Engaged and connected

Embedding, modelling and practising what works

Abstract

The notion that there are no ‘e-pedagogies’ per se but rather ‘e-flavours’ of existing pedagogical approaches emphasises that ‘good teaching is good teaching’, irrespective of technologies – educational or otherwise. Charles Sturt University (CSU) recently released a Distance Education Strategy (2015) that promotes engagement and connectedness as key ideas in technology-enhanced teaching. Rather than prescribing particular activities to particular spaces or technologies, CSU’s Online Learning and Teaching Model foregrounds seven elements known to support learning: small group support; personalised support; teacher presence; interaction between students; interaction with workplaces; interactive resources; and e-assessment. This paper argues the merits of an approach to learning and teaching which uses these seven elements to inform online teaching practices. The literature that supports each element is considered alongside examples of elements. The discussion considers curriculum that embeds, models and explicitly teaches these seven elements of the Learning and Teaching model to the University’s academic staff.