Toni Horrell
Northtec, New Zealand Tertiary College (NZ)
Presentation

Toni Horrell holds a number of roles at Northtec - number of roles at NorthTec - flexible learning advisor, ICT staff trainer, PD co-ordinator and student mentor co-ordinator.

Selena Fox is Chief Executive of New Zealand Tertiary College (NZTC) a private provider of specialist early childhood teacher education throughout New Zealand. Professional areas of interest and expertise include exploring dimensions of leadership and management and extensive knowledge of International distance, online teaching and learning experiences. Selena is a member of the New Zealand Tertiary (e)Learning Reference Group, and has had led the incorporation of the eLearning Guidelines into NZTC’s development of a web-enhanced distance learning study option.

The New Zealand eLearning Guidelines … guiding, informing and encouraging reflection in eTeaching and eLearning

This presentation provides a summary of the eLearning Guidelines Projects led by Massey University and provides details on the Northtec and NZ Tertiary College case studies.

The e-Learning Guidelines project at NorthTec involved consultation with many users and managers in order to customise the guidelines for NorthTec’s use.  These guidelines are now called ‘Flexible and e-Learning Guidelines’ and are incorporated into NorthTec’s Quality Management System.  Toni will describe the process and share her thoughts on the best use of the guidelines.  Copies of NorthTec’s Guidelines will be available for participants.

The eLearning Guidelines have influenced New Zealand Tertiary College’s development, implementation and review of our web-enhanced teaching and learning for a number of years. Initially NZTC review the Guidelines in their quest to develop an online study mode and in doing so the Guidelines have since remained a core ongoing development and reflective tool throughout the college for this mode. In 2007 the Guidelines were acknowledged by NZTC as a guiding and ongoing reflective practice tool when they were endorsed and embedded in the relevant NZTC Quality Management Systems policy and processes. Selena will share practical ways that New Zealand Tertiary College has utilized the eLearning Guidelines throughout college divisions that impact on eLearning and eTeaching.

Following sharing by Toni and Selena, participants will be encouraged to share their experiences with the eLearning Guidelines to contribute to the beginning of the development of an ‘eLearning Guidelines Every Day Effective Practice Tips’ document. 

http://elg.massey.ac.nz/index.php?title=E-Learning_Guidelines

New website proposed for launch September 2008

Dr Clare Atkins, Aaron Griffiths & Scott Deiner
NMIT, F/Xual Education Services & University of Auckland (NZ)
Presentation

Clare, Aaron & Scott have all been involved with a number of projects investigating the educational use of Second Life and other immersive virtual environments. In July 2008, NMIT along with the Open Polytechnic, Otago Polytechnic and WelTec received $500,000 from the Encouraging and Supporting Innovation fund to investigate the potential that MUVEs such as Second Life offered for tertiary education in New Zealand (SLENZ).

Using MUVEs to adding virtual value to learning

This session will present some of the educational opportunities that are provided by the use of a multi-user virtual environment such as Second Life. Drawing on the latest research, reports of new activity and their own observations, the presenters will suggest various type of learning activities that may be enhanced by the use of Second Life. Following an approximately 30 minute presentation, the presenters will be encouraging debate and discussion from the audience around their suggestions.

Hazel Owen
Unitec New Zealand (NZ)
Presentation, remote

Hazel Owen is an Academic Advisor (Education Technology Consultant) at Unitec, NZ. She has been involved with implementing ICT enhanced learning for nine years and provides training for faculty, as well as developing blended and online courses. Her research interests include communities of practice/ICT enhanced learning and teaching (ICTELT) underpinned by Sociocultural principles.

Collaborating by design

The potential of information, communication technology enhanced learning and teaching (ICTELT) is under-utilised even though numerous process models and frameworks are available. Barriers to using many existing models include resource expectations, experience, skills requirements and ‘ownership’ of a project.

This paper outlines a process model and framework, adapted from earlier examples, developed to help answer the question “Where do I start?” for practitioners who are unfamiliar with adapting education resources to make effective use of ICTELT. Employing a scaffolded approach appropriate for working in small teams, or as individuals, the guiding questions form the foundation for collaborative discussion of design choices, ICT tool selection, and the incorporation of a range of pedagogical approaches with a variety of tools. The model and framework can be used with new and/or existing programmes, modules, units, sessions, or learning objects, but initially practitioners are encouraged to trial the process on a small scale. Practical application of the tools is demonstrated by working through an example that was the basis of a research project at Dubai Men’s College.

The model and framework have not yet been piloted in NZ, and this eFest session offers a collaborative, hands-on opportunity for participants to experiment and evaluate them.

Update: A video of Hazel's presentation and the Elluminate question and answer session that followed`are available at http://blip.tv/file/1254579. There is also an associated collaborative Wiki: http://efest2008collaboratingbydesign.pbwiki.com/ (username: efest2008; password: efest2008)

John Delany
Innova Ltd (NZ)
Workshop

John Delany's background is in the development of distance and flexible learning options. Currently an education consultant (Inova Ltd) and also an tutor online in the Grad Cert e-Learning and National Certificate/Diploma Firstline Management. Recent work includes MOE eLearning Research Bulletins project, TEC Distance and Flexible Learning ITP project, IPTNZ eCapability project, development of LDNet in association with FLLinNZ, project manager Nga Kiwai Kete.

LDNet: the support network for learning designers

An efest workshop on 'learning design' run by Lyn Williams in 2005 attracted a lot of interest. It has taken some time to channel the original enthusiasm into something practical. But LDNet is now up and running and has the potential to meet the needs that people have continued to express since that original workshop. The purpose of the session is to kick-start the use of LDNet as a support network for people involved in learning design.

For this workshop to work, attendees will need their own laptop computer and onsite internet access. Participation will be a combination of online and face-to-face interaction.

Anouk Janssens-Bevernage and Sue Dark
Open Polytechnic of New Zealand, Flexible Learning Network Ltd (NZ)
Presentation

Anouk Janssens-Bevernage is e-learning Advisor at the Open Polytechnic of New Zealand. She has extensive national and international experience in e-learning projects in the education, corporate and development sectors. Her recent work includes the training and mentoring of instructional designers and facilitators for online and blended course design and delivery; and development of innovative online course designs to support collaborative learning.

Sue Dark is a Director of Flexible Learning Network Ltd; specialising in advice for organisations wishing to implement and successfully use e-learning. She has supported and advised staff in both the public and private sectors and more recently in tertiary education for 18 years. She is an experienced author, technical writer and e-learning practitioner.

Connecting distance learners in an online course: impacts on teaching, learning and ODL institutions

This session takes a case study of a real project to re-design the Bachelor of Business degree courses at The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand which is current and on-going. We explore and raise the issues impacting distance learners, educators and institutional management when learning design and teaching practice adopt social constructivist approaches supported through web 2.0 technologies. We identify how the purpose of connecting learners has a real educational end in mind, which can impact on all parties involved – educators and their current knowledge and skills, and even institutional management who need to rethink how they resource for teaching. Many in the efest audience will relate directly to these challenges and issues.

We will cover:

• Why we used web 2.0 technologies and social constructivism to support specific course activities
• How designing for this teaching and learning approach means a change to traditional DFL learning design
• What the impacts were on students, educators and management
• What might be needed to manage such changes in future, including professional development.