Feedback please!

Well everyone out there, if any of you have found the time to go through the presentation (it takes about 20 mins) then I would love some feedback! Post it as a comment below, it would give me a great sense of satisfaction to see some comments, no matter what is in them!
Specifically, I would like to know:

• what you think about the idea of a primarily theoretical course being presented on-line
• how you think my use of the learning theories might help students engage more
• if I have captured the potential pitfalls - and if not, what else can you think of

Thanks so much!

Course plan - just for Gertie's folks!

Click here to see a vidoe of Hellies plan for her course to be delivered on-line primarily, with some face-to-face content in the form of a workshop. This video includes some of her musings and rational for the plan, and some aspects she has had to consider.

The plan!

What is your idea for flexible learning and why have you chosen it?

Well, is it my idea or isn't it - the directive is that my course is on-line from next year. On-line totally, but with a workshop popped in there somewhere...Gertie will be pleased!

So, my idea is to create an online course that is diverse, innovative, interesting. I want to ensure connectivity by having students connect with each other in as many ways as possible, and connect with the lecturer as well. I need to ensure the assessment includes summative throughout as well as at the end to assist with student motivation to go on-line weekly. My on-line course will be dynamic, interactive, colourful, diverse and cater for all learning styles. I will encourage face to face interaction as much as possible between students.

What examples of Flexible Learning does your idea draw on?

You-tube, internet, reading, writing, talking, listening, concept mapping, doing, quizzes, face-to-face in workshop, active learning activities including scenarios, elluminate sessions, eXe packages, voice-over powerpoint presentations...

How does your flexible learning plan fit with an educational organisation's strategic directions?

Must fit as it is the bosses directive! Fit's with EDC encouragement to utilise online tools and to create more interactive and divers resources for on-line learning. Fits with strategic direction regarding increasing accessability to courses.

Any risks or concerns that you will need to resolve before you can implement your plan for flexible learning.

Need to ensure students are aware that they will need good internet connection, or to at least ensure Polytech has appropriate level of internet support availiable to students. Also need to ensure assessment is modified appropriately, and that there is enough time allocated to developing the resources prior to the commencement of the course. Students will need to be able to use the resources and so will need training in how to use moodle and the exe packages.

Over Length Course Material 2

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Over Length Course Material 2

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overlength course material

Hellie has been reflecting on Gertie's complaint ages ago that it took her over two hours to work through a learning package - and that was homework for just one of her 6 courses this semester. hellie decides to read Fred Lockwood Estimating student workload, readability and implications for student learning and progression.
Click here to see what she took from it.

Inclusive design.

Gertie said OMG! I can't learn about Inclusive Design tonight - I have a party to go to...Hellie said yes you can, click here and you'll get it in 30 seconds flat!

When Hellie prepared the teaching for this, she reflected (contemporary word for thought about) on the inclusiveness in her course design. Of course every course cannot be designed for every person on the planet, but Hellie is confident that anyone who met the criteria to enter the Occupatioanl Therapy programme would manage her course, with some possible need for modifications to meet physical difficulties some students may experience. The things that most make her confident this is the case are the fact that the course delivery and assessment methods are flexible, varied, diverse and adaptable.

On this course, one size does not have to fit all, there are a whole heap of sizes avaliable, and alterations are possible if necessary.

Grasping culture!

Well, now Gertie is into managing her learning in a variety of ways, and is even managing to get better grades with her ability to pick and choose a bit when and where and what and how to learn to meet the required objectives. She does, however, have a bit of a problem with the idea of having to go on the hui - it's not so much the learning about Maori culture and stuff, but it's having to sleep at the Marae for a night, and having to learn her mihimihi. She's never been very good at pronouncing Maori words... And what if she upsets someone really inportant?

Again she meets with Hellie and challenges why she should have to go. Fortunately, Hellie has recently read the Polytech Maori Strategic framework, has attended numerous Treaty of Waitangi workshops, and has done some reading and study. Hellie is able to explain that she too identifies as NZ European, but that she understands that she is living in a bicultural place, and that she has a moral, ethical and legal responsibility towards understanding how to work in partnership with Maori, and that learning about their culture helps prevent misunderstandings. She talks about cultural safety, and explains how OT students are helped to develop culturally safe practice. The hui experience is a part of this, along with the treaty workshops, and with the learning she will do in various aspects of her course. Hellie also points out that there are Maori students in the class, and that they have the right to study in an environment that is knowledgeable about and respectful of their culture as much as non-maori do.
Gertie says the strategic framework is all well and good, but does it really make a difference? Is anything ever really put into practice?
Well, Part of the framework says we should:

• create a system of role models
• raise expectations for Maori
• Maintain retention

Hellie is able to point out that the polytech does have support services for Maori, a pre-grad celebration programme, Maori awards, and that there is a whanau room. She also points out that the OT school has a group for Maori students and staff, and that they all have input into developing the meaning and relevence of the programme for Maori as well as enhancing the ability of non-Maori to develop cultural awareness and safety. Also, the way the programme is being delivered and assessed is increasingly flexible, which may help people (including some Maori) with learning styles that are not reader-writer to achieve. And, part of the rational for choosing Wintec to be the second campus for the programme was to make it more accessable to a larger number of Maori students in an attempt to grow the population of Maori OTs.

It seems, however, that Gertie is still a little resistant - mostly she is frightened of having to stay in a place as strange as a marae, and of making mistakes and upsetting people. Hellie reassures her that whenever working with people of any other culture, if she is able to be respectful and to develop rapport with the people, she will generally be forgiven mistakes!

Resorting to Phils line...

Well, wouldn't you know it? Just when Hellie and Gertie finally get comfy with this whole thing, Gerties parents phone up and are very cranky. Not only is their daughter not able to attend lectures with the expert, but they are having to fork out even more dosh to get broadband into Gerties flat... They want to know why Hellie is doing this, and quite frankly just hearing the words "it is the way the polytechnic (and the whole world actually) is going" does not seem to be cutting the mustard.

Fortunately, Hellie has listened to Phil Kerr's talk on flexible/blended delivery of courses from Otago Polytech, and she is able to talk the talk enough to convince Mr and Mrs Farmer that not only is flexible delivery of material a bonus for Gertie and her learning, but that Gertie is actually part of an institution that is at the forefront of utilising the principles of flexible learning.

Hellie emails a concept map summarising Phils take on it all, and is able to quote some of his gems:

• Learners need to engage with the full range of what is relevent to engage with



• Developing learner autonomy is a very worthy objective



• The role of telling and teaching diminishes but staff retain expert role in feedback and facilitation

Whew! Finally Mr and Mrs Farmer are not so cranky, see the value of funding broadband and have faith that despite the new-fangledness of it all their daughter is still likely to become a very good occupational therapist!

Flexible learning resources

So here is poor Gertie trying to get her head around this on-line stuff, and poor Hellie the lecturer doing the same. Both have a bit of an attitude problem about it, both need to do some reflecting and sort it out, and both have been putting that off and just doing the grumpy thing. Then Gertie emails Hellie (now there's one advantage of on-line stuff - you can pop those emails off any old time you want) and says she wants to see her and talk about how disgruntled she is feeling about the fact there are no longer any lectures, only tutorials. Hellie answers with a suggested meeting time for the next day.
In the interim, Hellie is forced to do some thinking. She needs to defend the position of the Polytech, so she decides to talk with Gertie about all the possibilities regarding how Gertie can do the learning of the material that would ordinarilly be in a lecture. She lists what she knows will be made available to Gertie:

• Blackboard discussion groups
• email access to lecturer
• learning packages on Blackboard
• links to you tube video clips
• links to unitube video clips
• Hellies voice over the lecture powerpoint
• photos and cartoons to illustrate points
• audio clips to describe important concepts
• a variety of on-line quizzes with instant feedback
• summaries of information as concept maps
• face-to-face tutorials with learning activities
• overhead projector in tutorials
• face-to-face discussion groups
• references to readings and texts on close reserve in Bill Rob library
• podcasts
• elluminate lectures and recordings
• hard copy workbook
• links to readings on-line
• links to relevent websites

By the time Hellie has worked this list out, she understands that actually Gertie is getting more value for money regarding resources than she would if she just had the 50 minute lecture. Gertie is actually potentially more able to learn the material as there will be some way she can access it to suit her particular learning style. In fact, gertie can learn it because of Hellies willingness to provide flexible resources, rather than trying to learn it in spite of Hellie lecturing to her...

When they meet, Gertie comes prepared with her own list of issues. There's the internet problem, the time management problem, the fact she likes to chat face to face as part of her learning, and the whole deal about what she (and her bossy parents) percieve the role of teacher to be. She sees Hellie as the expert, and her parents are paying for the expert to teach her.

So Hellie and Gertie work through the problem solving process together - the biggest thing Gertie needs to do is recognise what resources best suit her learning style, and work out some intrinsic time management skills. They revisit good old VARK, and they list the resource types that will best suit Gertie. Then they do one of those old fashioned study time tables (a wee poster one she can put on her wall with funkey colours and stuff). Gertie also decides that internet access is important, as with IT skills - she will ask her parents to pay for broadband by bribing them with promises to email regularly, and she decides to spend an hour of two in the CLC to get some more computer skills under her belt.

Gertie goes away happy, and has learnt to consider Hellie as one of her many learning resources rather than the expert teacher. Hellie goes away more comfortable, realising that her personal philosophy of facilitating learning and nurturing curiosity in students is more closely aligned to flexible delivery than she had acknowledged.

Student story!

Gertrude (lets call her Gertie shall we? - it's not her real name anyway) is an occupational therapy student. She is young - straight out of school, and comes from the lush farmlands of the King Country. She chose OT because she wants to work in health but she doesn't want to deal with things like blood and pee and pills. She chose Dunedin over Hamilton because her parents told her that it is better to have real lecturers than to go on-line to study.

Gertie is Ok with this - it is fun being a scarfie, although cold and crowded in her scruffy little flat. She is in her second year and is passing with C's and B's. She socialises heaps and studies when she can. She likes to do her study later at night as she is a bit of a night owl, but this is stymied unless she is very organised as she needs to use Blackboard for a lot of her resources and there is no internet in the flat. She even needs to download and print resources to take to class, but she has a good mate who will do this for her in return for a drink on Friday nights. This works for them both!

Getie did spend time on line the other day and worked through a learning package that the lecturer put up for Frames of Reference. It was cool having all the information laid out like that, with pictures and video clips and quizzes and stuff. It was even easier ploughing through the reading as there were questions to go with it so she was motivated to read more carefully. And what a bonus - the lecture was there too, some power point slides and same voice rabbiting on. But it took ages - over 2 hours and as she got so engrossed in it Gertie didn't have time to do the other work she had meant to. Oh well, maybe she should start planning her study time after all...

What's it all about?

Now some time up my sleeve to do a proper introduction. I am working as a lecturer at the Occupational Therapy school, and am enjoying the challenge of getting to grips with the polytechnic environment. My past occupational therapy experience has all been clinical, although I have done some teaching in outdoor education, in mental health services and in therapeutic recreation.
I guess the most important thing for me as a teacher is that the students get the learning done, and so my motivation regarding improving teaching is around making sure I develop skills in making my teaching tools and techniques as diverse and effective as possible.
My goals are related to learning more about avaliable technology, and trying to figure out how to add flexibility to a course that has some fairly structured expectations regarding content, environment and assessment.
The learning I have done recently regarding technology has given me confidence that even I can use it creatively! However some less than useful experience with software crashing, email accounts not communicating with my blog and Elluminate not working has not helped me develop a trusting relationship with the technology yet...

First attempt!

Here I am, finally part of the global blogging family. A reluctant learner at present, but hopefully success will breed motivation! I guess if I am to be a part of flexible delivery of courses, I need to experience flexible recieving of course material...