as people left, and received some very positive comments which have been collated below. In particular, it was reassuring to see the comments about the transferability and generalisability of the model in particular, and the approach to PD as a whole.
Resources
- Link to our presentation: http://www.slideshare.net/hazelowendmc/supporting-academic-development-to-enhance-the
- Link to our handout: http://www.scribd.com/share/upload/13811344/16po9clq1zj2zeys7rrp
- Link to the full paper: http://www.scribd.com/doc/17624375/Supporting-Academic-Development-To-Enhance-The-Student-Experience-Handout-of-resources-HERDSA-2009
Feedback from the participants at the session:
- Well presented and food for thought in dealing with resistant teaching staff. Thank you
- Great project. Well done
- Great
model (transferable to any T& L context or group) for meaningful PD
engagement of academics. (Could be replicated with students)
- Generalisable model. Thanks
- Inspiring. Good stuff
- Provoking. Thanks for some great ideas
- Thought provoking.
- Breaking down barriers
- Interesting pictures on slides
- Nice symbolism
- Used accessible terminology
- Excellent. Good job. Well done.
Link to the 'live' mindmap (pictured below): http://www.mindmeister.com/23798819/building-capability (you will need to access the online version to be able to view the full mindmap :-) )
It was a little frantic during the setting up as we arrived 1/2 an hour early to get all of the laptops set up (with headphones that we'd begged, stolen and borrowed - mainly Vickel). A compromise was reached and the 26 participants rolled up. We had set up a Ning (http://podcastunitec.ning.com/) for the session with resources participants could access after the 'taster' workshop. We had also set up a Podomatic site so that podcasts could easily be uploaded (http://unitecnzpodcasts.podOmatic.com). After introducing the session and showing a great short video that explained what podcasts are (http://podcastunitec.ning.com/video/whats-a-podcast), we asked everyone to work in pairs at a computer. We used a 'how to...' video that went over the basics of recording an audio file in Audacity, exporting it, and then uploading it to Podomatic.
The feedback for the session was mainly positive. People were excited by the possibilities and potential for LLN, and others had a real sense of achievement, mastering skills that they did not previously have. The hands on nature of the session was appreciated, although the very large number of participants who had been signed up meant that even with Vickel, Yong and myself, it was tricky to keep up with requests for assistance. The ideal size of sessions like this is around 10 participants maximum. Some people were frustrated by technical glitches (for instance the Podomatic site ground almost to a halt once 15 sets of people started to upload podcasts...to the same account. This meant that some people were not able to listen to their podcast during the session, but had a link and login details in the Ning so that they could have a listen later - not quite the same though). All in all, though, an invigorating and exhausting session.
The HERDSA 2009 conference was held at Charles Darwin University,
Darwin, Australia. Having arrived a day before, I had a wee bit of time
to explore the township of Darwin. The 2 ½ hour time difference meant
that I was awake at about 4am, so hopped up, had a leisurely breakfast
and hatched a plan to run to the Charles Darwin University campus for a
look around as it was about 12km away. It transpired that the route I
took along the coast, past indigenous settlements, and the racecourse,
turned out to be more like 15 km! However, it was a delightful
experience to wander around the deserted campus, enjoy the grounds, and
spot the student creativity tucked away in an area that was obviously
for relaxing.
The welcome evening was impressive. Held at the Parliament building, we were greeted with glasses of bubbly, and
The conference itself has been great…really well organised, and fun. For the techie geeks amongst us a wireless network has been set up especially for the conference, with IT support for anyone struggling with passwords and permissions. I, personally, found the first keynote very engaging. Ron Oliver was talking about the importance of outcomes focussed design and facilitation to engage learners and to enhance the acquisition and use of higher order thinking skills – especially those studying in blended and distance modes. In particular he suggested that the purpose of education is to encourage students to spend as much time as possible in a state where they are learning (as opposed to being busy). This state is fostered mostly where students engage a task that needs to be unpacked with a problem to be solved, and where there is no particular solution provided, thereby offering opportunities for creativity and originality. However, this mode can be uncomfortable at times, but learners do not learn very much until you take them to a point where they are uncomfortable. If learners are going to be pushed to a point beyond their comfort zone they need to be supported and scaffolded which act as a safety net and source of guidance.
A highlight of the conference was the activity where attendees were grouped and met on each of the days. Time was given to discuss learning experiences from the past, now, and what it may become in the future. It was great to be
This morning I had a wonderfully chat with an academic practitioner who is dyslexic, and some of the design considerations that she builds into presentations, reading texts and online sites that make them accessible. So, for example, she pointed out that slides with dense text…or even with bullet points just meld into a mish-mash with ‘snakes’ of light running through the letters. As such, she tries to translate slides like this into a graphic or image…which has the knock on advantage of assisting students who find written literacy a challenge, English as an Alternative Language students, while also meeting a greater range of learning preferences. This once again, emphasised the value of the conversations and interactions around the presentations, as much as the presentations themselves!
All in all, I have thoroughly enjoyed the conference, have come away brimming with ideas, and also with a great appreciation of Darwin and the Northern Territories of Australia.
This video is
an extract from a workshop that was facilitated by Diana Ayling and
Hazel Owen with the Business Department at Unitec NZ. The workshop was
part of an initiative initiated by the Business Department to revisit
the programmes that they offer students, and the learning experience.
Formal and informal sessions focussed on aspects such as:
A sense of the dynamic discussions that have been ongoing is captured, as well as a feelings of excitement, seeing potential, anxiety, and concerns around pragmatic issues.
The extract features discussion around the results of the ICTELT survey that participants had completed before the session, as well as dialogue around blended learning in general, and what a course that uses the ICTELT design mindmap as a foundation may feature.
(If
you would like to find out more about the work that underpins some of
the workshop and the ICTELT mindmap, please feel free to visit the ICT Enhanced Learning and Teaching wiki.
"Students'
learning experiences and study success can be significantly enhanced
through a combined approach that embeds Literacy, Language and Numeracy
skills enhancement explicitly into discipline content. An essential
aspect of this approach is the provision of academic professional
development that is engaging and helps staff review their methodology
in a supported and sustainable manner.
This
paper describes stage one of a pilot research study and ongoing
initiative between one of the vocational disciplines (Automotive
Engineering, which is part of the Unitec Applied Technology Institute)
and the Academic Development Unit at Unitec New Zealand. At this stage,
using a 'tradeshow approach', fifteen Literacy, Language and Numeracy
related tools and strategies, as well as mini-demonstration teaching
sessions, have been chosen as a way to introduce and discuss effective
practice in collaborative and contextualised professional development
sessions.
The findings from a pilot study around the
tradeshow approach, including the iterative cycle of evaluation and
improvement in response to participant feedback, are shared. The study
has helped identify and evaluate how this new capability building
approach has assisted with supporting and motivating discipline
specialists in their initiatives to embed and add value to students’
learning experiences and study success."
Please cite as: Owen, H., & Schwenger, B. (In press). Supporting academic development to enhance the student experience. In. Darwin: The Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA).
I have previously included a link to this Slideshare presentation, but now it comes with sound! :-)
This session starts by exploring the learning and teaching value ICT can add to curricula, and then describes a process model and framework that I have adapted from existing examples. The accessible, scaffolded approach described is appropriate for very small teams or individuals working with few resources to develop resources ideal for instructors interested in blended learning and/or distance approaches.
The pedagogical underpinnings of a design process are outlined, in which practitioners identify a teaching and learning problem and assess whether ICT could enhance learners’ experience of new or existing programmes, modules, units, sessions, or learning objects. Guiding questions are posed to help support the process, and an iterative practice is encouraged whereby a design is developed, piloted, evaluated, revisited, modified and re-evaluated over time, with recognition that the practitioner’s experience, skills and attitudes are likely to shift.
The practical application of the model and framework is illustrated through an example developed for use in Moodle at UnitecNZ.
The model and framework have yet to be piloted and MoodleMoot will offer a hands-on opportunity for participants to experiment and evaluate the tools in this session by identifying a resource or session that they would like to adapt. Then, working collaboratively, in Moodle they will work through the first part of the process model by completing the framework. Feedback and comments will be gladly accepted."
Associated site: http://efest2008collaboratingbydesign.pbwiki.com/
Please cite as: Owen, H. (2008, October 8-10). Where do I Start? Integration of ICTELT into blended curricula. Paper presented at the MoodleMoot NZ 08, Eastern Institute of Technology, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand.
