Watch this (scholarship of elearning) space

I attended the 2010 SoTL (Scholarship of Teaching and Learning) Commons in Satesboro Georgia in March. This was quite a shift of focus for me, as I have only attended elearning / distance education conferences in the last ten years. As well as learning acronyms from a different discourse (and making up one of my own), I came away concerned that academic development (my field of professional practice) elearning (my specific focus) and the scholarship of teaching and learning (my broader focus) are creating silos without interconnecting tunnels. A more productive path would be to collaborate in the same way we recommend to colleagues from across the disciplines who are interested in pedagogical research. Hence, my newly created acronym SoAP for the scholarship of academic practice.

I am working on two publications as a result of the Statesboro conference. One is an opinion piece titled 'From a SoAP Box' accepted for the September issue 15(3) of the International Journal of Academic Development and echoing the sentiment expressed above. The other is a collaborative piece that will be submitted to The International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. This article, co-authored by speakers at an opening panel at SoTL Commons, aims to offer contemporary perspectives on SoTL from Israel, New Zealand. Denmark, the West Indies and the USA.

An extract from my contribution:

The scholarship of teaching and learning is key to successful elearning strategies. National and institutional aims to promote the use of technology in teaching and learning are not new. Computers have been a feature of educational design since the 1960s. Drivers are often practical as well as pedagogical, because scale and diversity challenge faculty to find creative ways to apply principles of scholarly teaching. Evaluation is a critical element, as new approaches need evidence to show they are different, perhaps better, and at least as effective as other methods.

Evidence is also needed to offset the kind of speculation that comes with every new technology. Observers predict a future where traditional institutions and teaching methods are replaced by convenient, contemporary, computer facilitated learning. For a recent example, see Tapscott & Williams (Educause Review, January/ February 2010). These predictions are generally flawed, because they make no reference to the scholarship of teaching, and often miscalculate the rate of diffusion of new technologies'.

The article will be submitted for review in April, and subject to acceptance, will appear in the journal later in 2010.

Service oriented architecture for education

From the latest ACODE digest - may be of interest to institutions pursuing this approach

Service Oriented Architecture and Enterprise Learning Integration Summit

A summit to discuss approaches to Service Oriented Architecture in education will be hosted by IMS on 22 October at Oracle in California. A number of speakers will discuss the challenges education organisations face with enterprise integration. The summit will consider identity management, user provisioning and outcomes reporting, as well as discussing good practice SOA approaches. This follows on from the public release of the IMS SOA white paper entitled “Adoption of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) for Enterprise Systems in Education: Recommended Practices”

More information - http://www.imsglobal.org/soa

Recursive tweets and tips for academics

Thanks to Terry Neal for Tweeting this link to 100 serious twitter tips for academics. Great way to spread the newz!

Wake up and smell the new epistemology

Although this cry is frequently heard, varying only in title, it's good to revisit the challenge to those of us who feel secure in the ivory towers of the academy. Speakers at the Association of Learning Technology conference (ALT-C) in Manchester, UK in early September fired warning shots at traditional methods of knowledge mediation and teaching by universities, claiming they are outmoded in the current information rich environment. This article by Professor Tom Clydesdale of the College of New Jersey reasons why, succinctly, with added interest from references to a Mexican fiesta, cowboy hats and line dancing. A similarly convincing message (without sombreros and cowboy hats) from keynote speaker Michael Wesch can be viewed along with other session recordings on the conference website.

A remote viewer advised via the Elluminate chat screen of a lively Twitter stream about the keynote. I really wanted to see what they were saying, but had decided not to take my laptop so I would listen to the session without distraction. Technology 1 : my thinking 0!

New models for learning management

The debate about learning management systems has 'matured' to the extent that most academics really don;t care which system they use. Like mobile phones or TVs, the controls might be slightly different but functions are essentially the same. I suppose this is a dominant (if not particularly inspiring) design emerging. Its a pity this workshop on new models is so far away (London), as it would be interesting to hear some informed opinions on where the future of these systems might lie.

eBooks provide safety valve for librarians

A practical guide to providing affordable access to limited library resources at busy times, this case study is based on relevant research into user behaviour and a creative solution to a practical problem.

Read more or download the podcast (13min)

Great conference - no carbon footprint!

A JISC online conference 'Innovating eLearning' runs from 24-27 November and offers two themes, 1) Finding the way, 2) Meeting the challenge.

From the conference website: "If you are a researcher, institutional manager or practitioner involved in technology-enhanced learning and teaching, Innovating e-Learning 2009 will be of interest to you. Delegates from further and higher education and from overseas are welcome."

Read more / register