eLearning or eKnowledge - What are we offering students? A look at the convergence of elearning and eknowledge, looking at the purpose of the design - informational or instructional? Presented at the Unisa Cambridge Open and Distance eLearning Conference, Stellenbosch.

1. eLearning or eKnowledge:
What are we offering students?
Greig Krull and Brenda Mallinson
29 September 2013
Unisa Cambridge ODeL Conference

2. The Challenge
“This course contains
an overflow of
information”
“Lets just create a
course for this”
Is it a learning
programme or a
collation of content?
Wikipedia Commons (PD)

3. Impact of Supporting ICT
Increased access to
resources,
information,
knowledge
eLearning Africa Report (2013) CC-BY-NC-ND
Emergence of new
methods of teaching
and learning

4. But…
• Deployment of technologies
such as VLE/LMS usually
perpetuates transmissive
modes
• Aim seems to be efficiency of
delivery rather than improving
the learning experience
Brent Hoard (2009) CC-BY

5. Leading to…
Dissatisfactory
Use of
Technology
Decontextualised
Information
Dumping of
Content
Poor learning design leading to unsatisfactory
student learning experience with poor results

6. Importance of Learning Design
Design
Purpose
1. What do
learners need
to learn?
2. How can we
help learners
learn?
3. How will we
know learners
have learned?
4. How can we
sure of good
quality
learning?

7. The Three Presences
Cognitive
TeachingSocial
Anderson (2008)
Supporting
discourse
Setting
climate
Selecting
content
Educational
Experience

8. eLearning Tools

9. eKnowledge
• Share informational content
• Easily and appropriately accessible

10. Need for Knowledge Management
Need for on-demand learning activities
Make sense of the plethora of
information
Collect, organise and share
organisational information and
experiences to create additional value

11. Convergence of Knowledge and Learning
Knowledge as… Knowledge and Learning
Theme
Learning as…
Artefact
• Semantic Markup
• Knowledge types
Objects Content / Authoring
• Knowledge downsizing
• Metadata / Standards
Processes
• Knowledge Lifecycle
• Infrastructure
Processes Flow of Instruction
• Instructional Design
• Learning Activities
Social Construct
• Communities of Practice
• Virtual Teams
Strategies Communities / Social
• Organisational Learning
• Workplace Learning
Infrastructure
• Applications
• Enabling Technologies
Systems “System”
• Services
• Roles / Actions
Knowledge Flow / Services
• Semantic Services
• Instrument knowledge flow
Performance Learning Context
• Augmentation
• Ubiquitous learning
Lytras and Sicilia (2005)

12. Independent and Adult Learning
Adult
Learning
Confidence &
Independence
Skills &
Strategy
Knowledge &
Understanding
Experience
Reflection
Creativity
Syverson (2006)

13. Implications
Rethink course outlines
and learning objectives
Sharper focus on
instructional resources
Utilise well-structured
informational resources
to be found at the
moment of need
Clarify the approach
best suited to a
particular learning
purpose
Spend more time
guiding learners to find,
interpret, evaluate and
use content
Rethink the HOW in the
design of our learning
provision

14. Reflection
1. What is the purpose of the content and
resources you are providing for students?
2. How are you using technology to support
your teaching and learning approach?

15. Thank You
Unless otherwise specified, this work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Greig Krull greigk@saide.org.za @greigk_za
Brenda Mallinson brendam@saide.org.za
www.slideshare.net/oerafrica

16. References
• Anderson, T (ed) (2008) Teaching in an Online Learning Context. The theory and
practice of online learning. Athabasca University Press: 343-363.
• Barker, P (2005) Knowledge management for e‐learning. Innovations in Education
and Teaching International 42(2).
• Isaacs, S (ed) (2013) The eLearning Africa Report, ICWE: Germany
• Laurillard, D (2006) E-Learning in Higher Education. In Ashwin, P (ed) Changing
Higher Education: The Development of Learning and Teaching. London: Routledge.
1-12.
• Lytras, M and Sicilia, M (2005) The Knowledge Society: a manifesto for knowledge
and learning, Int. J. Knowledge and Learning, Vol. 1, Nos. 1/2, 1–11.
• Mason, J (2005) From e-learning to e-knowledge in in Madanmohan Rao (ed.)
Knowledge management tools and techniques, 320-328, Elsevier, London.
• Renshaw, J (2012) Taking your course online? Beware the belittling 'information
dump'! English Raven Blog.
• Rosenberg, M (2013) eLearning vs eKnowledge. Learning Solutions Magazine.
• Saide (2012). Course Design and Material Development Guide.