This document summarizes a presentation on future directions for e-learning research. It identifies 7 strategic priorities for e-learning development, including building capacity for learning design and assessment, enabling innovation and evaluation, and integrating technology and pedagogy. It also outlines 5 principles for learning design, a model for innovation, and broad themes for future research like open educational resources and mobile learning. Overall, the presentation calls for a strategic and evidence-based approach to integrating technology and pedagogy to improve the learner experience.

1. Questions for future e-learning
research: can we plug the gaps?
Alejandro Armellini
11 June 2012

2. E-learning ca. 2007
• Knowledge, society & perspectives
• Policy and practice
• Technologies for learning
• Organisational culture
• Learning theories
• Designing for learning
• Learning resources
• Managing educational resources
• E-assessment
• Literacies
• Affective and social issues
• Collaboration
• Evaluation

3. Recent research questions
• Use of social & participatory media
• Learning design & pedagogical patterns
• Open Educational Resources &MOOCs
• Virtual worlds, games & mobile learning
• Collaboration &affective issues
• E-pedagogies and digital literacies
• Computer Supported Collaborative
Learning
• Learner experience research

4. Student experience
The learner voice
(Lisa, Leicester student, 2011)
I’m not impressed with lecture-free learning. I like Blackboard –
it’s vital – but I don’t like not having lectures and having to find
out everything myself. I am not motivated enough for that even if
it does come up in the exam.
I don’t believe we are getting enough feedback from the lecturers
online - and some people are just reading everything we put up
and not contributing anything of their own. And I can’t stand the
way Anya responds to every posting in that patronising way!
4

5. Student experience
The tutor voice
(Stuart, Leicester tutor, 2012)
“Excellence in teaching is at the heart of our learners’
experiences. But views on excellent teaching are as diverse
as our students and staff: excellent to whom and against
what criteria?”
5

6. UK context
 Technology needs to enhance student choice and meet or exceed
learners’ expectations
 Institutions need to take a strategic approach to realign structures
and processes in order to embed online learning
 Training and development should be realigned to enable the
academic community to play a leading role in online learning
 Investment is needed for the development and exploitation of
open educational resources to enhance efficiency and quality
Source: Collaborate to Compete, OLTF, 2011
6

7. US context
 31% of all HE students take at least one online course
 67% of academic leaders rate LOs in online education as
the same or superior to those in f2f education
 Online learning is a critical part of the long-term
strategies of 65% of HEIs
Source: Going the Distance: Online Education in the United States, 2011
7

8. Key strategies (1)
1. Capacity and capability building in learning
design and assessment practices
2. Enabling innovation, adoption and evaluation:
- Research to practice to research
- A pipeline for innovation to mainstream
- Avoid what is not scalable or ‘cascadable’
3. Evidence-based integration of L&T and digital
technologies
8

9. 9

10. Key strategies (2)
4. External funding
5. Horizon scanning
6. CPD opportunities beyond the PGCert in
Academic Practice, including MSc and PhD
routes
7. Dissemination and review
10

11. Learning design principles
 Low cost, high value
 Sustainable: design once, deliver many times
 Forward-looking: alignment, assessment for
learning, rapid feedback
 Connected with industry & community
 Celebration of individual differences and needs
11

12. Organisational Observatory, research,
development prototyping
Future, potential
Creative
technologies for
new applications of
emergent learning
existing tools to
& learners
target new markets
Missions Innovation
Markets
contexts pipeline
Well-established Established
learning & teaching programmes and
present + approaches
University-owned & embracing new
supported technological
technologies opportunities
present Technology new
& Pedagogy
12

13. Innovation process
Diagnose
Identify
Explore
problem Build
Find possible
Analyse solutions Collate design Deploy
Define Design principles
component responses Model & build Scale
parts Prototype & Normalise
Pilot
test Transfer
Measure
13

14. The Carpe Diem learning design model
Plan +
action
review
reality?
prototype
storyboard Armellini, A. &Aiyegbayo, O. (2010)
Nie, M., Armellini, A., Randall, R., Harrington, S.
blueprint &Barklamb, K. (2010)
Armellini, A., Salmon, G., & Hawkridge, D. (2009)
Armellini, A., & Jones, S. (2008)
Salmon, G., Jones, S., & Armellini, A. (2008)
www.le.ac.uk/carpediem 14

15. Research to practice

16. Themes for research
 Knowledge and learning as open, mobile, connected
and scalable
 Models for effective learning design & capability
building
 Assessment and feedback in technology-rich
environments
 Learning innovation for social enterprise
 Learning for employability and to generate future
employers
16

17. Example: knowledge & learning as open (1)
17

18. OER-enhanced curriculum
Design
Low-cost Strategic
Enhancement Enhancement
Curriculum
Delivery
Rapid Planned
Enhancement Enhancement
Used as is Repurposed
(Just-in-time) (Structured)
OER

19. Example: knowledge & learning as open (2)
 How do academics’ practices map onto the
‘OER-enhanced curriculum’ grid?
- Should institutions do more to support a shift to
the top-right quadrant?
19

20. Example: knowledge & learning as connected
 Do we build valuable networks by making
clever use of, for example, LinkedIn and
Twitter?
- What does ‘valuable’ mean?
- What does ‘clever use’ mean?
- How do I and others benefit?
- What are the risks?
20

21. Example: knowledge & learning as scalable
 What is an efficient strategy to enable
academic staff to benefit from good practice
in learning design?
For example:
the ‘army of support staff’ approach
vs
the capacity building approach
21

22. Example: assessment & feedback in
technology-rich environments
Despite huge investment and research, the UK
National Student Survey still shows that
students are dissatisfied with feedback.
 How can technology help us to address this
dissatisfaction?
22

23. Summary
 7 strategic priorities
 5 key learning design principles
 A model of how the above can work
 A pathway for innovation
 Broad themes for research, with examples
23

24. Task!
Likely contribution to Benefit to the University
Topic Who with
knowledge and beyond
Knowledge and 3 of my colleagues An evidence-based An opportunity to
learning as scalable model for promoting explore, adapt and
student-centredness embed this model
and collaboration
24

25. Alejandro Armellini
University of Leicester
11 June 2012
25
Image by http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/