John Hedberg

Who benefits from virtuality

Abstract For educational software to take advantage of contemporary views of learning, instructional designers need to employ design models that incorporate the variety of ideas that are based on constructivist frameworks for developing learning environments. These environments, if well designed, can support learner construction of knowledge, however, such frameworks are based upon arguments that learners should be placed in authentic environments that incorporate sophisticated representations of context through such constructs as “virtual worlds”. Within these environments the learner is supported by visual metaphors constructed to represent the information structure and how the “world” operates. This paper will discuss the framework employed in the development of several virtual solutions and the process by which they were constructed.

Constructing Problems in a Web‐Based Learning Environment

Abstract This article describes how the World Wide Web was implemented in a graduate course. The interactions that took place among the students and between the students and instructor illustrate how problem‐based learning strategies can be supported by the Web. Of particular note, the course content focused on technology‐based learning, thus students were immersed in an authentic learning environment. The article chronicles the various strategies • that students implemented to facilitate the problem‐solving process and concludes by way of issues to consider when implementing such strategies within Web‐based learning environments

Implementing generic learning designs based upon quality ICT exemplars

Within the context of an AUTC funded Project: Information and Communication Technologies and Their Role in Flexible Learning, this paper presents an analysis of learning designs using ICTs and how this grounded approach might be a more useful structure to design effective learning environments. The project has developed generic or reusable frameworks for technology-enhanced high quality learning experiences in higher education and this paper will present several examples, of the original design and how the key elements were selected and developed for use by others. As this project is currently developing these generic exemplars of learning designs, the final presentation will demonstrate how the designs might be reengineered to become useful templates for other instructors and other knowledge domains.

From classroom to online teaching: experiences in improving statistics education

This study used reflective practitioner methodology to investigate how to improve the quality of statistical education. During the study, this methodology, curricula, pedagogical practices, assessment and a framework for learning to learn statistics were all developed as means of improving the quality of statistical education. Also documented was the move from being a classroom teacher of statistics to a teacher who is developing learning resources for online delivery to students. For a classroom teacher, flexible delivery has meant drawing on the sights, sounds, movement, quiet and live shows. By contrast, the online teacher feels the constraints of translating activity based programs to technologically based programs. As more students have chosen to rely on online materials rather than classroom activities, the focus of improving quality has been extended to the enrichment of online resources, so that the learning experience is not second to that of the classroom.

The changing role of tutors: forming a community of practice in a distributed learning environment

An evaluation of a distributed learning environment (DLE) of a regional NSW university provided the context to examine the changing role of tutors in new learning environments. It examines how the tutors started to form a community of practice in the first year of operation. The distance from the main campus made communication difficult for the tutors, lecturers and students and the use of information and communication technologies (ICT), at times, added to the challenge. This paper identifies ways that the tutor role changes in a DLE and how the development of a community of practice can support this change.

Supporting and Developing Teachers through Telecommunications.

Abstract The article looks at different ways for providing for teacher development. It makes various assumptions about alternative delivery, and looks at different cases of communication support, with examples of studies. It also looks at future developments.

Visual Support for Authoring

Development of educational software has had a long history of use of authoring environments that have enabled instructional technologists rather than programmers to design and develop applications. The advantage of these tools has been that the designer did not need to be highly skilled in high-level languages, but could use a simpler construction set of pre-programmed modules, often supported by a simple scripting language. The disadvantage was that the developer was limited to the pre-programmed modules available and to the underlying assumptions of the structured instructional design models adopted by the tool. The designer also had to work within the visual and procedural structures employed by the tool designers to represent the design process within which learning activities could be constructed.

Multimedia visual interface design

Over the past few years, as graphics and imagery have come to dominate our popular modes of communication, interactive multimedia and WWW developers and users have become keenly aware of the interplay between these visual elements and the cognitive functioning of the interface. This tutorial explores the various facets of this relationship. As a result, participants of this tutorial will gain a better understanding and a working knowledge of how the components of visual interface design work in concert with the cognitive demands of an interface. They will be able to design or direct the design of functional and visually appropriate interfaces for multimedia, websites, course ware and/or training modules.

Strategies of Teachers as Users of Interactive Multimedia.

This study reports the results of an evaluation study of a training process that provided teachers with information about how to use an interactive multimedia package for classroom instruction The ways in which the teachers accessed relevant printed text and hypertext information were mapped and analysed. Search patterns for each information source were tentatively classified into two cognitive strategies labelled as ‘sequential search strategies’ and ‘goal-oriented search strategies’. It was found that the ‘sequential search strategies’ broke down in the non-sequential hypertext environment and users had to be supported by conceptual maps to ensure meaningful outcomes.

Increasing professionalism and targeting effort: Recent books on the training and development of continuing education professionals

Three recent books provide a wealth of resources to help the continuing educator develop his or her expertise. These works trace the changing concerns which economic and political forces have created for those working in this area of higher education. They are in one sense similar in that their underlying values encourage participation and professionalism in the field, but each focuses upon a specific client area and the individualistic responses each institution makes to provide resources and encourage participation. Teaching strategy assumptions covered by these authors do not always reflect the full range of possibilities, but the areas of omission are the challenges which individual agencies might seize to obtain their marketing advantage and leadership in an increasingly competitive arena.