presentation to support a poster contribution for the OER14 Conference

1. Just a buzz?Exploring collaborative learning in an open course
for professional development of teachers in Higher
Education
Chrissi Nerantzi
Academic Developer
Manchester
Metropolitan
University, UK
@chrissinerantzi
Neil Withnell
Senior Lecturer in
Mental Health
Nursing, University of
Salford, UK
@neilwithnell
Building communities of open practice, 28 – 29 April 2014, Centre for Life, Newcastle

2. Abstract
This poster provides insights into the experience of open learners of the Flexible, Distance,
Online Learning (FDOL) course http://fdol.wordpress.com/ which was offered to teachers
in Higher Education from September to December 2013. It was a non funded open course
developed by two educational developers from the UK and Sweden who had the vision to
enable open cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional development in this area of teachers
in HE.
The FDOL course was used as a case study for a PhD research project in open cross-
institutional academic practice for the professional development of teachers in Higher
Education (HE). The overall aim of the PhD research is to develop a flexible collaborative
learning framework for cross-institutional open courses. A collective case study approach is
used to investigate the learners’ experience in different natural settings. Preliminary
findings from the FDOL case study are shared and data gathered and analysed from survey
instrument that helped first conclusions to be drawn regarding the profile of the
participants, their motivations, prior related experiences and learning habits. We will
discuss how these factors influenced engagement with the course, linked to collaborative
learning.

3. Context
Gibbs (2013) Academic Development to lead innovation and influence change
Browne Report (2010) Teaching qualification for all staff teaching in HE
Redecker et al. (2011) holistic changes are needed to transform education more
generally to foster personalisation, collaboration but also informalisation as
these are features of learning in the future.
UK Quality Code (2012) and European Commission (2013) Initial and ongoing
Development of Teachers essential
Gibbs (2010, 2012) ; Parsons et al (2012) Impact of teaching qualifications on
practice
Wiley (2006) a shift towards ‘openness’ in academic practice as not only a positive
trend, but a necessary one in order to ensure transparency, collaboration and
continued innovation
European Commission (2013) Teacher Development programmes to use open and
joined up approaches that foster collaborative learning
Ryan & Tilbury (2013) Flexible pedagogies to be modelled in Academic
Development provision

4. higher education everyday
analog digital
tethered mobile
isolated connected
generic personal
consumers creators
closed open
(Wiley & Hilton, 2009, online).

5. How about a
map for non-
MOOC open
educational
offers?

6. • Open cross-disciplinary professional development course for teachers in HE
• Developed and organised by Academic Developers in the UK and Sweden
• Developed using freely available social media
• Offered from September – December 2013
• Pedagogical design: simplified Problem-Based Learning
NUmbers
• Registered: 107
• FDOL132 community in G+ until now: 72
• Signed up for PBL groups: 31
• PBL groups: initially 8-9 in each x 4 > then 3 (group 2: 6, / group 3: 5 / group 4: 6)
• PBL facilitators: 4
• Participants in webinars: 10-25
• Participants who completed: 13 (14%) all from groups (31 in groups then 42%)
•Countries
• UK - 66
• Sweden – 17
• Canada – 4
• Ireland – 2
• also participants from: Hongkong, Argentina, Greenland, Switzerland,
New Zeeland, Slovenia, Belgium, New Zealand, Norway
FDOL132

7. Case
study 1
Case
study 1

8. Organisation of FDOL132
Nerantzi, Uhlin & Kvarnström (2013)

9. Step 1: Focus
What do we see?
How do we understand what we see?
What do we need to find out more about?
Specify learning issues/intended learning outcomes
Step 2: Investigate
How and where are we/am I going to find answers?
Who will do what and by when?
What main findings and solutions do we/I propose?
Step 3: Share
How are we going to present our findings within the group?
What do we want to share with the FDOL community?
How can we provide feedback to another group?
What reflections do I have about my learning and our group
work?
FISh
a simplified PBL model
Nerantzi & Uhlin (2012)

10. • Preliminary findings of PhD research project
• Phenomenography (Marton, 1981)
– Main data collection individual interviews
– Complementary data via survey instruments
(initial and final)
• Mixed-cased approach (Stake, 1995?)
– Case study 1: FDOL132
Method

11. Findings: initial survey
17 completed
Countries: UK 37%, Sweden 37%, other 26%
Age range: 35-54 82%
Gender: 35% male, 65% female
Qualifications: 53% Doctoral
qualification, 35% Postgraduate
qualification, 12% undergraduate
qualification
•All employed ( 88% HE and 12%Public Sector)
•Participated in online courses before 88 %
•Participated in an open online course before
47%
Learning values
to be an open learner
To connect with others
To collaborate
To be supported by a facilitator
Application to practice
Prior experience
Working in groups 77%
Problem-Based Learning 30%
Online collaboration 38%
Social media in a professional capacity
50%

12. Findings: final survey
Final survey: 11 completed
Mode of participation
Group member 91%
Autonomous learner 9%
Study hours per week
55% 3 h, 27% 5h, 18% over 5
Main reason for not participating in a
specific aspect of the course: TIME
Learning values
•Structured course
•Variety of synchronous & asynchronous
engagement opportunities
•Flexibility
•Resources
•Communication
•Feedback from facilitators, peer and
others
•Recognition for study
•Group work > participation was often a
struggle
Personal Learning goals achieved 100%
Learning goals
•Technologies for learning
•Problem-based Learning
•Learning in groups
•Open learning
•Open course design
Facilitation (satisfaction)
Support 100%
Participation in online discussions 100%
Provision of regular feedback 64%

13. Key observations
importance for learning
initial survey final survey
group work 100% 74%
feedback 61% 97%
recognition for study 47% 94%
independent study 100% 100%
facilitator support 100% 100%

14. interview voices
preliminary findings
•Motivations: to be a student, CPD, PBL, TEL to enhance own practice
•Overwhelmed at the start
•Valued group work but found very challenging – learning in a microcosmos made experience
personal
•Valued working with colleagues from different disciplines/countries – language barriers,
different levels of commitment, time
•Smaller groups worked better, learning from and with others valued
•Time was a massive challenge
•Seeing the other person made collaboration real (hangouts, webinars – also a challenge to
participate)
•Individuals working towards credits more motivated, but also seemed to motivate other group
members
•Tensions for learners working towards credits: assessment tasks separated from group tasks.
Course assessment was prioritised. This meant less time for group work. Quality of output
perceived as poor. Too much focus on output.
•Active participation, facilitators’ presence and active engagement and interaction with
individuals made a difference
•Valuable and positive experience overall, learning and development, examples of application
to practice

15. • Reviewed FDOL132
• Developed FDOL141 in collaboration with Lars
Uhlin (shorter course, facilitator’s role
defined, emphasising on support/feedback,
more facilitators, different group formation
strategy, streamlining of activities)
• Exploring a number of post-FDOL141
opportunities
Next steps

16. Browne Report (2010) Securing a sustainable future for higher education, Department for Employment and Learning, available at
http://www.delni.gov.uk/index/publications/pubs-higher-education/browne-report-student-fees.htm [accessed 1 November 2013]
Gibbs, G. (2013) Reflections on the changing nature of educational development. International Journal for Academic Development, V. 18, Number 1, March 2013,
pp. 4-14.
Gibbs, G. (2012) Implications of ‘Dimensions of quality’ in a market environment, York: The Higher Education Academy, available at
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/evidence_informed_practice/HEA_Dimensions_of_Quality_2.pdf
Gibbs, G. (2010) Dimensions of quality, York: The Higher Education Academy, available at
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/evidence_informed_practice/Dimensions_of_Quality.pdf [accessed 8 November 2013]
European Commission (2013) High Level Group on the Modernisation of Higher Education. Report to the European Commission on Improving the quality of
teaching and learning in Europe’s higher education institutions, European Union, available at http://ec.europa.eu/education/higher-
education/doc/modernisation_en.pdf [accessed 20 February 2014]
Marton, F. (1994) Phenomenography as a Research Approach, Husen, T. and Postlethwaite, N. (2nd ed) The International Encyclopedia of Education, Vol. 8,
Pergamon, pp. 4424-4429, available athttp://www.ped.gu.se/biorn/phgraph/civil/main/1res.appr.html [accessed 3 Jan 2014].
Wiley (2006) a shift towards ‘openness’ in academic practice as not only a positive trend, but a necessary one in order to ensure transparency, collaboration and
continued innovation
Redecker, C., Leis, M., Leendertse, M., Punie, Y., Gijsbers, G., Kirschner, P. Stoyanov, S. and Hoogveld, B. (2011) The Future of Learning: Preparing for Change.
European Commission Joint Research Centre Institute for Prospective Technological Studies EUR 24960 EN Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European
Union.
http://ipts.jrc.ec.europa.eu/publications/pub.cfm?id=4719 [accessed 21 February 2014]
Ryan, A. & Tilbury, D. (2013) Flexible Pedagogies, new pedagogical ideas, York: HEA, available at
ttp://www.heacademy.ac.uk/news/detail/2013/new_pedagogical_ideas [accessed 21 November 2013]
Stake, R. E. (1995) The Art of Case Study Research. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
The UK Quality Code for Higher Eduction (2012) Glouchester: Quality Assurance Agency, available at
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/Publications/InformationAndGuidance/Pages/quality-code-brief-guide.aspx [accessed 5 December 2013]
Wiley, D. (2006) Open Source, Openness, and Higher Education, innovate, Oct/Nov, Volumne 3, issue 1, available at
http://www.innovateonline.info/pdf/vol3_issue1/Open_Source,_Openness,_and_Higher_Education.pdf [accessed 20 February 2014]
Wiley, D. and Hilton, J. (2009) Openness, Dynamic Specialization, and the Disaggregated Future of Higher Education, in: International Review of Research in Open
and Distance Learning, Volume 10, Number 5, 2009, pp. 1-16., available at http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/768 [accessed 20 February 2014]
References

17. Just a buzz?Exploring collaborative learning in an open course
for professional development of teachers in Higher
Education
Chrissi Nerantzi
Academic Developer
Manchester
Metropolitan
University, UK
@chrissinerantzi
Neil Withnell
Senior Lecturer in
Mental Health
Nursing, University of
Salford, UK
@neilwithnell
Building communities of open practice, 28 – 29 April 2014, Centre for Life, Newcastle