Human interaction and construction key to this elearning course
TAFE NSW VET Pedagogy Project, Part C of Phase 1
BLENDED LEARNING CASE STUDY | Val Evans, TAFE NSW Professional Development Network
FAMe was different because it had a totally different way of delivering. It really opened my eyes to alternative methods and incorporating fun and games in the delivery. Since then, the courses I’m teaching have become more dynamic and interesting.
FAMe student
Learning Environment
A blended approach of content-free face-to-face and online tools to deliver the qualification Graduate Certificate in Facilitating and Managing eLearning (FAMe) to teaching professionals.
Teaching Approach
The learning approach encompasses the notion of human interaction and construction of knowledge as a powerful learning paradigm. FAMe (Facilitating and Managing eLearning) is a course without content. Teachers who are currently teaching online are the target group for the course. These course participants create the content by participating in a variety of 'seriously-fun' activities, both individual and group. The underpinning design philosophy of FAMe is to engage participants (online facilitators of learning) in an activity-driven learning experience, rather than technology and content-driven. The activities themselves allow participants to experience a series of online teaching strategies as a learner, thus being better informed to choose strategies to suit different learning styles and contexts for their learners.
Course facilitators allow the content to be dynamic and built with the richness of a student body researching and experiencing a new and exciting learning environment. The course is designed to move from the experiential and discovery approach to learning to a much more in-depth research and applied methodology of learning.
Evaluation Methods
One of the modules within FAMe is Evaluating Online Learning. This module was integrated throughout the other modules to demonstrate different online evaluation strategies that teachers can use with their students. This approach provided both a learning experience and valuable feedback mechanism from the participants throughout the course. After the first evaluation, Val and the development team felt that there were too many modules (up to three), with group activities and completion deadlines, being delivered simultaneously. They had underestimated the time needed for participants to organise their online collaboration, remembering, that the participants were all teachers with lots of other competing demands on their time. Consequently, FAMe is now offered over 36 weeks with each module being delivered consecutively.
Positive Difference to Learning
Val and her team are convinced that activity-driven learning experiences, supported by facilitators, are powerful learning devices. In the module and course evaluations, participants said they learnt new approaches and were keen to adapt and try the activities in both their online and face-to-face classes. The power of collaborative learning in an online environment has also helped develop a sense of 'community' among teachers embarking on new methods of delivery.
The constructivist philosophy underpinning the course, and the teaching and learning strategies, were very much influenced by the work of Dr Sivisailam Thiagarajan ('Thiagi') a world expert in online facilitation, games and instructional design. Thiagi mentored the FAMe development team and was a guest facilitator for a component of the initial delivery of the course. A positive difference has been demonstrated through the learning that the participants have achieved to manage knowledge and develop their skills in critical questioning to support their students to do the same. FAMe has gained international recognition and this year, is being offered commercially by Riverina Institute with participants from New Zealand and across Australia participating.
See Also
Case
Studies Innovative and Excellent Practices in VET Teaching and
Learning 2003 (426 Kb) are also available as one downloadable
file.
