A Fluck

Conversations toward effective implementation of information communication technologies in Australian schools

Purpose – To outline the emerging imperative for the integration of ICT into schools and to locate such integration within broad notions of governance and effective implementation.Design/methodology/approach – Using a flexible interview structure, conversations concerning ICT integration into schools were held with 65 school‐based personnel in 50 Tasmanian schools.Findings – Coding analysis of conversations enabled 14 themes to be identified; for example: “The use of ICT involves partnerships between people”, “ICT is more or less integrated into the classroom curriculum and is more or less entwined in the various pedagogies employed by teachers”, and “ICT ‘champions’ or ‘heroes’ are recognised more or less in schools”. Many of the themes focus on issues of governance. A number of strong correlations were found to exist between the themes. Few differences were found to exist within the data in regard to four criteria, namely: whether the school was in the Catholic sector or the Department of Education; the...

ICT, Professional Learning: Towards Communities of Practice.

Abstract This article reports on findings from ‘action research’ pilot projects in four Tasmanian primary schools. The projects focused on the provision of professional learning to support the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in teaching and learning. These pilot projects used an approach developed from observations of Tasmanian primary school classes as part of an Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage grant to study the impact of ICT on pedagogies in primary schools. In the course of the projects, some participants developed and implemented solutions for a major problem of professional learning, namely, how to ensure the transfer of professional learning into in–class practices. The projects suggested that there are significant advantages (increased effectiveness and considerable cost savings) when professional learning is undertaken as a collaborative activity and when teaching colleagues focus on specific class practices. From the projects it has been possible to discern a possible ‘pedagogy’ for in–school professional learning. Finally, the projects highlight the value and importance of professional learning initiatives being informed of the hopes, interests and abilities of the participants.

The effectiveness of academic workload models in an institution: a staff perspective

The demands on academic staff are increasing to the point where effective mechanisms for the allocation of their work are now necessary. Despite the inherent difficulties of categorising academic work, nearly all enterprise agreements at Australian universities include a clause designed to avoid work overload. Through a questionnaire, the investigators sought feedback from academic staff about their perceptions of the operational effectiveness of the workload allocation models and their opinions concerning transparency, fairness and ability to regulate workloads. The conclusion reached is that an effective workload allocation process requires academic staff to be fully involved in its development and implementation to ensure its credibility and fairness. Effectiveness is increased with a standardised university-wide approach, applied transparently and incorporated into the budget and resource allocation processes of the university so that increasing pressure on academics to meet a range of performance expectations is linked directly to realistic workloads.

Pre-service teachers’ perceptions of simSchool as preparation for inclusive education: a pilot study

The shift towards the inclusion of students with disabilities in regular schools has meant that general classroom teachers need to be skilled in educating students with a diverse range of needs and abilities. Together with theoretical study and as a supplement to practical experience, teacher educators have begun to explore virtual and simulated classrooms to help prepare pre-service teachers for the complexity of the teaching profession. In this pilot study, we examined the perspective of pre-service teachers on a classroom simulation program called “simSchool.” Two-hour-long tutorial sessions focusing on catering for student diversity and the educational needs of students with autism spectrum disorder were conducted. The pre-service teachers’ responses to an 11-item questionnaire are discussed, highlighting the potential of simSchool as well as some current limitations of this approach in the context of Australian teacher education courses.

Expert versus novice users: Power rules in virtual space

This study sought knowledge of the decision-making used by learners when interacting with multi-media environments. Mounting evidence on related thinking processes appeared to expose a gap in the prior knowledge, vocabularies and values used when entering cyberspace. We were curious to know about the decision making judgements made by learners and any associated rules or strategies they had developed to interact with new and emerging information technology environments. How decisions are undertaken are considered major issues for educational institutions at local, national and global levels with ramifications for civic and community life. In a sample drawn from a senior high school and university we investigated students’ responses to different questions including: What ways of knowing are used by learners? What codes of behaviour apply? Are they age and gender related? The responses provide a rich and fascinating insight to the ways in which people are interacting with the new media environments. ‘Experts’ versus ‘novices’ appeared to provide the major distinction.

A performance profile of learner completion and retention in Australian VET MOOCs

Abstract The uptake of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) has been substantial and they continue to flourish as an educational delivery model. Much of the available literature regarding student retention and completions in MOOCs comes from university-designed courses. The Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector has lagged behind its university counterparts as VET pedagogy relies heavily on skills acquisition and does not lend itself as easily to MOOC delivery. This paper analysed the attributes of 366,099 enrolled learners and 132,867 learners that were designated as ‘starters’ from 263 Australian universities, 27 transnational universities and 73 VET MOOCs to compare the differences in learning environments and to build a VET MOOC learner profile. The findings indicated that higher levels of VET MOOC learners were retained when compared to university MOOCs. It also revealed eight course design factors that may contribute to increased learner retention and completions for VET MOOCs.

Factors influencing undergraduate students’ acceptance of a haptic interface for learning gross anatomy

Purpose This study aims to evaluate factors influencing undergraduate students’ acceptance of a computer-aided learning resource using the Phantom Omni haptic stylus to enable rotation, touch and kinaesthetic feedback and display of names of three-dimensional (3D) human anatomical structures on a visual display. Design/methodology/approach The software was developed using the software development life cycle, and was tested by students enrolled in various bachelor degrees at three stages of development within the technology acceptance model, action research and design research methodology frameworks, using mixed methods of quantitative and qualitative analysis. Findings The learning system was generally well-accepted, with usefulness (72 ± 18, mean ± standard deviation, 0-100 visual analogue scale) rated higher (p < 0.001) than ease of use (57 ± 22). Ease of use ratings declined across the three versions as modules were added and complexity increased. Students with prior experience with 3D interfaces had higher intention to use the system, and scored higher on identification of anatomical structures. Students with greater kinaesthetic learning preferences tended to rate the system higher. Haptic feedback was considered the best aspect of the system, but students wanted higher spatial resolution and lower response times. Originality/value Previous research relating to haptic devices in medical and health sciences has largely focused on advanced trainees learning surgical or procedural skills. The present research suggests that incorporating haptic feedback into virtual anatomical models may provide useful multisensory information in learning anatomy at the undergraduate level.

eExaminations Development and Acceptance

Over three years students at the University of Tasmania have participated in eExaminations where they have responded to examination questions using computers. Over these three years they have made the transition from using institutional computers in laboratories to using personally owned laptops in a traditional examination hall. This innovation and transition have been paralleled and enabled by the development of a modified live operating system which preserves the fairness of the assessment process. The technical developments depended upon social innovation engineering efforts necessitated by the range of adopters amongst students and faculty. National recognition was achieved for this method which is being adopted more widely worldwide. The technical materials are available for download from www.eExams.org.

Towards Transformation: AlwaysOn Students and Health Education

How can teachers integrate ICT into student school learning? How does ICT contribute to improved or extended learning? This study compared m-learning, e-learning and contemporary learning pedagogies in the context of Health Education. It was undertaken in schools located in the states of Victoria and Tasmania, Australia. Findings from 170 Year 7 (age 13) students in two linked schools are described in this preliminary report. In general, students were more adaptable to technology, but teachers felt ICT was an imposition requiring additional planning and management. We show schools can overcome many significant barriers to integrate ICT into learning.

GOVERNMENT SPONSORED OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE FOR SCHOOL EDUCATION

The history of computing can be seen in terms of cultural change engendered by philosophical opposition. In education some key philosophical dichotomies are those of commercial-copyright versus free open source software, and office-centric pedagogies versus rich software libraries to support the whole school curriculum. The ‘Blue File’ software library was generated by four centres supporting students with special learning needs in Britain in the early 1980s, and embodied important features relevant to these tensions. More recently a longitudinal study in Tasmania has provided data to take the story further, highlighting the dangers of an office-centric approach to ICT in school education. The paper concludes with an argument for the exploration of online learning objects as a possible teacher-friendly solution to providing teachers with a rich repertoire of curriculum-focused learning activities.