Lecturer and Course Leader

The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand

deirdre.viviers@openpolytechnic.ac.nz and pip.fowler@openpolytechnic.ac.nz

Converting face to face collaborative learning activity to an online collaborative 'virtual workshop' in Writing for the Web course

Conversation

This conversation will be about the evolution of a virtual workshop, which gives students the chance to: experience what it is like to be a real web writer; work collaboratively in a national forum; and have a practice run at their major assignment. This conversation will also discuss our approach to the development of the virtual workshop and will highlight some of the following features: design of an exercise based on the Problem Based Learning Format; changing the role of the tutor, e.g. using the tutor to role-play a manager or boss; our evolutionary approach from face-to-face to virtual - as we are now at the stage of running the first virtual workshop; how students were supported in the new format; the approach to re-designing the content for a virtual workshop; the benefits we gained from this approach; and evaluation plans.

Deirdre Viviers is a lecturer at The Open Polytechnic, which specialises in distance and e-Learning. The course, Writing for the Web, was one of the first to go online, and together with Pip Fowler, off campus course leader, they have been exploring possible ways to improve delivery and support to students via e-Learning tools.