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Pre-Conference Workshop FD1

Making Sustainable Online Learning a Reality – Accelerating the Shift

Date Wednesday, Dec 2 Time   –   RoomLincke I/II Price: 160.00 € Status: places available

Workshop leaders

OEB speaker Susi Peacock

Susi Peacock

Senior Lecturer in e-Learning, Queen Margaret University, UK

OEB speaker Lindesay Irvine

Lindesay Irvine

Senior Lecturer, Queen Margaret University, UK

OEB speaker Kath MacDonald

Kath MacDonald

Senior Lecturer in Nursing, Queen Margaret University, UK

OEB speaker Iddo Oberski

Iddo Oberski

Senior Lecturer in Learning and Teaching, Queen Margaret University, UK

An exploration of how new and emerging conceptualisations of the Community of Inquiry Framework have informed the transition of a face-to-face master’s professional programme to the online environment.

Note

All participants should bring an internet-enabled device.

Content

The aim of our workshop is to introduce participants to new conceptualisations of the Community of Inquiry Framework (Garrison 2011, and 2013), broadening and deepening their notions of planning, maintaining and evaluating online learning endeavours, through experiencing an online community.

In this interactive workshop, participants and facilitators build an online community. Moving between online and face-to-face activities, we are exploring together some of the challenges of designing, running, and evaluating an online programme.

We use as evidence our experiences of the development of an online professional programme that has been informed by an alternative approach to learning online through innovative enhancements to the Community of Inquiry Framework. Participants will experience first-hand learning in an online community; this allows them to judge how the enhancements to this well-known framework can help support their learners in their online learning. Throughout this workshop, participants critique materials, templates and activities used by the team of facilitators. Working individually and in groups, participants will explore how they can use these online resources to support them in accelerating the shift online but without compromising the educational experience, so that learners can succeed and prosper.

Agenda

Session 1: Using a new interpretation of the Community of Inquiry Framework to inform the educational experiences of learners online (90 minutes)

One of the most prominent models of online learning is the Community of Inquiry Framework which has at its heart educational experience (Garrison 2011). Participants experience a community online, working through an introduction to this Framework, and our suggested enrichments. This is followed by a face-to-face break out session in which participants explore their conceptualisations of learning online.

Coffee break (30 minutes)

Session 2: Transitioning to online learning (90 minutes)

Learners are often ill-prepared for the transition from the more traditional, didactic face-to-face learning to student-centred online learning. An online induction has been designing and trialled with our learners. As our participants work through our induction to online learning, we use breakout sessions to address some of the well-known issues accompanying online learning.

Lunch (one hour)

Session 3: The role of the tutor in student-centred online learning (90 minutes)

Participants are required to explore their notions and understandings of tutoring online. We call upon our experiences of the tutoring presence, debating how much tutoring presence online learners require, when, and what type of interventions.

Coffee break (30 minutes)

Session 4: The ‘battleground’ of online collaborative group work (90 minutes)

Collaborative, community-based learning is at the heart of a community of inquiry; however, many learners dislike group work, finding it a distraction at best especially when undertaking professional programmes. This final session raises awareness of the potential issues that learners may encounter in working in groups online.

GARRISON, D.R., 2011. E-learning in the 21st century: a framework for research and practice. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge

Target audience

Academics in any discipline, educational developers, learning technologists, researchers, learners

Prerequisite knowledge

Some experience of online learning would be helpful.

Outcomes

By the end of the session, participants will have:

  • an introduction and/or refresher of the Community of Inquiry Framework
  • applied new and innovative perspectives of the Community of Inquiry Framework to inform their plans for sustainable, online learning education
  • experienced working and learning in an online community
  • analysed barriers and enablers in relation to learners’ and facilitators’ experiences of online learning
  • debated and critiqued materials, and templates supporting:
    • transitioning to online learning
    • tutoring online
    • group work online
  • reflected on learning from the session, and addressed how it will change their practice

The participants leaving our workshop will have continuing access to these resources and our emergent online community.