Embedding learning technologies in further and higher education

This course has been validated as an optional module on Westminster Institute of Education's MA in Education (ED50) and can also be taken as a freestanding module (ED836). It is designed to support staff from further and higher education who are in the process of embedding e-learning into the student curriculum or wider student experience.

This is a work based learning module, where you will work on an individual project, supported by a tutor from OCSLD or the Centre for e-Learning. Your tutor will guide you through a pre-defined sequence of structured, developmental learning activities which will help you to carefully select, integrate and evaluate your use of technology.

This module is available free to all Brookes staff involved in learning and teaching.

Aims and learning outcomes

The module aims to support you to reach pedagogically sound and realistic decisions about how best to make use of technologies to enhance learning and/or learning support.

By the end of the course, we expect that you will have demonstrated how you have

• analysed the educational processes underlying a chosen e-learning application,
• designed and implemented pedagogically sound, learner centred and accessible e-learning courses, activities and/or resources appropriate to your chosen context, and
• critically evaluated the impact of your e-learning applications.

Indicative content

We expect that in order to do undertake such a project, you will need to investigate

• the affordances of different media and technologies in post compulsory teaching
• pedagogical approaches to the design of e-learning courses and activities
• issues in online resource creation including standards, metadata and reusability
• issues in implementation and embedding e-learning eg costs, staffing, student support
• the range of available educational evaluation methodologies and techniques
• review your own professional development needs, drawing on existing institutional and national staff development opportunities

You will be expected to identify readings appropriate to your own field of study, in addition to the following introductory texts,

• Laurillard, D. (2002) Rethinking university teaching: a conversational framework for the effective use of learning technologies, 2nd Edition. Routledge Falmer, London .
• Weller, M. (2002) Delivering learning on the net. Routledge Falmer, London .

Teaching and learning experience

This module runs over both semesters 1 and 2. The design of the module outcomes and assessment is underpinned by notions of action learning and you will complete at least one full action learning cycle as you analyse, plan, conduct and review an implementation of e-learning.

You will experience being an e-learner through the completion of a number of structured online activities, prepared to guide you through the stages of your project.

The module will be fully supported by a course website giving access to examples, activities, additional course materials, and other course participants.

Assessment

The course has been validated as a 20 credit masters module, and this is reflected in the assessment. For the final assessment, you will conduct and report on a small scale investigation into an e-learning initiative within your own area of practice.

The 3000 word report will include

• A rationale for the investigation which locates it within an appropriate generic or discipline specific educational literature
• A design for the course, activity or resource which demonstrates how it is learner centred, pedagogically sound and accessible
• A discussion of the professional and practical issues arising from the implementation and how they were managed
• A critically reflective evaluation of the impact of the initiative, drawing on student and staff feedback as appropriate.