Using the Design Phase of e-Learning in Higher Education as an Authentic Learning Experience for Students
This paper is centred on the design phase of five e-learning projects in Hong Kong. Our challenge is to use e-learning in ways that enhance student learning, with our desired learning outcomes including not only discipline knowledge but a whole raft of capabilities, including independent learning, critical thinking and creative design. The Hong Kong education system is remarkably highly structured and emphasizes discipline content above these more generic capabilities. Our work, therefore, sought ways to include students in the design phase of a number of e-learning projects in order to understand students’ learning needs in a broad sense so as to ensure optimal learning designs, and also provide students with an authentic design experience as part of their educational development. Students’ contributions to the design and development of five cases of educational websites in Hong Kong universities are discussed. Students provided information in the following areas: their own IT literacy, their views on the role of the web in learning, areas of difficulties in the discipline domain, and actual design ideas for the specific projects. In all five cases the information obtained was valuable. We suggest that student input to e-learning design can improve the effectiveness of e-learning and also contribute to students own educational development. The design process itself thus becomes an authentic learning experience for students.
Keywords:
Design of Websites, Higher Education, Authentic Learning, Student Involvement
Stream:
Pedagogies and Teaching Practices
Presentation Type:
30 minute Paper Presentation in English
Paper:
Using the Design Phase of e-Learning in Higher Education as an Authentic Learning Experience for Students
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Prof. Carmel McNaught
Director & Professor of Learning Enhancement, Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research (CLEAR), The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Shatin, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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Carmel McNaught is Director and Professor of Learning Enhancement in the Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research (CLEAR) at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Carmel has had over 30 years experience in teaching and research in higher education, and has had appointments in eight universities in Australasia and southern Africa, working in the discipline areas of chemistry, science education, second language learning, eLearning, and higher education curriculum and policy matters. Current research interests include evaluation of innovation in higher education, strategies for embedding learning support into the curriculum, and understanding the broader implementation of the use of technology in higher education. Further details at http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/clear/staff/staff7.htm
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Dr Paul Lam
Research Assistant Professor, Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research (CLEAR), The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Shatin, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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Paul Lam joined the Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) in January 2003. He has extensive interest and experience in teaching and learning principles, case-based teaching and learning, web-assisted teaching and learning, and English language teaching. Formerly he was the Language Programme Design and Materials Development Officer in the Neuro-Cognitive Science for Language Education Project, CUHK, where he wrote the English teaching materials for several English enhancement courses with a focus on a cognitive approach. He was the Senior Research Assistant in the Centre for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching at the City University of Hong Kong from 2000 to 2002. In this post, he helped teaching staff to support their students' learning strategies, and use the Web to assist teaching and learning. Before working in the universities, he was a secondary school teacher for nine years (from 1988-97) in a number of schools.
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Kin Fai Cheng
Research Assistant, Centre for Learning Enhancement And Research (CLEAR), The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Shatin, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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With a background in Psychology, and a good knowledge of statistics, Gap is well placed to provide excellent support for a number of eLearning projects in CLEAR. Gap is currently studying for a Masters in Statistics.
Ref: LS6P0041
