Discussion on authentic learning in Internet-enabled student-led learning in IT and Computing Courses

1. Harnessing the Internet for Authentic
Learning:
Towards a New Higher Education Paradigm for the 21st
Century
Abel Nyamapfene
ECEL – 2011, University of Brighton
10 November 2011

2. Ref:
wmht.org
Complexity, Connectedness, Technology, Confusion!!
Ref: wgraziadei.home.comcast.net

3. The Internet in 21st Century Learning
• Multiple Information sources:
– WWW resources e.g. Wikipedia, Educational institutions, non-
educational institutions etc
• Leading to:
– Lecturer no longer the authoritative knowledge source
– Decision making and choice now more critical than knowledge access
• Necessitating learning involving both:
– Discipline-specific explicit knowledge
– Implicit knowledge (know-how knowledge)
• Best delivered through:
– Active learning and practice – hence authentic learning

4. The Internet & IT Technology Learning
Ref: connectamarillo.com
IT students now live, learn, study and experience
learning through the Internet

5. Communication Systems Course
Delivery Design
• Knowledge and Information Sources
• Teaching Approaches
• Assessment Methods

6. Information Sources
• VLE resources
• Lectures
• Directed Internet resources
• Student Experiences – Individual, and other
students
• Practitioner input – Student make contacts
with practising professionals
• Directly
• Professional forums

7. Teaching Approach
• Introduction and clarification of key concepts
through lectures
• Class room discussions
• Individual and group activities
• Students actively work with learning resources to
get answers
• Out of class lecturer contact – akin to consultancy

8. Assessment Methods
• Two tutor-marked assignments (10% each)
• One network study project (20%)
• Two-hour, closed-book/note examination (60%)
• Assignments designed to explore material beyond
lecture materials
• Assignments and project progressively build up
into an authentic study of a key communication
systems concept – e.g. Network security

9. Student Evaluation
Based on Official End of Course Student Feedback

10. Student Course Evaluation
• Students generally found course to be interesting
and intellectually stimulating
Representative Positive Comments:
• “Enjoyed the module lots of interesting topics
covered”
• “Best course I have taken at this university.”
• “Fun coursework, enthusiastic teaching.”

11. Student Course Evaluation
• Some Negative Comments:
• “Lots of different topics covered so hard to
recall it all in the exam”
• “In most lectures, the actual teaching was not
very apparent. We were asked to answer
questions but we had not been taught the
material very well.”

12. In Conclusion:
“The performance of the student cohort in
the authentic assessments as well as in the
end-of-course examination suggest that
Internet-enabled authentic learning is now
a viable option for university level courses.”

13. However:
• What is the optimal pedagogy for the Internet-
based student-led learning like the one described
in this talk?
• What is the likely future nature of learning and
teaching in an environment where the lecturer
and the student’s own institution are no longer
the only authoritative sources of knowledge and
information in the student’s learning
environment?

14. THANK YOU –
NOW QUESTION TIME!!