Studieplan - E-pedagogikk

Introduction

Lifelong learning is an important objective for the EU educational systems and for labour mobility in Europe. A tool for LLL is e-learning methodology that makes it possible for professionals to increase their knowledge as part time students.

Being an e-teacher demands specific skills and competences in pedagogy related to supervising students on the Internet. One needs an explicit knowledge of how to structure the learning material to make a suitable and inspiring learning environment for e-learning students.

This course promotes and strengthens the participants skills in teaching, supervising, planning and organising good e-learning courses in a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

Target group
This is a course for teachers in Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) teaching social work or related subjects. A basic knowledge of didactics will be an advantage. The number of students is limited. Teachers from SW-VirCamp partner institutions will have priority.

Credits and Certificate

The course confers 10 ECTS credits. Certificate will be given from the partner university/SW-VirCamp.

Objectives

This study programme will meet the needs for knowledge and skills in e-learning pedagogy in the field of social work and other related educations. The study programme will increase the possibilities for more educational institutions to take part in or initiate new e-learning courses for students in international programmes.

The study programme is based on situated learning perspectives, a task centred approach to learning and learning-by-doing during the course.

Content

The content in this course is related to the following themes:

• Theory and methods in e-learning pedagogy.
• How to create a VLE by using Learning Management Systems (LMS) and open net resources.
• Development of a Virtual Classroom.
• How to create a cooperative learning community.
• How to make a good curriculum plan.
• How to develop a programme with a good structure and learning progress.
• How to develop course content, as e-lectures, tasks and learning materials.
• The teacher role in e-learning courses. How to give feedback on students¿ written tasks in an e-learning course.
• How to construct tasks for an e-portfolio.
• How to find, critically appraise and decide which Internet resources to use for e-learning students.
• Choose and use the best software and online tools for different educational purpose.
• Awareness of issues related to net-ethics.
• Basic technical support to e-learning participants.

Learning Outcomes

Competences

• Professional Development as e-teacher
• Students are able to develop an e-learning course with a collaborative, comparative perspective, and a transparent and task-centred approach.
• Students will be able to develop a curriculum plan according the Bologna Principles.
• Students will be able to build and structure e-Learning courses for students with a comparative and collaborative perspective.
• Students are able to make learning material for e-learning courses.
• Students will develop knowledge and skills in how to deal with basic technical problems and challenges related to using VLE.
• Students will develop skills in finding and using appropriate learning resources and tools which can promote e-learning.
• Students will develop skills and knowledge about how to use a learning portfolio as an educational tool in an international course.
• Students will be able to reflect on learning in e-learning.
• Students will demonstrate awareness of net-ethics.
• Students will develop skills in English language and academic writing.

Collaboration

• Students will learn how to cooperate and stimulate cooperation among participants in a Virtual Classroom by the use of chat, asynchronic discussion forums and cooperation in task solving.
• Students will exchange experience and discuss solutions related to development of new learning programmes in e-Learning.

Didactical skills

• Students will be able to describe, analyse and evaluate pedagogical methods in e-learning related to a specific course they have developed during the e-pedagogy programme.
• Students will be able to strategically choose between different didactical strategies when planning an e-learning module, related to expected learning outcomes.
• Students will develop skills and competence in how to promote reflection on learning in e-learning.

Study methods

During the course students will work with a problem oriented focus, and by solving tasks learn how to develop their own e-learning courses. Using a hands-on approach, by the end of the course students will have developed their own e-learning course on a subject they have chosen.

The course will be based on the latest research and knowledge in e-learning pedagogy and will invite students to take an active part in their own learning process and collaborate with each other.

Internet access:

The students need consistent access to the Internet to attend this course. The speed of the Internet connection will influence the access to the study material. Some of the course material is produced as media files and broadband is recommended. If the students connect to the Internet over a dial-up connection, the download rate for accessing documents and media files will be significantly slower.

Assessment

During the course students will assemble their produced material into an e-portfolio. Collected, used and elaborated material will be part of their final assignment.

Students will outline an e-learning course within an LMS. The final assignment is a presentation of the course, including curriculum plan, one screen lecture, one trigger, and the programme for some of the weeks including tasks.

In addition students should describe and analyse their didactical considerations and reflect on learning during the course based on their reflexive blog notes.

Structure

Students will get access to the Learning Management System it¿s learning when the course starts. This is an online course structured in weekly programmes, and students will collaborate by giving feedback to tasks, discussions and online chats.

The last three weeks will be individual work and delivery of final assignment.

Course fee

Applicants from HEI not partners in SW-VirCamp social work programme will have to pay 1200 EURO for the course.

Starts/ends

26 January - 1 June 2015

Application form

Information about the application form

Reading

McConnell, D. (2006): E-learning groups and communities Maidenhead, England New York: Open University Press in association with the Society for Research into Higher Education (also as e-book)

Salmon, G. (2011): E-moderating: The Key to Teaching and Learning Online London: Routledge Taylor & Francis (also as e-book)

Salmon, G. (ed.) (2008): Podcasting for learning in universities. Maidenhead: Open University Press (also as e-book)

In addition to this the list of literature will be supplemented with articles from educational journals and online resources.