A Day of Talks with Handful of Spaces Still Available to Join a Conversation with Professor Paul Prinsloo

unnamedOn the 8th April 2019 the NIDL is hosting a number of events. The first is an all-day Learning Design Cross Institutional Network, a professional network which is led by Simon Walker, Head of Educational Development at Greenwich University. As part of this event Gabi Witthaus will give a talk on:

“Knowledge Exchange on Open and Distance Learning for Refugees in Higher Education”

This session is very appropriate given that Dublin City University (DCU) was Ireland’s first University of Sanctuary and continues to develop both online and campus-based initiatives for refugees and asylum seekers. Unfortunately at this stage the all-day workshop is full but we do have a handful of spaces still available for this follow up event.

NIDL Visiting Scholar Series

Paul Prinsloo.jpgWe are delighted that in the early evening on April 8th Professor Paul Prinsloo from University of South Africa (UNISA) has agreed to give a talk on the topical issue of using student data. Paul is a Research Professor in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) in the College of Economic and Management Sciences at UNISA. His academic background includes fields as diverse as theology, art history, business management, online learning, and religious studies. His current research focuses on the collection, analysis and use of student data in learning analytics, graduate supervision and digital identity.

Title: Using Student Data to Inform Design and Pedagogy: Some Pointers

Abstract: 

Higher education has always collected, analysed and used student data for a variety of purposes e.g., reporting, strategic planning and operational resource allocation. Due to the increasing digitisation and institutionalisation of online learning, as well as advances in technology, analytics tools and software, higher education institutions now have access to more (volume) student data than ever before. We also have access to more nuanced data (granularity and variety) as well as the increasing possibility to collect real-time behavioural data and provide feedback and intervene in real-time. The year 2011 saw the emergence of learning analytics “the measurement, collection, analysis and use of student data for purposes of understanding and optimising learning and the environments in which it occurs.” Since 2011, learning analytics as research focus but also as field of practice matured and continue to provoke discussions and research pertaining to its impact not only on student success and retention, but increasingly also in shaping resource allocation, learning design and pedagogy. While evidence of the impact of learning analytics on improving student success is varied and often context-specific, there is increasing interest how student data can be used to inform learning design and pedagogy. In this presentation I would like to provoke some discussion surrounding some of our assumptions pertaining to student data before mapping evidence of how student data can inform learning design and pedagogy. I hope to conclude by locating the collection, analysis and use of student data to inform learning design and pedagogy in the nexus of ethics, responsibility and care.

Where: Q303/Q304 Business School, Dublin City University, Glasnevin Campus

When: 5:30pm Monday, 8th April 2019, followed by networking and light refreshments

Registration

As the number of seats available for Paul’s talk is limited and to assist us with catering requirements, it is essential that you register for this event. There will be a wait list should additional seats become available. Click on the following link to meet Paul and join us for this talk…

https://nidl-visiting-scholar.eventbrite.ie

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Open Education: Teaching and Learning Away Day

By Professor Grainne Conole

Last week our Open Education team had a very productive teaching and learning away day. The aim was to reflect on the current ways in which we design and support our DCU Connected students. A background document was circulated prior to the meeting, which collated various Learning Design frameworks. We identified two overarching themes to improving our teaching and learning:

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  • New and more systematic design of online, open distance teaching and learning. In terms of thoughtful and explicit design, we need to
    • Ensure the workload across modules in consistent
    • Set up either a week by week or month by month schedule
    • Indicate the indicative time needed to complete activities and content and assignments
    • Split content into core and additional (extension)
  • Supporting, and working with, online, open distance learners and teachers (learning students).

In addition, we identified 10 principles for online teaching and learning:

  1. Flexible learning: An accessible learning experience to transform lives and societies and enable widening access
  2. Teacher presence: Expert academic teaching, guidance and facilitation from specialist, passionate educators
  3. Foster belonging: Fostering a sense of belonging
  4. Meaningful interaction: Commitment to a deep level of meaningful interaction, where self-regulated learning is active, collaborative and participatory
  5. Students as partners: Surfacing the student voice and involving them to design decisions
  6. Rich learning resources: Universal design (accessibility standards); any device;
  7. Authentic and reflective assessment: Use a variety of assessment (and feedback) mechanisms to ensure that learning is: active, authentic and meaningful
  8. Personalised support: Student support personalised to the online distance learner: academic, pastoral, technical, and administrative
  9. Research informed teaching and learning: Commitment to cutting-edge, research-led approaches to Learning Design
  10. Open education practices: Practices, philosophy and co-creation

You can read more about operationalising these principles on Grainne’s personal blog where she expands on each principle.