JISC

This technology-focussed collaboration project for the e-learning strand of the JISC Capital programme will take a ‘state-of-the-art’ collaboration and social-software tool (InterLoc) and its related learning activities (digital dialogue games) from the current pilot phase of development to integrated exemplary implementations and embedding in five HE institutions. These Universities have a particular focus on widening participation, flexible delivery and lifelong learning. The project will lead to more widespread embedding and dissemination of the approach within the UK HE community by the end of the project.

The InterLoc tool and digital dialogue game approach is particularly suited to addressing problems of widening participation through providing relevant and engaging learning experiences throughout the lifelong learning cycle in formal, semi-formal or informal settings. The very nature of the dialogue games makes them highly personalised, as students can choose who they collaborate with, in what ways (i.e. which type and level of dialogue game) and about what topic (which can be interpreted broadly and be associated with any relevant multimedia artefacts). Previous studies have shown that the dialogue games: are very successful in scaffolding students critical discussion and reasoning; are highly valued by students and teachers; and, perform optimally when these activities are prompted, or sanctioned, by the tutor but left under student initiative and control.

Aims and objectives

The project will perform considerable technical improvements to make the InterLoc tool more powerful, adaptable and attractive. We will also perform exemplary implementations of the tool and approach and evaluate these before wider dissemination. In brief, we aim to make dialogue games a more personalised, inclusive and pervasive pedagogy and technology.

The specific aims of this project are:

1. To adapt the InterLoc dialogue game tool (www.interloc.org) in ways that make it a more personalised, flexible (e.g. ubiquitous) and integrated learning experience;
2. To build on previously successful pilot implementations through performing larger scale exemplary implementations in five HE Institutions;
3. Evaluate the implementations;
4. Embed the tool and approach through linking with the Central Services of the participating Institutions;
5. Disseminate the tool and approach to the practitioner and researchers e-learning communities in the UK.

Project methodology

The project will considerably extend the flexibility, adaptability and ‘reach’ of an approach that is already high on these dimensions. The current java application that has been built according JISC’s ELF for Open Standards and interoperability will be made interoperable with both mobile and wireless devices. This will be in addition to testing the ‘reality’ of interoperability with other software tools and applications built according to the same ELF framework. In brief, this project will perform the technical developments that will make the dialogue games an ‘anytime and anywhere’ technology that seamlessly link with other user-driven and organisation-driven technologies.

Anticipated impact

This project will have a strong range of benefits for JISC and the education community. Firstly it will deliver a generic and pervasive e-learning tool and set of re-usable interaction scenarios that have been shown to support inclusive and effective educational argumentation and reasoned discussion.  These will be adaptable to numerous educational problems and contexts, supporting a wide range of learners. Secondly, it will test and apply the JISC’s technical frameworks specification, producing a transportable and re-usable Open Source tool that integrates with other suites of tools and mobile/wireless devices, realising an excellent blend of pedagogical innovation and technical exploitation. Thirdly, the tool itself will also provide an excellent ‘work-bench’ for e-learning researchers, that will be used to investigate the effectiveness of different forms of discussion-based educational dialogue and record the data in a readily usable form.

The project will lead to a large number of conference and journal articles in the area (see www.interloc.org for previous outputs in this respect), a number of which will be based on the unique synergy of the experts involved in the project.

The key project deliverables will be:

1. An advanced version of the InterLoc tool supporting greater personalisation and integration (available through SourceForge)
2. A completed set of user- trials and implementing the approach at LondonMet University
3. A completed cross-institutional implementation and evaluation, involving five HE Institutions
4. Embedding of the approach within the participating Institutions
5. An improved project website (www.interloc.org)
6. Publications and presentations: Papers, Final Report and evaluation reports

Lead institution
London Metropolitan University

Project partners
University of Exeter, UK Open University, University of Teesside, Queen Mary - University of London.