SOLSTICE & CLT Conference 2013

5th & 6th June 2013

Presenters Chris Miller (Co-operative College/OU)Jane Wagstaff (Co-operative College)

ContributorsJudith Williams (OU)Dr Karen Kear (OU)Dr Jon Rosewell (OU)

Does the choice of online learning environment influence

social learning in online courses?

The Co-operative College

In Partnership with:

The Open University

SOLSTICE & CLT Conference 2013

5th & 6th June 2013

Does the choice of online learning environment influence

social learning in online courses?

Session 8

Short presentation (20mins)

Q&A (10mins)

Introduction

The Co-operative College

- Est. 1919

- Co-operative education

- Research and International

- Co-operative Schools

- National Co-operative Archives

- Rochdale Pioneers Museum

Introduction

sKTP project - Co-operative College & The Open University

- Evaluate and select VLE and Social media technology

- Convert existing course to an eLearning format

- Publish identical course SM and VLE platforms

- Run pilots in parallel

- Training for course creators and tutors

- Evaluations

- Conclusions

- Recommendations and tool kit

Social learning

We all want the next big thing. But the next

big thing is not always the next new thing.

In the late 1970s, Albert Bandura established

one of the most well-known theories of

modern social learning, which proposes that

people can learn in a social context.

Social learningAlbert Bandura said:

Learning can occur by observing others’ behaviours and the resulting outcomes

Learning can occur cognitively without a corresponding change in behaviour

Modelled behaviour is reinforced by producing desirable outcomes (for both the observed party and the learner)

Three variables in the social learning context—the learner, the behaviour, and the environment—can influence each other

Source http:\\www.blackboard.com

Bandura, A. (1977). Social Learning Theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall

Our project focuses on the

environment

Environment

Environment

Development

Course materials

Activities

Assessments

Forums and discussions

Challenges (VLE vs. SM)

Run Pilots

Varied participants

- Volunteers

- Work based learning

- Individuals with an interest

Encouraged and monitored discussions

Provided feedback on activities/assignments

Technical analytics

- Usage

- Navigation

- Participation

Observation

Questionnaires

Interviews

Provisional conclusions

Granular analytics not as easy on SM as

VLE

Submission of assignments easier on VLE

Learning materials not easy to publish on

SM

SM provided a more accessible

environment for sharing resources (e.g.

Images, videos, links, etc)

Provisional conclusions

Discussions in SM were in a

more informal language.

Discussions did not just focus

on the question posed, but had

a wider context where students

expanded to share their own

personal experiences

Discussions in VLE

were more structured

formal answers and

were more focused on

the original topic

Provisional conclusions

Next generation of VLEs

- Goes some way to integrate SM features

- Is it enough? Or does it still feel like a formal classroom environment?

Provisional conclusions and

moving forward

Carefully consider what the course is delivering and

requires

One is not better than the other but both have a place

and can complement each other

Consider using a mixture of VLE for the formal but SM for

study groups/projects

Is it the environment or the technology?

Further investigations needed

SOLSTICE & CLT Conference 2013

5th & 6th June 2013

Does the choice of online learning environment influence

social learning in online courses?

Q&A