Learning Connection
The expression ‘going online’ is sometimes used when some or all aspects of teaching and learning in a course are about to be replaced or supplemented with online or web-based techniques. The online environment is a new medium for teaching and learning, and as such it is still being explored, developed and researched. The aim of this Guide is to explore and discuss online teaching and learning opportunities available at the University of South Australia.
All teaching and learning at the University of South Australia, which includes online teaching and learning, is framed in terms of three concepts: Student engagement through experiential learning, the Qualities of a UniSA Graduate and Flexible learning environments (Figure 1). These concepts come together to assist the achievement the Mission of the University and maximise outcomes for graduates and society. Online teaching and learning provide student-engaged learning experiences that are flexible and can be used to promote the development of the qualities of a UniSA Graduate.
The online medium offers a range of advantages to the teaching and learning environment, but also presents some challenges and considerations.
There are significant differences in the way people have interpreted online teaching and learning in their courses. Some strategies have been more effective than others. It is commonly agreed, however, that ‘good teaching is good teaching’ in any medium. The principles and practices, particularly relating to the alignment of desired outcomes with assessment and learning activities, are the same for online teaching as they are for face-to-face teaching or other modes of delivery. Online learning can become more effective through the use of interactive learning experiences, collaborative discussion groups, online assessment, embedded learning support and online evaluation. These are briefly discussed below. More detailed teaching guides and resources describing effective online teaching and learning practice are available through the Learning Connection web site.
Interactivity in the online environment can occur in several ways. In its simplest form, interactivity involves learning to use the technological tools available, such as email, databases, web browsers and discussion boards. A second type of interaction that learners can have is with information such as that stored in world wide web resources, online quizzes and different kinds of software. Interacting with these stores of information allows students to evaluate their own understanding of the topic, with the benefit of receiving immediate feedback embedded into the learning environment. Powerful interactions can also occur in online spaces with people, such as fellow learners, teachers, tutors, and experts. These interactions can be synchronous (occur in real time) or asynchronous. The communication itself can be text, voice, image or web camera-based. Online interactions can be embedded in very rich teaching and learning activities such as role play, simulations and case study analysis.
One aspect of Graduate Quality 4, the ability to work collaboratively, can be developed using online teaching and learning. Examples include the use of workgroups (3-5 students who work together online to complete an assignment), online tutorials (15 to 20 students share experiences and understandings in a facilitated environment), and opportunities to interview an expert (an expert is identified and invited to participate in an online discussion group with students). Online collaboration can also assist in the development of an aspect of Graduate Quality 2, through the use of peer assessment (students are asked to share pieces of their work online for review and critique by other students).
The online environment brings with it new possibilities for assessment and also new challenges. Student learning can become more efficient and Graduate Quality 2, lifelong learning, can be developed through the use of formative quizzes with embedded feedback. The online environment can also offer advantages in the delivery, marking and analysis of both formative and summative quizzes. Another advantage of online assessment is that it allows presentation of multimedia (images, sound, video) and can incorporate links to World Wide Web resources to provide a formative assessment tool. Many teachers are also using contributions to online discussions groups as a means for assessing students.
When summative assessment is being used, particularly for large numbers of students, online assignment management systems such as AssignIT can streamline the business of assessment. Marking and providing feedback can become semi-automated through online tools (TellUs and Excel) and programs such as Mindtrail. Plagiarism in student assignments can be detected through web-based programs such as Turnitin.com.
It is important to appreciate that when teaching and learning begins to incorporate online environments, this often leads to changes in assessment practice. For example, when students are learning in online environments, the production of a PowerPoint presentation or a web site might be more suitable task for demonstrating student outcomes than the construction of an essay. Determining the most appropriate assessment for online learning activities will always depend on the desired learning outcomes for the course.
One of the benefits of using the online teaching and learning environment is that learning support can also be delivered online and embedded exactly at the point of need. Staff at Learning Connection have created learning support resources in the form of online workshops and guides for students. In some cases these have been designed to address the specific learning outcomes of an assignment or course, resulting in significant improvements in student learning outcomes. Learning Advisers at Learning Connection are available to assist you with the use of online workshops and resources for your courses.
The capacity to quickly generate online evaluations, that can be automatically collated, is one of the key benefits of online teaching and learning. It promises to provide more information about the quality of teaching and learning so that the learning environment can be best tailored to the students’ needs. Evaluations can be constructed from pre-prepared items and assembled online (Course Evaluation Instrument, TellUs and Student Evaluation of Teaching) or you can write your own questions (TellUs2). Data from online evaluation tools can be rapidly collated and analysed, and even downloaded into programs such as Excel for further processing.
UniSAnet is the online teaching and learning environment at the University of South Australia. It hosts homepages for each course, program and for all staff. It allows for the creation of web sites that can be used to guide students through their learning. It enables the creation of online discussion groups and real-time chat to facilitate interaction and collaboration as well as several different types of quizzes for formative assessment. You can see examples of online teaching and learning at the Learning Connection web site (follow the link to Staff, and then Online teaching and learning).
To author within UniSAnet you will use either Microsoft Word or another html editor, and Internet browsers.
Online resources are available via the Learning Connection web site (Staff section). Academic development staff are available through Learning Connection to discuss online teaching and learning strategies. Online teaching and learning projects can be negotiated through the Learning and Teaching Unit/Divisional service agreements each year. Online Advisers, located in each of the Learning Connection offices, are available for technical support in using UniSAnet on a one-to-one or small group basis. There is an e-mail Help desk (UniSAnet Help) and telephone helpdesk (x27100) for staff who are using UniSAnet.
