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If MS Outlook was my idea I would make it easy to read and edit all my social networks, VLEs, PLEs from my inbox.

Email 2.0 – App friendly by mhawksey (click to enlarge)

Perhaps not a completely original idea but recent developments might this happen sooner rather than later. Google are already exploring what is possible from with Google Wave. The model they are developing not only makes it possible to interact with other sites from your inbox (like reading searching and posting twitter updates), but also makes ‘waves’ embeddable elsewhere.

Mozilla, the developers behind Firefox, are already looking at a new communication platform, codenamed Raindrop, and if you look at some of the prototype sketches a similar theme of ‘one app to interact with them all’ is evident.

Currently, MS Outlook is the first application I fire up in the morning and the last I switch off at night, but for how much longer …

Be inspired by the possibilities of how technology could be used in Higher Ed. Microsoft technologies can help deliver a seamless flow between lifestyle and learning and new ways to collaborate. Some of what is shown in the video is already possible. 

Vision for technology in Higher Education

Initially I was sceptical of this candy coated view of technology in education, but when you view this with “The Horizon Report: 2009 Edition” there are some common themes. In particular the Horizon report identifies key trends in how we are using technology to enhance the way we communicate and collaborate. How visualisation tools are making it easier to present information in more meaningful ways. All touched upon in the video.

An area not fully explored in the Microsoft vision, but apparent in most of the scenarios they portray, is the influence of mobile technologies. This is an area which the Horizons report identifies as a critical challenge for the future particularly as there is a perceived “growing expectation to make use of and deliver services, content and media to mobile devices”.

Another document I happened to have open when viewing the video was HEFCE’s new ‘Enhancing learning and teaching through the use of technology’ strategy document. The Microsoft vision maps onto some of the example development goals. Including:

• Students can access information, support, expertise and guidance, and communicate with each other, wherever they are studying
• Technology is used to help students connect formal study with other aspects of life and work
• Joined-up information systems support students in transition or while studying at more than one location or institution

So there are synergies with Microsoft’s vision and trends in the use of technology in higher education. Ultimately cost will be the biggest barrier to adoption. In this current economic climate I think few institutions will be prepared to splash the cash (or is this the ideal opportunity for radical change?).    

Confucius
Originally uploaded by kafka4prez

It is fair to say transmissions style education isn’t exactly popular right now. In the era of student-centred learning, co-creation of knowledge the "sage on the stage" is becoming an endangered species. I personally believe there is still a place for ‘traditional’ lectures but only if they fit into a wider continuum of learner engagement.

What do I mean by this? It’s about looking at a students education as a whole and trying to appreciated a learners journey on a more granular basis. So instead of just looking at module outcomes or lecture topics consideration should be given to learner activity inside and outside the classroom. For example, instead of just asking students to look at a chapter in a textbook before the next class get them to perform some sort of activity around the particular topic.

The Department of Psychology at the University of Strathclyde have for a number of years directed students to perform online weekly group activities aligned to face-to-face lectures. The tasks are designed to scaffold learning. So in week one they groups of students are asked to collaborative define psychological terms. In week two students are directed to expand on these terms and collaboratively write a paragraph contextualising these terms. In week three students are required to expand on this and respond to an exam-style essay question. This pattern is repeated for each of the topics in the class. All the time this is happening the lectures are augmenting the online activity and because students are engaging with the topics earlier, instead of cramming before exams, lectures become an opportunity for dialogue. [Click here for a detailed description of the Department of Psychology example.]

This is just one example of how activity outside the classroom can be used to enhance what is done in the classroom. There are a lot more examples of activities you could use. The key is assessment, both formative and summative. Students are highly strategic when it come to their learning. Most are looking for the path of least resistance towards their final goal, usually the accreditation of their knowledge. Assessment therefore features highly is a learners game plan.

The SFC funded REAP project used this notion as a core theme when piloting the redesign of 1st year classes across a range of disciplines. One of the outcomes of this project are a set of assessment principles of good formative assessment and feedback developed by Professor David Nicol and the Assessment Working Group at the University of Strathclyde (copied in below). I believe these principles are incredibly powerful as the represent a distillation of expert knowledge, published research and practical experience.

1. Help clarify what good performance is (goals, criteria, standards).
   To what extent do students in your course have opportunities to engage actively with goals, criteria and standards, before, during and after an assessment task?
2. Encourage ‘time and effort’ on challenging learning tasks.
   To what extent do your assessment tasks encourage regular study in and out of class and deep rather than surface learning?
3. Deliver high quality feedback information that helps learners self-correct.
   What kind of teacher feedback do you provide – in what ways does it help students self-assess and self-correct?
4. Provide opportunities to act on feedback (to close any gap between current and desired performance)
   To what extent is feedback attended to and acted upon by students in your course, and if so, in what ways?
5. Ensure that summative assessment has a positive impact on learning?
   To what extent are your summative and formative assessments aligned and support the development of valued qualities, skills and understanding.
6. Encourage interaction and dialogue around learning (peer and teacher-student.
   What opportunities are there for feedback dialogue (peer and/or tutor-student) around assessment tasks in your course?
7. Facilitate the development of self-assessment and reflection in learning.
   To what extent are there formal opportunities for reflection, self-assessment or peer assessment in your course?
8. Give choice in the topic, method, criteria, weighting or timing of assessments.
   To what extent do students have choice in the topics, methods, criteria, weighting and/or timing of learning and assessment tasks in your course?
9. Involve students in decision-making about assessment policy and practice.
   To what extent are your students in your course kept informed or engaged in consultations regarding assessment decisions?
10. Support the development of learning communities
    To what extent do your assessments and feedback processes help support the development of learning communities?
11. Encourage positive motivational beliefs and self-esteem.
    To what extent do your assessments and feedback processes activate your students’ motivation to learn and be successful?
12. Provide information to teachers that can be used to help shape the teaching
    To what extent do your assessments and feedback processes inform and shape your teaching?