This presentation gives an introductory insight into the E-Learning trends & issues.

1. E-Learning
Trends & Issues
By
Usman Arshad
http://e-learning-teaching.blogspot.com

2. Trends - OER
• Open learning and teaching
• OER (Open Educational Resources)
– "the open sharing of one's educational resources implies
that knowledge is made freely available on non-
commercial terms,"
(Larsen and Vincent-Lancrin, 2005).

3. Trends - OER
• Shared educational resources used by
– learners, instructors and lifelong learners
• Intentions including
– learning, teaching, research, training and professional
development
• Resources in the form of
– textbooks, journals, games, simulations, PowerPoint
presentations, templates, modules, guides, templates
– any other electronic educational and training resources
• Has no or little cost

4. Trends - OER
Benefits for stakeholders?
• Students
– access to a wide body of high quality learning content easily
– Diverse and flexible learning
– learn from each others learning styles
– use technology/methods they are comfortable with
– Enhance critical thinking and creativity skills
– Exploring other cultures thinking and beliefs
– no cost or geographical barriers
– formal learning becoming more expensive
– students want more for their money

5. Trends - OER
Benefits for stakeholders?
• Instructors
– technology beyond the institution standards
– globally exchange teaching styles, guides, templates and
learning resources
– less pressure to track latest learning and teaching advancements
– more time to design learning and reuse learning content
– more time to support students individually.
– hand pick, use, and modify individual resources in unique ways
• guarantees greater diversity of learning environments

6. Trends - OER
Benefits for stakeholders?
• Institutions
– supporting and widening participation of learning and teaching
– more diverse student body
– transparency - openly show procedures, teaching, and research
– increased recognition for their scholarships
– promote use of use of new technologies
– attracting local and international students
– allow less formal collaborations and partnerships
– rising costs sustained
– solution for expenses and course fees etc
– less staff training costs

7. Trends - OER
Who’s using it?
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
– early adopters in 2002
– OpenCourseWare project
– Currently holds course materials from around 2,000 MIT courses.
• Nationally funded e-learning hosting website
– Jorum
– nationally funded e-learning hosting website
– used by any UK academic
– find, share and discuss learning and teaching resources, shared by the UK Further and HE community.
• iTunes U
– provides lectures as audio and video content from:
• museums, universities, cultural institutions and public television stations
– Institutions can sign-up and upload content
• Since April 2009 The Higher Education Academy and JISC are working in partnership to support the HEFCE OER
pilot programme (HEA, 2010).

8. Trends - OER
personal experiences
• Youtube interview with Siemens on MOOC
• Twitter search ‘#eAssessment’
• Access and print blank storyboard templates
• Learning objects - existing flash games for
mouse training

9. Issues
• Current issues
– Students left feel isolated post-graduation
– Lack of motivation for personal development
– Current state of student feedback
• Lack of qualitative feedback
• grades only - numbers and letters

10. Issues
• Increase chances of employability
– Authentic feedback to trigger students for
lifelong learning and professional development.
• Steps:
Personnel Further
Authentic Enhance
ePortfolio Learning ePortfolio
feedback product
Network work

11. Issues
• Authentic feedback
– Text feedback more meaningful
– Personalised
– Constructive and motivational
– From a variety of learners/colleagues
– Timely-ongoing feedback for learning
Personnel Further
Authentic Enhance
ePortfolio Learning ePortfolio
feedback product
Network work

12. Issues
• Peer review feedback
– benefit for both the learner and peer
– Learner
• anonymous peers less apprehensive
• diversity of opinions
• learn from honest feedback
• tweak work from early stage
– Peer
• flavour of expectations
• clearer idea of the intensity and requirements of the activity/assessment
• learn good practice, techniques and methods
• Identify and diagnose and solve own errors
Personnel Further
Authentic Enhance
ePortfolio Learning ePortfolio
feedback product
Network work

13. Issues
• Enhance product
– using the feedback take a step further
– Constructive feedback = motivation
– Further enhancement of the product
– turn into ePortfolio piece
Personnel Further
Authentic Enhance
ePortfolio Learning ePortfolio
feedback product
Network work

14. Issues
• ePortfolio
– modern approach of an e-Portfolio described by
Sutherland and Powell in 2007 as:
– “A purposeful aggregation of digital items - ideas,
evidence, reflections, feedback, etc. which
‘presents’ a selected audience with evidence of a
person’s learning and/or ability.”
Personnel Further
Authentic Enhance
ePortfolio Learning ePortfolio
feedback product
Network work

15. Issues
• ePortfolio
– take control of learning
– reflecting on activities/products
– planning future directions
– connections among formal and informal learning
experiences
– continuity during breaks through lifelong learning
– linking achievements/work with skills required by
employers
– model professionalism
– Helps identify learning needs and closing gaps
Personnel Further
Authentic Enhance
ePortfolio Learning ePortfolio
feedback product
Network work

16. Issues
• build a Personnel Learning Network
– social media
• media sharing
• blogs
• wikis
• social networking
• virtual worlds
Personnel Further
Authentic Enhance
ePortfolio Learning ePortfolio
feedback product
Network work

17. Issues
• Benefits of social media as PLN
– Community of practice which continues to grow
– Any time, any place, any device learning
– Widely distributed, accessible and immediate format
– new things discovered, and continue to discover every day
– continue to learn from others
– motivation to share what you have learnt
– stronger social and intellectual ties with your community
of practice
– sharing knowledge comes back to you with interest

18. Issues
• Further work for portfolio
– Motivated by learning new
techniques, methods, concepts and interventions
• Further quality work to showcase employers

19. Issues
• Authentic feedback to trigger students for
lifelong learning and professional
development.
1. Authentic feedback
2. enhance product
3. ePortfolio
4. Personnel Learning Network
5. Further portfolio work

20. The End
Thank you
http://e-learning-teaching.blogspot.com