Presenter Name & Short Bio:
Professor Ron Oliver is Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning) at Edith Cowan University in Western Australia. Throughout his teaching career he has used emerging technologies to engage and motivate his students. He has actively researched in this area and has considerable experience in the design, development, implementation and evaluation of technology-facilitated learning materials. His particular interests include authentic learning and task-based learning and the sharing and reuse of technology-facilitated learning activities. Ron has won many awards for his innovative teaching and research with learning technologies including an Australian Award for University Teaching (1997), a Carrick Associate Fellowship (2006) and a Fellowship from AACE. He is an active member of the editorial boards of several international e-learning journals and conference committees. He is regularly invited to share his work and ideas at national and international conferences.
Professor Thomas C. Reeves is a Professor of Learning, Design and Technology at The University of Georgia where he teaches graduate-level evaluation, multimedia design, and research methods courses. In addition to numerous presentations and workshops in the USA, he has been invited to speak in more than 25 countries. He is a Past President of the Association for the Development of Computer-based Instructional Systems (ADCIS) and a former Fulbright Lecturer in Peru. In 1995, he was selected as one of the “Top 100” people in multimedia by Multimedia Producer magazine, and from 1997 - 2000, he was the editor of the Journal of Interactive Learning Research. In 2003, he was the first person to receive the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE) Fellowship Award. He is currently writing a second edition of his evaluation book with Professor John Hedberg from Macquarie University in Australia.
Professor Jan Herrington, School of Education, Murdoch Universityhas co-written and edited many books specifically for teachers in higher education on a variety of technology- and teaching-related subjects. She has developed a range of innovative technology-based environments, and has led a number of large projects, including two prestigious Australian Research Council research projects. Jan has an international reputation for her research into e-learning and has won awards at both the national and international level for her research including a prestigious Fulbright scholarship. Jan currently leads several large projects exploring innovative uses of learning technologies and is supervising a number of PhD students working in this area. She regularly presents at international conferences and has given a number of keynote addresses. She is an active member of the editorial boards of several international e-learning journals and international conference programs.
Where & when the workshop has been previously presented:
This workshop has been offered a number of times previously at such conferences such as ED-MEDIA and ASCILITE. It has also been offered in various forms to a number of institutions and organisations looking to develop a capability to design and deliver effective e-learning that maximizes the affordances of the technology.
Dates: Sunday15th March 2009
Time: 9:00 Am – 12:00 Pm - (daily) coffee/tea, lunch breaks approximately 1 ½ hours daily
Place: The Headquarter of the National Center for e-learning and Distance Learning
Fees: SR 500
Intended Audience:
Participants should be teachers of instructional designers familiar with the concept of e-learning. Ideally, they would have experience designing and/or delivering e-learning.
Prerequisites if any:
Participants should be familiar with the concept of e-learning and have an interest in the design of effective e-learning environments. Ideally, they would be teachers in higher education although the workshop is also popular among instructional designers and e-earning technologists. Teachers and training personnel with minimal instructional design experience will also benefit strongly from this workshop.
Description of Presentation Format:
(How will the workshop be conducted)
What is the structure of the workshop, how will participants be involved and how will the structure maximise opportunity for learning?
The workshop involves a number of presentation and activity formats that seek to engage the participants and model effective practice. These include:
• Presentation and discussions of key concepts and ideas relating to authentic learning;
• Group-based design and development activities;
• Whole group presentations and interactive discussions supported by videoconferencing to facilitate interactions between the ladies and gentlemen.
We propose that in the presentation of this workshop Professor Jan Herrington will work with the ladies and Professor Reeves and Oliver will work with the gentlemen. In this way we three could participate in the presentation and both the ladies and gentlemen would be supported by face-to-face instructors and assistance.
Workshop Description and Aims:
The workshop is usually run in 3 sections. The first section provides an overview of the concept of authentic learning and the principles upon which it is based. The participants interact to identify strengths and weaknesses in current forms of learning and teaching and develop an understanding and appreciation for learning settings that provide more motivating, engaging and relevant learning contexts. A number of examples and cases are shown to ground the concepts through practical examples.
The second session involves the participants in the design and description of authentic learning settings for local needs. The participants work in groups following design models and frameworks to craft alternative learning settings that demonstrate the principles of authentic learning. The presenters work with the groups to scaffold their application of the frameworks and to extend their thinking to more fully embed the design principles into their teaching ideas.
The final session involves the various groups sharing their designs with the whole group and receiving constructive feedback and comment. This would involve the videoconferencing technologies to facilitate interactions between the ladies and gentlemen. The various designs developed by the groups are used to demonstrate the strengths of authentic learning as a design strategy and the capacity of technology to value-add and support these forms of learning settings. Participants take from the session a raft of new ideas for developing effective technology-based learning settings.
Outcomes for Participants:
At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to design technology-based learning settings that demonstrate the critical features of authentic learning. Participants will learn through practice-based activities and reflective and collaborative activities. Authentic learning settings are characterized by relevant tasks, and active learner engagement. The settings promote deep learning and involve reflection and collaboration. Authentic learning settings provide relevant and engaging environments through the development of transferable skills and knowledge.
Specifically, the participants will be able to perform the following tasks:
1. Understand the underpinning elements of authentic learning.
2. Know how these can be designed into technology-based learning settings;
3. Identify opportunities for designing authentic learning settings;
4. Be able to deliver learning settings to students based on the principles of authentic learning.
5. Understand where authentic learning can best be used as a learning strategy and the issues associated with delivering this form of learning setting.
Computer Requirements :
Laptop with the following: (Optional)
- Wireless connect (LAN) .
- CDDVD driver.
- Internet Explorer 7 or Firefox 2 or 3.
- BDF Reader.