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This initial positioning paper by Rhona Sharpe explores critical questions regarding effective e-learning practices informed by practitioners' experiences and expert insights. It addresses the influential representations of knowledge in teaching, the types of interventions valuable in the educational context, and the accessibility of resources. The paper highlights the importance of scholarly teaching and evidence-based practices, aiming to bridge the gap between theory and practice in higher education. Discussion questions motivate further exploration of problematic issues and potential recommendations.
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Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development Research study: initial positioning paper Rhona Sharpe
What’s the problem? E-learning research Effective e-learning practice Practitioners’ experiences E-learning experts
How would you choose between them? • Which representations are likely to be most influential? • Are some representations likely to be more influential in certain groups? • Are some representations likely to be more influential at different stages of a teacher’s career? • Are there common features of such representations which make them more likely to inform or improve practice? • Are there certain ways of using or supplementing some of these representations that make them more effective? • Are there other representations to add to this list?
Scope of the positioning paper • What have been effective resources and interventions for staff in FE/HE using technology in their teaching? • What types of interventions might be worth exploring in the extended reviews of the research study? • Is there anything we already know about representations which can inform our recommendations to the programme?
It’s not just our problem (in e-learning) Teaching in HE becoming more scholarly and evidence based. Drive to integrate this theory into practice, e.g. • Professionalisation of teaching demands that scholarship underpins practice • Funded projects must now not only produce deliverables but also evidence their use and impact But this knowledge can be inaccessible to practitioners.
Sources • Literature on how professionals learn • Experiences of staff development initiatives e.g. evaluation of Ferl Practitioners Programme, Becta ILT in FE report, EFFECTS. • Experiences of effectiveness of teaching and learning projects • Emerging literature in educational development on representations of knowledge and practice • The experts: feedback from our last meeting
What makes for a good resource? • Accessibility • Specificity and contextualisation • Emphasis on learning and learning design • Authenticity • Adaptability and ownership
What’s the problem? E-learning research Effective e-learning practice Practitioners’ experiences Resources E-learning experts
What makes for a good intervention? • Allows for knowledge construction through use • Learning from experience in informal settings • Located within an appropriate community, culture and context
Key issues arising • People rarely learn from resources alone: encouraging practitioners to work in groups • Cycles of reflection, linked to action: building in opportunities for reflections, abstractions and generalisations. • Motivators and rewards • Living, active artefacts and collaborative resource development
Some problematic issues • There’s little agreement about what makes for a good resource • Some resources are difficult to create • Practitioners and developers value different things • Practitioners may not follow our recommendations!
What’s the problem? E-learning research Effective e-learning practice Practitioners’ experiences Resources E-learning experts
Possible discussion questions • Do you agree broadly with the perspective and conclusions of the positioning paper? • Explore some of the problematic issues. • What could be added to the reviews? • What empirical work could usefully follow on? • Are we nearing some recommendations?
