The document discusses bridging the gap between e-learning policy and practice. It provides a reflective review of the history of e-learning and lessons learned. Emerging themes are discussed like how technologies are converging with modern pedagogies. A framework is presented for ensuring policy is effectively implemented in practice. Case studies are examined and questions are posed about how to account for technological advances and changing user needs in e-learning policy going forward.

1. +
Bridging the gap between policy &
practice: a reflective review & looking
forward to the future
Gráinne Conole, Open University, UK
VI Congresso Nazionale della SIe-L:
E-learning,creatività ed innovazione
Salerno University, 17/09/09
More info, slides and references:
http://cloudworks.ac.uk/cloud/view/2295

2. + Outline
 Scrutinising the e-learning history line
 lessons from the past
 a glimpse into the future
 Emergent themes and challenges
 A framework for making policy work
 Illustrative case studies
 Reflections and questions for the future

3. +Key focus
 Is there a gap between e-learning policy and
actual practice?
 How can we bridge the gap?
 Does e-learning policy adequate reflect current
technological advances
 If not how can we ensure it does?

4. +Scrutinising the e-learning timeline
Context
Globalisation, networked society, changing societal norms, ICT advances
UK: Dearing review of ICT TLTP projects, CTI, HE Academy, JISC
US: Fragmented policy,
driven by individuals and
commercial imperative
Education/Industry partnerships,
spin offs, Open Educational
Movement
Impact
Local culture vs global hegemony, changing
roles & structures, commercial vs.
government supported, dissemination and
impact evaluation
Policy Practice
Drivers
Widening participation, personalization, lifelong
learning, quality assurance, developing the
work force, commercial imperative
Conole, (2007) in Andrews & Haythornwaite

5. + A glimpse into the future

6. 1
2 3
b
a
c+
Inspire by Pea &Wallis, 2008
We can
now interact
at a distance,
accessing complex
& useful resources
in ways unimaginable
in early eras
What’s the
next stage
of the co-
evolution?
Phases of development
Tool-user co-evolution
Internet
Mobile devices
T
V
Radio
Smart tools
Phone

7. + Converging practices
Modern technologies Modern pedagogy
 Web 2.0 practices
 Location aware technologies
 Adaptation & customisation
 Second life/immersive worlds
 Google it!
 “Expert badges”,World of warcraft
 User-generated content
 Blogging, peer critiquing
 Cloud computing
 From individual to social
 Contextualised and situated learning
 Personalised learning
 Experiential learning
 Inquiry learning
 Peer learning
 Open Educational Resources
 Reflection
 Distributed cognition

8. + Loosely coupled tools
Integrated IT systems
Personalised
tools
Institutional
tools
Student
controlled
Institutional
controlled
Tensions & implications
The VLE/LMS is dead debate
http://cloudworks.ac.uk/index.php/cloud/view/2162

9. +
Policy
Teacher
practice
Research &
development
The learner’s
experience
A framework for making policy work

10. +Avoiding failures of the past
 Common reactions:
 “I haven’t got time”
 “My research is more important”
 “What’s in it for me?”
 “Where is my reward?”
 “I don’t have the skills to do this”
 “I don’t believe in this, it won’t work”
 Common resistance strategies:
 I’ll say yes (and do nothing)
 Undermine the initiative
 Undermine the person involved
 Classic mistake:
 Emphasis on the technologies, not the people and processes
 Funding for technology developments but not use and support
Great policy initiatives often fail – why?

11. +Cloudworks: Harnessing web 2.0

12. +
Clouds:
Learning & teaching ideas
Design or case studies
Tools or resources
Questions or problems
Cloudscapes:
Conferences
Workshops
Course team
Student cohort
Research theme
Key concepts

13. +User profile

14. +Activity stream

15. +
Features
 Dynamic list of clouds + new comments
 Comments on clouds + cloudscapes
 Can “follow” people + cloudscapes
 RSS feeds of cloudscapes + people
 Embedding: pictures, video, presentations
 Twitter feeds for people +cloudscapes
 Email alerts
 Activity streams

16. +Emergent patterns of use
 Events: conferences and workshops
 ALT-C conference, 8-11th
September 2009
 http://cloudworks.ac.uk/index.php/cloudscape/view/1870
 Discussions: Flash debates
 Is Twitter killing blogging?
 http://cloudworks.ac.uk/index.php/cloud/view/2266
 Eliciting expertise
 Literature review of educational technologist
 http://cloudworks.ac.uk/index.php/cloudscape/view/1872
 Aggregating resources
 En Rumbo Spanish course
 http://cloudworks.ac.uk/index.php/cloudscape/view/776

17. Olnet: redefining openness

18. +
A definition
The open provision of educational
resources, enabled by information and
communication technologies, for
consultation, use and adaptation by a
community of users for non-commercial
purposes
(UNESCO 2002)

19. +
A broader definition of OER
Learning resources
Courseware, content modules, learning objects, learner support
& assessment tools, online learning communities
Resources to support teachers
Tools for teachers and support materials to enable them to
create, adapt and use OER; training materials for teachers
Resources to assure the quality of education and educational
practices
(UNESCO 2004)

20. +
“Open Design”
Characteristics of
good pedagogy
Affordances of new
technologies
Bridging the gap
Personalised
Situative
Social
Experiential
Reflective
Adaptive
Contextual
Networked
Immersive
Collective

21. + A mediating layer
Designer DesignHas an
inherent
OER
Creates
Mediating
artifacts
Mediating artifacts
1.Design visualisation tools -
CompendiumLD
2.Design methods
3.Pedagogical patterns
4.Cloudworks
Can we develop new innovative mediating artifacts?
How can we make the design more explicit and sharable?
User – can now repurpose

22. +
Policy
Research &
development
Teacher
practice
The learner’s
experience
Mapping the case studies
Institutional & national funding
Embedding in strategy
Aligning to technology trends
Changing user behaviour
Drivers and challenges
Actual use in practice
What’s in it for me?
Evidence of impact

23. +Questions and reflections
 What is the relationship between Government rhetoric and
actual practice?
 How can technologies support new forms of pedagogy?
 What is the relationship between technologies, physical and
virtual spaces and pedagogy?
 How do we take account of a digital divide that is ever
narrower but deeper?
 What new digital literacy skills will learners and teachers
need ?
 E-learning innovation will require a radical rethinking of the
curriculum,
 E-learning challenges existing norms about assessment

24. +
Bridging the gap between policy &
practice: a reflective review & looking
forward to the future
Gráinne Conole, Open University, UK
VI Congresso Nazionale della SIe-L:
E-learning,creatività ed innovazione
Salerno University, 17/09/09
More info, slides and references:
http://cloudworks.ac.uk/cloud/view/2295