Sketch notes

After a bit of a hiatus from posting here, I have been experimenting with sketch notes and visual thinking. These two sketch notes are quick and fun responses to the daily doodle challenge from Scotviz. I am really just starting to develop my technique for sketch noting on paper and iPad but am enjoying the … Read more

Digital learner experiences and the future of higher education – notes for a Friday [7]

This report from JISC is of FE college students’ experiences of digital education. The survey was conducted between October 2019 and May 2020 so covers the emergency shift to remote teaching. About two-thirds of the 19,137 responses are from the pre-pandemic and one-third form the pandemic periods. Learners and their technology Access to digital devices … Read more

Commercialising higher education – notes for a Friday [6]

I have three items: (1) notes on a recent example of the interaction of universities and private educational companies and the increasing commercialisation of higher education; (2) one tweet on effective online teaching and learning design; and (3) one link to JISC’s collection of future scenarios for higher education. Commercialising higher education Coventry University is … Read more

What works for students in digital education

This article on student perceptions of ‘useful’ digital technologies identifies the gap between the potential of digital technologies for teaching and learning in higher education and the realities seen to date. The study presents the findings of a survey of students at two research-intensive universities in Australia. I think there are some important insights here … Read more

Can there be ‘best practice’ in open education?

A recent paper in IRRODL Elements of Open Education: An Invitation to Future Research, caught my eye on future research in open education. Theories of open education The authors provide a tour of theories of open learning starting with Wedemeyer’s (1971) conceptualisation of openness as wholly self-directed learning. This resonates with some recent perspectives on … Read more

Notes for a Friday [5]

A hare

Its been a busy week with the start of the new academic year being in somewhat challenging circumstances. However, my teaching is all online and I’m ready to start teaching next week. It has also been the week of the launch of the Manifesto for Teaching Online including a programme of launch seminars. Otherwise, here … Read more

Notes for a Friday [4]

This week has been a lot of ‘heads down’ course designing and building type work. I did find the following of interest: Fostering online learning “research into online learning almost univocally agrees that…well-designed courses with interactive content..continuous educator involvement..timely, and formative feedback are the most promising approaches to fostering learning in online environments” https://t.co/JfHeTd1BsT— Neil … Read more

A flipped academic

I have recently changed my role at the University and am having to think aout where I see in what direction I see my work developing. I recently came across the label of a ‘flipped academic’. The term originates with Alex Bruton in Canada and was popularised in an article in The Guardian newspaper here. … Read more