[Roger Harrison]

You’re welcome. This has turned out to be a very interesting series of postings. Let me know how you get on if you do any more work on this, and also if you do anything on the social network course. I had a look last night and the first few weeks can very quickly be breezed through.

 

regards

Roger

 

[Roger Harrison]

Hi Imogen and thanks for the link, this is helpful. Similar work has been done in England I think, well I’ve heard of it and will search another time.

As for a xMOOC on learning analytics – yep, way to go! now we just need to encourage Martin Hawksley to run it! Though the major stumbling block I have is that we use Blackboard as our VLE and it is very difficult, and impossible in many areas to get any data out in a meaningful way. This is frustrating and I’ve already had some helpful support from Martin about trying to do some social network analysis – but sadly it can’t really be done as you can’t download the activity data.

I found the following course curriculum on social network analysis, which I apopreciate is different in some areas to learning analytics, but still interesting. The enrolled course is finished but all the materials etc are creative commons,

http://www.umasocialmedia.com/category/curriculum/

regards

Roger

[Roger Harrison]

Hi  Imogen and this is a really lively discussion area.I wasn’t aware of the work showing that what employers want is what academics and students want as well. Though I suppose it depends which academics you ask.  I tend to think that employers want far more generic and practical/interpersonal skills, and also an ability to use theory to then address a particular real problem. something I am trying to bring into my own online teaching, but it does raise challenges about how to try and do some of this.

Group work – this year I introduced a group wiki activity which students addressed very well and the standard of work, albeit not that difficult, was excellent. I would however like to find ways of developing a more interactice and challenging group activity and this needs to be asynchronous too. Any ideas or examples around this would be very helpful. Public Health, which I teach, always has competing issues/perspectives/stakeholders and it woudl be great to try and bring this in as a practical project for students.

I couldn’t access the Linkedin but am assuming it was for the group technology in teaching and learning and have requested to join.

As for cMOOCs – yes I find them challenging as I like structured formats and find that the ‘c’ element takes up so much more time, and often dead end routes to follow which can be frustrating. But, I do see their value in a wider sense of learning, and especially one outside of an assessed course format.

I will persuse the Sigma MOOC but haven’t tried George Siemens and never seemed to find the advert when starting. But as always not enough time and this day job somehow gets in the way!

regards

Roger

[Roger Harrison]

Hello – wow an amazing post and like David, an area that I had never considered before. But I can see how this approach could really help institutions develop strategic visions, not just for online learning, but learning and education in general. I agree that we need to develop a more flexible approach to course development and this is something that I think is largely hampered by existing structures – and the whole inflexible academic system in general.

One of the key drivers around all of this is going to be the view of employers – what is it that they will regard highly as evidence of skills, knowledge, ability etc, in relation to an expected post. Will they be willing to move beyond a degree certification?

Secondly – much of the flexible approach to learning relies on students having the skills to self-motivate and self-manage their learning. I think there will always be a market for clearly structured courses leading to a firm qualification. But of course within all of that, there is no reason why educators, cannot try and develop a flexibile approach in terms of course design and how it is delivered.

I also agree with David’s point – to build in more flexibility is going to need more investment, especially for learning technologists and training of tutors.

Just a few thoughts but certainly not as well informed as Imogen. But it does leave me pondering on doing the MOOC she mentions (though reminds me of economics which was never my strong point!) and should we be incorporating some of the ideas more firmly in courses such as this ocTEL MOOC.

thanks for the contribution

 

Roger

 

[Roger Harrison]

Hello – some helpful points. I have really started to use OERs yet in my course. Partly because I am only just coming round to appreciate what and how many are available; partly because we don’t really have a policy at my institute; partly because I wonder what students will think if I start relying too much on external content.

The question about permanence is a good one. It would be really good if the OERs put out with CC licenses could then be made permanent, and, if they are then changed or wanted to be removed by the creator, that this was then made evidence on the OER so people later using it would appreciate that the owner no longer wanted it or had changed it – though this of course is a likely different mine field in itself!

I would like to see a university course as an example that has started to incorporate more OERs – this would help me and also help my colleagues become persuaded more.

regards

Roger

[Roger Harrison]

Hi James, this is very useful and thanks for posting – an idea I’d had for my course.  As for the self identifying groups etc – was there any evidence/experience that forcing people into fixed groups might encourage people who otherwise would not have posted/taken part? Also, where any time scales fixed to when people had to have the initial post up? On my international course unit, some students have problems of access to the internet etc at times.

I suppose I could try it and see what happens anyway.

 

thanks

Roger

 

[Roger Harrison]

Hello Megan, good to hear from you and I identified with some of the things you posted. Do you have a blog set up? if so, can you put your blog address in your profile or add it here, so I can connect with your thoughts etc. mine is octelrogerharrison.wordpress.com

I’m keen to find out about your experiences from the States in teaching – I get the impression that generally the higher education sector/universities are more ahead with online learning?

Do you know Curtis Bonk from MIT? well worth looking up (I’m linked to his blog on mine blog page), I met him when he came to Manchester, UK for a meeting and he is extremely enthusiastic/motivating to listen to and extremely knowledgeable / expert on all these things

 

take care

 

Roger

 

[Roger Harrison]

Hi Matt and Alastair, good to read your posts in this part of the Forum. You both sound as if you’ve a lot of valuable experience to bring to this course. Alastair I can’t get your wordpress link to open – is the address correct for it in your profile? Also, which countries were you working in – France?

Most of my teaching experience has been for adult learners, helping to run a postgraduate masters in public health, which is a fully online course – about two thirds of our students are in full time work, across the world, making it interesting but challenging at times. I think it’s really important to make a distinction between adults in higher education who are working or not and this isn’t always clear in the literature, and something I tend to blur over at times as well.

I’ve done a couple of MOOCs before but still not confident as don’t like to miss out on anything, which is impossible achievement for a MOOC as so many participants posting etc. Not sure either how the best way is to take some of our discussions and shared interests forward – ideas welcome. Maybe we could try hosting a webinar/google hangout type event, just as a one off and no fixed agenda

 

regards

Roger

 

[Roger Harrison]

Hi Marion and thanks for teh reply and insight into some of the things you are involved in too. As you say, a lot in common. Perhaps it would help to keep our emails too roger.harrison@manchester.ac.uk

I’d like to chat more at some point about in particular your experience of teaching EBP – I wrote a course a couple of years ago on this, and changed some of the fundamental ways in which it had been taught in the past. Now I am a tutor on that course as too busy to lead it. I’d also like to find out about the public health degree in nursing – we are keen to try and encourage more wider people to our MPH course – which we generally have.

I suppose I just like finding out about what people are doing, why and how. I think I might be enrolled on the teaching MOOC through Oxford Brookes – I’ll have to check as I’ve enrolled on a few MOOCs this year and easily get confused!

I don’t find that there is a community feel to thsi MOOC though and I think these Forums are tricky to naviage through and not sure if the groups remain through the weeks of learning, in terms of where we post to. I think I lack some confidence in navigating through as I don’t want to miss the things that will really help me.  As for our own MOOC – we have put our proposal to those responsible and hope to find out soon. My manager is leading it but I will be involved. I think though the reality will be different to what I would like to see, but it is our first go at it, and will be a learnign experience.

I love the postings from Stephen Downes – if you’re not linked to his blog I would recommend it – the most informative resource I’ve ever found and I dont’ know how that guy does what he does! The link to his blog is on my own blog for this course octelrogerharrison.wordpress.com

Right, must dash, running a workshop on supervision – joy!

[Roger Harrison]

Thanks Martin – I found this last night. It would be great if a global message can be sent to all octel participants to encourage them to populate it along with Mendeley group. If everyone added five references and links relevant to the topic what a great resource we’d be starting.

 

thanks

Roger

 

[Roger Harrison]

Hi Roger, There is a group here http://groups.diigo.com/group/alt-octel

Martin

[Roger Harrison]

Hi, I’m glad it’s not just me then as I thought I wasn’t very skilled. It isn’t too user friendly to navigate and add links or see the recent updates etc. There is a DIIGo group I’ve noticed now set up by David Jennings

https://groups.diigo.com/group/alt-octel

I’ve never used DIIGO other than sharing my own info to work and back so would be good to see how it works as a group communication.

Also wouldn’t mind google+, again little experirence of that. How do we take it forward to give it a try?

[Roger Harrison]

Wow Shuna this sounds fascinating and a heck of a lot of work by the sounds of it that you’ve put into the design over the couple of years. I have a few ideas as to how something like this might work but I can imagine it would be tricky convincing my colleagues of then comitting some time to this. That’s why I need to try and get hold of an example that I can show them when they come in to the office to see me and for meetings. I’m also hoping to be presenting at a Faculty conference locally on technology and learning and would like to cover serious gamification alongside MOOCs and social learning.

I’m sure we will be hearing more from you and others on using gaming which will be great

 

regards

 

[Roger Harrison]

Hi Kate, yes lots of activity having taken place and I’ve already learnt some important things from people in this small group – this includes a great resource and collection of OERs which Jim Pettiward has helped developed, and included a link to in his posting above.

I’ve been reading a bit more about OERs, and I have an idea of thinking about trying to collate those relevant for public health and then set up a website with links to them, along with an area for other public health information key providers, and key public health journals. But then I though that people can just go to the OER.com database and do their own searching, but would they do it? I find unless it’s within three clicks away then people tend not to look very far. So I’m going to play with the idea for a bit longer and would appreciate feedback about this too.

regards

Roger

 

[Roger Harrison]

Yep certainly is a small world – to be reminded of the joys of special trays and bite blocks! that’s if they still use those nowadays.

What area did you specialise in for your MRes?

 

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