E-modelling – helping learners to develop sound e-learning behaviours

1. E-modelling – helping learners to develop sound e-learning behaviours Sue Greener, Brighton Business School, University of Brighton S.L.Greener@brighton.ac.uk “The teacher is not only a communicator but a model.” Jerome Bruner: The Process of Education 1977

3. What is the purpose of Higher Education? • The day-to-day battle with timetabling, course design and delivery, student needs, scholarship, updating versus • The Humboldtian 19th century concepts of preparing people for citizenship, forming their conceptions of learning and shaping democratic societies (Gare 2005) – “socially purposeful education” (Crawford 2007) Bourner (1997) • Disseminate up to date knowledge • Develop the capability to use ideas and information • Develop critical faculties • Develop the student’s ability to generate ideas and evidence • Facilitate the personal development of students • Develop the capacity of students to plan and manage their own learning

4. Teaching conceptions and status Teacher or content-centred • Imparting information • Transmitting structured knowledge • Teacher-student interaction • Facilitating understanding • Conceptual change (Kember 1997) • Teaching methods driven by teachers’conceptions of teaching (Kember 1997, Becher 1989) • Where are these challenged? Induction? Faculty debate? Student feedback? • Online learning and teaching begin to challenge teacher roles and conceptions (Mentis 2008, Greener 2008) Student or learner-centred

5. Are we open to change? • Kember says we can adapt, with confidence comes more openness • What if your conception of teaching is content-centred? • What if we have negative self-efficacy beliefs about ICTs, struggle with heavy teaching loads, face increasing “customer” pressure from students? • Learning to e-learn can be a straw on the camel’s back? Closing not opening

6. Role modelling as key to good teaching • “To be so insecure that he dare not be caught in a mistake does not make a teacher a likely model of daring. If the teacher will not risk a shaky hypothesis, why should the student?” Bruner 1997 p90 • “The modelling of effective self-regulated strategies can improve the self-efficacy for even deficient learners”Zimmerman (1989 p9) • Learners value openness, enthusiasm and integrity in their role models Paice et al 2002 • The university teacher who is prepared to role model dealing effectively with technology in the classroom, will become an intermediary in developing the student’s self-efficacy, which in turn is likely to support learning.

7. Practical technology modelling in class? • Using VLE and web in class to answer student questions, demonstrate search practice and discuss findings, leave a track of useful findings in the VLE for reference • Use weblinks and questions for activities, record class discussion output in message boards • Demonstrate evaluation of new web resources found • Personal response systems • Use videos and podcasts if appropriate to class questions • Reinforce navigation of VLE by demonstration in class • Solve student access issues in class • Share presentations, involve students in use of projected VLE in class • Most importantly, demonstrate coping strategies when technology fails

8. More formally, research among HE teachers suggested the following behaviours for online skills development to be modelled. • Appropriate and alternative vocabularies • Knowledge of search tools • Evaluation of information • Adopting personal reading strategies • Referencing conventions for online resources • Presentation of academic writing online • Asynchronous discussion guidelines • Blogging and journal writing for academic purposes • Social presence online • Analysis and synthesis in online communication • Self-directed learning online • Synchronous discussion guidelines • Adapting the virtual space

9. Concluding comments • Role models are often seen as some kind of perfected example • In learning and teaching, we are not modelling perfection, but strategies for learning • Risk-taking and openness can help students to identify with and attend to the use of technology in learning • Valuing learning in class rather than content aligns with assigning greater importance to the student experience than the teacher experience • Working with an online environment in the classroom becomes a teaching method aligned to Bourner’s aims for HE – building able enquirers and critical thinkers Greener, S.L. (2009) “e-Modelling – Helping Learners to Develop Sound e-Learning Behaviours” Electronic Journal of e-Learning Volume 7 Issue 3 2009, (pp265 – 272), available online at www.ejel.org

10. References • Bandura, A. (1977) Social Learning Theory. Prentice Hall: Englewood Cliffs, N.J. • Bandura, A. (1986) Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Prentice Hall: Englewood Cliffs, NJ. • Baylor, A.L. and Ritchie, D. (2002) 'What factors facilitate teacher skill, teacher morale, and perceived student learning in technology-using classrooms?' Computers & Education, 39, (4), 395-414 • Bourner, T. (1997) 'Teaching methods for learning outcomes', Education and Training, 39, (9), 344-348. [Online]. Available at: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet?contentType=Article&Filename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/0040390903.html#0040390903001.png (Accessed: 14/2/09). • Chickering, A.W. and Ehrmann, S.C. (1996) 'Implementing the Seven Principles: Technology as Lever', AAHE Bulletin, October, 3-6 • Chickering, A.W. and Gamson, Z.F. (1987) 'Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education', AAHE Bulletin, 39, 3-7 • Gare, A. (2005) Democracy and Education: Defending the Humboldtian University and the Democratic Nation-State as Institutions of the Radical Enlightenment. [Online] Available at: http://www.concrescence.org/index.php/concrescence/article/view/27/7 (Accessed: 15/2/09). • Greener, S.L. (2007) Exploring Readiness for Online Learning Thesis EdD. University of Brighton. • Greener, S.L. (2008) Identity crisis: who is teaching whom online?, European Conference on E-Learning (ECEL) 2009. Agia Napa, Cyprus, 5-7 November 2008. • Jacobs, R.M. (2005) Reflective Management. [Online] Available at: http://www83.homepage.villanova.edu/richard.jacobs/MPA%208002/Powerpoint/f-reflective/Index.htm (Accessed: 20/04/06). • Kember, D. (1997) 'A reconceptualisation of the research in to university academics' conceptions of teaching', Learning and Instruction, 7, (3), pp 255-275 • Mehanna, W.N. (2004) 'e-Pedagogy: the pedagogies of e-learning', ALT-J, Research in Learning Technology, 12, (3), 279-293 [Online] Available at http://dx.doi.org/. Accessed: 10/03/06 • Mentis, M. (2008) 'Navigating the e-Learning Terrain: Aligning Technology, Pedagogy and Context', The Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 6, (3), 217-226 • Mezirow, J. (2000) Learning as Transformation. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco. • Paice, E., Heard, S. and Moss, F. (2002) 'How important are role models in making good doctors?' British Medical Journal, 325, 707-710 • Salmon, G. (2000) E-moderating: The Key to Teaching and Learning Online. Kogan Page: London. • Seifert, T. (2004) 'Understanding student motivation', Educational Research, 46, (2), 137-149 • University of Brighton. (2007) Corporate Plan 2007-2012. Brighton: University of Brighton • Zimmerman, B.J. (1989) 'A Social Cognitive View of Self-Regulated Academic Learning', Journal of Educational Psychology, 81, (3), [Online]. Available at: http://www.sfu.ca/~sbratt/SRL/A%20Social%20Cognitive%20View%20of%20Self-Regulated%20Academic%20Learning.pdf (Accessed: 12/2/09).