ASCILITE Publications

Beyond Constructive Alignment

Craig Bellamy — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Constructive Alignment has been with us for quite some time. From its origins in education theory in the 1990s, partly as a means to address some of the pedagogical challenges of scale in mass, higher- education, it has now become the dominant pedagogy in Australian higher education. Originally intended as a means to consistently and holistically design syllabi around learning outcomes and delivery and assessment methods (Biggs, 2003), it is now—as claimed in a recent book on the subject—an overly mechanistic, industrial process that may stifle innovation and creativity, some of the key skills of a 21^st Century workplace and society (Nelson, 2018). This is because of its slavish, uncritical application and lack of imagination regarding refreshing and building upon its significant legacy. Is there a Post- Constructive future and what may this future look like? And what does this mean for digital education, in its various guises, one of the more transformative areas of higher education? In this debate we will survey the various applications of Constructive Alignment and perhaps imagine a Post-Constructivist future!

The dimensions of being open

Carina Bossu, Adrian Stagg, Michael Cowling, Valerie Peachey, Julie Lindsay — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Based on the concept of a continuum of openness, this session will respond to the Australian contextualisation of Open Educational Practices (OEP) in higher education, and openness more broadly within different institutions. This will be undertaken through brief cases of implementation at the panellists’ institutions, with an invitation to the audience to expand, and contribute to, the ongoing Australian OEP dialogue. The complexity, considerations for engagement, and practical examples will be considered to catalyse discussion with the audience. The panel will also discuss possible challenges facing practitioners and their institutions, and opportunities to explore future directions, as well as the roles the OEP SIG, as part of the ASCILITE community, could play in progressing and nurturing OEP developments in Australia.

Redefining Close Quarters

Camille Dickson-Deane, Jagjit Kaur, Matt Dyki, Miriam Edwards — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

The partnership between designers and subject matter experts creates an ill-structured problem whereby the marrying of design skills with discipline knowledge are not always seamlessly combined. The meaning of definitions and by association interpretations can become blurred in this partnership and understanding the different perspectives contributing to the activity can assist in guiding design activities. Each participant in the partnership has a contextual journey that is guided by their own perspectives, discipline specific experiences as knowledge and interpretation of such and this can result in a unique experience for this problem-solving activity of design. This panel allows academics to share their own interpretations of the process as a way to alert all participants to the blurred understandings that occur in design processes.

Everyone on board

Miriam Edwards, Sandra Boyd — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

This symposium will examine the potential barriers experienced by students with disability who choose to study online. Participants will consider the challenges as well as the opportunities educational technology affords an increasingly diverse student cohort. Co-presented by an educational designer and a student liaison officer specialising in assistive technologies, the benefits of proactively addressing accessibility will be argued. Participants will be introduced to the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and how they may be incorporated into the curriculum, with a particular focus on online delivery. Participants will be invited to critique their own teaching materials such as Learning Management System (LMS) sites, lecture materials and public facing websites to identify accessibility issues. Participants will experience practical strategies and tools to increase accessibility within their learning design and teaching. These activities will be complemented by a list of resources for future reference. Participants will leave the session with a heightened awareness of accessibility issues within higher education and what actions they can take to be more inclusive within their own professional practice.

Learning analytics in the classroom

Jason Lodge, Kate Thompson, Jared Horvath, Paula de Barba, Marion Blumenstein — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

The field of learning analytics has progressed significantly since the first Learning Analytics and Knowledge (LAK) conference in 2011. In recent years, the emphasis on technical and statistical aspects of data and analytics has given way to a greater emphasis on what these data mean in the classroom context. This panel session is aimed at examining the emerging role that data and analytics play in understanding and supporting student learning in higher education. Specifically, the panel will focus on the importance of transdisciplinarity and how translation from data to action can occur in the classroom context. The aim of this session is to broaden the conversation about learning analytics within the ASCILITE community. From there, the panel will discuss ways in which learning analytics can have a greater impact on learning design in physical and digital learning environments.

Shifting our focus

Carol Miles, Keith Foggett — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

The rapid and consistent rise in online delivery of university credit courses, and the corresponding requirement to assess student work in this mode has resulted in a proliferation of academic enquiry in the areas of contract cheating and online proctoring, including discussion and publication surrounding the verification of student identity when engaging in online formal examinations. The increasing availability of commercially-written academic essays (submitted by students as their own work), commonly referred to as “contract cheating,” has become another hot area of academic enquiry.

This symposium will provide a forum for an important discussion surrounding whether or not too much emphasis is being placed on discouraging a very small percentage of students from performing in dishonest ways, as compared to the amount of effort that should be placed on finding valid and reliable ways to assess student achievement that is aligned with stated learning outcomes. Presenters will contend that many of the concerns relating to online students’ academic dishonesty could be allayed if the two most common university assessment tools – the formal academic essay, and high-stakes formal examinations were not used to measure the achievement of online students. Several suggestions for authentic, workplace-related tasks will be discussed.

Digital Equity

Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Digital equity is a moral and strategic imperative in higher education in Australasia, especially as more universities provide online only offerings of courses and programs. Often, however, equity issues are considered remedially as an ‘add-on’ after the fact in terms of business-as usual in tertiary education institutions. There are many cohorts that may not have access to the digital technologies and connectivity they need to participate fully in higher education including those from low socio-economic (SES) backgrounds, those from regional and remote areas, refugees and incarcerated students. This symposium shines a spotlight on digital equity, capturing both the student and staff experiences, thereby suggesting ways in which equity matters may be considered. The symposium is timed to contribute to the inaugural World Access to Higher Education Day (28 November 2018).

Designing personalised, automated feedback to develop students’ research writing skills

Sophie Abel, Kirsty Kitto, Simon Knight, Simon Buckingham Shum — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Constructive and formative feedback on writing is crucial to help Higher Degree Research (HDR) students develop effective writing skills and succeed, both in their degree and beyond. However, at the start students have a poor grasp of good academic writing, and HDR supervisors do not always have the time or the writing expertise to provide quality, constructive, formative feedback to students. One approach to address this problem is provided by Writing Analytics (WA), using text analytics to provide timely, formative feedback to students on their writing, in the process introducing a clear set of terms to describe important features of academic writing. This paper describes how Swales’ (1990) Create A Research Space (CARS) model was used to extend a writing analytics tool such that it could be applied to HDR students’ writing, and how good feedback practices were employed to design constructive automated feedback. This work summarises a process that can be used to develop theory driven writing analytics tools that should facilitate thesis writing.

Digital identity and e-reputation

Reem Al-Mahmood, Jenny Corbin, Logan Balavijendran, Caroline Ondracek — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

How and why is one’s digital identity and e-reputation so important? This question underpins the “Digital Identity: Making Your Mark!” adaptive eLearning module which empowers students to critically engage and evaluate the impact of their e-reputation and the power of Social Media on their academic, professional and social lives – a vital digital literacy. The online adaptive module was developed by an Australian university cross-disciplinary team of academics, educational designers and librarians with the Australian-based global adaptive e-learning company, Smart Sparrow. The module’s aim is to engage students via transformative personalised eLearning activities to explore the impact of their digital identities, e-reputation and the power of Social Media on their lives. Students explore how their e-reputation across various Social Media platforms can influence their social, academic, and professional spheres by interrogating their Social Media use and what constitutes responsible and ethical “digital citizenship”. This paper showcases the module’s design, innovations, and user evaluations that highlight its significant impact and success encapsulated in student voices, “Very eye-opening and engaging!” and “It taught me how to be a better person online!”

Ready to Study

Logan Balavijendran, Morag Burnie — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Despite widespread implementation of initiatives to support student transition into higher education, research reports that many students, both undergraduate and graduate, still lack awareness of expectations and preparedness for study (Baik, Naylor & Arkoudis, 2015; Ozga & Sukhnandan, 1998; Drew 2001; Haggis & Pouget, 2002; Wingate, 2007). In this paper we report on the design and development of an online adaptive diagnostic module to help students better understand the expectations of studying at a large Australian university, reflect on and evaluate their current skill level in relation to these expectations, and address any skills gaps. The module¹ was designed to (1) gather evidence of student needs through analysis of student perceptions and behaviours, (2) be personalised enough to maximise opportunity for students to reflect on and self-regulate learning, and (3) be scalable and sustainable enough to develop and maintain within resourcing constraints. Preliminary learning analytics and student surveys from the pilot (n=402) indicate that this approach allowed students, teachers and developers to measure current learning in relation to expectations and take action. Importantly, it was also easily embedded in and adapted for different contexts.

The Momentum Program

Scott Beattie, Wayne Jones — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

The Momentum Program is an extra-curricular model of digital badged based credentialing for law students studying at CQ University. In that program, students can choose to engage in online workshops and face challenges that earn credentials, recognising professional skills in both traditional and emerging 21^st century lawyering. This paper is a reflection on the design process undertaken and the key insights derived from the first stages of creation and implementation.

Using continuous assessment with feedback loops to generate useful data for learning analytics

Ole Eggers Bjælde, Annika Büchert Lindberg — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

The combination of feedback loops and continuous assessment through learning management systems can enhance student learning and produce data to illustrate it, to both students and educators. This paper presents learning designs, examples and data, representing this combination, in which students receive feedback from different sources and are given the opportunity to apply the feedback to improve their performance, hereby closing a feedback loop. The examples and data, presented in this paper, come from higher education in Denmark where assessment since 2016 has been in a transition phase from single end-of-semester exams to continuous assessment. Data in this transition phase is extremely helpful in documenting the effect of the learning design and in informing the teaching and learning process, for example in demonstrating how students use feedback to increase their scores and in allowing educators to identify students at risk of failing or dropping out. The generic learning design will be used as inspiration for educators to ensure that student learning is supported by both continuous assessment and feedback loops. In addition, the design will be developed further to strengthen the focus on the development of students’ evaluative judgement.

Developing collegial cultures of teaching innovation

Heidi Blair, Louise Maddock, Simone Poulsen — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Fostering cultures of teaching innovation contributes to the transformation of learning and teaching practices in higher education. Enabling university colleagues to share their practice stories is essential for the development of collegial and collaborative communities of practice that provide peer support for colleagues engaged in continuing professional learning related to learning and teaching practice enhancement. This paper describes a university-wide technology-enhanced professional learning strategy aiming to provide a dynamic collection of multimedia digital narratives of teaching practices via an open education resources (OER) repository. This study investigated the factors that motivated university colleagues to share their learning and teaching experiences and practices, the value of sharing their practice with others and the perceived impact of creating these narratives. The results of a preliminary online survey of contributors included that respondents were very strongly motivated to share their practices with peers (92%) and found the process valuable for promoting reflective practice (75%). Semi- structured interviews with contributors indicated the value of collegial conversations involved in creation of the resources. Implications for developing sustainable cultures of university teaching innovation in discipline contexts and future directions for further studies are discussed.

‘Everything is connected’

Peter Bryant — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

How students engage in learning outside the classroom is complex and in part a self-determined activity. Occurring in spaces on and off campus and using technology students themselves bring to their learning or provided for them by the University, self-directed learning has increasingly become a fractured, unsupported and unstructured component of modern higher education. This article draws on the digital stories of 182 students at the London School of Economics and Political Science (UK) to interrogate how students respond and react to the requirements of learning arising from classroom teaching and summative assessment. The stories exposed liminal spaces in which students are constructing learning in unique and some fragile interconnections between life, work, play and learning.

Designing a Virtual Health Faculty Hub

Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

In this paper, we discuss the design of a 360-degree virtual environment experience for Health School students to explore seven university health disciplines within the School of Clinical Science. This teaching approach uses the Seekbeak 360-degree online platform to create a virtual environment and a rhizomatic learning pedagogy to encourage participatory and negotiated community engagement. Participants engage with a 360-degree virtual scene that allows exploration of each of the health disciplines. This allows the student to experience core competencies and example environments for each discipline via a centralised single hub. Informed by a Design-Based Research methodology we discuss the first prototype stage of the virtual health hub that has been developed using Seekbeak. The virtual health faculty hub aims to create an inexpensive mobile BYOD immersive environment for 578 first year Health School students to explore and experience the health teams with whom they will collaborate in real world situations upon graduation.

Comparing spaced repetition algorithms for legal digital flashcards

Stephen Colbran, Wayne Jones, John Milburn — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

This study compares two digital flashcard spaced repetition algorithms to evaluate whether the SuperMemo 2 (SM2) algorithm produces better outcomes for law student learning as measured by assessment results than the older Leitner algorithm. Academic staff prepared hundreds of digital flashcards related to an undergraduate law unit – Introduction to law. Undergraduate law students (n=47) were randomly assigned flashcards using two variations of a software program FlashCram, one version of which used a simple Leitner algorithm, another version the SM2 algorithm for spaced repetition. Students completed three practical assignments, two worth 10%, one worth 20%. and a theoretical examination worth 60% of their final grade. The results confirmed SuperMemo 2 to be a superior algorithm over Leitner with respect to the theoretical examination. There was no significant difference between the algorithms for practical assessment that was skills based, not dependent on memory and not subject to any significant time pressure. The results suggest that the usefulness of spaced repetition digital flashcard systems for legal studies may depend upon the nature of the assessment task.

Digital Literacy Expectations in Higher Education

J. Coldwell-Neilson — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Despite the widespread use of the term digital literacy, there is no common understanding of what it means or what skills and capabilities should be captured within it. The impact for higher education is that the term is misunderstood and significant assumptions are made regarding students’ digital literacy capabilities. The study reported in this paper explores the mismatch between academic expectations and perceptions of students’ digital literacy capabilities. Data was collected via a survey distributed to all Australian higher education institutions. Outcomes indicate that academics expectations are far higher than what they observe of students’ digital literacy capabilities and that digital literacy skills are not being adequately scaffolded and extended through the curriculum. Improving digital literacy outcomes will not occur until responsibility for teaching these capabilities is explicitly expressed and actioned in the context of disciplines and that opportunities are included throughout students’ educational experiences to scaffold digital literacy learning.

Technology-enabled feedback

Christopher Deneen, Cassim Munshi — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Globally, there are significant policy initiatives and commitment of resources towards technology- enabled feedback (TEF) adoption across the k-16 spectrum. TEF suffers from chronic problems, however. Sustained integration of TEF into curricula is infrequent; technology abandonment remains common. This paper explores the gap between TEF aspiration and adoption through a review of relevant literature. The literature review is treated as act of research; a sequential method of identifying, evaluating, and critically analysing sources was applied and is thoroughly explained. Findings are presented and discussed. These include a fundamental quality concern within the field of TEF research that may impact legitimacy of research to inform both further research and sustained adoption. Recommendations are made for addressing concerns and achieving progress.

Do-it-yourself e-Exams

Mathew Hillier, Scott Grant — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

This paper focuses on a small case study in which we developed and tested a set of spreadsheets as a 'do-it-yourself' e-examination delivery and marking environment. A trial was conducted in a first-year university level class during 2017 at Monash University, Australia. The approach enabled automatic marking for selected response questions and semi-automatic marking for short text responses. The system did not require a network or servers to operate therefore minimising the reliance on complex infrastructure. We paid particular attention to the integrity of the assessment process by ensuring separation of the answer key from the response composition environment. Students undertook a practice session followed by an invigilated exam. Student's perceptions of the process were collected using pre-post surveys (n = 16) comprising qualitative comments and Likert items. The data revealed that students were satisfied with the process (4 or above on 5-point scales). Comments revealed that their experience was in part influenced by their level of computer literacy with respect to enabling skills in the subject domain. Overall the approach was found to be successful with all students successfully completing the e-exam and administrative efficiencies realised in terms of marking time saved.

Towards authentic e-Exams at scale

Mathew Hillier, Scott Grant, Martin Coleman — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

In this paper we present the design and user evaluation of a resilient online e-Exam platform that is capable of working without a network for most of the exam session, including the conclusion of an exam, without loss of data. We draw upon the education and technology acceptance literature as a basis for evaluation. The technology approach takes advantage of the Moodle learning management system quiz module as a means to provide an electronic workflow for assessments and builds on a range of open source components to construct the robust solution. The approach also enables rich, constructed assessment tasks by providing authentic ‘e-tools of the trade’ software applications and a consistent operating system on each student’s BYO laptop. The robust Moodle exam deployment was trialled in two undergraduate units (subjects) at an Australian university. Students undertook a sequence of practice, mid-term and a final examination using the platform. Additional software and audio files were utilised as part of the exams. Student feedback on their experience was collected using pre and post surveys covering a range of issues related to technology acceptance.

Change is difficult

Josephine Hook, Barbara Macfarlan, Tammy Smith — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Monash University is transforming its educational offering with a focus on students actively engaging in their learning experiences with educators changing their teaching practice so as to make that happen. The disruption to traditional approaches to education through innovative curricula, multi-faceted modes of delivery and purposeful learning spaces is challenging our educators to think about how students learn, and how to provide students with a quality educational experience. The University has employed a group of Educational Designers (EDs) and embedded these in each of the ten faculties to lead the change. The EDs interpret and implement the University education agenda within their faculties, partnering with academics to innovate teaching and learning across the University.

This paper draws on case study methodology utilising two case studies, from the Arts and Science Faculties, to demonstrate how the EDs have enabled sustainable educational transformation. Despite working across ten faculties with various foci for enhancement, the EDs have coordinated their efforts to build staff capacity and resilience through a range of practical support strategies and programs. The strength of this support is grounded in the relationships that they are able to develop with our academic partners over time.

Surveying the digital literacy landscape for academic and professional staff in higher education

Elaine Huber, Courtney Shalavin — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

In order to produce digitally literate graduates, it is necessary for institutions to have digitally literate staff. While this statement seems clear, the commitment and approach of Australian Higher Education institutions to professional learning focused on digital literacies is not. This paper describes initial steps towards clarifying the place of digital literacies in the context of professional learning for higher education staff. The researchers canvassed 31 higher education websites to identify institutional approaches, and conducted a targeted literature review to uncover models and practices that could have transposal value to institutions. This paper reports on which institutions are publicly committed, which units are typically responsible for digital literacy, the reasoning for institutional approaches and key themes in pedagogical designs. It is the beginning of a conversation, in an effort to distil the muddy waters that digital literacies occupies and generate greater transparency and understanding between educators in the Australian Higher Education context.

Digital disruption meets the academic timetable

Trina Jorre de St Jorre, Beverley Oliver, Jeff Chamberlain — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Many universities claim to provide flexible learning opportunities, but most still require students to keep pace with prescribed curriculum delivery and assessment deadlines, and few have disrupted the academic calendar. In this paper, we report on an innovation called ‘Start anytime’ that was purposefully designed to break from a trimester model and instead give students the flexibility to study in their own space and pace online. Here we report on measures put in place to support students during self-paced online study, and share insights from research investigating students’ expectations and experience of ‘Start anytime’. For many students, the self-management required for self-paced study was a challenge, but for most students those challenges were out weighted by the benefits of flexible learning. Importantly, the majority of students thought that access to learning support and teaching staff was the same or better in ‘Start anytime’ units than in a timetabled unit, and many students found that self-paced study was easier and more enjoyable. Thus, we have shown that where it is carefully designed and supported, self-paced online learning and disruption of the academic calendar, can have considerable benefits for experienced adult learners who have difficulty fitting study around their busy lives.

University-run learning and teaching blogs

Olga Kozar, Lucy Arthur, Rhiannon Hall, Danny Liu — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Providing relevant information, professional development and just-in-time support to a diverse group of teaching staff is a challenge facing many modern universities. A ‘typical’ university instructor today is time-poor, relatively isolated and has a limited capacity to engage in professional development and/or community building. Moreover, most of the teaching in Australian universities is performed by sessional staff (May, Strachan, & Peetz, 2013; Rothengatter & Hil, 2013), who are often not remunerated for professional development. A contemporary approach by which universities seem to be addressing the above issues is the learning and teaching blog. Such publications are adopted by an increasing number of institutions in Australia and internationally, however, little has been documented about their practices. This benchmarking study presents a survey of 12 learning and teaching blogs from Australian and overseas institutions and seeks to shed light on common types of content and topics, as well as the purpose and authorship of such blogs. The findings can be used to inform planning and development of university-run learning and teaching blogs.

New E-learning 3.0 platform proposal and evaluation

Yifei Liang, Tian Liang, Pedro Isaias — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

This research will explore how to improve the current University of Queensland (UQ) “BlackBoard” system, so that it fulfills the E-learning 3.0 requirements. Therefore, after adapting literature review methodology, a new E-learning platform will be designed and built, and it will be tested by the focus group for further development. Functions such as video and text chatting, file sharing and others, will be initially implemented to ensure it is an E-learning platform. The research will then be able to realize functions, such as recommendations of relevant learning materials, by using Web 3.0 technology, in particular the basic semantic analysis. The whole research aims to increase learning efficiency and provide students with a better learning experience. The research is co-operated by two researchers. Although sharing a mutual goal, the researchers will each have a separate focus. One will focus on developing text chatting, file sharing, records checking, relevant materials recommendation functions and other contents like user interfaces, while the other will focus on developing video chatting, room creation, login, and relevant functions as identified and recommended by tutors. On completion of these processes, the identified key improvements and modifications will be applied.

Keeping everyone OnTask

Lisa Lim, Sandra Barker, Anthea Fudge, Steve Kelly — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Student-directed feedback is an important factor in student achievement. However, contemporary higher education presents challenges for instructors to be able to provide timely and personalised feedback, especially in the context of large courses. Learning analytics can be employed as a viable solution to the challenges of feedback provision, as it draws on learner engagement data and individual progress to enable personalised learning feedback to students. Many student-facing LA reporting systems have been developed, but these have been criticised as being too generic to be useful for stakeholders. Recently, research has begun to explore more contextualised LA-based approaches to feedback, which allow instructors to select relevant metrics of engagement to provide personalised feedback to students. This paper describes three case studies currently being carried out at one Australian higher education institution, which employs one such system, referred to as OnTask. The considerations of using such systems are discussed.

Visualizing Learner Behaviour in MOOCs using Sankey Diagrams

Karsten Lundqvist, Michael Godinez, Steven Warburton — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

It can be difficult to assess the design of, and learning, within Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). It is especially hard when trying to analyse this at the level of the individual learner. This study has developed a tool, inspired by Sankey diagrams, to visualise learners’ behaviour and paths through MOOC content. This tool can be used to investigate if learners are interacting with the content as planned when the course was designed. It has been designed iteratively through four stages of rapid prototyping. This paper presents the narrative of the development of the tool with an emphasis on validation via feedback from three user groups at each prototype stage.

Typed versus handwritten essay exams

Elizabeth Masterman — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

In moving from handwritten to typed essay-based examinations (e-exams), the salient issue from an academic perspective is equivalence: can exams in the two modes be considered the same? This paper reports the findings of a literature survey addressing this question, conducted prior to a trial of e-exams at a leading university. The survey sought to establish whether the move results in changes in students’ strategies when composing an exam answer, and the resulting product, and changes in academics’ perception of typed exam scripts and their strategies in marking on screen. The research team concluded that the two modes of exam are not equivalent, even though differences in the marks achieved by students may be statistically insignificant. Recommendations arising from the analysis include moving to e-exams as the sole mode; supporting students and academics to develop IT proficiency for assessment; and capitalizing on the analytics available in e-exam tools to minimize the inequities that arise when exams are conducted in a single mode.

Designing for learning with mobile and social media tools

Vickel Narayan, Jan Herrington, Thom Cochrane — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Over the last decade, mobile and social media (MSM) tools have been in a constant flux. A growing ecology of tools and affordances have enabled multiple types of user actions and abilities never witnessed or imagined before. Educators all around the world are actively exploring and investigating learning and teaching design and approaches to harness some of these opportunities for improved student learning outcomes. This paper discusses the findings from a PhD study that used a design- based research approach to investigate how MSM tools could be used to facilitate learner-driven and determined learning (heutagogy). A set of draft design principles was formulated to guide the development of a course—implemented and evaluated over two years. A summary of the findings from the study is discussed and a set of refined design principles is provided—capable of guiding educators in designing significant learning experiences using MSM tools.

Struggle town?

Sadia Nawaz, Gregor Kennedy, James Bailey, Chris Mead, Lev Horodyskyj — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

A considerable amount of research on emotions and learning has been undertaken in recent years. Confusion has been noted as a particularly important emotion as it has the potential to trigger students’ engagement in learning tasks. However, unresolved confusion may turn into frustration, boredom and ultimately disengagement. The study reported in this paper investigated whether learning analytics could be used to successfully determine indicators or patterns of interactions that may be associated with confusion in a simulation-based learning environment. The findings of the study indicated that when taken individually, measures on specific learning tasks only hint at when students are struggling, but when taken together these indicators present a pattern of student interactions or a student profile that could be indicative of confusion.

Re-thinking LMS change

Ekaterina Pechenkina, Elizabeth Branigan — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

This paper reports on a qualitative evaluation of the first phase of an iterative, university-wide process of transitioning all units of study into a new Learning Management System (LMS). Lecturers in charge of the first group of units undergoing transition were interviewed, the goal of this being for their experiences of the process to inform its next stages, which would involve larger unit cohorts. The change process was designed with the principles of the authentic learning environment at its core and had academic professional development in digital literacy built in into its design, in hopes of enabling sustainable and scalable teaching transformation. The evaluation sought to ascertain how lecturers experienced the process of LMS change in the context of their teaching. Recommendations are offered pertaining to the change process design elements that promise to enhance lecturers’ digital literacy and inspire teaching transformation.

Actionable recommendations for redesigning a pre-clinical dental course

Punyanit Rungnava, Lina Markauskaite, Peter Goodyear — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Simulations are increasingly used in dental education for developing students’ dexterity skills and improving the effectiveness of pre-clinical practice and assessment. The challenge is to embed these technologies into larger instructional frameworks, and to make contemporary teaching and learning practices and environments effective. This study focuses on investigating current simulation-based practices in a pre-clinical laboratory course in a Thai dental school. The purpose is to identify the aspects of the course design that need improvement. Ethnography is used to explore the current situation while an activity-centred analysis and design (ACAD) framework is used to analyse the design of arrangements in the laboratory setting (Goodyear & Carvalho, 2014). This paper reports some results from the students’ interviews after the simulation-based laboratory practice. It focuses on epistemic affordances and constraints and shows that these affordances and constraints are not solely embedded in the design of the simulation system, but emerge with the activity from the interaction between the students’ personal resources that they bring to the situation and design of the broader learning environment. We illustrate how these results could be used for offering actionable recommendations for improving the course design.

Inclusive design in a virtual world serious game to improve adult literacy

Erica Southgate, Shamus P. Smith, Richard Langridge, Maree Gruppetta — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Use of theoretical frameworks can be powerful reflective thinking tools when developing new digital tools for learning. For maximum utility, digital learning tools should be designed to be inclusive of human difference. The purpose of this paper is to provide a case study on the application of an inclusive design framework in the development of a virtual world serious game designed to improve the literacy of learners in tertiary education. This paper provides a critical perspective on applying an inclusive design framework including problems, possibilities and ongoing tension in the project involved in deploying the game to both mobile devices and via head mounted display. Understanding both the strength and potential fallibility of theoretical frameworks such as inclusive design is important in developing impactful technological solutions to enduring social and educational problems.

Extending video interactions to support self-regulated learning in an online course

Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Although self-regulated learning (SRL) is essential part of learning, students often commence studies with poor SRL skills. This places much emphasis on course design to foster SRL. In online education, this is a complex undertaking. The present study examines how online technologies can be harnessed to promote SRL. This study of an online first year course (N=138) investigates how student use of a video annotation tool incorporating in-video quizzes can predict learning outcomes and foster SRL. The study found that students were more likely to complete the in-quiz self-assessment questions than contribute to socially-shared resources such as annotations or summaries. This finding may be a result of the higher cognitive load associated with writing tasks versus responses to in-video questions. The findings also revealed a strong positive association (R²=0.45) between student completion of the in-video quizzes and course grade. It is not surprising that quiz attempts reflect performance. However, it is important to consider the interaction between the correct and incorrect responses. Above a certain threshold of positive answers, the association between incorrect in-video quiz submissions and final grade becomes negative. The study has implications on how analytics are interpreted and how instructors can frame feedback to foster SRL skills.

The potential for artificial intelligence in the educational sector

Peter Vitartas, Amanda Smit, Candida Gravili — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the way in which technology is conceived in society. While previously, its purpose was to simplify rule-based activities, it is nowadays a mean to aid humans in complex and unstructured data intensive decisions. The process of assessment in higher education, for instance, is an activity that can be improved through artificial intelligence as it consists of data intensive decisions, and at the same time, requires the teacher to focus on the performance of each student’s writing, thinking and knowledge of a topic.

This research uses a case study approach to look at the opportunity for Automated Essay Scoring (AES). As the current literature on AES has focused on primary and secondary education, the paper aims to expand the topic to higher education. The paper draws on a case study from Copenhagen Business School which analyses current resources and the experience of stakeholders (teaching staff, students and university management). The theoretical framework adopts a Service Dominant Logic and a human centred design approach to investigate the jobs, gains and pains of introducing AES. The research identifies a clear need from teachers and students for improvements in assessment feedback and the benefits and drawbacks of AES are outlined.

PASS Online assisting first year psychology and social science students in statistics

Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Traditionally difficult subjects, such as statistics, offer a substantial learning challenge for students in their first year of university. Supplemental instruction or Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) can provide students with benefits including increased confidence and grades. This project sought to compare face-to-face (F2F) sessions of PASS for the first-year psychology statistics subject PSYC123 with an online version. Employing a mixed-methods approach, including feedback from both students and PASS leaders, results indicated that online students found the platform easy to use and navigate, believing they had benefited from the sessions. All PASS students achieved higher mean grades compared to students who did not attend. PASS Online students also saw increased grades compared to F2F, although this difference was not statistically significant.

PASS Leaders found that more time was needed in the online version compared with F2F, but felt that the online sessions allowed for similar interactions as those in F2F. Results indicated that online SI can be successful, however traditional activities need to be adapted and specific training is required for PASS Leaders. Time allocations, and skills development in students and leaders are required for a successful online PASS.

Exploring digital literacy as a graduate learning outcome in higher education

Chie Adachi, Damian Blake, Katrin Riisla — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

This paper explores the notion of digital literacy as a learning outcome in the context of higher education. As the world becomes increasingly digital and technologically connected, the ways in which universities support the development of student digital literacy are critical in order to equip graduates with the knowledge and skills to engage in society meaningfully and productively. Regardless of its importance, given the current landscape where numerous digital literacy frameworks can be found in the literature, the task of effectively teaching and assessing digital literacy within higher education becomes rather complex and challenging. As such, through the preliminary analysis of an online survey conducted at a large Australian university, we investigate academics’ perceptions of digital literacy as one of the graduate learning outcomes. With a successful application to the university’s Central Research Grant scheme, the year-long research was conducted in 2017. This project integrated the online survey as well as Change Laboratory as part of the activity theory framework informing this research. Findings discussed in this paper include understandings about the perceived enablers that potentially allow academics to better teach and assess digital literacy in the future.

Designing a video playing interface for second language learners

Emad A. Alghamdi, Fahad Otaif, Paul Gruba — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

With an unprecedent use of videos in education, several video playing interfaces have been proposed to enhance video learning. However, little research to date has explored how video playing interfaces should be designed for the need of language learners. In this pilot study, we explored how language learners utilize and interact with different types of macro- and micro-scaffolding features while they watch academic lectures and government advertisements. We elicited the learners’ thought processes and tracked their interactions with the scaffolding features in several prototypes of video playing interface. The analyses revealed some important findings concerning scaffolding in video learning, most notably being the video type and the difficulty of its content seem to effect how language learners use micro-and macro-scaffolding. Based on the findings, we propose a new video playing interface.

Interdisciplinary Open Science

Sakinah S. J. Alhadad, Rachel A. Searston, Jason M. Lodge — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Evidence-based educational practice and policy relies on educational research to be accessible and reliable. For educators, creating the next generation of critical thinkers, collaborators, and effective communicators, is a complex educational problem, requiring a delicate marriage of methods and approaches for understanding the mind, behaviour, and social context of the learner in the digital age. As such, educational technology research plays an important role for informing practice and policy. However, reaching across the boundaries of research, policy, and practice, is inherently challenging, and can invoke unintended consequences. Miscommunications, and mistakes, are inevitable in interdisciplinary and applied science, but advances in technology now make it possible to openly share and translate educational technology research for policy and practice. Our aim in this paper is to describe how the emerging set of practices and philosophies within the Open Science movement can make educational technology research more transparent and aid translating it into practice.

New shores

John Bevacqua, Meg Colasante — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Contemporary higher education providers require students to choose between on-campus, online, or hybrid ‘blended’ study modes. Education providers predetermine which study mode/s are available for each course. Even in ‘blended’ offerings, education providers pre-determine the mix of on-campus and online study activities all students must complete. This paper focusses on the multi-faceted challenges of defining, designing and trialling a new student-centric ‘StudyFlex’ mode of study at La Trobe University and the genesis and rationale behind that initiative. StudyFlex does away with predetermined bright line distinctions between online, blended and on-campus offerings and empowers students, within the context of a single course or subject offering, to self-select and adjust their preferred study mode pathway throughout their studies. Specifically, in this paper, the focus is on the curriculum design and development challenges of ensuring equivalent learning quality experiences for all students, whilst at the same time accommodating a multitude of bespoke student-selected study mode pathways within a single course or subject offering. As a primer for further research, the authors also flag the additional polycentric regulatory and administrative challenges posed by innovations such as the StudyFlex trial and the attempts to reach new student-centric shores which such initiatives represent.

Engaging millennials with online content delivery through a discourse community understanding of learning

Christopher Bridge — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Short videos are now a standard feature of online content delivery and a wealth of literature has emerged regarding best practice in designing for student engagement. In this concise paper we argue that lessons from research on engaging with ‘millennial’ students in general can also be applied constructively to video design. In particular this generation of students has been shown to desire a personal connection with their teachers, they expect educators to be ‘passionate’ or ‘enthusiastic’ about the topic, and they demand a line-of-sight connection between the immediate learning activity and the end-goal. Furthermore, we argue that an understanding of transition to university studies which conceives of disciplines as discourse communities provides an integrative understanding of student engagement that further informs the design of effective video vignettes. We describe a set of videos, in which teaching academics describe their research to students in a core first-year Bachelor of Science subject, which have been produced according to the principles derived from the above research and approach, with the aim of attaining a high level of student engagement. These videos have recently been trialled and are soon to be evaluated.

Towards understanding of student engagement in blended learning

Cheryl Brown, Niki Davis, Valerie Sotardi, William Vidal — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

In this paper we report on our research exploring undergraduate distance students’ experiences of engagement in a context that is blended with on-campus peers and incorporates work-based learning. Drawing on interviews of educators, a survey and focus groups with students we seek to build a picture of what engagement in learning means in the current Aotearoa New Zealand context and unravel some of the contradictions and complexities in what constitutes effective learning and teaching. This paper provides an overview of the study including a review of the way engagement has been conceptualised in online and blended learning contexts over the past decade. Findings suggest that for students, flexibility is paramount and that digital tools did support this along with helping in understanding, independence of learning and enjoyment. Students also foregrounded other less visible learning strategies and the importance of peer support outside of the classroom. There was also a link between students sense of wellbeing, inclusion and/or belonging (related to their feelings and emotions) and digital tools.

Striving for authentic social constructivism in online learning

Meg Colasante, Andre Oboler, Louisa Walsh, Mark Civitella — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Constructivist and social constructivist processes have long been promoted to foster deep learning opportunities for students as active contributors to their learning. A separate but related focus reminds tertiary educators to promote authentic learning in the age of virtual experiences. However, such learning experiences are not always easy to design in online settings. This paper brings these learning concepts together through sharing examples of authentic social constructivist learning designs in the online space, with subjects from the disciplines of Law and Humanities and taught into an interdisciplinary Master of Cybersecurity degree. The learning design examples of the respective subjects are presented and discussed in an authentic social constructivist context.

Integrating mixed reality spatial learning analytics into secure electronic exams

Michael Cowling, Mathew Hillier, James Birt — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

This paper presents an approach to using mixed reality (MR) technologies in supervised summative electronic exams. The student learning experience is increasingly replete with a rich range of digital tools, but we rarely see these same e-tools deployed for higher stakes supervised assessment, despite the increasing maturity of technologies that afford authentic learning experiences. MR, including augmented and virtual reality, enables educators to provide rich, immersive learner centred experiences that have unique affordances for collecting a range of learning analytics on student performance. This is especially so in disciplines such as health, engineering, and physical education requiring a spatial dimension. Yet, in many institutions, paper-based exams still dominate, in some measure due to concerns over security, integrity and scalability. This is despite a key concern for educators and institutions in producing employment ready 21^st century graduates being the authenticity of assessments used for high stakes judgements. We therefore present a proposal for how MR pedagogies can be deployed for use in supervised examination contexts in a manner that is secure, reliable, and scalable.

Designing online delivery through educational design research

Andrew Cram — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

This paper reports on an early-stage educational design research project to develop scalable online delivery at a higher education institution with relatively low maturity with digital learning. This involves not only an intervention aimed at transforming the curriculum and teaching practices, but also considers the broader set of institutional services that support students and faculty. The paper introduces the substantive problem in context, reviews existing design principles in the literature on high-quality online delivery and provides an overview of the emerging intervention design. This ‘whole-of- institution’ scope is fairly novel for educational design research, and the paper closes with a reflective analysis of using educational design research for this type of project.

Procedural and conceptual confusion in a discovery-based digital learning environment

Paula G. de Barba, Gregor Kennedy, Kelly Trezise — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Confusion has been found beneficial to learning in specific conditions. However, the roles of procedural and conceptual confusion in such conditions are still unknown. This paper presents a preliminary study investigating the relationship between procedural and conceptual confusion and their impact on learning processes and outcomes in a non-challenging online task. Participants completed an online predict- observe-explain task on star lifecycles, which included a star simulation. One group watched a video tutorial on how to use the simulation prior to the task (n=22), while the control group did not (n=22). The tutorial group reported higher confidence and lower challenge in using the simulation compared to the control group. The tutorial group also reported higher confidence towards the concept being learnt than the control group, although no differences were found on concept challenge. However, these differences on conceptual and procedural confidence and challenge did not impact time spent on the simulation, use of self-regulatory skills or learning outcomes. Implications for future studies are discussed.

Technology for the scalability of co-creation with students

Mollie Dollinger — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Student-staff co-creation is a growing topic in higher education research. Framed as a mechanism for universities to better modify and meets the needs and expectations of students, student co-creation has a wealth of potential benefits. However, with the expansion of research, many scholars have stumbled upon a similar limitation, the scalability of co-creation. This issue is due to co-creation currently occurring in face-to-face (f2f) interactions (e.g. pedagogical consultants). However, co-creation can also arise in online spaces, enabled by technology, that could allow for greater scalability. In this paper, three strategies supported with technology to enhance the scalability of co-creation will be discussed including, crowdsourcing, customisation and prosumer behaviour with relevant industry examples for each as well as suggestions for practice in higher education. The limitations, benefits, and new directions for research will further be discussed. It is the aim of the paper to provoke ideas on how co-creation can be made more accessible to all students.

Preparing to Succeed

Joanne Elliott, Bianca Frost — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Students who study wholly online have different expectations and face different challenges than students studying on-campus. Similarly, the experience, capabilities and expectations of postgraduate students differ from those of undergraduate students, especially school-leavers. Both online and postgraduate cohorts exhibit high attrition rates, often linked to time constraints, poor preparation and dissatisfaction with learning experiences not tailored to their needs. Yet little attention has been paid to how orientation and transition support might be customised to better accommodate these cohorts. In this paper, we provide a rationale and case study for developing an online narrative-led orientation resource tailored to address issues of affiliation, connection and belonging, specific to postgraduate students.

Advancing cultures of innovation

Claire Englund, Linda Price — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

To cope with the rapidly changing Higher Education climate, teachers need the agency to act proactively to initiate and steer changes to meet their needs. The results of this study indicate that transformative agency emerges when teachers are given the opportunity to analyse, envision and redesign their practice collaboratively with the help of mediating conceptual tools. This has implications for academic development, suggesting that activities providing a ‘third space’ for discussion and criticism of current practices is needed to support the development of agency thus creating a culture of innovative practice.

Use of interactive video for teaching and learning

Dilani Gedera, Arezou Zalipour — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

This paper focuses on the findings of Phases I and II of an institution-wide project on the effective use of interactive video for teaching and learning in a university in New Zealand. Responding to the emerging growth of video in teaching and learning practice and scholarship, and also to the university’s strategic focus on providing blended, flexible learning opportunities, this project explores the ways in which lecturers currently use videos in teaching, their challenges, and their attitudes towards making video as well as students’ perceptions of learning through video. This paper discusses what we conceptualise as effective learning moments and conditions and how these can be created and maximised through the effective production and manipulation of relevant, purposeful interactive videos. The overall project combines both research and impact and develops opportunities for lecturers to enhance their competencies in creating interactive videos.

Paper versus e-assessment

Jessica Gibbons, Ingrid D’Souza — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Technology is becoming an integral part of the teaching and learning environment with e-assessment contributing to quality improvements in student learning experience. This research project investigated the potential effectiveness of using technology for summative assessment in an undergraduate Biomedical Science course. The results indicated that this cohort of students want choice in the location where the e-assessment is completed and choice in the device – personal or university owned. Biomedical Science students indicated that e-assessment is an effective alternative to invigilated, paper- based major in-semester assessments. Reliability of the technology and adequate feedback were also factors in the student’s perception of e-assessment. Based on findings from this study, it is our view that e-assessments in this format offers a promising alternative to traditional assessment modes.

Return on investment in higher education retention

David C. Gibson, Simon Huband, Dirk Ifenthaler, Eric Parkin — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

This article describes the human and technical infrastructure analytics capabilities that have evolved at a university in Western Australia, which have been applied to curriculum and learning data with a focus on the return on investment (ROI) of improving retention. The ROI approach has been used to highlight the benefits of further inquiry and action by decision-makers from the classroom level to school and faculty levels. The article will briefly describe the capability developed and methods underpinning continuous on-demand production of analyses and insights aimed to stimulate inquiry and action to improve retention.

The voices of autism

Michael Grimley, Timothy Moss, Emma Donaldson, Eoghan Hogan — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

While Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) launched with great optimism and the promise of transforming higher education, their implementation has often failed to realise this potential. Across the sector, MOOCs typically attract an audience of already-educated participants with a curiosity for learning that ranges across multiple topics and issues; many engage with multiple courses. This community often do not present with the commitment required to expend the mental effort to achieve completion, and completion rates of 5-10% are not atypical. Given such low rates of completion, it has been argued that MOOCs are simply a fad, of poor quality and low retention (Haggard, 2013).

However, relatively few MOOCs have been developed within Australia that leverage the opportunities provided by free, large-scale educational platforms to address the learning needs of specific communities. This paper reports on the development and delivery of such a MOOC, focusing on raising awareness of the lived experience of individuals with autism, designed for and with the autism community. Utilising MOOC technologies to meet the information and support needs of a specific community demonstrated participation and completion rates significantly above those reported in traditional MOOCs, and points to new directions and purposes for large, open learning environments.

Fostering teamwork skills across the School of Engineering using online self and peer assessment

Tiffany Gunning, Paul Collins — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Teamwork skills have been a recognised key employability attribute in university graduates for at least the last two decades, as analysed by Curtis and McKenzie (2002) and continue to be a significant key selection criterion of many Australian employers (Graduate Outlook, 2014). This paper outlines the implementation process, learning and future directions associated with the use of an online self and peer assessment strategy, aimed to develop teamwork skills in engineering students, at Deakin University. Initially student feedback from a pilot study was used to inform and justify a three-year trial of the strategy. Then consideration was given to the professional development needs of academics to support and foster the teaching and assessment of teamwork skills in the school. Into the future, teamwork skill development depends upon the evaluation of course learning outcomes and development of minimum standard descriptors of teamwork skills across all year levels.

Digital badges

Maggie Hartnett — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

The importance and influence of digital technologies as a mediator and facilitator of learning is fundamentally changing education; what it encompasses, what counts as learning, who has access, where and when it occurs, and the ways in which skills, knowledge and capabilities are recognised. One technological innovation that has emerged within the last few years is digital badges. Developed to act as indicators of accomplishment, skill, or interest, they are being used in a variety of contexts for purposes such as to motivate, capture achievement, or credential learning. Digital badging is a technology that has the potential to change how we engage learners, deliver content and acknowledge learning. Internationally, digital badge use is growing particularly in Higher Education. However, to- date, it is difficult to determine how many institutions are using digital badges and for what purposes. This is particularly true within the New Zealand Higher Education context where little research is currently available. The focus of this study was to identify the ‘current state of play’ of digital badge use (i.e. which tertiary institutions are using badges, and the perceived benefits and drawbacks associated with their use) within the public New Zealand Higher Education sector.

Back to the future with old-fashioned conversations

Eva Heinrich, Jenny McDonald — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Recent advances in ICT have had a profound effect on tertiary education. However, critical and social theorists caution that the relationship between teacher and student is still central and educational research over many years suggests that some of the most successful pedagogical methods are those which strengthen the relationship between teacher and student and which support student development of relatedness, competence and autonomy. In this paper, we propose a new approach to course design and organisation which builds on lessons from the past while taking advantage of the affordances of contemporary technology. We summarise data from interviews with teachers and learning support staff and conclude with our hopes for the future.

Developing a design-based research methodology for designing MR technologies for mountain safety

Jin Hong, Thomas Cochrane, Andrew Withell — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

This paper outlines the first stage of a design-based research (DBR) project exploring the literature and establishing a research methodology for the design of mixed reality (MR) environments to enhance informal learning in preparation for engagement in high-risk environments. The context of the project is mountain safety education for expert climbers to prepare them for the critical risks involved in extreme mountain climbing environments. The paper outlines the scope, background, proposed research methodology and initially identified design principles for designing MR technologies for mountain safety. The research draws upon literature applying new pedagogies for informal learning, including heutagogy or self-determined learning.

Utilising learning analytics for study success in higher education

Dirk Ifenthaler, Jane Yin-Kim Yau — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

This study examined the utilisation of learning analytics to support study success in higher education. The main research question was to identify whether there is a link between learning analytics and the respective intervention measures to increase study success at higher education institutions. The systematic review included empirical studies conducted during the past five years. Search terms identified 6,220 articles from various scientific sources. After duplicated articles were removed, there were 3,163 articles remaining. Each of the articles were screened and the inclusion criteria (e.g., peer- reviewed, rigorous research findings) limited the key studies to 41 articles. This paper presents an overview of the results of this systematic review. It is concluded that evidence can be found supporting the use of learning analytics to support study success in higher education. However, study success may not be exclusively the result of the use of learning analytics but also some additional means of technological or institutional support. The findings also suggest a wider adoption of learning analytics systems as well as work towards standardisation of learning analytics procedures which can be integrated into existing digital learning environments.

Building institutional cultures of innovation in technology enhanced learning:

Martin Jenkins, Richard Walker, Julie Voce — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

This paper discusses recent developments in technology enhanced learning (TEL) across the UK higher education (HE) sector and considers the extent to which innovative practices have been able to flourish. In the context of an increasingly competitive marketplace for student recruitment, we explore the tension that HE institutions are now facing between establishing consistency in course provision as a way of satisfying student expectations, whilst at the same time encouraging academic staff to experiment and innovate with learning technologies, with the accompanying risks that this may present to the reception of learning methods.

Mining digital reality

Senorita John, Russell Butson, Rachel Spronken-Smith — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

This study explored the computer usage behaviour of undergraduate students, by using Reality Mining techniques to capture naturally-occurring digital traces. We harvested over 14,000 hours of computer usage data from 21 undergraduate students at a New Zealand university over the period of one semester. Our preliminary analysis has given us some insights into: 1] what applications students use most frequently, 2] how much students use their computes during the semester, 3] the multi-tasking/task- switching behaviours of students, and 4] the times most common for students to use their computer devices. These results, which are from a larger ongoing study, point to interesting areas for future research around the complexities of student digital behaviours, and illustrates the potential of new research methods to capture data about student practices.

Designing online orientations for higher education music students

Carol Johnson, Georgina Binns — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Online orientations can provide university students with helpful introductions to relevant knowledge and skills they will need over the course of their studies. While traditional models of university orientation focus on face-to-face lecture delivery and often depend on individual, time-specified events, the online environment can be used for more interactive and discipline-specific orientation. The adoption of an online orientation approach can further provide students with information accessible in manageable time frames and supportive practical applications. Aligned to research literature, this paper proposes a framework for developing an online orientation program for higher education undergraduate and graduate music students. The framework brings together the design benefits of the online environment in conjunction with literature on effective practices of orientation programs. As such, the framework identifies four components of influence when designing an online orientation: Purpose; Audience; Design construction; and Content topic considerations. Areas for future research are also highlighted.

Dipping our toes into the Open Seas

Hazel Jones, Carolyn Brown — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Adopting Open Education Practice is one example of innovation in online and blended learning. This paper describes how combining a desire to improve student experience and learning, with educational technology use and Open Education Practice led to development of a renewable assignment for a fully online course. The collaborative process is explained, outlining the impetus for the change, the context of the course and the steps taken to design and develop a new assignment utilising Open Education Resources. The assignment, a video presentation, is one component of a major course redevelopment that has been occurring iteratively over a number of sessions. The impetus for the course redesign was a need to improve student retention, results and experience and the process was supported by a DOER Fellowship. Both the Educational Designer and academic involved in the development gained new skills and knowledge of Open Education Practice and early anecdotal evidence is that students appreciated the new assessment and believe this had deepened their learning in the course. Lessons learned include the importance of collaboration across a diverse team and that there are likely to be some minor issues that need to be rectified following initial offerings.

Towards the use of cognitive load theory as a diagnostic tool in online learning

Benjamin A. Kehrwald, Brendan Bentley — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

This paper examines cognitive load theory in online learning. The central idea of the paper is that by identifying instances of cognitive load in online courses, educators can make practical adjustments in the design and teaching of courses in order to minimise the cognitive load experienced by learners and thereby increase the likelihood of successful cognitive processing. The presentation brings together current thinking in cognitive load theory and descriptions of key aspects of contemporary online learning to identify and describe of potential instances of cognitive load experienced by online learners.

‘From [virtual] classroom to boardroom’

Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

The Australian Institute of Business (AIB) exclusively serves the needs of working adults and seeks to deliver life-changing experiences for students through a contemporary and practical curriculum delivered online. A key feature of its MBA is a final capstone subject whereby students apply the knowledge acquired during the degree to a business issue in a professional context. Adult learning has been found to be most effective when knowledge is constructed based on workplace problems. However, as industry practitioners, many students find this challenging and have historically struggled with the research-based nature of the capstone subject.

This paper reflects on how the MBA Project was re-conceptualised to help students navigate the challenging waters of a final research project. Guided by a coaching mind-set, we experimented with a range of online tools within an andragogical framework to create effective learning activities and engage students to address contemporary issues in their workplace. Not only did this revised capstone achieve the highest completion rate of all the MBA subjects offered, it had a positive influence on student engagement, learning and their overall educational experience as more than 90 percent of students ‘safely reached port’ and completed their MBA.

Can an adaptive lesson really make fundamental chemistry interactive & flexible?

Kelly Linden, Louise Pemberton, Lucy Webster — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

First year undergraduate allied health students commence physiology with an extremely variable understanding of fundamental chemistry principles. Chemistry is also often perceived as difficult, dull and unrelated to daily life, when, in reality nothing is further from the truth. Adaptive learning has been shown to be an effective tool for chemistry homework, but we wanted to assess its value in teaching fundamental chemistry concepts to undergraduate allied health students. An adaptive online chemistry lesson was developed in the Smart Sparrow platform. The lesson was piloted and evaluated using a survey and access to Smart Sparrow learning analytics (n=33). Students reported that the lesson met their needs for flexibility (4.9/6), and that the lesson enhanced motivation to learn chemistry (4.9/6). Importantly all students that completed the survey indicated that they had a better understanding of chemistry after they completed the lesson (4.7 ±2.3 vs 7.63 ± 1.54, p<0.00001). Findings from this pilot study indicate that online adaptive learning resources are an effective, flexible and fun tool for teaching fundamental chemistry.

Can we calm first-year student’s “neuroscience anxiety” with adaptive learning resources?

Kelly Linden, Lucy Webster, Louise Pemberton, Wendy Rose Davison — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

An understanding of neurophysiology is vital for undergraduate allied health students; however, it is often perceived as an intimidating and difficult subject. Adaptive learning presents a novel teaching pedagogy to enhance student learning and engagement in the teaching of neurophysiology to first year students. An adaptive online neurophysiology lesson was developed in the Smart Sparrow platform. The lesson was piloted and evaluated using a survey and focus group. Of the 26 students that completed the survey, 21 students indicated that they had a better understanding of the nervous system topic after they completed the lesson. Students found the lesson was helpful in assisting with their understanding of the nervous system, whilst also being interesting and engaging. Findings from this pilot project revealed adaptive learning technologies show significant promise in enhancing student learning in a difficult first year subject.

Reclaiming the field of educational technology

Larry McNutt — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

The purpose of this concise paper is to offer some observations and commentary on the current state of the field of educational technology – with the overarching premise that the field is currently stuck in a “techno-centric habitus” that is limiting the field’s evolution. This position is based on research work conducted in Ireland exploring the personal values and beliefs that motivate the staff working in the educational technology space within higher education institutions. In an era where Higher Education is facing many unrelenting issues – educational technologists continue to remain a silent voice in the ongoing debate – “privately vociferous but publicly mute”. This paper offers a critique of the field that appears as dynamic and innovative largely reflecting the investments in technology – but at its core is harnessed as an instrument that prioritises performance measures over transformative opportunities. This scenario is often compounded by the lived reality of educational technologists who often reside within the fractures of organisational structures – straddling various strategic priority pillars such as Digital Campus, Teaching and Learning and the Student Experience. This work adopted the “thinking tools” of French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu to examine this dilemma. The paper concludes by proposing four key questions for discussion that will contribute to informing and shaping the future direction of the field of educational technology.

Expectations and engagement

Timothy Moss, Sharon Pittaway — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

The first year of study in higher education is a significant time for students, and indeed for institutions. Students are at their most vulnerable in terms of an increased risk of failure, and are at most risk of encountering challenges they have few resources on which to draw in order to overcome. These vulnerabilities, challenges and risks are particularly significant for students who study in the online mode, where a sense of isolation lingers for many students despite the levels of interactivity now available to them. Recent research suggests that institutions have room for improvement in assisting students to navigate their path through this transition. In this paper, we identify five key ‘touchpoints’ within an online student’s transition that play a significant role in positioning them for success. We frame our discussion around two key concepts, expectations and engagement, and explore how institutions might use each touchpoint to position online students for success. Our aim is not to provide solutions, but rather to provoke alternative and out-of-the-box thinking through discussion about how we might better align practices across an institution, and reassess our roles in supporting student transition.

Embedding digital literacy

Leanne Ngo, Simone Tyrell, Michael Volkov, Kerrie Bridson — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Equipping business graduates with digital literacy skills can help to enhance their employability and careers. Contextualising digital literacy to the relevant discipline and, aligned with industry expectations can help them navigate through the multiple demands of living, learning and working in a digital 21st century society. This paper draws on a pilot exemplar of the challenges in course design to explicitly embed, develop and assess students on attainment of digital literacy skills in business education. As part of the pilot, and through a cross-functional team, an innovative, media-rich and interactive Digital Literacy Module (DLM) with strong learning design based on authentic activities and scenario-based learning was developed and implemented. Insights presented here will be of value to course leads, curriculum designers, educational technologists and other practitioners to help with embedding digital literacy in higher education.

Swimming in unchartered waters

Hang Nguyen, Kristine Elliott, Heather Davis — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

The changing landscape of global higher education, due to the increasing use of educational technology, has become ‘unchartered waters’ for many university lecturers. Continuing professional development (CPD) that aims to support lecturers to ‘swim in the unchartered waters’ has become a priority in many countries. However, CPD tends to be competency-based with little attention given to lecturers’ motivations. This paper presents a conceptual framework that helps to explore CPD for lecturers teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) with technology in the Asian context of Vietnam higher education. It unpacks the important elements of CPD for the 21^st century EFL lecturer through the lens of Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985) and the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge Framework (TPACK) (Mishra & Koehler, 2006). Accordingly, three psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness are identified as being essential elements for CPD, with TPACK specifying lecturers’ competence. This new CPD approach can guide EFL teaching practice and CPD policy in Vietnam and other similar contexts.

Changing technologies and assessment redesign

Mark O'Rourke — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

This project reviewed current assessment practice across a School at a large University in Melbourne through analysis of student Course Experience Surveys (CES), desktop analysis of course guides, teacher interviews and student focus groups. Based on the findings, targeted resources were designed and professional development activities delivered to teachers to improve assessment and feedback processes in an environment of changing educational technology contexts. Analysis of qualitative CES data identified the most significant issues with assessment design and implementation, and this was used as a reference point and in communication with teachers to promote an understanding that assessment design impacts student learning and achievement.

The development of resources and delivery of professional development activities to improve assessment design were undertaken during a period of significant technological change at the University. A new Learning Management System (LMS) was implemented and all courses were required to have an online presence and comply with a set of guidelines. The impact of this significant change on academics and students was examined to determine whether institutional technology implementation facilitates or hinders efforts to improve assessment and feedback processes in the context of learning and teaching practice.

Group work in IT

Joanne Parker, Chris Campbell — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

It is well known that students dislike working in groups. However, preparing students for the workplace is important and part of the graduate attributes for each university. As such, group work can be seen as an integral part of university assignments for many students. This paper reports on the group work experiences of IT students who complete a team work assessment as part of one of their subjects. Most students in the cohort study online which can add some complexity to the team work process. Most students felt that all members of the team were given an equal opportunity to contribute, with students reporting they generally worked at least adequately well together. One of the obstacles to working together was reported as working together online due to not being able to meet face to face. Overall, with scaffolding, working as a team does not have to be a negative experience for students and can provide deep learning.

Lessons learnt from a university LMS transformation

Suneeti Rekhari, Lisa Curran — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

In a changing Higher Education landscape, universities are increasingly under pressure to implement transformative learning experiences, leveraging advances in technology and increasing flexibility in the curriculum. This paper discusses the process by which our University transitioned from one Learning Management System to another, and the impact of this transformation. This impact is viewed across the College of Science, Engineering & Health learning and teaching strategies and the student experience, our planning and staff capability development. The complexities and lessons learnt from this process are identified in an attempt to reflect on the LMS transformation as a broader catalyst for change.

Smooth sailing

Nauman Saeed, Ying Yu — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

In response to the issue of a wide variability and structure in the Learning Management System (LMS) design across subjects at the school level in an Australian university, the researchers of the study developed a research-informed LMS template. The template drew on the critical factors identified in the literature that could contribute to students’ positive learning experience in online learning spaces. The study aimed to evaluate the usability and continued use intentions of the template by trialling it in four Business subjects and applied a mixed method approach to explore lecturers’ and students’ perceptions. Results showed that both students and lecturers responded to the new template positively in terms of its usability and suggested strong intentions to use it in the future.

Reducing the confusion and clicks and its impact on learning

Rebecca Scriven, Carol Crevacore — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

With the increased importance placed on first-year university units to transition, retain and engage new students, there is a need to carefully design the navigation within a unit of study. The importance of reducing confusion for new students and the cognitive load placed on them during their first experience of university learning may assist with retention. This paper presents a collaborative project between a first-year Unit Coordinator and Senior Learning Designer to redesign the navigation of a core communications unit in a Bachelor of Science (Nursing) degree. The purpose was to reduce the confusion over what was required of the students each week and to reduce the number of clicks and scrolls through the weekly content, allowing students to focus on the content itself.

Don’t Just Stay in Your Lane

Courtney Shalavin — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Digital literacies are no longer optional for higher education staff - they are a necessity. However, comprehensive solutions on how to develop digital literacies in the workforce remain elusive. While many institutions implement clear definitions and frameworks in policies at the macro-level, rigid application of these tools is ineffective at a micro-level wherein personalized approach is needed. This paper describes the approach of a pilot professional development program at a regional university library that scopes and evolves to meet the needs of the workforce. The program is guided by design principles focusing on personalization and flexibility. In the future, the program will be evaluated to determine its impact on the workforce’s development of digital literacies to provide guidance for other higher education institutions.

From digital natives to digital literacy

Erika E. Smith, Renate Kahlke, Terry Judd — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

While the academic community and the general public often refer to learners today as inherently tech- savvy digital natives, those in the educational technology community have long advocated for a move away from digital native stereotypes in favour of fostering digital literacy. As such, the educational technology community can play a vital role in shifting from popular conceptions of digital natives and toward developing digital literacy for the benefit of all learners. In this paper, we provide a comparative analysis of search data from Google Trends showing continued use of the term digital natives and the rising interest in digital literacy. In order to help educators move away from popularized concepts of digital natives by instead developing digital literacy in three domains, we propose a conceptual framework for anchoring digital practices within a Learning Design model.

Evaluative judgement and peer assessment

Joanna Tai — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

There are many pedagogical benefits of peer assessment: it can develop content knowledge, students’ feedback skills, and afford additional sources of feedback for students. Furthermore, peer assessment can contribute to the development of students' evaluative judgement, a core capability for independent practice and lifelong learning. However, peer assessment is frequently seen as problematic, due to logistical issues, and concern from both staff and students around the ability of peers to contribute meaningfully to learning. Somewhat paradoxically, students’ evaluative judgement is likely to contribute to successful peer assessment. Technological solutions for peer assessment can have a significant role in improving uptake of peer assessment practices. If such implementations also focus on the core requirements/principles of evaluative judgement development, this may be one way to improve the success of peer assessment. This paper provides a rationale for the inclusion of peer assessment within curricula. It introduces the concept of evaluative judgement; highlights the benefits and challenges currently faced within peer assessment, and identifies desired functionalities for peer assessment and evaluative judgement that could be implemented through technological means.

Thinking out-of-the-box

Miriam Tanti — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

The uptake of digital technologies in education is a significant issue for governments and organisations across the world as concerns are expressed about students’ lack of progress in these areas. As a result, the inclusion of digital technologies is often unquestioned and caught up in a largely aspirational discourse of inevitability, where the belief is that using digital technologies will lead to curriculum reform. The case study of Slow, presented here, aims to enlighten the conversation with examples from research in different education jurisdictions in Australia. Slow is a national vision for digitally rich education through a different lens. This new theoretical framework of Slow comprises four convergent themes: state of mind, time, process and connectedness. These themes are offered through interdisciplinary, technology-rich secondary school examples that highlight the potential of Slow to re-imagine the way we think about education. Important critique offered throughout the concise paper signposts diverse interpretations of the digital technologies agenda that is often missing from ‘click-bait’ media snapshots and in recent government reports. Examinations of understandings and practices in some Australian education contexts offer universal and readily transferable treasures that suggest powerful options and ripostes for policy, education leaders, teachers and young people.

Parts of speech in Bloom’s Taxonomy Classification

Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

This paper analyses parts of speech in a training corpus with 13,189 learning outcomes in which Bloom’s Taxonomy levels were previously classified by human experts for 3,496 subjects offered at an Australian university. This paper explores the automatic identification of verbs and other parts of speech impacting the semantic meaning and Bloom’s classification of learning outcome statements. The frequency with which words in learning outcomes appear as different parts of speech and at different Bloom’s levels is described as a preliminary step of a larger project that aims to automatically classify Bloom’s levels using a combination of table lookup and machine learning approaches. It is indicated that automated parts of speech classification can assist human learning and teaching designers to write clearer learning outcome statements. This is in addition to playing a role in automated Bloom’s Taxonomy classification, and identifying cases requiring review in conjunction with normal institutional curriculum management processes.

Investigating MOOC users’ persistence in completing MOOCs from network externalities and human motivation

Xinghua Wang — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

This study investigated how network externalities affect users’ persistence in completing massive online open courses (MOOCs) through the mediation of human motivation. A theoretical model was built utilizing network externalities and self-determined theory, and was validated with the responses from 346 students in a public university in China via partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicate that network externalities constituted essential social contexts that directly and indirectly impacted the development of learners’ self-determined motivation. Learners’ persistence in completing MOOCs was significantly predicted by learners’ competence, followed by relatedness, autonomy, and network benefit; network benefit, which was predicted by network size (direct network externalities) and perceived complementarity (indirect network externalities) also had greater indirect influence on learners’ persistence in completing MOOCs. As to gender differences, relatedness showed stronger influence on female learners’ persistence in completing MOOCs than males. Network benefit had stronger prediction on female learners’ perceived relatedness; but it exerted greater direct influence on male learners’ persistence in completing MOOCs.

Peer review of learning designs

Penny Wheeler, Mary Jarrott, Angela Daddow — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

For academics participating in graduate certificates of higher education, the advice and feedback of their teacher peers is a potentially powerful resource. This paper reports on an evaluation-in-progress of one subject in a graduate certificate for university teaching, a fully online unit on the scholarship of technology-enhanced learning (SoTEL). Two demands are made of participants in this unit: that they should develop a prototype activity using technology for learning and teaching, and that they should review and receive a review from a class peer to enhance these individual prototypes. The assumption at the heart of this unit design is that, by undertaking a review of a colleague’s learning design, the teacher learns from these additional perspectives and can then improve their own designs for learning. Challenging this assumption are multiple aspects of the context, including the relative value of design reviews from academic developers versus less experienced peers; the multiple criteria by which a design might be evaluated; and interdisciplinary work between peers. Artefacts from participants and the academic developers teaching them are analysed to probe this underlying assumption, and to consider the value of peer review in SoTEL.

Considerations for designing H5P online interactive activities

Sonia Wilkie, Ghaith Zakaria, Tania McDonald, Rosemary Borland — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +1100

Online Interactive Activities are becoming increasingly popular at many universities as a method for introducing Blended Active Learning experiences. The advancement of technology has meant that the toolkits no longer require experienced multimedia designers to create content. Teachers and Educational Support Staff have been given the power to design and develop their own activities. Whilst many people understand that the technical parameters of the tools need to be understood, elements of design also need to be considered and appreciated for the development of quality learning experiences. In this paper we consider design principles to prompt active learning and encourage student engagement.