Experiences of a course in blended Learning (bL) developed in partnership between

1. ‘providing quality teaching, scholarship and supportive research’ Delivering a blended-Learning (bL)postgraduate course for practising teachers - keeping the lid on the blender! Experiences of a course in blended Learning (bL) developed in partnership between Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College and the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Higher Education Academy e-Learning workshop Glasgow Caledonian University - 31st May 2006 Richard Jones, BCUC

2. Topics • Kitchen Wisdom • Programme History • The course structure, content and rationale • Examples of student participation and material • Lessons learnt • Questions to be answered • Discussion, comment and questions

3. Kitchen Wisdom • Keeping the lid on the blender! • While keeping the lid on the blender is a fundamental tenant of culinary practice one must not lose sight of the goal of cooking: to produce good and enjoyable food!

4. Programme History • Request from RBWM 2003 for some form of course on e-learning • RBWM Ed. Auth. Oversees approximately 25 000 pupils in a number of schools across the whole range of abilities • Pilot course ran 2004 – 2005 • First full course runs 2005 -2006 • 14 students registered, 13 started, 12 are active at present

5. The course rationale, structure and content • BCUC & RBWM Development team was established to design programme: • Rationale • Postgraduate level • Learning perspective but do not hide the technology (software and hardware) • Practitioner based • Delivered via a blended Learning paradigm • Assessment will be integral to the student work

6. The course rationale, structure and content contd. • Structure • Masters level Post Graduate Certificate • 3 x 20 credit modules • Assessment is integral to the students work e.g reflective journal • Taught via a blended Learning approach • Content • Module 1 • Good practice in “e-curriculum delivery learning” and the establishment of good blended Learning (bL) criteria. Develop bL materials/resources based. • Module 2 • Design an effective bL courses for use in their own subject area based on pedagogical factors including learner needs, syllabus requirements etc. • Module 3 • Deliver the module 2 course, evaluate the course based on the criteria established in module 1 and re assess those criteria

7. Requirements & Technology • All students have full support of home organisation • VLE access (First Class) for all staff and pupils • Video conferencing software (Click to Meet) • All students have laptops, internet access, webcam, mike & headphones, software

8. Example material • Minimum expectations for first piece of work • Typical F2F session example • Example coursework

9. The lid bit! • We must remember that the aim of ‘blended Learning’ is to produce meaningful and rich learning which is the underlying basis of all good teaching. • Whilst correct use of the technology is important, it is the ‘food of thought’ that must be the focus of the output. • The blend must not be just palatable but desirable and nourishing!

10. First Class

11. First Class

12. Online Discussion Synchronous discussion A-synchronous discussion

15. Video Conferencing

16. Video Conferencing

17. Video Conferencing

18. F2F Session Example

19. F2F Session Example

20. F2F Session Example

21. F2F Session Example

22. F2F Session Example

23. F2F Session Example

24. F2F Session Example

25. How did they get on? • 20/01/06-A really useful day. …. It comes together a lot easier and makes more sense now that I have more knowledge and can do far more. • 01/02/06-I started to load software this morning at roughly 11 o’clock and now at six o’clock I am frustrated and upset. I do not feel I can cope with spending so much time to come to nothing and have nothing to show. The one issue that did come up was I could not contact anyone because all the phone numbers were home not school. • 03/03/06-I really enjoyed this session I think I am a little bit clearer and some of the issues we discussed are really exciting. I know I have a lot to learn but if I can find the time to do it in the end it will make our photography course become state of the art. At the moment it is lie pushing an elephant up the stairs! • 10/03/06 EUREKA- at last I am A video –c onferencer, Thanks to XXXXXX and after a few problems it’s fixes it. Apparently it was the pop-ups. I then joined their conference and everyone in the department was thrilled.

26. Another • Great frustration today as I tried to video conference with XXXXX via Click to meet. • I connected to the internet through my hard-wired Ethernet network at home. • On connecting to Clicktomeet at first I had good video transmit and receive and good audio receive but no audio transmit. After around 5 – 10 mins, before I could test another microphone, the connection to the Clicktomeet server was dropped. • In the end I had to reboot my laptop. • I’ll try again from the office. • Total time spent including journal 80 mins. • Evening - Another 2hrs 30mins spent experimenting with software. • On My laptop, I have un-installed the Logitech 4000 software and installed my own Clicksmart 510 camera. The camera appears to work. • I experimented with un-installing the Clicksmart 510 camera and installing the Logitech 4000 camera on my personal desktop computer. It appears to work. • 7th March 2006 - I’ve done quite a bit of reflecting rather than ranting over the last 10 days. • I have often been irritated, when delivering software training, by participants trying to use software as I am describing and demonstrating its functions. Maybe I need to take more account of individuals’ learning styles! • by the second f2f on Friday 3rd March I was enthusiastically reaching for the internet to try to find examples of the issues under discussion. • I’ve got a remit at University XXXX to try to drive up the use of ICT by the Education staff even further than it is used at the moment. The University provide generic skills training on their learning platform “Studynet” but feedback from Education staff indicates that this lacks pedagogic underpinning and is therefore difficult to see how the learning platform could add to the learning experience for students. • How about a series of workshops, on-line activities and resources that staff can dip into to increase their understanding of blended learning with new technologies, that uses blended learning techniques. • After consultation with the head of school I will have to get this cleared with the head of the University’s Blended Learning Unit.

27. And Another! • Sorry Richard got held up with an incident in school, involved some year 8 girls making websites about staff, police, parents and tears. Sorry. I can do most of this week if you let me know a time so I can set up in school. School is open 9 till 4 every day except Monday. I can't do Wednesday at all.

28. Lessons Learnt & Questions to Answer • Personalisation: • Adaptable to the requirements and learning styles of the individual student (students – group/cohort) - personalisation or customisable? • Inclusion: • A practical method to provide a work group who find it difficult to logistically undertake CPD to move forward – the digital divide effect? • Flexibility: • Fits the need of the student life style, circumstances, work commitments – work based learning, life long learning, should all the responsibility be with the individual? • Productivity: • Scaleable? We think we are going to need technology to help here – ‘intelligent systems’!

29. Discussion • Discussion board – window into learning concept • F2F sessions and on-line communities built around the design studio principle • Blended learning (bL) in the e3 principle • In our initial exploration of the potential uses of the VLE in the different contexts, we were interested in finding out what e-learning would enable us to do that we could not do before, rather than simply attempting to mimic offline experience (Garrison & Anderson, 2003). In particular, we were hoping that the adoption of a blended learning approach would offer new opportunities to: • Improve the efficiency of course delivery; • Enhance the student learning experience; and • Extend the learning opportunities of the student • We have referred to this concept as the e3 model to capture the essence of the three aims. • Blended learning (bL) should not be technology led or focused • Blended learning (bL) should be built on sound underlying good teaching & learning practice and pedagogy

30. Over To You • Thanks you for you time and attention • Discussion, comment and questions

31. Reflective journal account • Teaching and Learning strategies employed within the programme reflect the nature of the teaching experience at M level. Participant learning will be facilitated via workshops, which will include introductions on key topics; facilitated workshop sessions and group debate. The workshops will explore specific themes focused on current and future assessment. They will also be used to develop a critical and evaluative approach in applying theory to own practice. • Workshop sessions will include practical exercises and tasks which will require participants to explore aspects of working environments including their own along with their role within it. Participants will keep a reflective record of these activities, which will be developed into a Reflective Journal. Participants will also need to complete an integrating statement for inclusion in the reflective journal. The reflective journal will then form the basis for assessment work, presentations and symposiums, in which the participants will report on their learning in applying the theoretical concepts studied, outcomes and implications of practical exercises undertaken. Subsequently it will be a resource for their own practice as leaders/managers within the profession.

32. Illustrative assessment procedures for Diploma and Masters stages of the programme. • At the Diploma stage, in addition to the workshops, participants will use Action Learning Sets to develop a Learning Contract through which they will identify themes and issues to be explored in greater depth. This will enable participants to develop themes raised in the programme, in a way that is most relevant for their own practice. The Learning Contract itself will specify the form of assessment and is likely to include a presentation within the participant’s own workplace; the development and implementation of a small scale action research project and report (typically 4000 words), detailing the identified themes and issues, the agreed process of intervention and the outcomes and reflections upon that intervention. • In addition, participants taking the Masters programme will also complete a dissertation (typically 10,000 words) on a topic of their own choice which is related to their own work situation. This will be supported through individual tutorials. • It goes without saying that throughout the programme, participants will be supported via a VLE, which will be an important resource for the programme. It will serve to provide continuous contact between facilitators and participants, providing a forum for academic debate, practical support and the dissemination of learning.

33. f2f Launch Day Today! Half day 1 03/03/06 1.30-4pm Half day 2 06/04/06 1.30-4pm Half day 3 03/07/06 1.30-4pm Half day 4 28/10/06 1.30-4pm Symposium Day 23/11/06 Purpose : To review current assignment work and introduce following assignment. To enable face to face discussion