JISC

Background/Context

Previous projects and experience have given Xube insights into how post-16 education has been affected by a diverse range of e-learning platforms and styles of learning.  The e-learning and Pedagogy Programme appears to be building on the experiences of the implementation of e-learning so far and addressing a shift in emphasis “from specification of learning objects to specification of learning activities” (e-Learning Frameworks, Pedagogy and Innovation: Taking Us Beyond The Fringe, Sarah Porter and Sarah Knight).  Our understanding is that we will focus on the adoption of e-learning activities that are not simply based around “information transmission…with little consideration given to the activities that the learners themselves might engage in” (A Framework for the Pedagogical Evaluation of eLearning Environments, Britain and Liber, February 2004).

Aims and Objectives

The overall aim of the project is to “… illustrate a range of different approaches to e-learning, including at least one example from school sixth forms, further education, higher education and adult and community learning. The video case studies should include specific uses of Virtual Learning Environments as well as the use of modular e-learning tools in blended and in virtual contexts, and include tutor/teacher and learner testimony on the impact of the technology used.”

The specific objectives are to:

• produce five video case studies, which are illustrative of innovative approaches in e-learning across the post-16 sector in the UK.
• promote the application and development of e-learning tools and standards to better support effective practice.

Project Methodology

The focus has now moved from specification of learning objects to specification of learning activities. Developments in learning design offer new ways of integrating materials and activities in a pedagogically informed way. They also offer richer frameworks for modelling learning interactions in virtual environments. So far they have not been widely available to practitioners. 

The videos aim to make these developments accessible to practitioners across the range of FE and HE.

Implications/ Deliverables/ Stakeholders

The outcomes from this role are expected to be as follows:

• An agreed list of case studies to film which are representative of effective, innovative and varied e-learning practice in the post-16 sector and HE.
• An agreed filming schedule with all filming to be completed by the 11 June 2004.
• Five storyboards describing the pedagogical approaches, contexts and outcomes of the selected instances of e-learning practice.
• Agreed lists of questions for the interviewees to capture practitioners and learners’ testimony on the impact of the technology used.
• Five completed video clips for dissemination to the JISC community through the Programme website and a supporting publication.

Other expectations are:

• The consultant/s will liaise with the Programme Manager on a fortnightly basis to ensure there is a shared understanding of the work and its progress.
• The consultant/s will work closely with other consultants and projects within the Programme: specifically to ensure integration of the video clips with the written case study reports.
• The consultant/s will participate in a virtual working group for the Programme, as requested by the Programme Manager
• During the contract, the consultant/s may be invited to present at a meeting of the relevant JISC committee or committees.