Learners' experiences of international online learning through boundary crossing

1. Learners’ experiences of international online
learning through boundary crossing
Sarah Cornelius
slideshare.net/sarahcornelius
ELESIG Scotland 22 June 2018
Breaking down barriers

2. A team effort
• TQFE (Teaching Qualification for Further
Education) team
Aileen Ackland, Stephanie Thomson, Chris Aldred, Mary
Stephen, Yvonne Bain
• International colleagues
Neville Rudman (NMMU, South Africa), Blair Stevenson (Oulu
University of Applied Sciences, Finland), John Bostock (Edge
Hill University, UK)
• TQFE students and co-tutors

3. The challenges
• How can we connect trainee
vocational educators to one
another to support their
learning from other
perspectives and contexts?
• How can we support
abstraction from personal
practices, reflection and
enquiry? The opportunities
• Online and social learning
• International collaborators
• Boundary crossing as a
framework

4. Boundary crossing
Education
Profession
Local
Workplace
Student
International
Boundaries carry learning potential
Akkermann and Bakker, 2011

5. Reflection
Expanding perspectives
on practices
Transformation
Collaboration and co-
development of (new)
practices
Identification
Understanding how practices
and roles are different across
boundaries
Coordination
Cooperative exchanges
between practices
Akkerman and Bakker 2011, Bakker and Akkerman 2017
Learning mechanisms

6. Phase 1: COLIGE

7. COLIGE Process
Lesson planning focus
1. Introductions – video/photos,
synchronous online
discussions
2. Exchanging information –
choice of technologies
3. Joint lesson planning
4. Reflection and links to
assessment
Identification
Coordination
Reflection
Transformation

8. Learners’ experiences
Feedback from international peer
Developed successful ideas for classes
Learnt how to use a new technology
I’m here now! – visit to Finland
Difficulties establishing connection
Unsustainable connections
Lacking shared understandings
No effective feedback
Hard to relate task to the assessment
Identification
Coordination
Reflection
Transformation
Id ntifi at on
C or ina ion
Re le tion
Transformation

9. Tensions and challenges
• Logistics
programme requirements, timetabling, technologies
• Scalability
from one small group to whole cohort
• Inclusiveness
equality of opportunity, allowing different ways to
engage, flexibility

10. Phase 2: Comparative activity
Ambition
– To engage students across programmes in
exploration of professional challenges in their own
practice and support comparative evaluation of
wider challenges

11. Scotland
Students as
contributors
representing range
of college setting
Tutors as facilitators
England
Expert contribution
Edge Hill University
Finland
Expert contribution
No students in
2017/8
but close links with
programme of study
Oulu University of
Applied Sciences
South Africa
Expert contribution
Students from
2018/9
Nelson Mandela
Metropolitan
University, Port
Elizabeth

12. Activity
Professional challenge focus
• Videos from international
experts
• Synchronous online Q&A
session (recorded)
• Follow up online discussion
• Reflection and feed into
individual enquiry projects
Coordination
identification
Reflection
Transformation

13. Learners’ experiences
Watched videos and looked at recording
Watched videos
Had dialogue in discussions
Posted in discussions – but had no response
Read discussions
Knew about activity but didn’t have time
Full active participation
I didn’t get the email

14. Tensions impacting learners’ experiences
learner-centred course
approach
underpinning idea of
learning as socially
constructed
flexibility of approach
global ambitions
expert-led activity
individualist perception of
online learning
need for structure (for
some)
local dimensions of practice
and policy (e.g. DYW)

15. Lessons learnt
Learners’ experiences may be diverse
Design collaboratively to engage and include
Focus on and share the underpinning goal
Make activities relevant and meaningful

16. Akkerman S F & Bakker A 2011 Boundary Crossing and
Boundary Objects. Review of Educational Research 81
(2): 132–169.
Bakker A & Akkerman S F 2017 The Learning Potential of
Boundary Crossing in the Vocational Curriculum. In
Handbook on Vocational Education, edited by L.
Unwin and D. Guile. Wiley. (available via
Researchgate)
Cornelius S & Stevenson B 2018 International online
collaboration as a boundary crossing activity for
vocational educators, Journal of Vocational Education
& Training, DOI: 10.1080/13636820.2018.1464053
s.cornelius@abdn.ac.uk @sarahcornelius