Practicing What We Preach: Research into E-Learning Tools for Faculty Learning & Knowledge Mobilization

Practicing What We Preach – Research into E-Learning Tools for

Faculty Learning & Knowledge Mobilization

Tom CareyUniversity of Waterloo & California State University

Would like to have titled…

E-Mobilizing Knowledge from E-Learning Research

Overview of this session

How does this help in Shaping our Future?

Barriers for faculty and examples of works-in-progress toaddress them:

•I don’t have enough time …•collaborative teams for course redesign

•I can’t understand it…•Knowledge syntheses and other “knowledge products”

•I need to see it in my context…•ELIXR case stories of exemplary teaching practice

•The truth is out there…somewhere …but I can’t find it•a Knowledge Exchange Network for Exemplary Teaching

How does this help in Shaping our Future?

Potential funders of e-learning research are interested in enhancing (teaching and) learning…

…we need to demonstrate impacts from our research.

“How we teach is a key part of what we teach”…

If we want students to thrive in a global knowledge economy, we must model the values and processes we want them to practice.

Challenges for Faculty to Use our Research (1):

I don’t have time…

Solution work-in-progress:

•Many hands make light work•Faculty cooperate on their individual course redesigns in a common target subject area

•E.g., California State University collaborative teams in Spring 08

General Chemistry and Developmental Mathematics.• Demo (private Google Groups website)


I can’t understand it…

Mobilizing knowledge from research requires additional steps

beyond other forms of knowledge exchange

•Example of a Knowledge Synthesis for/from cooperative teams:

•Teaching Cash Flow Statements to Business Students •Using Personal Response Systems to Engage Deep Learning•Teaching Fractions to Adults• Why students find atomic structure a challenge

Copyright ©1998 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.

Haynes, B. et al. BMJ 1998;317:273-276

Many new organizational forms and knowledge products are being developed to mobilize knowledge into practice and policy…

Design & Innovation team members (macro changes)

Knowledge Transfer team members (micro changes)- create knowledge syntheses as tools and legacy

Discipline colleagues

Cooperative Team Structure to Integrate Design and Knowledge Transfer


I need to see it in my context…

Solution work-in-progress:

ELIXR program to provide discipline-oriented case stories of exemplary practice (with links to research…)

Mobilize through teaching & learning centres

Components of an ELIXR case story

“What it is”: illustrations of needs, benefits, issues

“How it works”: Virtual class/course visits

“How I did it”: Illustration of steps

“But what about…” FAQs addressed by someone with whom

faculty can identify

(discipline, context,

career stage,

teaching philosophy…)

ELIXR tools:

• guides to using case stories• guides to creating case stories• case story templates• evaluation tools

• community workspace• management processes• adaptation tools


I need one stop shopping…

for the “wisdom of practice…insights from research…”

Research project commissioned by

ScholarlyResearch on Teaching &Learning (ch. 3)

Shared“Open”

Learning Resources

(ch. 4)Collaboratory Projects (ch. 5)

Reflections on Teaching& Expertise (ch. 1)

Educational Development Resources (ch. 6)

Examples of Online Artifacts for Mediated Knowledge Exchange

Expert teachers continually seek to enhance their practice,

led by their Passion for teaching

Institutions invite/encourage/requireuse and contribution as part of grants

to enhance teaching and other Programs

Mainstream teachers want to address specific learning challenges

for students. This Problem-drivenuse requires a significant volume of

high quality resources to be effective.

Strategic Priorities across institutionslead to cooperative knowledge exchange

(e.g., Degree level expectations, AcademicIntegrity, Transforming Course Design)

Distributed teams use an online collaboratory

for knowledge exchange and knowledge-building

on specific Projects

Who Will Use & Contribute to a Knowledge Exchange Network for Exemplary

Teaching?

Research Overview

Stakeholder Roundtable& Roadmap

Pilot Studies

leading to the initiation & evolution of an online

Knowledge Exchange Network

to enhance teaching & learning in Ontario higher education

Faculty Catalysts

Post for public consultation:knowledgexchangenetwork.edublogs.org

Engage Canadian& Global

Collaborations

Steps toward a Knowledge Exchange Network for Exemplary Teaching

Contact information: [email protected]

Private Google Groups workspace will soon have a public excerpt(email Tom to be notified)

Information about CSU Transforming Course Design project:

http://www.calstate.edu/ats/transforming_course_design/

http://transform.csuprojects.org

ELIXR: http://elixr.merlot.org

Email Tom for access to the case story on Using Debates for Integrative Learning on Global Climate Change

Report on a Knowledge Exchange Network for Exemplary Teaching:

http://knowledgexchangenetwork.edublogs.org