Pat Jefferies

Using the Internet as a teaching resource

Increasingly the Internet is being used by students to gather a variety of data and gain an extensive range of experience as part of their learning activity. The paper discusses how the Internet may be used to support learning and teaching and some of the motivation underpinning its adoption. It refers to use of the Internet in a final year module on multimedia run by the Department of Computer and Information Sciences at De Montfort University, one of the main purposes being to promote collaborative student project work. The authors present an analysis of feedback that has been gained from students’ experiences of using network technology. The article concludes by outlining some of the issues raised by using the Internet as a learning and teaching resource.

Advantages and Problems in Using Information Communication Technologies to Support the Teaching of a Multi-institutional Computer Ethics Course

The ‘political push’ and technological ‘pull’ currently prevalent in many higher education institutions is encouraging educationalists to increasingly experiment with tools that promote collaborative work, which, in turn, is perceived to help in the develop ment of more autonomous, responsible learners. This study will focus on the advantages and problems of using Information Communication Technologies to support a blended learning approach to the teaching of a multi-institutional Professional Issues/Computer Ethics course. First, it will examine how the collaboration was facilitated by the use of a commercially available collaborative learning management tool, Blackboard. It will detail how Blackboard was used in two fieldwork studies (years one and two of this collaboration) to enhance the teaching of professional issues in computing/computer ethics at the University of Limerick in Ireland, at De Montfort University in England and at Sacred Heart University in the United States of America. Next, it will examine how, in the second year, the Belbin (1981) Self-Perception Inventory was used to help in the establishment of virtual teams by getting students to consider individual differences in determining group roles. Finally, the results in terms of outcomes and student/staff reactions will be given.

ICT in supporting collaborative learning: pedagogy and practice

The rapid expansion of networking capabilities and growing potential of access to such facilities is stimulating an exponential growth in the interest to develop technological resources to facilitate and enhance the learning experience within Higher Education. Thus, educational institutions are increasingly being encouraged to experiment with tools that promote collaborative working, which are, in turn, perceived to help in the development of more autonomous, responsible learners. This paper therefore seeks briefly to explore the theoretical underpinnings that usually prompt the adoption of such tools as Asynchronous Computer Conferencing (ACC) technology for collaborative working in an educational environment. The research will then go on to question the traditional approach of the ‘moderated’ implementation of such technology as well as reporting on some findings gained from fieldwork studies undertaken with campus-based undergraduates using ACC for supporting Computer Supported Collaborative Learning as an integral part of their learning experience within a Higher Education environment.

Campus-based managed learning environments: beyond technology

Widening participation and student progression/retention are just a few of the various and burgeoning pressures prompting the increase in development and implementation of information technology systems within higher education (HE). Such implementation has, more recently taken the form of either virtual or managed learning environments (VLEs/MLEs). The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to identify the framework of forces that impact on the development of campus-based managed learning environments. The experience of the authors has led them to believe that VLEs/MLEs are developed following logical processes that try to reconcile the technical and pedagogical issues. However, this process has not necessarily accommodated the social, political and organisational issues of stakeholders that must be addressed for successful implementation in the campus-based context. As such the paper will: identify some of the main stakeholder groups in terms of their various aspirations and the degree of control they exercise; investigate some of the pedagogical issues as expressed in a variety of journal articles and texts; review current VLE/MLE development within De Montfort University; and identify some of the constraints implied by the theory and guidelines currently being proposed for future learning environments. Finally, the paper will provide recommendations in terms of development and implementation issues that will need to be addressed in order to create a more effective and efficient learning and teaching environment within HE.

Multimedia information systems in education

Multimedia applications within the academic environment can be varied and include such things as: marketing of courses with an interactive prospectus; providing general administrative information (student handbooks, timetables, assignment schedules, module content, etc.); facilitating co-operative working using such things as computer conferencing or collaborative whiteboards; and for the purposes of computer assisted learning (CAL). In addition, multimedia can be used as an end in itself through students employing the embedded techniques in development of a spectrum of products. The main purpose of the paper is to explore the lessons that might be learnt through the application of information systems research to the field of multimedia education. By adopting this approach, parallels might be drawn between the two application areas to highlight the convergence of underlying philosophies and methods in order to inform good practice. The paper aims to promote discussion of the various aspects involved in multimedia systems development within an educational environment.