What are students 'designing'?

When setting out my idea of students as designers of learning, I wasn’t very specific about what that would actually involve, though I had some examples in mind. There are many ways students design their own learning and the learning of others. My problem is to define what I want to (and can) research.

I don’t think there are many tertiary courses that are designed to allow students a lot of choice in what they do and how they interact. Whether it is designed that way or not, however, students do shape their own learning. I think that students, by their choices of going to lectures or not, attending - and participating or not - in tutorials, how they write an essay, how they study in groups, how they share notes or comments on the course, means that they are consciously or subconsciously designing learning.

I guess designing in its truest sense only happens consciously: design is a deliberate process. And if you are talking about designing learning, it is also a metacognitive process.

Examples of student learning design:

• Student as researcher, both undergraduate and postgraduate
• Collaborative note-taking - in place of teacher-provided lecture notes
• Student-organised study groups; informal participation in community of students - extracurricular activity
• Setting own essay question or area of interest for a project
• Setting goals for a career and pursuing relevant courses, connections and experiences
• Participation/community engagement and intern positions
• Formal and informal student input into designing learning environments
• Actual design activities; situated problem solving; student as producer
• Peerwise and other peer-contributed learning tools
• Students taking responsibility for ‘teaching’ part of curriculum

Even within formally prescribed tasks, students have control over many aspects of how to go about the task: how to monitor progress, set goals, collaborate and communicate and how and what tools to use, for example.

I'm going to be looking where technologies support students' deliberate learning activities.

The all-seeing eye

On looking at the reports available from the LMS (learning management system), I was struck by the amount of information we have about students’ activities online. What links they have followed, how many times they have added to a forum, whether they have updated a wiki or downloaded a reading.
It reminded me of my dim, distant undergrad years reading Foucault and his description of the Panopticon, a correctional - or educational - institution, where the inmates are always visible to the authority. The inmates don’t know when they are under scrutiny, but they know they could be at any time.

This rather sinister ability to see otherwise hidden activity is about hierarchy and power, not ideas of learner-centred teaching and intrinsic motivation. The ability of technology to trace what used to be private information is a current issue wider than education. I wonder what educators are thinking about this ability to look over each student’s virtual shoulder - do they self-censor? Is it really an issue or are people inured by the gaze of Google and Facebook?

By the way, I have a feeling that most students don’t understand that these LMS records exist. Certainly many deadline evasion strategies are easily exposed by a quick look at usage logs.

What also struck me is how much information we don’t have about students’ activities, at least the activities and thought processes associated with deeper learning. This alchemy is not so easily viewable.

I'm in

The journey begins.

A Proposal: Take Three

Designing student-centred learning: teachers and students in practice

This research will focus on how both teachers and students become better learning designers; and on the balance between structure and flexibility in student-centred learning.

Background and key terms

The term 'student-centred learning' is used to denote active, contextual and deep learning, where the learner has more accountability and 'an increased sense of autonomy' and there is an 'interdependence between teacher and learner' as well as reflection by both teacher and learner on the process of learning (Lea, Stephenson & Troy, 2003, p. 323). In reality, it seems that students are not often allowed as much control or say as theory recommends (Lea et al., 2003). In practice, how do students and teachers balance structure and freedom, guidance and responsibility?

The process of learning design is reflective and iterative, with 'some period of transition between when a teacher first trials e-learning as part of an approach, to when it is a more integrated and embedded strategy' (Ellis & Goodyear, 2010, ebook loc. 3439). This suggests a longitudinal study to trace innovation in learning design.

In approaching teacher and student perceptions of student-centred learning, the research will build on the ideas of sense-making, how people act to get the job done in novel circumstances (Weick, 1995), and affordances, the 'both physical and psychical' opportunities inherent within environments (Gibson, 1986, p. 129). Both these concepts are based in the inseparability of person and environment, each working on the other. Learning is not deterministic, but formed, or designed, in collaboration with the learner.

Rather than knowledge as information, 'knowledge as design' (Perkins, 1986) is the paradigm. Design of learning can, then, encompass a broad range, from construction of knowledge, to student as a producer of research, to personal learning environments, to formal involvement in curriculum and technology development. In addition, the learning spaces inhabited by students blur boundaries between formal, informal, in person and virtual (Ellis & Goodyear, 2010) and research into student-centred learning must take a 'learning ecology perspective' (Greenhow, Robelia & Hughes, 2009, p. 248). Research will include the technologies and networks with which students create personal learning environments.

Initial questions

• How do students and teachers perceive tasks based on new approaches such as problem-based learning? What are the ways they make sense of what they are asked to do and how do they negotiate new roles? How do they balance structure and freedom?
• How are students enabled as designers of learning? How do they participate in designing and creating learning environments?
• In designing learning beyond performing for exams, how do students and teachers negotiate the measurement of 'soft skills' or graduate attributes?

Grounding theory within practice will refine these initial questions, but the core idea is students as co-designers (Collis & Moonen, 2008) of their learning environment.

Methodology

The research will employ an ethnographic approach (Hine, 2000), using observation, artefacts or digital 'microcontent' (McLoughlin & Lee, 2007) and interviews to investigate how students and teachers design learning. This will be informed by the ideas of sense-making and affordances - how these might frame teachers' and students' interpretation and negotiation of novel tasks. Dervin's sense-making methodology (Dervin, Foreman-Wernet & Lauterbach, 2003), for example, in retrospectively capturing users' expectations and gaps in understanding, is a promising way of bringing student perspectives to design. Asking students where activities fell short of expectations can lead them to naturally offer design ideas.

While initial questions and theory guide inquiry, the ethnographic approach is to be open to new ideas, hypotheses and questions identified in the process of creating a 'thick description' of an environment (Boyd, 2009). The research is therefore exploratory and adaptive. In line with the idea of 'social scholarship', developing ideas and reflections, where unaffected by privacy concerns, will be shared online.

Employed as an online educational designer at a university, I want to integrate study with work. The research will provide a framework for reflection on projects that apply educational technology to student-centred learning.

The research will be based on student-centred projects I work on, or have access to, as an online educational designer, over a number of university faculties, courses and activities. This will include where possible case studies from other institutions, focusing on innovations that are iteratively improved. The research will supplement a qualitative approach with quantitative data in the form of surveys. While including a good variety of examples, I intend to include a longitudinal view of two or three units as they develop over several years and iterations. Based in the realities of learning design and delivery, the research aims to draw common themes from the examples and case studies.

Examples of projects that might be used in the research include:

• student use of concept mapping in an introductory course in astronomy
• problem based learning groups
• a first year computer science course that removes most assessment items, using a collaborative wiki and game points for student-curated notes and task and project feedback
• student research within undergraduate study
• student-generated quizzes, using a tool such as PeerWise (http://peerwise.cs.auckland.ac.nz).

Significance of the research

This research fits well with Greenhow et al.'s (2009) call for further research into 'learner participation and creativity.' Increasingly, tertiary institutions are seeking to apply more student-centred approaches to learning design, for example the 'Student as Producer' project based at the University of Lincoln (University of Lincoln, 2012). Ellis and Goodyear (2010) call for students to be represented at all levels of development of tertiary learning environments.

Classes in tertiary education are growing in size. Academics are under pressure to both maintain research output as well as cope with more students, leaving little energy for learning design. Students are often dissatisfied with levels of access to staff and frequency and timeliness of feedback (Webster, 2011). It is important to understand how the practice of student-centred learning responds to these pressures and demands; to ask how we achieve 'sustainable innovation' (Ellis & Goodyear, 2010).

Ethical considerations:
As the research is both observational and interview-based, it will need to pass an ethics approval process in each institution involved and gain informed consent from subjects.

Timetable for the research:
The research will be conducted within part-time study, so it will be possible to cover at least four years of course design, application and re-design.

Anticipated problems and limitations:
While it is anticipated that an adequate number of projects will be accessible, the research will be necessarily limited by the needs and inclinations of academic teacher partners: it will not be successful without detailed access to a number of innovative, student-centred projects. Continuing employment by the researcher in online educational design is assumed. To reduce risk and expand the pool of initiatives, I will also approach student-centred projects beyond my institution to be part of the research.

Resources required for the research:
There are no major resource requirements anticipated for the study. The research will be conducted alongside professional activities.

References

Boyd, D. (2009). A Response to Christine Hine. In A. Markham & N. Baym (Ed.s) Internet Inquiry: Conversations About Method. (pp. 26-32) Thousand Oaks, California: Sage.

Collis, B. & Moonen, J. (2008). Web 2.0 tools and process in higher education: quality perspectives. Educational Media International, 45(2), 93-106.

Dervin, B., Foreman-Wernet, L. & Lauterbach, E. (Ed.s) (2003) Sense-Making Methodology Reader: Selected Writings of Brenda Dervin. Cresskill, USA: Hampton Press.

Ellis, R. & Goodyear, P. (2010). Students’ Experiences of E-Learning in Higher Education: The Ecology of Sustainable Innovation. (Kindle edition) New York: Routledge.

Gibson, J.J. (1986 - orig. Published 1979) The ecological approach to visual perception. Hillsdale, NJ, USA: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Greenhow, C., Robelia, B. & Hughes, J. (2009). Learning, Teaching and Scholarship in a Digital Age: Web 2.0 and Classroom Research: What Path Should We Take Now? Educational Researcher, 38 (4).

Hine, C. (2000). Virtual Ethnography. London: Sage.

Lea, S., Stephenson, D. & Troy, J. (2003). Higher Education Students' Attitudes to Student-centred Learning: beyond 'educational bulimia'? Studies in Higher Education, 28(3), 321-334.

Naumer, C., Fisher, K. & Dervin, B. (2008, April) Sense-Making: A Methodological Perspective. Sensemaking Workshop, CHI'08. Florence, Italy. Accessed May 1, 2010 from http://dmrussell.googlepages.com/Naumer-final.pdf

Perkins, D. (1986). Knowledge as Design. Hillsdale, NJ, USA: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

University of Lincoln (2012). Student as Producer. Retrieved January 7, 2012 from http://studentasproducer.lincoln.ac.uk/

Webster, L. (2011, September). Quality assurance for distance education, eLearning and face-to-face teaching in higher education: Are there really any differences? Keynote presented at Macquarie University Learning and Teaching Week. Accessed January 7, 2012 from http://ilecture.mq.edu.au/lectopia/lectopia.lasso?ut=1256&id=87705

Weick, K. (1995). Sensemaking in Organisations. Thousand Oaks, USA: Sage Publications.

A Proposal: Take Two

I am interested in how both teachers and students become better learning designers; in the balance between structure and flexibility in student-centred design.

The educational culture permits or constrains particular ways of learning. A move towards student-centred learning is supported or constrained by the general educational culture, largely composed of the personal experiences of students and teachers, but also formed by technology and institutional policies and constraints.

Initial questions

How do teachers and students perceive tasks based on new approaches such as problem-based learning? What are the ways they make sense of what they are asked to do and how do they negotiate new roles?
How are students enabled as designers of learning?
In designing learning beyond performing for exams, how do students and teachers receive the measurement of 'soft skills' or graduate attributes?

Both practical application of ideas and an extensive literature review will refine these initial questions, but the core idea is how to support students as co-designers (Collis & Moonen, 2008) of their learning environment. A major aim is to produce a sustainable framework for reflection on learning design. I expect that grounding theory within practice will profoundly affect what questions guide the final research.

Methodology

Employed as an online educational designer at a university, I want to integrate study with work. The process of acquiring a PhD will provide a framework for reflection on projects that apply educational technology to student-centred learning.

In my Masters research project, I used an ethnographic approach, using observation and interviews to investigate how students made sense of a social network site. I want to continue to use this approach, further expanding on the ideas of sense-making and affordances - how they can shed light on teachers' and students' interpretation and negotiation of novel tasks. Dervin's sense-making methodology, in retrospectively focusing on users' expectations and gaps in understanding (Naumer, Fisher & Dervin, 2008), is a promising way of bringing student perspectives to design.


The research will be based on student-centred projects I work on, or have access to, as an online educational designer, over a number of university faculties, courses and activities. This will include where possible case studies from other institutions, focusing on innovations that are iteratively improved. The research will supplement the qualitative approach with quantitative data in the form of surveys and possibly assessment results. While including a good number of varied examples, I hope to include a longitudinal view of two or three units as they develop over several years and iterations. Based in the practicalities of learning design and delivery, the research will relate each example and case study to student design and environmental conditions conducive to student-centred learning.


Examples of projects that might be used in the research include:

• student use of concept mapping in an introductory course in astronomy
• problem based learning activities in groups
• a first year computer science course that removes most assessment items, using a collaborative wiki and reward points for student-curated notes and task and project feedback
• student-generated quizzes, using a tool such as PeerWise (http://peerwise.cs.auckland.ac.nz).

Significance of the research

Increasingly, tertiary education is seeking to apply more student-centred approaches to learning design and scholars call for students to be represented at all levels of development of tertiary learning environments (Ellis & Goodyear, 2010). This research aims to bring together numerous experiences and designs to form a picture of how initiatives are developed, received and improved.
Classes in tertiary education are growing in size. Academic staff are under pressure to both maintain research output as well as cope with more students, leaving little energy for learning design. Students are often dissatisfied with levels of access to staff and frequency and timeliness of feedback (Webster, 2011). How can student-centred learning, and learning design support staff, respond to these pressures and demands? How do we achieve 'sustainable innovation' (Ellis & Goodyear, 2010)?

Ethical considerations:
As the research is both observational and interview-based, it will need to pass an ethics approval process in each institution involved and gain permission from subjects.

Timetable for the research:
The research will be conducted within part-time study, so it will be possible to cover at least four years of course design, application and re-design.

Anticipated problems and limitations:
While it is anticipated that an adequate number of projects will be accessible, the research will be necessarily limited by the needs and inclinations of academic teacher partners: it will not be successful without access to a number of innovative, student-centred designs. Continuing employment by the researcher in online educational design is assumed. To reduce risk and expand the pool of initiatives, I will also approach student-centred projects beyond my institution to be part of the research.

Resources required for the research:
There are no major resource requirements anticipated for the study. The research will be conducted alongside professional activities.

References

Boyd, D. (2009). A Response to Christine Hine. In A. Markham & N. Baym (Ed.s) Internet Inquiry: Conversations About Method. (pp. 26-32) Thousand Oaks, California: Sage.
Collis, B. & Moonen, J. (2008). Web 2.0 tools and process in higher education: quality perspectives. Educational Media International, 45(2), 93-106.
Ellis, R. & Goodyear, P. (2010) Students’ Experiences of E-Learning in Higher Education: The Ecology of Sustainable Innovation. New York: Routledge.
Naumer, C., Fisher, K. & Dervin, B. (2008, April) Sense-Making: A Methodological Perspective. Sensemaking Workshop, CHI'08. Florence, Italy. Accessed May 1, 2010 from http://dmrussell.googlepages.com/Naumer-final.pdf
Webster, L. (2011, September). Quality assurance for distance education, eLearning and face-to-face teaching in higher education: Are there really any differences? Keynote presented at Macquarie University Learning and Teaching Week. Accessed January 7, 2012 from http://ilecture.mq.edu.au/lectopia/lectopia.lasso?ut=1256&id=87705

A proposal

Here is a rough, unfinished outline of a proposal.

Purpose of the study:
To investigate educational culture and processes conducive to student-centred learning.
To investigate students as learning designers, focusing on the balance between structure and flexibility.

Relevant background literature

Research questions or hypotheses
The educational culture permits or constrains particular ways of learning. A move towards student-centred learning is supported or constrained by the general educational culture, largely composed of the personal experiences of students and teachers.
How do teachers and students perceive tasks based on new approaches such as problem-based learning? What are the ways they make sense of what they are asked to do and how do they negotiate new roles?
How are students enabled as designers of learning?
In designing learning beyond performing for exams, how do you measure the effectiveness of learning that aims to improve 'soft skills' or graduate attributes?

Definitions of key terms:
Student-centred learning:
Affordances:
Sense-making:
Educational culture:
Structured learning:
Flexible learning:

Research methodology:
The approach is to use observation and interviews with both staff and students over a number of faculties, courses and tasks, focusing on sense-making.
While primarily a qualitative approach, the research will also include quantitative data in the form of surveys and possibly assessment results.

The research will be based on personal experience as an online educational designer, working in collaboration with tertiary education teachers. This will be supplemented by a review of current practice across other tertiary institutions, as well as case studies from other institutions where possible.
Examples of intitiatives that might be used in the research include: use of concept mapping in an  introductory course in astronomy; a first year computer science course that removes most assessment items, using a collaborative wiki and reward points for student-curated notes and task and project feedback; student-generated quizzes, using a tool such as PeerWise (http://peerwise.cs.auckland.ac.nz).

Significance of the research:
Increasingly, tertiary education is applying more student-centred approaches to learning design. This research aims to bring together many experiences and designs to create a common picture of how  initiatives are received and improved.
Classes in tertiary education are growing in size. Academic staff are under pressure to both maintain research output as well as cope with more students. Students are dissatisfied with access to staff and frequency and timeliness of feedback (). How can student-centred learning respond to these pressures and demands?

Ethical considerations:
As the research is both observational and interview-based, it will need to pass an ethics approval process and gain permission from subjects.

Timetable for the research:
The research will be conducted within part-time study, so it will be possible to cover at least four years of course design, application and re-design.

Anticipated problems and limitations:
The research will be necessarily limited by the needs and inclinations of academic teacher partners. This is not a significant problem as the research aims to be well grounded in practice, so the vagaries of learning design are part of the study. It assumes continuing employment by the researcher in online educational design.

Resources required for the research:
There are no major resource requirements anticipated for the study. The research will be conducted alongside professional activities.


Bibliography:

Appendices:

Starting the journey

With only a 500 word application to write in which I needn't be too specific (I think) to get into the PhD program at Sydney Uni in 2012, I want to take this time to read fairly widely and try to get some ideas from a range of writers and disciplines.

My Masters dissertation tried to be an online ethnography, looking at how people actually used a social network site in tertiary education, tracing it over almost a year. It used open-ended interview questions to get at preconceptions and working ideas people formed by using the site. I found that the interviews were much more interesting, aimed as they were at understanding how people perceived the site, what they wanted from it and what they decided it could do. My observations were useful for setting the scene, but it really was in asking that the really interesting ideas came through.

I'm interested in how people decide to use or not use online tools. The ideas of sensemaking and affordances. What makes something 'user friendly' or so intrinsic to people's needs that they persevere and put in the work to include it in their set of tools. As Norman puts it, the 'psychology of everyday things'. How reflection and social learning fit into education. Personal learning and the networks and online environments people create (or don't create) around themselves. How the built or provided online environment supports learning. How a strategy of technology use might be applied over the course of a program of study of several years. How to guide people (or help them develop their own strategies) in selecting and using technology for learning.

So, a bit of a jumble of generality, that will probably expand before getting to specifics.