Course Aims
Outcomes
Structure
Course Aims
Outcomes
Structure
Course Aims, Outcomes and Structure will appear here
This course consists of two modules:
Module 1: Constructing virtual learning communities (January-May)
Module 2: Developing case studies in virtual learning communities (June-December)
According to Webster, a community is any group living in the same area or having interests, work, etcetera. in common. There is a growing interest around the concept today especially in terms of learning activitires and outcomes.
Most communities, whether online or traditional, share a number of qualities and characteristics. For example, they're held together by the way the operate, their membership and the roles these peoplke take.
A key feature of communities are the interactions that take place, and the sense of purpose that links the community together in order to ensure learners can be involved in the process over time.
A list of useful reading sources is providing on the Links page of this site. top
Module 1: Constructing virtual learning communities
Summary
The module provides a highly reflective pedagogical approach to the issues
associated with the potential opportunities afforded by the use of Information
and Communications Technology to generate virtual communities of learning.
It will provide opportunities to explore content-integrated learning cases
which are specific to the different subject disciplines of the participants.
The module uses a series of tools and approaches to develop aspects of
learning. The goal is to identify and illustrate examples of successful
practise while integrating the use of technology. The course encourages
individual and collective constructivist approaches and it ensures a highly
reflective and evaluative pattern. top
Aims
and Objectives
The course aims to:
• provide a introductory background to knowledge creation, construction
and collaboration in an on-line setting
• examine concepts such as collaborative learning and eLearning,
learner responsibility and thus citizenship, communities of learning and
good practice
• provide opportunities for content-integration through online learning
• allow participants to create and evaluate materials associated
with their own and other subject areas
• introduce and provide opportunities to explore on-line tools and
approaches to collaborative learning in an elearning setting
assess and reflect on the ways that education can and should adjust to
the uses of new technologies by exploring some of the pedagogical approaches
employed while reflecting on the management of their own participative
learning
The course
seeks to:
• encourage participants to work individually and collaboratively
in teams, in a number of educational situations
• encourage a critical and analytical approach to learning online
• enable discussion and debate on relevant themes
• develop insights into the impact of learning using Information
and Communications
Technology
Learning Outcomes
After completing
this course, participants should be able to:
• make use of a variety of on-line tools and facilities to support
their practise
• understand and reflect on some of the issues associated with the
use of Information and Communications Technology in educational settings
• undertake a review of their own activities and outcomes by reflecting
on their approaches to learning and teaching
• use a Virtual Learning Collaborative Environment (VLCE) in a constructivist
manner
• develop insights into the impact of learning using Information
and Communications Technology
• be able to critically appraise findings of research
Summary of
concepts/themes covered
o Learning theory and knowledge creation in a virtual setting
o Tools of virtual learning
o Network-mediated learning and virtual learning communities
o ICT and Education Issues
o Futures in Education, including classrooms of the Future
Module 2: Developing case studies in virtual learning communities
Summary
The module provides a practical response to the issues associated with
developing opportunities for integrating Information and Communications
Technology in order to generate communities of learning. It will provide
opportunities to explore and create content-integrated learning specific
to the different subject disciplines of the participants. The course encourages
participants to use a series of tools and approaches to develop their
own materials for use in the classroom and then to pilot the use and evaluate
and share the outcomes of the use of technology. The module encourages
individual and collective constructivist approaches and it ensures a highly
reflective and evaluative pattern. top
Aims
and Objectives
The course aims to:
• discuss and review good practice in learning and teaching
• provide opportunities to create content-integrated materials for
teaching associated with their own subject areas in an on-line setting
• review and evaluate the materials in a collaborative learning
environment
• compare and contrast outcomes of content-integrated online learning
materials in a reflective way
The course will:
• encourage participants to work individually and collaboratively
in teams, in a number of educational situations
• encourage a critical and analytical approach to learning online
• enable collaboration and sharing of ideas on relevant themes
• articulating the basis for professional practice
• investigation and reflection on practice top
Learning
Outcomes
After completing this course, participants should be able to:
• consider effective practice in the development of learning and
traching materials
• create, use and evaluate content-integrated learning materials
• make use of a variety of on-line tools and facilities to support
their practise
• understand and reflect on some of the issues associated with the
use of ICT tools in educational settings
• undertake an appraisal of their future activities and outcomes
by reflecting on their approaches to learning and teaching
• draw conclusions from findings and relate these to own and other
contexts
• formulate an action plan for the future development of such materials
Summary of
concepts/themes covered
o what constitutes effective or good practice?
o planning and organising network-mediated learning and virtual learning
communities
o creation and development of learning materials
o piloting and evaluation processes and the critical appraisal of learning
approaches
o research, review, present and report on own findings from project
o action planning
Course Structure
| Contact time: | |
| independent activities: | |
| Learning methods: |
last updated December 20 2005