Tag: online learning
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The journeys taken: Research in Distance Education and E-learning Conference 2025 – Day 2
This is the second post writing up my experience at RIDE 2025, the Research in Distance Education and E-learning conference at the University of London (see Day 1 where I discuss themes of Context and Culture). Linda Amrane-Cooper, Director of the Centre for Online and Distance Education (CODE), introduced Day 2 with the rationale for…
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Joyful online learning: reflections on a Lego Serious Play session
Bringing people together and learning from a range of perspectives is one of the most enjoyable aspects of my job. In all my professional roles, working with others and bringing a range of expertise together has been key in achieving successful outcomes. This article is a reflection of a LEGO Serious Play (LSP) session which…
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Defining quality in online education: engagement and outcomes
This article presents a model for quality in online education to support decision-making by learning designers, digital media specialists and academic colleagues in the design and development of online courses. Whilst there are many standards and, in the case of formal education, regulatory frameworks that provide criteria against which online courses may be measured, these…
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Between the trend lines: the digital university in 2021
The Association for Learning Technology (ALT) conducts an annual survey of professionals and researchers working in learning technology, supporting and delivering services in educational institutions and other organisations. The most recent data was collected between December 2020 – January 2021, and the report published in February 2021. This post captures my thoughts as I looked…
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Enabling professional development by letting go of the pedagogical paradigms: considering the role of learning design, data and research in my practice (part 3 – data)
This is the third post of four capturing my paper presented at the ALT Conference, 3-5 September 2019, Edinburgh (abstract, annotated slides, video recording). The first post explored learning design perspectives that influence online professional development for teachers. The second post looked at the contradictions prevalent in designing MOOCs (massive open online courses) and explored personalised learning. This section…
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Scaling up online learning during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic
As universities begin to mitigate against risks posed by coronavirus (Covid-19), with some such as Durham and LSE indicating a complete shut-down of face-to-face teaching, online learning is coming to the foreground as a route for continuing business as usual. In this post, I’ll look back briefly at a similar situation ten years ago with…
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Enabling professional development by letting go of the pedagogical paradigms: considering the role of learning design, data and research in my practice (part 2 – contradictions)
This is the second post of four capturing my paper presented at the ALT Conference, 3-5 September 2019, Edinburgh (abstract, annotated slides, video recording). This section looks at the contradictions prevalent in designing MOOCs (massive open online courses) and expands upon the presentation with exploration of personalised learning. The first post explored learning design perspectives that influence…
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Enabling professional development by letting go of the pedagogical paradigms: considering the role of learning design, data and research in my practice (part 1 – dilemma and direction)
This reflective article is a version of my paper presented at the ALT Conference, 3-5 September 2019, Edinburgh (abstract, annotated slides, video recording), exploring the ideas that have influenced how I view online learning design for open online courses. It draws upon my experience as programme lead for online CPD at the National STEM Learning…
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Conversational thinking for online learning
In this article I propose that conversational thinking is an important skill to develop in online learners, to enable richer social learning experiences that move beyond contribution and consumption. Conversational thinking “Learning through discussion has value because it provides the motivation for each participant to articulate their concepts and ideas, defend them, reconsider them in…