Digital Learning, MOOCs, Online Learning

Students Supporting Students as they Learn to get a Digital Edge

In response to popular demand, the latest iteration of A Digital Edge: Essentials for the Online Learner starts on Monday 22nd February. Importantly, given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges facing college and university students around the world, this free 2-week course on the FutureLearn platform aims to support people to learn how to be effective online learners.

A distinctive feature of the course is the co-facilitation and active contribution from a team of DCU Student Ambassadors who will share their tips, advice and first-hand experiences of how to be effective online learners.

Already over 6,500 learners from across the globe have participated in the course, which is anchored in the wider context of the LifeComp Framework where participants explore (i) Ways of Thinking, (ii) Ways of Working, (iii) “Tools for Working” and (iv) “Tools for Thriving” in the digital world.

The first week focses on starting with the right mindset and laying down foundational principles for being an effective learner online. Some of the questions we ask participants to reflect on include:

  • How do you manage your own thinking?
  • How can you grow your mindset for learning?
  • What are you hoping to achieve from your studies?

In previous iterations, people have told us how helpful they found it to know that many other people are having similar challenges and the value of hearing tips and suggestions from other students. As Jessica said,

“It’s somewhat reassuring to see other people are feeling anxious – glad I’m not the only one!  It’s daunting as I’ve been out of education for over a decade, but seeing how much support and guidance there is available really helps! Excited to start on the road to finally getting my degree in my 30s.”

In Week 2, the focus shifts to some more practical aspects of using digital technologies for learning and then concludes by asking participants to think more carefully about their digital identities and how they wish to engage in online settings. If you’re not sure whether the course is for you, then see what other people say as there are over 120 reviews on the landing page with lots of positive comments. As one learner writes,

The course has really helped ease my worries about online learning. It has helped me think about the ways in which I learn and how I can adapt them to become a successful online learner.

While the course is ideally timed for people about to start the new academic year in the Southern Hemisphere, it offers something for even seasoned online learners who might think they already know everything they need to based on their “Corona-coaster” experience over the past year. We encourage all participants to sharpen the EDGE –  Explore, Develop, Gather, and Embrace – of their online learning experience as they navigate their way through the course alongside fellow learners, our Student Ambassadors and NIDL team of experienced educators. 

`You can register here for the course and we look forward to welcoming the class of February 2021 online from Monday…

Associations, Digital Learning, Leadership, Open Educational Practices, Publications

Finding Open Nuggets: A Conversation with three Editors-in-Chief

As part of EDEN’s series of webinars during Open Education Week (1-5 March, 2021), we are pleased to be hosting a conversation with three Editors-in-Chief of well known open access journals in the area of open, online and digital education. The panel includes:

The conversation will begin by reflecting on some of the NIDL’s “good reads” published over the past year and then discusses key trends, tensions and takeaways emerging from a rich colour pallet of openly available literature. Moderated by Mark Brown, the Editors will share some of their favourite “open nuggets” available in the literature and then discuss what makes a good journal article.

The conversation aims to help demystify from an insider’s perspective what makes a paper really standout from the crowd and how each journal goes about selecting articles for publication, with tips for budding authors.

The panel also shares their own critical reading strategies where reviewing the literature to support practitioners, scholarly professionals, and new and emerging researchers to successfully locate, critique and translate contemporary theory and research into practice, and back again. By the end of this conversation participants will be better equipped and more knowledgeable about how to locate, interpret and contribute to relevant literature in their own areas of interest and educational contexts. 

You can join this lively discussion at 12 noon (CET) on Tuesday 2nd March, with the registration link available on the dedicated EDEN page for Open Education Week. The first webinar in the series kicks off at 17:00 (CET) on Monday 1st March with a panel reflecting on the role of openness and professional bodies in shaping post-pandemic education.