ALT – the Association for Learning Technology – has published a wiki of nine guides on the application of research to practice in elearning. The authors are all well-known experts in their field. As it is a wiki, ALT encourages readers with appropriate expertise to update the guides.
a) Tutoring on-line – Gilly Salmon and Mike Keppell
b) Web-based course design – Robin Mason and Frank Rennie
c) Learner acceptance of on-line learning and e-learning – Allison Littlejohn and Brian Whalley
d) Learning objects and repositories – Allison Littlejohn and John Cook
e) Learning using mobile and hand-held devices – Mike Sharples and Agnes Kukuluska-Hulme
f) On-line communities – Frank Rennie and Mike Keppell
g) Technology-supported assessment – David Nicol
h) Learning environments – Bob Banks and Gilly Salmon
i) Using social software in learning – Frances Bell and Frank Rennie
July 7th, 2010
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“Does recording lectures and publishing them on the web reduce student attendance at lectures?” |
Recently, there has been a lively discussion of this perennial topic on the ALT listserv. Studies from the University of Leeds, the Royal Veterinary College and Carnegie Mellon University have found that the provision of podcasts or lecture recordings seemed to have little effect on lecture attendance. For example, in a survey of Politics students in Leeds, Lightfoot et al (2008) found that only 7% of the students surveyed would choose to listen to podcasts rather than attend lectures.
Some of the points raised in the discussions:
- Resource: Podcasts can serve as a useful resource for revision after the class or preparation in the class. This is particularly beneficial for students with an aural learning style. Students can choose where and when to listen just as they can choose where and when to read. This can be particularly beneficial for overseas students who have difficulties with English and part-time students with many other commitments.
- Integration: Podcasts should be integrated into the course structure not just be a ‘nice to have’ add-on. For example, in the Leicester IMPALA project podcasts are used to summarise key points. This frees class time to be used for activities and discussion. To help develop their summarizing skills students can create their own podcasts which may be shared with their classmates.
- Third-party: Podcasts from a wide range of reputable sources are available through iTunes and other aggregators and can be used as source materials
Some of the potential disadvantages of podcasting mentioned were:
- Listening to podcasts is a form of passive learning
- Students may lose listening and note-taking skills
- Not all students are familiar with new technology
- Hearing-impaired students are disadvantaged
On lecture attendance:
- A poor lecture makes a poor podcast. Podcasting is a method that won’t overcome inherent weaknesses in a lecture
- Keen students will benefit from the podcasts and attend classes. Weaker, uninterested students won’t listen to the podcasts or attend class
Finally, turn the question the other way around:
“What it is about attending lectures that cannot be captured using a podcast? If lecturers can’t answer that question, then maybe they need to think about what it is they’re doing in their teaching? Put another way, if all they do in lectures is transfer information in the same way that a podcast can, then why indeed should students come to their lectures?”
- (McElearney in ALT listserv)
March 31st, 2009
The Association of Learning Technology (ALT) has brought out a series of papers based on its Making e-Learning work conference. There are case studies from a number of institutions who have brought e-learning from the preserve of enthusiasts to instititute-wide implementation. There is a particular focus on student, public and government expectations in the strategic implementation of e-learning in further education in the UK.
January 7th, 2009