Thanks Leigh for your comments about funding and wiki books. I had not fully considered the possibility of OER (open educational resources) but think this is a great idea now I have read a bit more about it. http://wikieducator.org/OER_Handbook/educator/Introduction/Defining_OER
I am slowly working on the plan of attack and presentation of this resource development idea - I see the need for an accessible sustainable design tool/model available to both students and designers working within industry. Building on ideas from Thomas & van Kopplen (2005) from RMIT and van Kopplen's LIDA (low impact design approach) & “Fashion Design/Production Loop”. http://www.hhc.rca.ac.uk/archive/hhrc/programmes/include/2005/proceedings/pdf/thomassue.pdf (page 6,7). This prompt and reflective tool enables students to make good/sound ethical and sustainable choices throughout the design process and the supply chain.
In my quest to create a design "sustain-ability" (Fry 1999 pg viii) http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=24872996 resource tool I will begin within fashion design. Future intentions include creating a model that can be adapted by other disciplines and used by students and industry based designers. It is essential that the resource I develop although informed by Anthea van Kopplen's extensive research and development is a stand alone project. However on saying this I believe it would be beneficial (prudent) to approach Anthea van Kopplen with my project/resource development plan. Consulting and/or collaborating with experts within this area will be a crucial part of the development of this resource. Liaison within the fashion & design industries will further ensure currency. Developing the actual resource will require input from others including funding, education and IT support as well as design for print. This resource development is to be tied into my ongoing research into the most effective teaching and learning strategies for sustainable design education.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Funding support for flexible learning development
I recently attended the Spotlight on Teaching Colloquium http://hedc.otago.ac.nz/hedc/research/Spotlight-on-Teaching-Colloquia/rightParagraphs/00/document/Spotlight%20Programme.pdf at Otago University in conjunction with Otago Polytechnic. A great 2 days encouraging excellence in teaching practice.
Ako Aotearoa the National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence http://akoaotearoa.ac.nz/ were present and I was able to approach Bridget O'Regan, the Southern Hub coordinator about my ideas for producing a resource. The Regional Hub Project Fund has been set up "to support small projects designed to enhance tertiary teaching and learning." Applications can be made at any time for "implementation/developmental projects or to support research." I will be approaching Ako Aotearoa with a proposal next year and am very happy to be in the position of being able to develop a 'plan of attack' as part of the Flexi course. The funding could be directed toward the actual physical development of the resource: prototypes; printing costs; costs of consultation. The colloquium was an exciting event on several levels as I also discovered like minded teachers and researchers in the area of sustainability and was able to validate my own teaching and learning practices.
UNESCO has available the Beeby Fellowship http://www.nzcer.org.nz/ - offered once a year with applications due in the November of the previous year; funding is available to research an innovative programme with a focus on enhanced practice and student learning. The Fellow is required to prepare a book or resource based on the innovation. This could be an opportunity for 2010 and the $25,000 + expenses would cover a leave of absence from the Polytechnic to research and develop a resource further.
Another possible area for funding is the Otago Polytechnic's Teaching Innovation Fund - this could be utilised in the same manner as the Ako Aotearoa funding for development (including further research) of the actual resource. I am keen to develop a resource and teaching & learning tool that helps direct fashion designers toward making the best sustainable decisions possible within their practice and/or business initiatives.
Ako Aotearoa the National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence http://akoaotearoa.ac.nz/ were present and I was able to approach Bridget O'Regan, the Southern Hub coordinator about my ideas for producing a resource. The Regional Hub Project Fund has been set up "to support small projects designed to enhance tertiary teaching and learning." Applications can be made at any time for "implementation/developmental projects or to support research." I will be approaching Ako Aotearoa with a proposal next year and am very happy to be in the position of being able to develop a 'plan of attack' as part of the Flexi course. The funding could be directed toward the actual physical development of the resource: prototypes; printing costs; costs of consultation. The colloquium was an exciting event on several levels as I also discovered like minded teachers and researchers in the area of sustainability and was able to validate my own teaching and learning practices.
UNESCO has available the Beeby Fellowship http://www.nzcer.org.nz/ - offered once a year with applications due in the November of the previous year; funding is available to research an innovative programme with a focus on enhanced practice and student learning. The Fellow is required to prepare a book or resource based on the innovation. This could be an opportunity for 2010 and the $25,000 + expenses would cover a leave of absence from the Polytechnic to research and develop a resource further.
Another possible area for funding is the Otago Polytechnic's Teaching Innovation Fund - this could be utilised in the same manner as the Ako Aotearoa funding for development (including further research) of the actual resource. I am keen to develop a resource and teaching & learning tool that helps direct fashion designers toward making the best sustainable decisions possible within their practice and/or business initiatives.
Flexi learning in educational organisations
Otago Polytechnic has developed an extremely thorough charter/strategic plan: http://www.otagopolytechnic.ac.nz/fileadmin/Corporate/PDFs/About/Otago_Polytechnic_Charter_2006-2010_.pdf outlining in detail philosophies specific to the needs of staff and students/stakeholders alike. In particular there is a focus on excellence and development of teaching and learning. Flexible teaching and learning is an obvious focus too - the second paragraph of the Introduction of the charter (pg1) makes a statement about engagement with diverse stakeholders regardless of location. This is a theme throughout the charter and is included in the Vision "The flexibility of our delivery and our willingness to accommodate the specific learning aspirations of students through individualised and cross disciplinary programmes of learning." (pg2)
Such statements as " accessibility for all learners"; "valuing diversity" ; ''personalised programme delivery" and among the Strategic Goals (pgs 4-5)" Learning: to provide relevant, flexible and accessible learning opportunities which build capability, are stimulating and challenging and foster lifelong learning" build on this theme. Issues of equal opportunity, ethnicity, age, abilities and disability are addressed under the heading of Equity. Under 'Meeting Learner Needs' (pg 7) there is a focus on personalised learning, quality assurance, support and access. Ongoing consultation with local Iwi diverse communites and stakeholders is addressed. (pg 15)
Overall the Otago Polytechnic charter is an inclusive document highlighting the needs of a diverse group of students, staff and stakeholders. Flexible teaching and learning is in fact a focus and addressed throughout the document.
The focus for my flexi learning development plan is on the development of a teaching and learning resource related to the fashion design process/supply chain and issues of sustainablity and will need to address all the issues discussed within the Polytechnic Charter to be relevant to a diverse group of learners. This resource will need to be accessible online as well as in an easy to use hard copy format and as a CD. I would like this resource to be made available to students and industry alike and to be in a format that could be adapted for other disciplines. There is the need for funding for this development so I will be looking into AKO Aotearoa and Otago Polytechnics Teaching Innovation fund as possible sources for funding.
Such statements as " accessibility for all learners"; "valuing diversity" ; ''personalised programme delivery" and among the Strategic Goals (pgs 4-5)" Learning: to provide relevant, flexible and accessible learning opportunities which build capability, are stimulating and challenging and foster lifelong learning" build on this theme. Issues of equal opportunity, ethnicity, age, abilities and disability are addressed under the heading of Equity. Under 'Meeting Learner Needs' (pg 7) there is a focus on personalised learning, quality assurance, support and access. Ongoing consultation with local Iwi diverse communites and stakeholders is addressed. (pg 15)
Overall the Otago Polytechnic charter is an inclusive document highlighting the needs of a diverse group of students, staff and stakeholders. Flexible teaching and learning is in fact a focus and addressed throughout the document.
The focus for my flexi learning development plan is on the development of a teaching and learning resource related to the fashion design process/supply chain and issues of sustainablity and will need to address all the issues discussed within the Polytechnic Charter to be relevant to a diverse group of learners. This resource will need to be accessible online as well as in an easy to use hard copy format and as a CD. I would like this resource to be made available to students and industry alike and to be in a format that could be adapted for other disciplines. There is the need for funding for this development so I will be looking into AKO Aotearoa and Otago Polytechnics Teaching Innovation fund as possible sources for funding.
Cultural diversity revisited
Great feedback Leigh - many really good ideas to consider in terms of language barriers, translation and teaching and learning possibilities. Agree that it is important to distinguish a student with a more personalised view and knowledge of their specific nationality rather than putting all students under the "international" umbrella. It is extremely important as you suggest that we dont "regionalise" students and have an understanding that within one particular geographical area there are many diverse cultures. I have found it helpful to encourage students to note take and reflect/design within their visual diaries in their own language - this tends to lead to a greater development of ideas - we can see they have developed these ideas without having to actually understand the written word + the student can verbally explain ideas as required. Thanks also for the comment posted by Brian UK about Esperanto - had a vague knowledge of this language and the video link was a great introduction. Certainly an international common language would be extremely valuable especially in education.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Cultural Diversity
Flexible teaching and learning practice along with sustainability issues is now at the forefront of my thoughts when developing or redeveloping courses within the design school (funnily enough!) and I have begun to note more consciously how our international students manage within our programme and context as well.
We dont have many international students enrolled however most are from an Asian background with english as a second language. We have exchange students from IED design schools from Italy and currently two from Spain so the issue of language, cultural differences and understanding are ongoing.
It has recently become more clear to me that the language barrier is sometimes much greater than realised as are the actual cultural references for these students and the difficulties they have in integrating into our context. It has generally been expected and accepted by these international students that they will mostly "fit in" to our programme with support from the International Dept as required. This tends to mean these students often achieve at a lower level and the time and energy required by tutors is far greater than with regular students.
We are mostly working with conceptual and design development paradigms that are often very unfamiliar to these students and extremely hard to explain verbally. I have found visuals and examples of student work to be the best form of explaining complex ideas but have recently wondered about converting some of my PPs and resources to another language or providing other language alternatives - will investigate this further.
Modelling of best practice and making excellent examples of course requirements available is key. I have considered using other students within the class as mentors for the international students however am afraid this will put undue stress on the other students. Sometimes the mentoring process happens as a matter of course especially within group projects although the frustration of miscommunication is at times obvious. More regular formative feedback for these students would be an advantage too.
Another tool for better communication would be to have international students talk about their own experiences as part of a formal class reflection session.
Overall I can see this is an area to work on as currently I believe that many, but not all, international students appear to be at a disadvantage within our current teaching and learning contexts and delivery.
We dont have many international students enrolled however most are from an Asian background with english as a second language. We have exchange students from IED design schools from Italy and currently two from Spain so the issue of language, cultural differences and understanding are ongoing.
It has recently become more clear to me that the language barrier is sometimes much greater than realised as are the actual cultural references for these students and the difficulties they have in integrating into our context. It has generally been expected and accepted by these international students that they will mostly "fit in" to our programme with support from the International Dept as required. This tends to mean these students often achieve at a lower level and the time and energy required by tutors is far greater than with regular students.
We are mostly working with conceptual and design development paradigms that are often very unfamiliar to these students and extremely hard to explain verbally. I have found visuals and examples of student work to be the best form of explaining complex ideas but have recently wondered about converting some of my PPs and resources to another language or providing other language alternatives - will investigate this further.
Modelling of best practice and making excellent examples of course requirements available is key. I have considered using other students within the class as mentors for the international students however am afraid this will put undue stress on the other students. Sometimes the mentoring process happens as a matter of course especially within group projects although the frustration of miscommunication is at times obvious. More regular formative feedback for these students would be an advantage too.
Another tool for better communication would be to have international students talk about their own experiences as part of a formal class reflection session.
Overall I can see this is an area to work on as currently I believe that many, but not all, international students appear to be at a disadvantage within our current teaching and learning contexts and delivery.
ACCESS & EQUITY PART 2
"E-learning is one important avenue for promoting greater access for all learners." (Barrie 2000)http://nw2000.flexiblelearning.net.au/main/key04.htm#abstract
An online article/paper fromDr Barrie O'Connor intitled 'E-learning and Students with Disabilities: From Outer Edge to Leading Edge' (see link above for full paper) has given me further insight into e-learning and in particular with reference to students with disabilites. The paper outlines the need and requirements associated with diversity, equity and access for those students with disabilites however I believe this applies to all students engaging in online e-learning.
Dr O,Connor discusses the history and current state of e-learning within an Australian context which makes it particulalrly relevant to us here in NZ. He discusses the potential for e-learning and the context in which it can be applied within higher education. A student centred learning focus (a need for some pedagogical changes), economics of online learning and speed of communication issues are outlined. Some possible solutions to problems are also outlined and the requirements of institutional support emphasised. The implications for higher education include three distinct areas:
1. universal design of curriculum - inclusive programme development and distance learning options
2. developing expertise in e-learning and techical knowhow requirement by teaching staff is essential to fascilitate online learning activities
3. issues of human rights and equal opportunities for all need to be addressed institutional wide and embedded within the institution
The principles of Universal Design http://nw2000.flexiblelearning.net.au/main/key04.htm#accomm are of particular interest and highlight the need for teachers to be flexible in their perceptions of what is the right environment for positive teaching and learning to take place.
In the section "new approaches to teaching" http://nw2000.flexiblelearning.net.au/main/key04.htm#new Dr O'Connor identifies the teacher as a discussion moderator for online conferencing and introduces ideas developed by Salmon (2000) who "identified five stages in the emergence of fully functioning computer mediated conferencing."
These stages included access and motivation; online socialisation; information exchange; knowledge construction and development of discussion. I personally found the five stages outlined particularly relevent to my own experiences of doing this course as these are the actual stages I have been experiencing!
Dr O'Connor discusses the importance of "embedding disability expertise across the institution" (Barrie 2000) for e-learning to be of benefit to students with disabilites with issues of accessibility being at the forefront of requirments. He concludes that e-learning has great potential for honouring diversity and "E-learning has the potential to progress people with disabilities from the outer edges of educational opportunity to the leading edge of educational innovation." (Barrie 2000)
How can issues to do with access and equity enhance and compliment my working context:
An online article/paper fromDr Barrie O'Connor intitled 'E-learning and Students with Disabilities: From Outer Edge to Leading Edge' (see link above for full paper) has given me further insight into e-learning and in particular with reference to students with disabilites. The paper outlines the need and requirements associated with diversity, equity and access for those students with disabilites however I believe this applies to all students engaging in online e-learning.
Dr O,Connor discusses the history and current state of e-learning within an Australian context which makes it particulalrly relevant to us here in NZ. He discusses the potential for e-learning and the context in which it can be applied within higher education. A student centred learning focus (a need for some pedagogical changes), economics of online learning and speed of communication issues are outlined. Some possible solutions to problems are also outlined and the requirements of institutional support emphasised. The implications for higher education include three distinct areas:
1. universal design of curriculum - inclusive programme development and distance learning options
2. developing expertise in e-learning and techical knowhow requirement by teaching staff is essential to fascilitate online learning activities
3. issues of human rights and equal opportunities for all need to be addressed institutional wide and embedded within the institution
The principles of Universal Design http://nw2000.flexiblelearning.net.au/main/key04.htm#accomm are of particular interest and highlight the need for teachers to be flexible in their perceptions of what is the right environment for positive teaching and learning to take place.
In the section "new approaches to teaching" http://nw2000.flexiblelearning.net.au/main/key04.htm#new Dr O'Connor identifies the teacher as a discussion moderator for online conferencing and introduces ideas developed by Salmon (2000) who "identified five stages in the emergence of fully functioning computer mediated conferencing."
These stages included access and motivation; online socialisation; information exchange; knowledge construction and development of discussion. I personally found the five stages outlined particularly relevent to my own experiences of doing this course as these are the actual stages I have been experiencing!
Dr O'Connor discusses the importance of "embedding disability expertise across the institution" (Barrie 2000) for e-learning to be of benefit to students with disabilites with issues of accessibility being at the forefront of requirments. He concludes that e-learning has great potential for honouring diversity and "E-learning has the potential to progress people with disabilities from the outer edges of educational opportunity to the leading edge of educational innovation." (Barrie 2000)
How can issues to do with access and equity enhance and compliment my working context:
- the issue of universal design and in particular the idea of programme design related to the environment - enviromental aspects are taken into account in regards to physical space available but how to enable students with disabilites or distance learners access to the same information - basic but essential!
- the need for IT support and teacher expertise in the technologies being used - currently this is the biggest barrier for me as I am slowly developing knowlegde and skills with online e-learning and the possibilites - there is still resistance from both teachers and learners as a whole new set of skills is required alongside the actual learning of the course content and information.
- embedding of expertise across the institution - Otago Polytechnic provides support and learning opportunities for both staff and students although with there only being one computer suite with specialised equipment required for overcoming disability issues this could be better - funding of course is an issue.
- overall taking in to account both the universal and individual needs of a range of students is the key - this requires staff with the required expertise and support for the same at all levels of the institution.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Issues of disability considered
Reply to Leighs comments:
Thanks leigh - I guess I was considering the physical requirements of the technical aspects of the fashion design degree - you are right in pointing out that some students take a course for interest only or parts of courses to further knowledge rather than with the expectation of using a skill in practice. The implications for flexible teaching and learning therefore become wider ranging as you suggest, especially in the use of the internet/online learning. Will certainly consider this more within the fashion school context.
Thanks leigh - I guess I was considering the physical requirements of the technical aspects of the fashion design degree - you are right in pointing out that some students take a course for interest only or parts of courses to further knowledge rather than with the expectation of using a skill in practice. The implications for flexible teaching and learning therefore become wider ranging as you suggest, especially in the use of the internet/online learning. Will certainly consider this more within the fashion school context.
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