Over the weekend, I was fortuitous enough to read the Student Expectations Study (Ipsos MORI, 2007) after reading Cousin's rather thought-provoking piece about how "inextricably linked" technology and pedagogy are.

My own background is very much technology-biased but always followed the belief that: "exploration and play are the building blocks of learning". So it was good to see Cousin espouse this sentiment. Indeed, when talking to academics, I don't like (nor want) to "shoe horn" a particular technology into a teaching and learning practice. I'd much rather that I "open the door" to a technology for them to see. If they do step through the door, I want them to undergo their own personal "lightbulb moment" (should it occur). To cultivate that "moment", they really ought to be playing and exploring the tool / technology and make those connections for themselves.

A colleague of mine has invested a lot of time, trouble and effort to match different technologies, such as blogs, discussion boards, chat rooms, etc., against a different range of "traditional" pedagogies backed up with the relevant case studies to reinforce his point. It is a conceit to show the academics how they can take a traditional teaching and learning approach and transform it into it's online equivalent. But as Poster (cited in Cousin 2005, p. 121) points out:

"Reassurances about the primacy of pedagogy and the purely enhancement value of technology offer false protection to academics because they promise a stable transition in an inherently unstable process of change from one media age to another and they promise no loss where there is always loss."

Whilst it is an interesting and useful instrument, I wouldn't want to slavishly adhere to it. What Cousin's article does is to hint at the new opportunities (and those yet to be discovered) that would bring about a paradigm shift in teaching and learning. However, we are still hampered by the traditional "old skool" methodologies and applications that somehow prohibit us from thinking outside of the box.

So it was with interest that I read the Student Expectations Survey (2007) from JISC which consisted of 27 interviews with 15 to 18 year olds and an online survey that resulted in 501 returns. Whilst this was not a big sample, it did glean some interesting tidbits (this would be particularly pertinent for the Web 2.0 section next week) on how the target group ultimately "perceived" I.T. use at University. Some of the highlights include:

1. Students see technology as a core part of social engagement.
2. Prospective students struggle, however, to see how social networking could be used as a learning tool.
3. Students are cautious of publishing / sharing coursework online for public scrutiny.
4. Students don't believe in technology for technology's sake.
5. Students see traditional methods of teacher / pupil learning as neither hierarchical nor outmoded; they see personal, face-to-face interaction as the backbone of their learning.
6. However, students do not fully understand how ICT and learning can work together outside the school context.

What is abundantly clear is that if we do "experiment" with the technology as Cousin suggests; we do need to make absolutely sure that our students understand why this particular technology is being used within a particular teaching and learning context; so that they can make some sense of it and benefit from it.

References

Cousin, G., (2005). Learning from Cyberspace. In: Land, R. & Bayne, S. (eds) Education in Cyberspace. London: RoutledgeFalmer. pp. 117-129. 

Ipsos MORI, (2007). Student Expectations Study: Findings from Preliminary Research. JISC [online]. Available at: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/publications/publications/studentexpectationsbp.aspx [Accessed 16 October 2007]

I am massively impressed at how the WebCT course has been carefully and painstaking laid out and structured to facilitate the range of teaching and learning aids, so much so that my jaw dropped. Masses of reading materials to pick and choose from, opportunities to discuss, debate and critique these subjects, topics and themes using the forums and e-mail.

As Ali G. would say: Respect!

We have to teach lecturers how to use the basic fundamentals of being a Blackboard instructor - what we don't cover in that session is how to plan and construct a Blackboard course to enhance teaching and learning. My colleagues feel this is a little too "advanced" for them and that it should be covered in further staff development sessions should they feel they need it.

As a web developer, I am deeply conscious at how the usability / design of a site will impact upon the user experience of it. Developing an online element to your course that supports your face-to-face sessions should start with planning it out on paper as to how it should be structured that best suits the nuances of the course and how best to maximise the students engagement with it. Whilst many use Blackboard as a links farm; document repository; noticeboard; sending bulk e-mail or all of the above - none of these activities actually involves any real learning; it only makes some elements of the course easier to administer as well as downsizing on their carbon footprint, i.e. spiralling photocopying costs.

The art of learning, therefore, comes with the communication; collaboration and assessment tools - this is the element that is so much more alive and buzzing on this course. Yes, necessity dictates it; and yes, we have all chosen to be here - studying at a distance - in the first place. But, you can almost feel how tangible (don't tell Dreyfus that I said that, will you?) the sense of community is within this course in the first few days of it running. I have a really good feeling about this and am looking forward to when the course starts to really kick off next week with the online discussions and debates - we'll then see who are the lurkers; the flamers and the saboteurs.

I wonder which one am I? Can you tell yet? ;-)