| Introducing theory to practice in pedagogical planning |
|
|
|
Location: CAL conference, Dublin
Host/Speaker: Kevin Walker, Darren Pearce
Date and Time:
Tuesday, 27 March 2007, 16:00 - 17:20
|
For lecturers in higher education, planning for learning is a subjective and variable affair. There is an almost universally common practice however - most lecturers begin planning with paper and pencil, either in its physical form, or in the form of simple word processing software. Lecturers also, however, long for support in managing time, getting ideas and finding resources. These two counter-trends can be reconciled with technology, we believe, if it is firmly grounded in lecturers' own practice, remaining eminently practical while offering a level of support and ideas.
In designing such a planning tool we not only begin with lecturers' needs, but include lecturers - in a wide range of subject areas and technological prowess - in our design process all the way through. This is user-centred design - rapid prototyping with iterations being improved through continual use.
We have found - unsurprisingly - is that a tool must be practical, simple and flexible, since it is meant to save lecturers' time, not add to it. Most lecturers are not familiar with innovations in either pedagogy or technology. Flexibility is the real key - even the terminology used can vary widely. Thus we begin with a model with certain assumptions, but allow lecturers to 'break' it as they wish; and their changes can be automatically incorporated in future revisions. So the tool can get transformed, in a sense, into a community. This is additionally important because courses are sometimes led by several tutors, thus collaboration should be simple.
The given model is linear, beginning with module information which usually is given. But lecturers can begin at any point - at the module-planning level or at the session level, and at each level their changes propagate to the whole tool. Conversely, the tool can give feedback and support based on the given data, previous practice, or pedagogical theory, through links between the 'hard data' such as learning objectives and methods of assessment, and the 'soft data,' the creative planning of what actually happens in the classroom, whether online or face-to-face. Thus the tool remains focused on practical uses such as calculation and linkage, but while addressing the quantifiable aspects of planning, it can also act as a tool for thinking, prompting the lecturer to be aware of pedagogical approaches, innovative learning activities, and best practice.
---
This presentation will be part of a Symposium titled 'Designing for Learning - revolution or evolution', at the CAL conference. For details click here .
The pedagogical planning project is funded by JISC and led by LKL's Diana Laurillard . It also includes Harvey Mellar , Tim Neumann and Darren Pearce from LKL, as well as Tom Boyle and Claire Bradley from London Metropolitan University. Details about the project can be found here .
|
Back
|
