Thursday 23 October 2014

How will I learn?

There's no stopping me now! I am going to try and get in the habit of using this space to also keep notes from the teaching sessions themselves. I have hand-written notes from the first session. I will transpose them on to this blog in due course. Last night was the second attended session (I believe the second of three this semester?), and I will type notes from that session straight to the blog.

Blogging itself is at least something I have a little experience of, as I have blogged in the past (if you're really interested, feel free to have a browse). In the early days I would blog regularly and with enthusiasm. More recently it has been infrequent and a task I see more as something I 'should' do. And you will see the last entry on my personal blog is from seven months' ago! So the challenge is to keep the enthusiasm and interest going.

At least the attended sessions for this course are three hours of timetabled time that I have ring-fenced for the course, so I am going to do my best to make every minute of those sessions count! I anticipate one of the main challenges I am going to face with this course is the extent to which I can devote the time it needs. If nothing else, the course is beginning to help me empathise with my own students (those on the MAPP - MSc Applied Positive Psychology) as these are typically in full-time employment and they are undertaking the course part-time. How will I find the time to do this? Or to be more precise, how will I make the time, and prioritise the learning I need to do?

Wednesday 22 October 2014

Getting things rolling...

OK, let's get this blog moving. The course is now 3 weeks in and I am very aware of the challenge it presents in terms of prioritising my own reading and reflection in relation to the course.

Richard made the comment in week 1 that we as lecturers tend to put others first and I think I am guilty of that in this context. I need to find ways of ring fencing time to devote to the programme.

I have been able to listen to presentations and I have only dipped into the readings. So far I am sensitive that the work of Biggs (1999) and Salmon (2000) are key in these early stages of exploring frameworks of learning around which we can build our learning programmes (I was going to write courses there, but then felt learning programmes may be a better phrase?).

Biggs' notion of constructive alignment at first glance seems obvious to me. Though perhaps I am being a little naive? In listening to the presentation from Aarhus University and the epilogue from Biggs at the end, I was taken with the phrase 'intended learning outcome' as a more suitable phrase for referring to our intentions for the learner as opposed to a 'learning objective'. I think this phrase is now embedded in our practice and is the term used on module descriptors at BNU?

References

Biggs, J. B. (1999). What the student does: Teaching for enhanced learning. Higher Education Research & Development, 18, 57-75. DOI: 10.1080/0729436990180105

Salmon, G. (2000). E-moderating: the key to teaching and learning online. London: Kogan Page.

CO710: (week 3 notes) Developing an approach to t-eL - Access andMotivation

Focusing on Salmon's (2000) model (developed in 2006?)

The five stage model... First stage is access and motivation.

5 stage model. V important in assisting us as we develop our e-learning programmes and supporting students. Acts as a scaffolding.  Helps students to stand on their own. Online learning must be a pleasurable and successful experience with participants supported throughout.



Is it circular?

Focus on access and motivation.
Dealing with frustration
Issues to do with faith in technology - There is no such things as fail-safe
Relationship between access ability and motivation to be online is complex
Salmon: emotional and social capacity to learn with others online. 

Discussion also about netiquette... need to consider this for Intro to Pos Psych

Wednesday 8 October 2014

CO710 (week 1 notes) Developing an approach to t-eL

'Putting people in a safe place to learn'. A key aspect of learning in general and applied here in the context of e-learning where uncertainties and anxieties may be higher than normal. The phrase also resonates with comments made by Piers (Piers Worth, colleague, mentor, friend, and Psychology Head of Department) where he discusses good teaching in the context of attachment theory and the important of allowing students to explore by giving them a secure and safe base from which to explore.

Is there a 'precise' definition of blended learning?

Thinking about domains of learning... e.g., affective, psychomotor, cognitive (in relation to what I teach?)

How people learn - joint, social activity.

People often see a course as an opportunity to be assessed rather than an opportunity to learn. Big challenge for distance learning?

Learning styles. Constructive alignment (Biggs, 1999). Learning activities and assessment aligned to learning outcomes.

Salmon (2000) (updated 2006?). Five stage framework. Online learning, needs to be a pleasurable and successful experience.

Monday 6 October 2014

(Testing) CO710: Developing Methodologies in t-eL

This is an initial test blog? Just trying to get in the role if being a student again... Been a long time, and already helps me empathise with my own MSc students! 

Editing this now at a later date (10 Dec)... Aim is to update and check through these blog posts and also re-check the dates of entries so that they reflect when they were initially posted.

Will use these blog posts initially to store and collate notes from the teaching sessions and eventually organise for use for the reflective journal for CO710 (and maybe CO711 and CO712).

As the assignment for CO710 is formative then need to work on developing this.