1. Students of tomorrow,
here today
Gráinne Conole
The Open University, UK
ACODE Workshop, 18th March 2009
Melbourne

2. My Personal Digital Learning Environment
Information
Word (writing)
Google (searching)
Wordpress (blogging)
Keynote (presentation)
Audacity (recording)
Communication
Email
Mobile &skype
SMS & twitter
Lyceum (audio conferencing)
Eluminate (video conferencing)
Laptop, iphone, ipod, portable hard disk, camera, flip video camera

4. Changing technologies

5. Changing content

6. Changing students
Learning processes
Task orientated
Experiential
Cumulative
Attitudes and approaches
Engaging and relevant
Multi-faceted
Just-in-time
Socially mediated
Netgeneration, Digital Natives.... (Oblinger, Prensky,
etc.), Ecar reports, Kennedy survey, Chris Jones,
Mary Thorpe, JISC LEX projects, PI roject

7. Technology mediation & co-evolution

8. The net generation

9. The claims about today’s learners…
• Technologically immersed
• Group orientated
• Experiential
• Able to multi-task
• Just in time mindset
• Comfortable with multiple representations
• Disconnect between student & institutional
approaches

10. JISC Learner experience programme
• Phase 1
▫ LEX and LXP projects
• Phase 2
▫ STROLL
▫ BLUPs
▫ PB-LXP
▫ THEMA
▫ e4L
▫ LEaD
▫ LExDis

11. ELESIG

12. Methodologies
• Surveys
▫ Ecar annual survey of u/g use of technologies
▫ Gregor Kennedy et al., Melbourne
• Interviews (face to face and email-based)
▫ PB-LXP
• Cultural probes
▫ Cambridge learning landscapes project
• Audio and video diaries
▫ LXP, LEaD, STROLL

13. Net generation e-learners?
• Sample: 5 UK universities
• Methods: survey, interviews, cultural probe
• Findings:
▫ High level of PC ownership
▫ Low use of blogs, wikis and virtual worlds
▫ High use of email, course websites, VLE, e-
journals
Chris Jones

14. Conclusions so far…
• Caution re: net gen claims, importance of taking
account of student differences
• Do seem to be age related changes taking place
and these are strongly linked to social
networking and the use of a range of new

15. PB-LXP
• Sample: 6 practice-based courses at the OU UK
• Methods: Survey, interviews
• Findings
▫ All courses made extensive use of ICT
▫ ICT supporting their practice-based learning
▫ Access to materials online, different forms of
communication
▫ Study more practical and active
▫ Set of practical guidelines on effective use of ICT
for course design
Mary Thorpe

16. Implications
Changing learning
& teaching paradigms
Strategy Staff & learner
& policy skills set
Roles &
structures
Conole, (2008),
Research methodological issues with researching the learner voice, in Hin&Subramaniam

17. Questions
• Students increasingly digital – demands on
institutions?
• Students and teachers -
personalisedenvironment of tools vs.
institutional tools?
• What new forms of blended learning spaces are
needed?
• How do we support new approaches to design
and delivery of courses to make more effective
use of technologies and lead to an enhance
student learning experience?

18. Representing pedagogy
Empirical
evidence
base
Guiding design Sharing ideas

20. Design challenge
Design summits
Cloudfests

21. Clouds:
Learning and teaching ideas
Design or case studies
Tools or resources
Questions or problems
Cloudscapes:
Conferences
Workshops
Course team
Student cohort
Research theme
Project

27. Sites
• OULDI
▫ http://ouldi.open.ac.uk
• Cloudworks
▫ http://cloudworks.ac.uk
• CompendiumLD
▫ http://compendiumld.open.ac.uk
• Olnet
▫ http://olnet.org

28. References
• Conole, G., De Laat, M., Dillon, T. and Darby, J. (2008),
‘Disruptive technologies’, ‘pedagogical innovation’: What’s
new? Findings from an in-depth study of students’ use and
perception of technology’, Computers and Education, Volume
50, Issue 2, February 2008, Pages 511-524.
• Conole, G. (accepted), Stepping over the edge: the implications
of new technologies for education in M. Lee and C. McLouglin
(forthcoming), Web 2.0-based e-learning: applying social
informatics for tertiary teaching, ICI Global: Hersey, PA
• Conole, G., Culver, J., Well, M., Williams, P., Cross, S., Clark, P.
and Brasher, A. (accepted), Cloudworks: social networking for
learning design, Ascilite Conference, 30th Nov – 3rd Dec 2008,
Melbourne.

29. References
• Conole, G. and McAndrew, P. (submitted), A new
approach to supporting the design and use of OER:
Harnessing the power of web 2.0, M. Edner and M.
Schiefner (eds), Looking toward the future of technology
enhanced education: ubiquitous learning and the digital
nature.
• Conole, G., Brasher, A., Cross, S., Weller, M., Clark, P. and
White, J. (2008), Visualising learning design to foster and
support good practice and creativity, Educational Media
International, Volume 54, Issue 3, 177-194.
• Conole, G. (2008), New schema for mapping pedagogies
and technologies,
http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue56/conole/
• Conole, G. (accepted), Research methodological issues
with researching the learner voice, in Handbook of
Research on New Media Literacy at the K-12 Level: issues
and challenges, L. T. W. Hin and R. Subramaniam (Eds),
IGI Global: Hershey, PA