Hub for Education Research at Edinburgh Napier University 10 May 2012

1. towards free-range academic practice
examples from Academic Development
Chrissi Nerantzi
Academic Developer
@chrissinerantzi
Edinburgh Napier University
10 May 12 Edinburgh

2. “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.” (Wiley, 2006, online).
context

3. trial 3 months
Assessment & feedback
familiarisation
socialisation
collaborative PBL
Mills (2006) 5 stage-model
sharing, feeding back

4. findings: open online collaboration
multi-disciplinary groups
group size
rules
community
technology
facilitation

6. sharing

7. impact

8. open TESS

10. opportunities

11. Free-range AP:
Challenges and how
do we overcome
them?

12. references
• Downes, S. (2010) New Technology Supporting Informal Learning, Journal of Emerging Technologies in Web Intelligence, 2(1), pp. 27–33.
• Hmelo-Silver, C. E., Derry, S. J., Bitterman, A. and Hatrak, N. (2009) Targeting Transfer in a STELLAR PBL Course for Pre-service Teachers, The
Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning, Volume 3, No. 2, Fall, pp. 24-42.
• 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 7 Feb 2012].
• Mills, D (2006) Problem-based learning: An overview, available at http://www.csap.bham.ac.uk/resources/project_reports/ShowOverview.asp?id=4
[accessed 5 Feb 2012]
• Savin-Baden, M (2003) Facilitating Problem-Based Learning, Illuminating Perspective, Maidenhead: SRHE and Open University Press.
• Scardamalia, M. and Bereiter, C. (1994) ‘Computer support for knowledge-building communities’ in The Journal of Learning Sciences, 3(3), 256-283.
• Siemens, G. (2011) Moving beyond self-directed learning: Network-directed learning, 1 May, available at http://www.connectivism.ca/?p=307
[accessed 27 Jan 2012]
• Wenger, E., Trayer, B. and de Laat, M. (2011) Promoting and assessing value creation in communities and networks: a conceptual framework, Rapport
18, Ruud de Moor Centrum, Open Universiteit, available at http://www.social-learning-
strategies.com/documents/Wenger_Trayner_DeLaat_Value_creation.pdf [accessed 3 Feb 2012]
• 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 28 Jan 2012]

13. Using existing resources and expertise Developing and delivering sessions,
more effectively through sharing and modules and programmes in
exchange with other institutions. collaboration and partnership, thus
enriching institutional offers.
Utilising freely available social media Providing learners the opportunity to
tools and technologies, accessible to or connect with other learners beyond
owned by learners, enabling enhanced module and programme level and
connectivity, thereby increasing buy-in. become active members of more open
learning communities.
Flashcards: benefits of sharing
Adapting and creating resources Using opportunities for collaboration
collaboratively, preferable as OER and and shared pedagogical and subject-
sharing with other learning specific research and scholarly activities
communities. to raise standards of teaching and create
good relationships among institutions,
transforming competitiveness into
cooperation –aiming for a common
good.

14. quotes

15. cross-institutional collaboration
"Communicating with people from other
institutions was one of the best aspects of the
trial, it was good to exchange ideas with
people from other institutions [...] it was novel
and exciting – this aspect kept me going on
the trial really!"

16. multi-disciplinary groups
“It was very positive. Especially because we all
came from different backgrounds. Enriching my
experience a lot. Because, I was a scientist and I
looked at the problem in a very scientific way.
Divided it in my head and categorised it. And they
were more global and social and personal. I didn’t
think very much on the personal aspect, aspect,
as I told you, first of all, I was very sort of puzzled
by the scenario and I felt, because I didn’t see the
problem to solve. And they saw the problem more
globally and they had that insight that I didn’t
perhaps have.”

17. group size
“Actually we lost one person and that might
have been a blessing actually. Just in terms 3
people are easier to organise than 4.”

18. rules
“The basic manners and etiquette must be
clearly communicated at the beginning; For
instance at the beginning I was apologising to
cut other's writing, but I later found out that it
was taken for granted. I wished that we had a
discussion on those very basic ethics and
manners working online within our team.”

19. community
“real human contact–eye-to-eye, smile, feeling
the other’s real presence”
“the sense of writing into a black hole”
“I would have liked to come away feeling it
was more of a community being created”

20. facilitation
“The chief thing that the trial highlighted for
me was the importance of the facilitator to the
success of the project. It is a lot more work
doing things this way, and the facilitator needs
to be pretty “hands on" in the absence of face-
to-face meetings between group members.”

21. technologies
“I was curious about the choice of tools. Were
they what facilitators felt comfortable with? I
am happy online. I forget how daunting
people find the technology. [...] Oh!, it is really
complicated. [...] How to buy in? To give them
the initial knowledge-base. People are
selective of which platforms they use.”

22. towards free-range academic practice
an example from Academic Development
Chrissi Nerantzi, Academic Developer, University of Salford
In this session we will explore the benefits and challenges of free-
range/open and cross-institutional learning using an online
Problem-Based Learning framework.
We will share findings from an experiment and take you on a
journey towards an open academic practice implementation at the
University of Salford.
Do institutions, teachers and students benefit from such initiatives
and how could we use such an online PBL framework to provide
enhanced opportunities to connect, communicate and collaborate
beyond institutional walls?

23. towards free-range academic practice
examples from Academic Development
Chrissi Nerantzi
Academic Developer
@chrissinerantzi
Edinburgh Napier University
10 May 12 Edinburgh