scholarly journals #DataCreativities

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-10
Author(s):  
Thomas Cochrane ◽  
Kathryn Coleman ◽  
Amanda Belton ◽  
Emily Fitzgerald ◽  
Solange Glasser ◽  
...  

Transdisciplinarity and collaboration are key capabilities that need to be fostered by authentic higher education learning environments to prepare our graduates for an unknown future (Barnett, 2012). These capabilities need to be modelled through the practice of academics, and even more so during a global pandemic such as COVID19 in response to the changing ways in which professions, and in particular the arts that have traditionally relied upon face-to-face interaction, have rapidly pivoted to online modes of interaction. In response, this project is conceived as a transdisciplinary collaboration between the University of Melbourne Faculty of Fine Arts and Music (FFAM), the Graduate School of Education (MGSE), the Centre for the Study of Higher Education (MCSHE), the Social & Cultural Imformatics Plaform (SCIP) and the Melbourne Data Analytics Platform (MDAP). The #DataCreativities collaboration seeks to learn from the data created by the creative industry communities as they rapidly moved to new forms of online interaction in order to survive in a socially distanced environment (for example (Braus & Morton, 2020)). We use this to develop a new framework for data generation and visualization in the context of higher education as a form of feedback loop that can inform innovative pedagogical practice and research (Ferdig et al., 2020).   The project data collection and analysis began by creating visualisations of the teaching and learning activities embodied in the universities learning management system (Canvas) to discover patterns of usage and interaction as the creative arts disciplines switched from studio-based on campus to remote online teaching and learning modes. The analysis of the data visualisations from creative and education domains formed a continuous loop of acting and reacting (Glaveanu et al., 2013) as they rapidly developed new modes of interaction in response to COVID19. In learning from these data as visual patterns, the project is focused upon identifying new modes of teaching and learning that are sustainable beyond an emergency response to COVID19.   The data visualization project involves the identification of an Ecology of Resources or EoR (Luckin, 2008) that encompasses social media via a hashtag #Datacreativities (Twitter, TikTok, YouTube) open software publishing (Omeka, Figshare) and Altmetrics (Priem et al., 2010) - creating a feedback loop between the model of a COVID19 rapid pivot from face-to-face Arts community to building an online community, and traditional higher education teaching and learning and research practices and metrics (Williams & Padula, 2015). Early stages visualisations helped turn data into information. Collaborative bringing together of our experience and expertise helped turn information into knowledge. Making visualisations of data formed practice-based research (Candy, 2016) transforming abstract data into observable, malleable digital artefacts (Kallinikos,Aaltonen& Marton, 2010). The presentation will showcase some of the data visualisations produced by the #Datacreativities team and the mapping between the professional arts community and arts education practice on response to COVID19. The presentation will also outline the emergent data visualisation framework and how the ecology of resources facilitates a feedback loop back into informing teaching and learning and research.

Author(s):  
Håkan Eftring ◽  
Elinor Jeanette Olaussen ◽  
Helen Petrie ◽  
Merja Saarela ◽  
Tarja Ladonlahti ◽  
...  

The TINEL Project is running a series of camps for staff at higher education institution to support them in developing inclusive eLearning. The first camp was conducted face-to-face, but the coronavirus pandemic meant that the second camp was conducted online. This created a case study in inclusive eLearning in itself and allowed us to experience and reflect on the challenges and opportunities of inclusive online teaching and learning. This paper presents the structure and content of the two camps, our reflections on moving from a face-to-face to an online situation and our elaboration how the UDL principles apply to eLearning to create Universal Design for eLearning (UDeL). We found that because we already had a syllabus for the camp prepared, transferring it to an online camp did not present a great number of challenges. Some aspects of the online situation were actually advantageous (e.g. presenting all materials digitally and making them fully accessible) while others were difficult to overcome (e.g. engaging all participants in online activities and discussions). We provide a set of recommendations of how to implement the three principles of UDL in eLearning situations.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 386-392
Author(s):  
Samar Alharbi

In the modern era of teaching and learning, the education system witnessed many changes. New methods of teaching and learning are utilised in order to adapt to the growth of technology. Teachers used some teaching methods, such as online teaching, face to face teaching or a combination of both online and face to face known as blended learning (BL) environment. BL has been proven its advantages empirically in many studies. One of the significant advantages is that BL is used as an extended learning environment to reinforce knowledge and make learning more accessible by utilising technology and online resources. However, there are some drawbacks of implementing blended learning, such as the demand of time and teachers' efforts to provide feedback and follow up students. This paper examined the use of BL in higher education. The first part of this paper reviewed some empirical studies in BL.  The second part presented the theoretical framework of using BL. Benefits and challenges of implementing BL in higher education regarding Saudi universities are explained. Lastly, the paper concluded with some critical remarks.


2021 ◽  
pp. 234763112110072
Author(s):  
Sanaa Ashour ◽  
Ghaleb A. El-Refae ◽  
Eman A. Zaitoun

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented an opportunity to rethink higher education. This study focused on analysing experiences from three higher education institutions (HEIs) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since the onset of the crisis and explored how university leaders and professors in these institutions imagine post-COVID-19 higher education. The study aimed to find out whether the pandemic has been a factor that has helped to legitimize online teaching and learning as a universal mode of delivery across different fields of studies, or if the Zoom fatigue has shown its limitations. In addition, the research investigated what transformations university experts predict and their vision for the future of higher education. The study found that many lessons learnt during the period of forced adoption of distance education will be used by universities to enhance and expand online learning provisions. This shift will be driven by the investments the universities have made in distance education and the increased familiarity of the students, staff and institutions with e-learning. The study participants foresee that more sophisticated forms of hybrid campuses will be a more appropriate model for the future, if face-to-face (F2F) classrooms do not return.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manorika Ratnaweera ◽  
Rohini Khareedi

Introduction: COVID -19 has caused disruptions in higher education across the world. Our university adapted a blended model of learning, moving between traditional campus-based sessions and online sessions. Material and Methods: The purpose of this study was to investigate the students’ perceptions of their experience of teaching and learning during the pandemic. An anonymous electronic questionnaire-based survey was sent to students. The data was subject to analysis. Results: 67 students responded to the survey.32.8% of the participants felt face to face sessions were better than online sessions and 37.3% said that face to face and online sessions offer similar benefits. 37.3% preferred live online sessions while 46.3% preferred recorded videos. 40.3% of students reported finding transitioning into practical sessions challenging. 65.7% reported having been moderately impacted by COVID-19. Adaptation to online sessions, the level of engagement, the ability to seek clarifications, preparation for assessments and the ease of transition into practical sessions were all positively correlated to the level of impact by COVID-19 with p<0.05. Conclusion: The adaptability to and acceptability of online teaching and learning sessions has been high. A significant number of participants have reported finding the transitioning into practical sessions challenging. Keywords: COVID-19, Online learning and teaching, blended learning, higher education


2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leo Casey ◽  
Michael Hallissy

There has been significant discussion in recent times around improving the quality of teaching and learning in higher education (Laycock, 2009; Laurillard & Masterman, 2010; DES, 2010).  The Lisbon Strategy (Commission to the Council and the European Parliament, 2006) has framed much of this discussion at a European level with individual countries, such as Ireland, developing their own-targeted strategies to expand and improve higher education (DES, 2010).  In the case of Ireland, these strategies specifically mention the need for institutions to provide ‘excellent teaching’ whether in face-to-face or online settings.  Whereas there is a significant body of on-going research conducted around effective teaching in traditional, face-to-face settings in higher education (for example, Bennett & Barp, 2008, Beetham & Sharpe, 2007) there is, in recent times, an emerging need for investigations that focus on new contexts for teaching particularly in online synchronous classrooms.Many institutions have invested substantial time and resources in procuring new technology systems to support on-line teaching and in training staff to operate the many varied functions within these technologies.  However, there is also a need to go beyond mere functionality and to provide deeper pedagogical support to faculty so they can fully realise the instructional potential of these systems (Kim & Bonk, 2006; Lee & Hirumi, 2004).  Technological innovations in the area of online teaching lead to new challenges for teachers and educators as new tools are developed and adopted by their institutions. A question for researchers is the extent to which these tools augment or inhibit existing roles and practices in the classroom and to ask how we can conceptualize learning and teaching in such contexts.The case for considering inquiry learning as the ‘telos’ or central purpose of classroom practice is presented here. In this way the live on-line classroom is conceived as a communal learning space where teacher and students participate in activities that are enabled, sustained and enriched by the functionality of the technology system.


Author(s):  
Jonathan J. Felix

This disruptive nature of the COVID-19 pandemic has created a large-scale scramble to translate offline modes of instruction to online teaching. Furthermore, this massive shift in teaching and learning in general and higher education, in particular, has seen those digital technologies being used for teaching and learning offer convergent modalities for synchronous and asynchronous classroom delivery. The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on education globally indicates that while the affordances of digital technologies provide interesting opportunities for teaching and learning, in no way has it definitively proven to be as emancipatory or revolutionary as some proponents of educational technology have argued before the pandemic occurred. Also, rather than merely reflect, highlight, or exacerbate inequalities, divisions, and conflicts in the real world, the social phenomenon of online teaching en masse due the pandemic serves to demonstrate the importance of multimodal communication and the very social nature of university learning and formal education more broadly. Arguably, the digital identity of both students and teachers have been in constant negotiation since the start of this pandemic has occurred, as online teaching moved from being a marginal pedagogical practice to a widespread social phenomenon. At this juncture in world history, it is worth considering the viability of higher education and the social production of teachers and learners under the unstable and disruptive conditions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. The implications of this critical intervention pertain to the evolving role of the social institution of the academy itself, the nature of disciplinarity, and the activity that occurs within higher education institutions.


Author(s):  
Patricia Ananga ◽  
Isaac Kofi Biney

A comparison of face-to-face and online teaching and learning has been undertaken to ascertain the focal point that would justify the best-preferred option as far as teaching and learning in DE is concerned. This study is particularly important because as higher education institutions are faced with the challenge of huge number of prospective students seeking higher education in the midst of inadequate infrastructures, it becomes very necessary to look at DE as an option with a combination of different modes of delivering instruction. At the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), some faculties and departments, especially the distance education department, have adopted the face-to-face and online modes of delivering instruction. The pursuit of which would require a critical overview of the two modes to ascertain the strengths, weaknesses and how the two can complement each other for effective delivery of instruction to cater to a large number of students. The review suggested that academics or lecturers should endeavour to adopt the blended or hybrid mode in their teaching and learning. Policy decision makers can also use this study as it provides information on better practices as far as the blended mode of teaching and learning in higher education institutions is concerned.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 221258682110070
Author(s):  
Ka Ho Mok ◽  
Weiyan Xiong ◽  
Hamzah Nor Bin Aedy Rahman

The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has forced online teaching and learning to be the primary instruction format in higher education globally. One of the worrying concerns about online learning is whether this method is effective, specifically when compared to face-to-face classes. This descriptive quantitative study investigates how students in higher education institutions in Hong Kong evaluated their online learning experiences during the pandemic, including the factors influencing their digital learning experiences. By analysing the survey responses from 1,227 university students in Hong Kong, this study found that most of the respondents felt dissatisfied with their online learning experiences and effectiveness. Meanwhile, this study confirms that respondents’ household income level and information technology literacy affected their online learning effectiveness. Moreover, this study highlights the significant contributions of the community of inquiry, which places social presence on the promotion of a whole person development that could not be achieved when relying mainly on online learning. Findings encourage university leaders and instructors to search for multiple course delivery modes to nurture students to become caring leaders with the 21st century skills and knowledge set.


Author(s):  
Chrysi Rapanta ◽  
Luca Botturi ◽  
Peter Goodyear ◽  
Lourdes Guàrdia ◽  
Marguerite Koole

AbstractThe Covid-19 pandemic has presented an opportunity for rethinking assumptions about education in general and higher education in particular. In the light of the general crisis the pandemic caused, especially when it comes to the so-called emergency remote teaching (ERT), educators from all grades and contexts experienced the necessity of rethinking their roles, the ways of supporting the students’ learning tasks and the image of students as self-organising learners, active citizens and autonomous social agents. In our first Postdigital Science and Education paper, we sought to distil and share some expert advice for campus-based university teachers to adapt to online teaching and learning. In this sequel paper, we ask ourselves: Now that campus-based university teachers have experienced the unplanned and forced version of Online Learning and Teaching (OLT), how can this experience help bridge the gap between online and in-person teaching in the following years? The four experts, also co-authors of this paper, interviewed aligning towards an emphasis on pedagogisation rather than digitalisation of higher education, with strategic decision-making being in the heart of post-pandemic practices. Our literature review of papers published in the last year and analysis of the expert answers reveal that the ‘forced’ experience of teaching with digital technologies as part of ERT can gradually give place to a harmonious integration of physical and digital tools and methods for the sake of more active, flexible and meaningful learning.


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