The Next e-Learning Revolution: Customisable Learning Designs

1. The Next e-Learning Revolution: Customisable Learning Designs Professor James Dalziel Director, Macquarie University E-learning Centre of Excellence (MELCOE) james@melcoe.mq.edu.au www.melcoe.mq.edu.au Presentation for BETT 2004, January 10th, London, UK

2. Overview • Why do we need a revolution in e-learning? • Introducing Learning Design • Concepts and examples • Experiences of UK Teachers and Students • Kemnal Technical College • Conclusion

3. Why do we need a revolution? • BETT demonstrates rich and vibrant e-learning • E-learning content is being taken up by many schools • More and more schools (and Universities and FE colleges) are adopting learning platforms (VLEs, etc) What, if anything, is the problem?

5. E-learning Content Today • Most assumes single learner, self-paced learning • Often little more than textbooks online? • Content-centric, transmission model of education • What is the implied pedagogy?

6. E-learning Content Today • Teachers can feel something fundamental is missing “This doesn’t feel like what I do everyday in my teaching” • Why doesn’t e-learning facilitate “Lesson Plans”? • That is, software that describes and manages sequences of collaborative learning activities (not just content) • We have “best practice content” but what about “best practice process”?

7. Information and Communication Technologies ICT ?

8. Introducing Learning Design • Learning Design is a name given to a new field of e-learning technology based on “best practice process” • Learning Design = Sequence of Collaborative Learning Activities • Learning Designs can incorporate single learner content, but also collaborative tasks such as discussion, voting, small group debate, etc • Learning Designs can be stored, re-used, customised

9. Introducing Learning Design • Learning Design has various other names: • Pedagogic Design • Pedagogic Frameworks • Learning Trails • Learning Activity Sequences • “Powerpoint for educational activities” • Educational Modelling Language, • “Process VLE”, etc • Learning Design as Lesson Plans • But not just a description of the activities - Learning Design software can help facilitate the activities

10. Introducing Learning Design • Short Example: What is Greatness? • Week 1: Discussion environment - initial thoughts • Week 2: Review of content and search for websites • Week 3: Small group debates with scribe reporting back to whole class • Week 4: Submit report for marking and comments • Example of Learning Design from the perspective of • Student • Teacher (during monitoring of a live sequence) • Teacher (authoring) • Based on “LAMS” - a Macquarie University R&D project

11. Learner Environment

20. Monitoring Environment

22. Authoring Environment

24. Introducing Learning Design • Short Example: What is Greatness? • Week 1: Discussion environment - initial thoughts • Week 2: Review of content and search for websites • Week 3: Small group debates with scribe reporting back to whole class • Week 4: Submit report for marking and comments • Customising a Learning Design • What is Jazz? • What is Greatness? (done in 1 hour in a computer lab) • Changing the structure (eg, reverse weeks 1 and 2) **Potential to capture, share and adapt best practice process

25. Kemnal Technology College Using LAMS at Kemnal Technology College 10th January 2004 Michelle Draper

26. LAMS at Kemnal Technology College We have been working with; James Dalziel (Director, Macquarie E-learning Centre of Excellence - MELCOE) Professor Diana Laurillard(Head, e-learning Strategy Unit, Department for Education and skills) Specialist Schools Trust What LAMS is all about at Kemnal Technology College; LAMS is a tool who’s content can be customised It is easily adaptable with the ability for re-use It can promote cognitive skills to improve learning It is a vehicle to engage all students in a lesson through a medium they understand

27. Phase 1: Initial Pilot Programme Putting LAMS into context Our need for collaborative learning – by using LAMS as a tool: We asked ourselves the following questions: Do teachers control all learning in the classroom? Do teachers really allow students to express their opinion? If a student was allowed to voice their opinion, would they in front of others? Can students influence the learning process? Can the use of ICT improve on student’s confidence to communicate? Finally: Through LAMS we can unlock a student’s potential to maximise their own performance We can use LAMS as a tool to help students learn rather than just teaching them.

28. Staff involved: Range of mixed ability and set classes at Key Stage 3 – Basic feedback Andy Parry (ICT) Topic of ‘Adventure activities’ Michelle Draper (Food Technology) Topic of ‘Who To Invite For Dinner’ Mr Parry worked with some 6th formers - Feedback in more detail Christian Markham (Geography) Topic of ‘Our Environment’ Graham French (Science) Topic of ‘Rollerball’ Phase 1: Initial pilot programme:

29. Q In your lessons, when questions are asked to the class, how often do you contribute? 59% will only answer questions if they have to 16% will try and just keep quiet 25% will contribute 43% of students just don’t want to look like a ‘square’ 41% would worry that there may be a chance that they are wrong 16% would respond Q Why would you not respond to a question – when you know the answer? 66% of students agreed to 5-6 times a week 22% feel that they hardly ever get the opportunity 12% thought they frequently discussed work Q How often are you encouraged to discuss the work as a class? Student's points of view with discussion before using LAMS: Phase 1: Initial pilot programme:

30. Compared to 84 % before using LAMS Phase 1: Initial pilot programme: Feedback from our Year 7 students after using LAMS: • 67% of students felt they could now be more honest with all their answers • 45% of students felt more enthusiastic regarding the work as they helped with choices being made • 78% of the students participating in the pilot scheme would be interested in using LAMS with other subjects. • 17 % of students felt worried about voicing their opinions Feedback from our sixth formers: • They found that LAMS was an easy program to use • Message boxes tell you if you have missed something out • Good use of colour – this reflects on the user as a friendly environment • LAMS is extremely useful to help students to speak out more

31. From September 2003 we have started to incorporate LAMS into other departments: Phase 2: Incorporating LAMS into all departments We are now delivering lams through all departments: Involving 16 staff ICT / Maths A Parry / V Hughes / G French History C Metz Technology M Draper / C Hasting Geography C Markham English C Winder / J Murphy Science E Estruch / G Gill / G French / M Lewis MF Languages F Callens Drama B Lee-Smith RS P Berry • Within 1 Year, we plan for all departments to incorporate LAMS, with at least 20 staff involved, thus giving us 600 students experiencing LAMS

32. Potential advantages for incorporating LAMS at Kemnal Technology College • Students can tap into their existing skills with a medium they already understand • LAMS is a mechanism to engage all students into the lesson • LAMS provides the vehicle for cognitive learning • LAMS enables independent learning by removing the traditional student and teacher relationship Ultimately: Using LAMS to potentially improve on our KS3, KS4, and KS5 results

33. Conclusion • Learning Design as a new kind of Lesson Plan • Facilitation of sequences of collaborative learning activities • Learning Designs can be stored, re-used, and customised • A new category of “e-learning content” • The coming revolution of “best practice process” • UK teachers and students confirm the transformational impact of the Learning Design approach • For further information about LAMS, see: • www.lamsinternational.com • www.lamsfoundation.org • www.melcoe.mq.edu.au • Questions?