Reflective learning across online discussion forums - Evolving educational practice through Dewey’s architecture of inquiry at Moodlemoot AU 2014

1. Shaping
the
Future
Reflective learning across
online discussion forums
Evolving educational practice
through Dewey’s architecture
of inquiry

2. Navitas Limited Presentation Name Here | 00 MONTH YEAR
Presenters
Giovanni Di Lieto
Lecturer in Law in the Bachelor Degree of Criminology and Justice at Navitas
College of Public Safety in Melbourne.
Ingrid D’Souza
Manager (eLearning Educational Design) at Navitas Professional Institute in
Melbourne.

3. Shaping
the
Future
Section title
to go here

4. Navitas Limited Presentation Name Here | 00 MONTH YEAR
Navitas College of Public Safety
 Established in 1990 in Melbourne as an
independent tertiary education provider
 Fully accredited and FEE-HELP approved
Bachelor of Criminology and Justice
 Full time, part time, on campus or online study
available
 Students must complete 24 units in as short as
six trimesters (two years)
 A full time study load consists of around 12
contact hours per week (four units per
trimester).

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Our degree: 24 units
18 compulsory and 6 electives
www.ncps.edu.au

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Who are our students

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Who are we?
Giovanni

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Who are we?
Ingrid

9. Navitas Limited Citi Australian Growth Conference 21 May 2013 ASK:NVT
The same old story of innovation…
Once upon the time,
Theuth, an old Egyptian divinity who was
the inventor of many arts, discovered the
use of letters and
tried to convince
Thamus, the king of Egypt, to use the
innovation to make the Egyptians wiser and
give them better memories….

10. Navitas Limited Citi Australian Growth Conference 21 May 2013 ASK:NVT
And guess what did Thamus reply?
“This discovery of yours will create forgetfulness in the learners’
souls,
because they will not use their memories; they will trust to the
eternal written characters and not remember of themselves and
you give your disciples not truth, but only the semblance of truth;
they will be hearers of many things and will have learned of nothing;
they will appear to be omniscient and will generally know
nothing;
they will be tiresome company, having the show of wisdom
without the reality”.
(Plato 360 BCE, Phaedrus)

11. Navitas Limited Citi Australian Growth Conference 21 May 2013 ASK:NVT
Searching new forms of wisdom
The story goes that Thamus was not wrong in predicting
that the invention of writing would disrupt the traditional
knowledge monopoly of orality.
In the ancient world, reading printed words began to
breach the millennial monopoly of orality, which at the
time was regarded as the proper medium of
communicating real knowledge.
In the modern world, centuries of educational practice
have increasingly focused on the printed word, while still
allowing orality a pivotal place in the classroom.

12. Navitas Limited Citi Australian Growth Conference 21 May 2013 ASK:NVT
Imagine if Thamus lived today and
were an educator…
He would struggle to come to terms with the place
of the computer in education,
being concerned that
“carrying anew the banner of private learning and
individual problem-solving” would “defeat once
and for all the claims of communal speech” and
raise egocentrism to the status of a virtue”
(Postman 1992).
Today, Thamus’ concern would be not what
people will learn with the new technology, but
rather that they will learn with the new technology.

13. Navitas Limited Citi Australian Growth Conference 21 May 2013 ASK:NVT
Our reflection on the implications of changing
the form of wisdom
What defines in practice
the success of learning?
 Is it based only on the student’s
cognitive deficits?
 Or also, and increasingly, on a
knowledge bias, depending on which
side of the technological divide a learner
sits, and at what stage of technological
development the instruction occurs?

14. Navitas Limited Citi Australian Growth Conference 21 May 2013 ASK:NVT
The kind of question we are asking
 It is not whether students learn a certain
discipline of human knowledge better by
eLearning methods than by textbooks
and/or face to face classes.
 Instead, we wonder whether certain
eLearning tools can effectively build
capacity for critical inquiry within a
reflective form of learning.

15. Navitas Limited Citi Australian Growth Conference 21 May 2013 ASK:NVT
Our rule of reason
Pragmatist philosophy criticised certain learning practices
that set up barriers to inquiry in “the shape of absolute
certainty and overconfident assertion” (Peirce 1899).
Therefore, learning the truth about reality consists in
collective investigation of particular cases depending not on
individual opinions, but rather on representational relations
which one is unable seriously to doubt (Peirce 1902).
“Upon this first, and in one sense sole, rule of reason there
follows one corollary: Do not block the way of inquiry”
(Peirce 1899)

16. Navitas Limited Citi Australian Growth Conference 21 May 2013 ASK:NVT
Dewey’s architecture of inquiry
Involves four consequential steps, namely:
(1)The problem implicit in such an interruption is
located, formulated, and developed;
(2)Hypotheses (or suggestions) for solving the problem
are introduced and are examined, with a view to
determining by reasoning just what is implied by
them;
(3)A hypothesis is tested by appropriate experiments
which either verify or disconfirm such logical
consequences of the hypothesis; and
(4)A judgment as to whether a proposed hypothesis
does (or does not) resolve the problem that initiated
the inquiry.
(Dewey, 1986)

17. Navitas Limited Citi Australian Growth Conference 21 May 2013 ASK:NVT
What is our practice telling us
Is that the inquiry method triggers superior
learning outcomes, because
 Students learn through open-ended, modular
questions which are more meaningful to them
than pre-assumed, self-contained answers.
 Inquiry educators tend to prioritise cascading
further questions in two-way flows: educator to
student and vice versa; or student to student.
 This encourages reflective thinking over
giving univocal answers which would block the
inquiry process and only set learning by rote.

18. Navitas Limited Citi Australian Growth Conference 21 May 2013 ASK:NVT
How do we measure the success of inquiry?
In terms of behavioral changes in students, including:
 the frequency with which they ask questions;
 the increase in the relevance and cogency of their questions;
 the frequency and conviction of their challenges to assertions
made by other students or teachers or textbooks;
 the relevance and clarity of the standards on which they
base their challenges;
 their willingness to suspend judgments when they have
insufficient data;
 their willingness to modify or otherwise change their position
when data warrant such change;
 the increase in their skill in observing, classifying,
generalizing;
 the increase in their tolerance for diverse answers;
 their ability to apply generalizations, attitudes and information
to novel situations.
(Postman and Weingartner, 1971)

19. Navitas Limited Citi Australian Growth Conference 21 May 2013 ASK:NVT
Some of our (open-ended) conclusions
 Blended learning tools enabled by innovative technologies
enhance reflective thinking for successful active learning
outcomes.
 Blended education informed to the parameters of the
inquiry method has the potential to expand the
pedagogical horizon for encompassing more of the
overwhelming flow of information in our digitized age.
 As a lecturer and an eLearning designer, we both face the
challenge of seeking ways to avoid trading off the durable
quality of knowledge for its ephemeral quantity.
 Our main educational goal is to model the flow of each
learner’s inquiry so that we can elicit pedagogical capacities
for multifocal interaction, dynamic feedback and reflective
thinking at large.

20. Shaping
the
Future
Moodle Tools
& Outcomes

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The technology environment
Background:
• NCPS use of technology was limited to
• lecture recording with little or no use of LMS tools (repository for
notes and uploading of assessment items).
• T2, 2014 –
• Move to online delivery
• Change in (Moodle) template
Start with core technology -
• Moodle 2.4 (May 2013) – mostly core with few (if any) plugins
– Forums
– Feedback
– (Assignment drop box)

22. Navitas Limited Citi Australian Growth Conference 21 May 2013 ASK:NVT
Feedback
• Create and conduct surveys
• Write own questions (similar to that of quiz) but…
• Not connected to the Grade Book

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Feedback tool
Questions asked were based on
various readings
5 questions - Conducted in week 1
and repeated in Week 5
• Previous exposure to
forums (week 1 only)
• Participation
• Acquisition of knowledge
• Communication of
knowledge
• Building Community of
learning
– (Week 5 only) –
Constructed feedback

24. Navitas Limited Citi Australian Growth Conference 21 May 2013 ASK:NVT
Results…
24%
86%
97% 97%
83%
75%
0% 0% 2% 2%2%
14%
3% 2%
15%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Previous use Participation Community of learning Acquisition of knowledge Expansion of knowledge
Feedback tool - Week 1
Yes
No
Unsure

25. Navitas Limited Citi Australian Growth Conference 21 May 2013 ASK:NVT
Results…
88%
100%
97%
88%
3%
0% 0%
3%
9%
0%
3%
9%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Constructive feedback Community of Learning Acquisition of knowledge Expansition of Knowledge
Questions
Feedback - week 5
Yes
No
Unsure

26. Navitas Limited Citi Australian Growth Conference 21 May 2013 ASK:NVT
Forum
• Most commonly used asynchronous tool - discussion can occur
over a period of time
• Allows for reflection and research
• Teacher (initially to) Student as well as student to student
interaction
• Development of thinking and writing skills

27. Navitas Limited Citi Australian Growth Conference 21 May 2013 ASK:NVT
Results
• SNAPP (Social Networks Adapting Pedagogical Practice)
• 2.3 posts on average each week
• Highest number of posts by an individual was 17 (week 3)
• Students started early (9.6) and then peaked towards the end when
reflective assessment was due (49.7)

28. Navitas Limited Citi Australian Growth Conference 21 May 2013 ASK:NVT
Results
• SNAPP (Social Networks Adapting Pedagogical Practice)
• Students did interact with each other
• some students posting between 5-17 posts, but majority of
students posted on 1-4 occasions (80%)

29. Navitas Limited Citi Australian Growth Conference 21 May 2013 ASK:NVT
Assignments
• Most commonly used tool for submission of work completed by
students
• Allows for summative and formative feedback
• Reflective portfolio – “…academic engagement and intellectual growth as
demonstrated by developing a portfolio of reflections based on both the
forum discussions, and on your self-directed reading and research”

30. Navitas Limited Citi Australian Growth Conference 21 May 2013 ASK:NVT
“The experience I’ve had with the online discussion
forum is unbelievable. It has opened up my
knowledge simply from the help of my peers and
it’s a great way to exchange information whether
if it was something we did not understand and
wanted more clarity or if it was something
everyone was interested in.”
“Love the idea of the discussion forums, and they
really allowed me to grasp a more solid
understanding and analysis of the texts based on
others input and viewpoints. :)”
“I wanted to be able to say that I agreed with other
peoples opposing posts however I still stay strong
to my beliefs… . I found their posts stimulating as
they raised interesting and stimulating
dilemmas.”
Students comments

31. Navitas Limited Citi Australian Growth Conference 21 May 2013 ASK:NVT
“I loved the discussion forums and wished I made time
to contribute more. To me it was a really good way of
expressing your opinion and thoughts and ideas non-
verbally and to most people who we don’t know (yet)
and can learn from other students and find that you
share the same perspectives from one another.”
“…my opinions were changed week by week throughout
each forum and enabled me to question my own ideas;
how the opinions of others allowed me to further
educate myself with a deeper sense of knowledge.”

32. Navitas Limited Citi Australian Growth Conference 21 May 2013 ASK:NVT
Tutors comments

33. Navitas Limited Citi Australian Growth Conference 21 May 2013 ASK:NVT
“…Students acknowledged that
they had not thought about
each relevant topic from
particular perspective until
participating in the forum.”
“…better observations were
inevitably achieved by those
students who engaged
thoroughly with the forum,
with multiple posts, rich debate
which enabled a community of
learning environment…”
Tutors comments

34. Navitas Limited Citi Australian Growth Conference 21 May 2013 ASK:NVT
“…students used the
forum as a supportive tool
to assist with queries that
they had in relation to the
critical inquiry.”
Tutors comments

35. Navitas Limited Citi Australian Growth Conference 21 May 2013 ASK:NVT
Support for students and staff
• Initial Use of the forum,
• Web based how to guides available 24/7
• Visit to class in the initial week to ensure
all was ok
• Tutorial follow up…

36. Navitas Limited Presentation Name Here | 00 MONTH YEAR
What lies ahead!

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Next steps…
Term 2 – Fundamentals of Law
 Q&A forum
 Assessment task
Assess the behavioral change in students
 Frequency of questioning
 relevance & clarity of argument
 Conviction of the challenges
 ability to enlist change in their self as well as support their knowledge
and learning

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References
 Dewey, J. 1986. Logic: The theory of inquiry. In J.A.
Boydston (Ed.), John Dewey: The later works, 1925–1953.
(Vol 12: 1938). Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University
Press.
 Peirce, C.P. 1899. First Rule of Logic. The Internet Archive
website at
<https://web.archive.org/web/20120106071421/http://www.
princeton.edu/~batke/peirce/frl_99.htm>.
1902. Grant application for "Proposed Memoirs on Minute
Logic" rejected by Carnegie Institution in ‎Houser, N., ‎Christian
J.W. and J. W. Kloesel – 1992. The Essential Peirce, ‎Volume I.
Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
 Plato, 360 BCE. Phaedrus, translated by Jovett, B. (2006). The
Project Gutenberg, at
<http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1636/1636-h/1636-h.htm>.
 Postman, N. 1993. Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to
Technology. New York: Random House.
 Postman, N. and C.Weistgartner 1971. Teaching as a
Subversive Activity. New York: Dell Publishing.