Zoekresultaten

Internet on the outstation

Internet on the Outstation provides a new take on the digital divide. Why do whole communities choose to go without the internet when the infrastructure for access is in place? Through an in-depth exploration of the digital practices occurring in Aboriginal households in remote central Australia, the authors address both the dynamics of internet adoption and the benefits that flow from its use. The book challenges us to think beyond the standard explanations for the digital divide, arguing that digital exclusion is not just another symptom of social exclusion. At its heart, Internet on the Outstation is a compelling examination of equality and difference in the digital age, asking: Can internet access help resolve the disadvantages associated with remote living?Internet on the Outstation is the result of a multi-year research collaboration, which included a trial of internet infrastructure, training and maintenance in three small Aboriginal communities (known as outstations). During the research phase, Ellie Rennie, Eleanor Hogan and Julian Thomas were based at the Swinburne Institute for Social Research in Melbourne. Robin Gregory and Andrew Crouch worked at the Centre for Appropriate Technology, an Indigenous-owned research and training organization in Alice Springs. Alyson Wright worked for the Central Land Council, the representative body for traditional owners of the central Australia region.

COVID-19 and obligatory remote working in HEIs

At present, COVID-19 has caused a possible paradigm shift in education, especially in education delivery for higher educational and learning institutions. To align with the national government and relevant national/international authorities’ policies and to avoid the spread of the virus, educational institutions in many nations have decided to temporarily suspend the traditional classroom-based education and replace it with online-based education. This studyaims at exploring the impact of COVID-19 pandemic and obligatory remote working on work-life balance, mental health and productivity of faculty members working in higher education institutions (HEI). The study is exploratory and uses a qualitative approach using an online survey strategy to include voices of faculty members from different countries. While the results of this study indicate both positive and negative effects of obligatory remote working on faculty members’ work-life balance, well-being and productivity at the same time our findings indicate that university administration must pay heed to address concerns presented in the results.

Teaching in the hybrid virtual classroom

Seven college lecturers and two senior support staff were interviewed during 2021 about their experiences teaching in hybrid virtual classrooms (HVC). These technology-rich learning environments allow teachers to simultaneously teach students who are in class (on campus) and students who are joining remotely (online). There were two reasons for this choice: first, ongoing experimentation from innovative teaching staff who were already using this format before the COVID-19 pandemic; secondly, as a possible solution to restrictions on classroom size imposed by the pandemic. Challenges lecturers faced include adjusting teaching practice and lesson delivery to serve students in the class and those online equally; engaging and linking the different student groups in structured and natural interactions; overcoming technical challenges regarding audio and visual equipment; suitably configuring teaching spaces and having sufficient pedagogical and technical support to manage this complex process. A set of practical suggestions is provided. Lecturers should make reasoned choices when teaching in this format since it requires continued experimentation and practice to enhance the teaching and learning opportunities. When external factors such as classroom size restrictions are the driving force, the specific type of synchronous learning activities should be carefully considered. The structure and approach to lessons needs to be rethought to optimise the affordances of the hybrid virtual and connected classroom. The complexity of using these formats, and the additional time needed to do it properly, should not be underestimated. These findings are consistent with previous literature on this subject. An ongoing dialogue with faculty, support staff and especially students should be an integral part of any further implementation in this format.

Innovat MOOC Teacher Training on Educational Innovation in Higher Education

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the importance for university teachers to have adequate pedagogical and technological competences to cope with the various possible educational scenarios (face-to-face, online, hybrid, etc.), making use of appropriate active learning methodologies and supporting technologies to foster a more effective learning environment. In this context, the InnovaT project has been an important initiative to support the development of pedagogical and technological competences of university teachers in Latin America through several trainings aiming to promote teacher innovation. These trainings combined synchronous online training through webinars and workshops with asynchronous online training through the MOOC “Innovative Teaching in Higher Education.” This MOOC was released twice. The first run took place right during the lockdown of 2020, when Latin American teachers needed urgent training to move to emergency remote teaching overnight. The second run took place in 2022 with the return to face-to-face teaching and the implementation of hybrid educational models. This article shares the results of the design of the MOOC considering the constraints derived from the lockdowns applied in each country, the lessons learned from the delivery of such a MOOC to Latin American university teachers, and the results of the two runs of the MOOC.

Vloeiend over grenzen heen Technologie als verbinder van leerprocessen

Als lector Teaching, Learning & Technology bij Hogeschool Inholland onderzoekt Nynke Bos de rol die technologie speelt en kan spelen om het leerproces van studenten te versterken. In haar lectorale rede gaat zij in op de kansen en bedreigingen van Blended Learning. Tegelijkertijd blikt zij ook vooruit naar de toekomst: welke rol speelt technologie in het onderwijs in 2030? Deze rede gaat over de inzet van digitale technologie in het onderwijs. Om de context te duiden, schetst hoofdstuk 1 hoe de onderwijsbenadering van het hoger onderwijs eruitziet en waar deze op de korte termijn naartoe gaat. Het tweede hoofdstuk gaat in op de rol die technologie speelt in het huidige onderwijs, in de vorm van blended learning. Het zet uiteen wat blended learning is en welke doelstellingen het kan hebben. Ook komt een aantal ontwerpmodellen voor blended learning langs. Het hoofdstuk sluit af met een analyse wat er nodig is (en wat er niet nodig is) voor breedschalige implementatie. Hoofdstuk 3 kijkt vooruit en bespreekt de opkomst van werken met authentieke beroepstaken en de relatie met een hybride leeromgeving. Het presenteert een aantal ontwerpoverwegingen voor het werken met authentieke taken in een hybride omgeving en bespreekt een aantal belangrijke aandachtspunten voor het werken met authentieke taken in een dergelijke omgeving. Hoofdstuk 4 gaat over theoretische uitgangspunten in relatie tot het ontwerpen van hybride leeromgeving, namelijk boundary crossing en seamless learning. Beide theorieën gaan uit van zogeheten grenzen. Binnen de ene theorie wordt het werken op de grens als een kans gezien, binnen de andere wordt de grens, of seam, gezien als een bedreiging. Hoofdstuk 5 doet uit de doeken hoe technologie het leren op en over deze grenzen kan ondersteunen; hoe studenten vloeiend over grenzen heen kunnen bewegen en hoe technologie kan dienen als verbinder tussen grenzen om het leerproces te bevorderen. Hoofdstuk 6 gaat ten slotte in op de randvoorwaarden in relatie tot de vaardigheden van studenten en de rol van het primair onderwijs hierbij. In het afsluitende hoofdstuk wordt het contextgebonden praktijkgericht onderzoek besproken dat het lectoraat Teaching Learning and Technology de komende jaren, in samenwerking met de onderwijspraktijk, zal uitvoeren.

European polices and instruments for teaching and learning with innovative component in higher education.