Thursday, December 4, 2008
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.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
ACCESS & EQUITY Part 1
Have just accessed the Illuminate session with Pam McBride from the Disabilities Unit - here are some of my thoughts in terms of disability, access and equity and some current issues within my own area:
- literacy issues are ongoing within both the cert and degree programmes in fashion
- we have enlisted the help of the learning centre in developing reading and writing skills in particular for our Yr1 BDes students who all benefit from essay writing skills etc as we found that teaching staff were using up valuable studio time teaching students how to read and write to the required academic level
- certainly open entry into cert programmes has increased the pressure on teaching staff however as mentioned by Pam the rewards of student success are a bonus
- identifying as having a disability is a difficult thing to do for many students and I sometimes think a name change for the service might make it a more 'attractive' option!
- physical disability is certainly an issue in CBlock where we do not have easy access to our building and the second floor except thru the carpark and the Yr3 studio - would be difficult to accommodate a person in a wheelchair for example but not impossible
- we currently have a student with a broken arm who is unable to take part adequately in the current projects and is struggling with writing/typing an essay - I will be advocating she contacts the unit to access the Dragon software
- we are able to be flexible within our programme in terms of managing short term disability issues such as the broken arm - this particular student can be assessed on previous work of course but can also opt to complete the requirements of the project at a later date or enlist the help of others to complete parts of the project
- not sure how an ongoing disability would be managed within a course that does require a level of (skill) physical agility and dexterity
- mental illness and psychological impairment seems to be a more common problem with students - this is managed through a strong staff support network and referral to the appropriate agencies
- we have recently implemented a staff pastoral care programme where each staff member is allocated a cohort of students from each level and year group that they are 'responsible' for in terms of pastoral care - so far this system is working well, is supported by management and means an even distribution of responsibility for staff
- I am interested in the issue of equity in terms of files on blackboard etc and will certainly pass on the need for using easy access files
- being flexible in terms of all delivery of teaching and learning and especially in terms of access and equity is an ongoing challenge - each case requires individual assessment
- inclusion of the student in the solutions is essential as sometimes the 'institution' makes sweeping decisions on what is best for students without fully consulting.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Issues with Flexible learning - Sustainability + NEW FLEXIBLE TEACHING AND LEARNING PLAN IDEA
Toward sustainable practitioners - Sam Mann blog - I attended a presentation from Sam Mann as part of reflecting on the Graduate profiles for the whole design department earlier in 2008. Questions asked:
1. What does it mean to be a sustainable practitioner in your field? (and what progress are you making towards this)
2. How is this understanding being reflected in your programmes (Graduate profiles, learning outcomes etc)
3. Evidence of how this is making a difference in teaching and learning.
Some answers: Use of materials is an ongoing area of concern within the fashion industry as is the ethical use of the workforce - sustainable design considers the process from conception of the idea through to the finished article/object - reference to the concept of 'cradle to cradle' (McDonough and Braungart 2003) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cradle_to_Cradle and the 'triple bottom line' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_bottom_line is an essential part of this process. Students within the Yr2 Bachelor of Design (Fashion) programme currently undertake a series of lectures and workshops to increase awareness of these issues and are encouraged to incorporate these ideas into their design practice.
A study of current Yr2 BDes fashion students carried out this year by Tracy Kennedy & Caroline Terpstra has highlighted the understanding and awareness of these students and possible teaching and learning methodologies that can be employed to insure our students are responsible designers of the future and capable graduates. The outcomes and recommendations from this study/paper have yet to be fully realised (need to create a link to this paper yet - any ideas of the best place to put it - would actually like to put it somewhere on this blog)
Teaching and learning of sustainability and sustainable design practice requires overall institutional 'buy in' including a willingness to fund, support and participate in initiatives. Student centred teaching and learning projects incorporating action competency that enable students to fully participate and integrate sustainable knowledge have been shown to be the most effective.
NEW FLEXI TEACHING AND LEARNING PLAN IDEA:
1. What does it mean to be a sustainable practitioner in your field? (and what progress are you making towards this)
2. How is this understanding being reflected in your programmes (Graduate profiles, learning outcomes etc)
3. Evidence of how this is making a difference in teaching and learning.
Some answers: Use of materials is an ongoing area of concern within the fashion industry as is the ethical use of the workforce - sustainable design considers the process from conception of the idea through to the finished article/object - reference to the concept of 'cradle to cradle' (McDonough and Braungart 2003) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cradle_to_Cradle and the 'triple bottom line' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triple_bottom_line is an essential part of this process. Students within the Yr2 Bachelor of Design (Fashion) programme currently undertake a series of lectures and workshops to increase awareness of these issues and are encouraged to incorporate these ideas into their design practice.
A study of current Yr2 BDes fashion students carried out this year by Tracy Kennedy & Caroline Terpstra has highlighted the understanding and awareness of these students and possible teaching and learning methodologies that can be employed to insure our students are responsible designers of the future and capable graduates. The outcomes and recommendations from this study/paper have yet to be fully realised (need to create a link to this paper yet - any ideas of the best place to put it - would actually like to put it somewhere on this blog)
Teaching and learning of sustainability and sustainable design practice requires overall institutional 'buy in' including a willingness to fund, support and participate in initiatives. Student centred teaching and learning projects incorporating action competency that enable students to fully participate and integrate sustainable knowledge have been shown to be the most effective.
NEW FLEXI TEACHING AND LEARNING PLAN IDEA:
- It is intended that the outcomes and recommendations from the study above will be put to use within the programme
- I intend to use the knowledge gained through this study to develop a sustainable fashion business model/plan that can be utilised by students within a current course
- There is potential for this model to be used within other courses/programmes and by industry
- Fashion Design Studio 4 (Production Block) is a Term 4 paper at Year 2 of the BDes (Fashion) - a group project that involves students setting up a hypothetical fashion business/label and designing a range of garments for a local retailer
- Actual local retailers are part of this project and participate as part of the market research for a group and as buyers and moderators of outcomes
- The potential to gain industry 'buy in' is enormous
- Students are exposed to small business and marketing materials/resources including an introduction to sustainable business practice and manufacturing
- The current business plan will be developed further to fully incorporate sustainable practice principles and the fashion (design) outcomes will also reflect sustainable practice
- How is this flexible? - in terms of delivery this still needs "nutted out" but I imagine incorporating an online business plan template would be a good start
- There is the possibility of collaboration with an existing offering from Trade and Enterprise yet to be investigated:
- The Trade and Enterprise template is extremely thorough and takes a long time to navigate in its current form something that I believe may work against its use
- A more simple template with links that can be explored by those wanting extra information could be an alternative here
- I will review my current teaching and learning resources for this academic year and upcoming course however a complete revamp will require time and will be fully implemented next year 2009.
Finally to answer the question: What is the equivalent transparent design for teaching and flexible learning?
- socially aware teaching and flexible learning:
- no hidden agendas - clear directives
- equity for all learners
- managable workloads - time management
- access to resources and materials
- support services available
- blended delivery - online and face to face
Thats all for now............................
Monday, June 16, 2008
Ive been out and about in cyberspace 17th June
Heres some feedback for fellow particpants and comments on postings.
Annalynn Wk 14 (Wk8 ) blog - The Modern Internet - adding to the dialogue around technology, barriers and poor communication tools - herein lies the dilemna and the importance of the Design Phase as outlined by Bronwyn in her interview on YouTube about Flexi learning - technology is a tool to be used to the best advantage of the students you are teaching:
Design Phase:
- content and assessment
- technology support
- what can (your) students actually use
Bronwyn if I won lotto it would be laptops for all with the full adobe suite software installed and wireless internet - these could act as personal workbooks and visual diaries and wonderful research, development and design tools. Definitely think we could do away with some of the paper war we have in design!
Leighs comments on YouTube (newly arrived at Otago Poly I presume) indicated that his experience at that time was with "networked learning online" - I believe there is definitely a place for fully integrated online networks, in particular, in programmes with motivated students - as demonstrated by both Ken Wysocki and Merroly Penman in their interviews. How then can we fully engage less motivated students to participate? - chocolate fish maybe! - as part of their assessment?
I had considered that the extra workload/time committement required ( talked about by Ken and Merroly) would perhaps dissipate as you become more proficient at using the online facilities and tools however that does not seem to be the case - guess this also depends on your own availablity & committment to students - as with all teachers boundaries need to be put in place as being available so students can"reach out at any hour" (Wysocki) does not suit everyones work practice. Equity also has to apply to the teachers!
Merroly commented on the "repackaging" of existing face to face courses considering the learning environment and what it is you are wanting to create for the distance learners. I am beginning to fully appreciate the complexities of providing online and blended programmes alongside the face to face - in terms of assessment this could be a real challenge especially in the area of fashion design as the presence of a garment and the tactility of the fabric are an essential part of the experience. Second Life already entertains many fashion brands and stores where you can purchase clothing and accessories and of course online shopping in real life is the norm now - however for us fashion "purists" the phenomenological experience of clothing requires having a garment present, and for assessment purposes being able to see the actual stitching etc may be a requirement.
Comments on Plans viewed:
Fexible Frying (Steve Ellwood)'s Flexi draft plan and the current teaching tools on YouTube were pretty inspiring - the plan being a great integration of blended learning - the music videos also taking into account issues of access and equity - no speaking required - not only does it cut out a technical stage, it adds atmosphere, makes u concentrate on the visuals and tasks and can be utilised fully by the hard of hearing.
Megan from Nutrition could consider the benefits of reflective practice as part of her plan, integrating these into tutorials and requiring students to reflect on lecture content and tutorial discussion not only on a blog but also in a reflective diary. I find this encourages attendance too as it is a requirement of assessment.
Athena's plan is wonderfully ambitious and will require committment from OT and others - linking students with lecturers and clinicians and maintaining that level of committment will be key - enabling everyone to participate; so overcoming those possible barriers outlined by Bronwyn (mentioned earlier) with excellent design - wonder if a longer timeline may be needed.
Time to do some planning of my own - doing some planning for a paper for next semester and finding myself beginning to consider more flexible delivery options and of course my "thing" sustainablity integration. Great stuff.
Annalynn Wk 14 (Wk8 ) blog - The Modern Internet - adding to the dialogue around technology, barriers and poor communication tools - herein lies the dilemna and the importance of the Design Phase as outlined by Bronwyn in her interview on YouTube about Flexi learning - technology is a tool to be used to the best advantage of the students you are teaching:
Design Phase:
- content and assessment
- technology support
- what can (your) students actually use
Bronwyn if I won lotto it would be laptops for all with the full adobe suite software installed and wireless internet - these could act as personal workbooks and visual diaries and wonderful research, development and design tools. Definitely think we could do away with some of the paper war we have in design!
Leighs comments on YouTube (newly arrived at Otago Poly I presume) indicated that his experience at that time was with "networked learning online" - I believe there is definitely a place for fully integrated online networks, in particular, in programmes with motivated students - as demonstrated by both Ken Wysocki and Merroly Penman in their interviews. How then can we fully engage less motivated students to participate? - chocolate fish maybe! - as part of their assessment?
I had considered that the extra workload/time committement required ( talked about by Ken and Merroly) would perhaps dissipate as you become more proficient at using the online facilities and tools however that does not seem to be the case - guess this also depends on your own availablity & committment to students - as with all teachers boundaries need to be put in place as being available so students can"reach out at any hour" (Wysocki) does not suit everyones work practice. Equity also has to apply to the teachers!
Merroly commented on the "repackaging" of existing face to face courses considering the learning environment and what it is you are wanting to create for the distance learners. I am beginning to fully appreciate the complexities of providing online and blended programmes alongside the face to face - in terms of assessment this could be a real challenge especially in the area of fashion design as the presence of a garment and the tactility of the fabric are an essential part of the experience. Second Life already entertains many fashion brands and stores where you can purchase clothing and accessories and of course online shopping in real life is the norm now - however for us fashion "purists" the phenomenological experience of clothing requires having a garment present, and for assessment purposes being able to see the actual stitching etc may be a requirement.
Comments on Plans viewed:
Fexible Frying (Steve Ellwood)'s Flexi draft plan and the current teaching tools on YouTube were pretty inspiring - the plan being a great integration of blended learning - the music videos also taking into account issues of access and equity - no speaking required - not only does it cut out a technical stage, it adds atmosphere, makes u concentrate on the visuals and tasks and can be utilised fully by the hard of hearing.
Megan from Nutrition could consider the benefits of reflective practice as part of her plan, integrating these into tutorials and requiring students to reflect on lecture content and tutorial discussion not only on a blog but also in a reflective diary. I find this encourages attendance too as it is a requirement of assessment.
Athena's plan is wonderfully ambitious and will require committment from OT and others - linking students with lecturers and clinicians and maintaining that level of committment will be key - enabling everyone to participate; so overcoming those possible barriers outlined by Bronwyn (mentioned earlier) with excellent design - wonder if a longer timeline may be needed.
Time to do some planning of my own - doing some planning for a paper for next semester and finding myself beginning to consider more flexible delivery options and of course my "thing" sustainablity integration. Great stuff.
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