Assessment Task Two
The Changing Landscape of Technology in Higher Education |
| https://www.ymca.co.uk/education/comment/future-digital-learning-our-view |
Change is a difficult beast at the best of times. Changing ones mindset and convincing them of an innovative and progressive educational delivery method needs an evidence based and respectful approach. Within a health care model I see an interesting correlation with regards to change. As discussed in Egger, Spark and Donovan (2009) the intent for change needs to ensure improvement will benefit the majority and is for the greater good. This can be directly linked to this scenario and provides sound grounds for discussion when raising the change in the pedagogy approach.
Firstly, it is
important to acknowledge your work colleagues contribution to the tertiary
sector and gather a stronger understanding of their rationale for not wishing
to change current teaching practices. Many factors need to be considered for
their opposition. Lack of understanding
with regards to how technology will work within the education sector or
ultimately fear of change.
Having evidence
to support change is imperative when dealing with this colleague. Stenhouse
(1975, cited in Younie & Leask, 2013), states “teachers must want to
change” and Harris and Hofer (2006, cited in Weiner, 2008) supports this by
stating “teachers can learn to integrate technologies into their teaching by linking
students learning needs, with specific learning activities and related
educational technologies”. However, for
a change like this to occur the educational institution also needs to provide
comprehensive professional development and training for all staff involved.
Providing training will assist greatly in transitioning from Sage on the Stage
to the digital learning platform.
The changing
landscape and pace of education can be overwhelming. Many factors need to be
considered such as:
- What are the advantages/disadvantages to face-to-face learning opposed to online?
- What skill set will students/educators require for online learning?
- Will online leaning allow for a greater reach of students and enhance how they learn
- Students can learn at their own pace and allows them to review course content in their own time without having to worry about travelling.
With the
traditional student demographic having changed immensely and we must explore
the pros and cons of face-to-face lecture styles versus the online phenomena.
Firstly the benefits of face-to-face is students can seek immediate
clarification, engage with other students in a collaborative manner and the
lecturer can pick up on body language cues and alter the style of presentation
should it be evident students really are not grasping the concepts.
 |
| https://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/07/magazine/07Teachers-t.html |
However the
negatives can be limited student numbers attending class due to competing
factors, students learning at different rates may be left behind in the
classroom and cannot go back over the presentation. The dulcet tone of a
non-engaging lecturer giving death by PowerPoint is not conducive to solid and
active learning experience. On the other
hand to introduce on-line learning you need to create clear expectations, use
clear communication strategies and overall stimulating and engaging tasks for
the students. You don’t have the luxury of reading the students body language
cues and students don’t have the instant access to the lecturer. What they do
have is the ability to learn the content in their own time and place and seek
clarification from a multiple of sources including chat rooms/discussion boards
with other students and reviewing presentations again when time permits. Online
learning allows for a scaffolding approach to learning (Verenikina, Jones &
Delahunty, 2017).
An interesting
TED Talk by Daphne Koller (2012) https://www.ted.com/talks/daphne_koller_what_we_re_learning_from_online_education?language=en speaks about the online revolution for
education that is accessible for everyone. What is evident is that
accessibility of online education is showing to reduce the disparities of
social, cultural and overall economics impacts.
One of the affordances of online education is it allows students to
interact in a timeframe that is conducive to their work and home commitments. Studies have shown that a students approach to
education needs to be strategic. The majority of students are extremely time
poor and require their education to be available when time permits.
A journal by King
(1993) talks about ‘Sage on the Stage' to 'Guide on the Side’ and highlights the
shift of technology adding greater dimensions to the educator and student
learning relationship.
The challenge is
how do you shift the work colleague mindset of delivering 2 hours lectures and
having students’ complete 3,000 word essays as proof of receiving information
and retaining it. As discussed in Assignment One by Paine (2018), Moodle is an
online platform, which provides a one-stop shop for educators and students. What Moodle provides
is not only cost effective and time effective for Educators, but overall it allows
for redesign of the learning space for students which is contemporary and far
more engaging to this day and age in the education and learning environment.
If the work
colleague requires proof of course information being retained he could
introduce a digital badge into his digital classroom. Digital badges are a
relatively new learning tool in higher education, however, the feedback and
information it can offer educators and students is quiet remarkable. Should a
student receive a digital symbol it provides solid digital evidence of the student’s
achievement/s and validates their learning (Glover, 2013). Digital badges
empower students to learn whilst making their individual learning experience
transparent. Should the work colleague want to explore digital badges further
to see how he may incorporate this into his online learning platform this short
YouTube clip may assist in giving him a snapshot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ErAbVArIPE
Many educators
and experts have debated on what style of education and theory is best. However
what has become evident is that one size does not fit all. Engaging all
learning types, incorporating a range of learning theories and technologies is
paramount in a digital classroom (Younie and Leask, 2013). As discussed by Paine
(2018), the work by Ernst Von Glaserfeld and Jean
Piaget highlighted that digital learning focused on students actively being
involved in their learning. http://cmapspublic3.ihmc.us/rid=1LGVGJY66-CCD5CZ-12G3/Learning%20Theory.cmap
The TPACK Framework (Technological, Pedagogical,
Content, Knowledge) also highlighted the importance of utilising current
technologies to engage and continually adapt. http://tpack.org.
As discussed in https://www.fondation-mines-telecom.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/2014-higher-education-digital-age.pdf a digital leaning
platform seems to change the transmission of knowledge and shift the
teacher focus to a learning process. The students are learning to learn. This
is a strong argument to support your evidence when dealing with an opposing
colleague. The paradigm has shifted in
the learning environment with a stronger focus on students engaging in life
long learning online no matter their age, race, social or economic
demographics. Online learning is reducing the tyranny of distance and bridging
the gaps of education access not only locally, nationally and even
internationally (Mason, Fleming, Paxton and Singh, 2017).
There is an
insightful group of readings by Sultan and Al-Lail (2005) that outlines the
education shift with the introduction to massive open online course. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cqu/reader.action?docID=4534941&ppg=45.
Another
fascinating report from Sclater, Peasgood and Mullan (2016) highlighted the use
of data analytics from high education globally to review the interaction and
engagement of students with technology https://moodle.cqu.edu.au/pluginfile.php/1520160/mod_resource/content/1/learning-analytics-in-he-v3.pdf These sites would be invaluable to give
the work colleague to review and may assist in opening his eyes to a new
dimension of teaching.
Changing mindsets
and cultures is a challenge and has to be a collaborative effort top down and
bottom up. If online is the way the education facility is heading towards then
the colleague needs to be on board. His expertise and knowledge is an
invaluable asset and needs to be acknowledged. However, with support, training
and providing evidence to support this change it can be a positive and exciting
time. Perseverance will eventually pay off and the benefits to not only the
educators but also the students will be immense. Making the learning experience rich with the
use of videos, pictures, digital badges, pre-recorded presentations, discussion
boards, group activities - the list goes on will only enhance the learning
experience and make life easier for all and the education experience an
enjoyable one.
References
Egger, G., Spark, R., & Donovan, R. (2009). Health
Promotion Strategies and Methods (2nd ed.). Sydney, Australia: McGraw Hill
Glover, I.
(2013). Open Badges: A Visual Method of Recognising Achievement and Increasing
Learner Motivation. Student Engagement
and Experience Journal, 2(1). Doi:10.7190/seej.v1i1.66
King. A. (1993).
From Sage on the Stage to Guide on the Side. College Teaching, 41(1) pp. 30-35.
Mason, C.,
Fleming, A., Paxton, G., & Singh, J. (2017). Lifelong Participation Through
Digital Technology. Data 61: CSIRO.
Paine. M. (2018).
Assignment One. Unpublished https://digitaltechnurse.blogspot.com
Sclater, N.,
Peasgood, A., & Mullan. J. (2016). Learning Analytics in Higher Education:
A review of UK and International Practice – Full Report. Retrieved from https://moodle.cqu.edu.au/pluginfile.php/1520160/mod_resource/content/1/learning-analytics-in-he-v3.pdf
Sultan. N. &
Al-Lail, H.J. (2015). Creative Learning and MOOCs: Harnessing the Technology
for a 21st Century Education. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cqu/reader.action?docID=4534941&ppg=45
Verenikina, I.,
Jones, P. & Delahunty, J. (2017). The Guide to Fostering Asynchronous
Online Discussion in Higher Education. Retrieved from www.fold.org.au
Weiner, E.
(2008). Supporting the Integration of Technology into Contemporary Nursing
Education, Nursing Clinics of North America, 43, pp. 497-506.
Younie, S. &
Leask. M. (2013). Teaching with Technologies: The Essential Guide Open.
McGraw-Hill Education, Maidenhead.
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