Denise Kirkpatrick Director, Learning & Teaching

Denise Kirkpatrick Director, Learning & Teaching Learning together online: towards an understanding of online collaboration

Learning & Teaching Online • Potential • Innovation or adaptation? • Collaboration examples • Issues • Strategies

The online role-play evolution • Middle east politics simulation (Vincent) • Pollutsim (1996-1999) [task & tool analysis] • Technology assessment involvement in Middle east politics (1999 – 2000) • Mekong e-Sim (2000 – 2004)

Mekong e-Sim motivated by: • Create student experiences involving multiple perspectives, authentic learning & context, • Address internationalisation, • Develop generic skills (communication, collaboration, leadership, decision-making, IT) • Develop discipline specific content knowledge • Link geographically distributed students • Create an interdisciplinary experience- understand other perspectives

Roleplay-simulations • Participants adopt a functional role or persona within a simulated environment or scenario. They are problem-based units of learning set in motion by a particular task, issue, policy, incident or problem.

What happens in a roleplay-simulation? Reflection & Learning Adopt a role Issues & problems occur Interaction & debate

Mekong e-Sim • Online roleplay- simulation • Students collectively take on persona relevant to scenario • Personae respond to key events and triggers as events unfold • Persona groups comprise same discipline/institution and mixture

e-Sim Stages Briefing/Familiarisation (1 Week) Role Adoption (1 Week) Interaction (2.5 Weeks) Public Inquiry (0.5 Weeks) Debriefing/Reflection (2 Weeks)

Assessment Issue paper: group task, issues specific to persona, student drop box Participation: group task, email, public inquiry, news events, group and peer assessment Critical learning incident: individual task, observation, interpretation, knowledge outcomes Debriefing essay: policies, e-Sim dynamics, group dynamics, reflection

Features • High level of student engagement with ideas (via learning activities) • Structured interaction • High level of interaction within and between personae • Accountability • Interdependence • Flexibility

Mekong e-Sim supported collaboration between: • Staff • Students • Disciplines ( Engineering, Geography, Economics, Media, Arts) • Institutions (4 universities) • Inside the e-Sim • http://online.uts.edu.au

e-Sim Collaboration issues Institutional: managing LMS across multiple sites Academic Issues: • Teaching & learning practices & philosophy • Assessment practice & policy • Distribution of workload & W/L policies

e-Sim: Academic issues Negotiation was required • Low level of funding allowed minimum changes to existing practices & resources • High level of student interdependence across institutions required standardisation of practices

e-Sim: Shared Assessment Practice • Assessment governance varied between subjects • Agreed assessment criteria/outcomes/frameworks • Needed agreement on process: level of feedback,marking time, grades or marks, turnaround time • Inter-marker variability & moderation

Cross Institutional Collaboration • Genuine commitment to collaboration • Mutual dependence between all parties • Alignment of learning outcomes and assessment • Shared responsibility • Clear (& shared expectations) • Flexibility & willingness to adapt

Encouraging Learner Collaboration • High level of positive interdependence • Between students sharing persona; • Among personae within the RPS scenario (in relation to information & actions); • Independent and group work tasks

Encouraging Learner Collaboration • Individual accountability • Online self and peer assessment of contribution • Statistics on participant access • Facilitator access to discussion groups

http://online.uts.edu.au

Masters/DPsych- Adult Mental Health • Online case base approach (PBL principles) • Extensive use of student collaborative work • Seven increasingly complex cases

Cases • 7 cases (patients) representing key psychological disorders • Scientist-practitioner model • Raise professional problems raised in & by the cases • Exemplified range of possible approaches to treatment

Text based cases • Provide original input – case (patient) • Students respond to original information, preliminary diagnosis • Student discussion of opinions and justifications • Individual and group activities • “Expert comment” • On-going information provision – students revise diagnosis

Cases • Formulate treatment plan • Evaluation of treatment • = complete treatment cycle

Cases • Sequenced through year • Scaffolded • Trigger information relating to client & disorder released to progress case development & initiate learner activities • Individual and group activities - structured

Issues • Need for organisation – staff & student • Structured activities and sequence • Making the personal connections • May be more time consuming • Need to design meaningful tasks • Students need a legitimate reason to collaborate- clear purpose for collaboration

Issues • Flexibility vs structure and accountability • Development time vs staff ongoing involvement • Alignment of assessment & process • Student training & familiarisation

Outcomes • High level of student motivation & engagement • Improved student learning outcomes • Improved understanding of complexities of practice • “Managed” staff workload and input • High retention rate • High levels of interaction

In Conclusion • Not just the technology but the design • However technology supported particular activities and interactions • Technology made some things possible

Denise Kirkpatrick Director, Learning & Teaching