Open, Connected, Social – Implications for Educational Design

Campus-Wide Information Systems Open, connected, social – implications for educational design Alec Couros Article information: To cite this document: Alec Couros, (2009),"Open, connected, social – implications for educational design", Campus-Wide Information Systems, Vol. 26 Iss 3 pp. 232 - 239 Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/10650740910967393 Downloaded on: 23 June 2016, At: 04:18 (PT) References: this document contains references to 10 other documents. To copy this document: [email protected] The fulltext of this document has been downloaded 1116 times since 2009* Users who downloaded this article also downloaded: (2011),"Connectivism: Learning theory and pedagogical practice for networked information landscapes", Reference Services Review, Vol. 39 Iss 4 pp. 675-685 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/00907321111186686 (2011),"Affect and digital learning at the university level", Campus-Wide Information Systems, Vol. 28 Iss 2 pp. 114-123 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/10650741111117815 (2011),"Emergence of open educational resources (OER) in India and its impact on lifelong learning", Library Hi Tech News, Vol. 28 Iss 5 pp. 10-15 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/07419051111163848

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CWIS 26,3 Open, connected, social – implications for educational design 232 Alec Couros Faculty of Education, University of Regina, Regina, Canada

Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the design and implementation of an open access, graduate education course where openness, connectivism, and social learning are guiding principles. The described experience aims to offer insight into developing courses that respond to changes in the manner in which individuals learn, connect, and form knowledge. Design/methodology/approach – The course implements Web 2.0 and open source software within the learning environment. Pedagogical processes are also congruent with philosophies inherent in the open source movement, especially group collaboration and transparency. Findings – The facilitation of this course is complex and would likely be difficult for many instructors. However, student satisfaction is high and long-term, social learning benefits are perceived to be positive. Originality/value – This course is one of the first of its kind, and one that inspired other explorations into open teaching/pedagogical course formats. Keywords Open learning, E-learning, Communication technologies, Learning methods Paper type Case study

1. Introduction This paper describes the development and facilitation of “open, connected, social,” a graduate course in educational technology ﬁrst offered in January 2008, at the Faculty of Education, University of Regina. This online course, facilitated primarily through Web 2.0 and open source software, was designed to foster an immersive experience where participants could engage in and critically interpret digital content, tools and emerging pedagogies. This paper is written from the perspective of the course developer and facilitator. Downloaded by Wilfrid Laurier University At 04:18 23 June 2016 (PT) These sections follow: ﬁrst, the paper begins with a discussion of theories and concepts that informed the course development and facilitation model. Second, the course format is described including a description of assessments, activities, and networked experiences. Finally, there is a discussion of early successes and lessons learned through the development and delivery of this course.

2. Theoretical foundations The development of “open, connected, social” was largely influenced by three theories: social cognitive theory, connectivism, and open thinking. These theories Campus-Wide Information Systems informed a model of course, facilitation that stressed student immersion in social Vol. 26 No. 3, 2009 pp. 232-239 activities, the development of social connections, and the use of free and open q Emerald Group Publishing Limited technologies and processes including open source software, open content, and open 1065-0741 DOI 10.1108/10650740910967393 publishing. 2.1 Social cognitive theory Implications Social cognitive theory finds its early roots in the area of social learning theory originally for educational proposed by Miller and Dollard (1941). Social learning theory helps to explain how humans adopt behaviours through the observation of others. If individuals perceive design positive, desired outcomes related to a specific behaviour, they might be more likely to imitate and adopt the behaviour themselves. Bandura and Walters (1963) broadened this theory to include observational learning and vicarious reinforcement. Later, Bandura 233 (1997) added the concept of self-efficacy, “people’s judgments of their capabilities to organize and execute courses of action required to attain designated types of performances” (p. 391). Self-efficacy is a focal point of social cognitive theory and helps to distinguish it from earlier social learning theories. Bandura (1997) considered self-efficacy beliefs to be the most influential arbiter of human activity and it is an important concept in conceptualizing student-centred learning environments (Lorsbach and Jinks, 1999). Bandura (1997) introduced four factors affecting self-efficacy. These include: (1) Experience. Past experiences are an important factor in influencing self-efficacy. Simply put, success raises self-efficacy and failure lowers it. (2) Modeling (or vicarious experience). Individuals compare themselves with their peers. If individuals view success in peers, self-efficacy will likely increase. (3) Social persuasions. This concept relates to encouragements and discouragements. Positive reinforcement or assessments from peers have a favourable effect on self-efficacy. (4) Physiological factors. Physiological responses may influence an individual’s self-efficacy. For instance, if individuals become stressed or anxious when using technology, they may view this as a sign of their own inability. However, for those with already higher self-efficacy, this nervousness may be perceived as a normal response to pressure.

Social cognitive theory and these four factors related to self-efﬁcacy were important considerations in the development of activities and assessments in this course. In general, these theoretical principles informed practice that utilized the modeling and interaction of expert learners within the course experience. For example, most

Downloaded by Wilfrid Laurier University At 04:18 23 June 2016 (PT) registered participants in the course were inexperienced in both the use of social technologies (Web 2.0), free software, and internet-mediated communications. Through the invitation of non-registered participants, those who possessed strong expertise in these areas, the registered participants were provided with appropriate and beneﬁcial examples of digital communications and practice. Registered participants observed and then experienced these interactions and soon became comfortable with both the technologies and types of communication used throughout the course.

2.2 Connectivism While social learning theory finds its roots in both behaviourist and cognitivist traditions, connectivism (Siemens, 2005) appears to be heavily influenced by theories of social constructivism (Vygotsky, 1978), network theory (Baraba´si, 2002; Watts, 2004), and chaos theory (Gleick, 1987). Connectivism is a learning theory that emphasizes the CWIS importance of non-human appliances, hardware and software, and network connections 26,3 for human learning. The theory stresses the development of “metaskills” for evaluating and managing information and network connections, and notes the importance of information pattern recognition as a learning strategy. Connectivists recognize the influences that information and communication technologies have on human cognition, and theorize that technology is reshaping the ways that humans create, store, and share 234 knowledge. Principles of connectivism that are relevant to the development and facilitation of “open, connected, social” include the following: . Learning and knowledge rests in diversity. . Dynamic learning is a process of connecting “specialized nodes” (p. 4) ideas, information and digital interfaces. . “Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known” (p. 4). . Fostering and maintaining connections is critical to knowledge generation. . A multidisciplinary, multiliteracy approach to knowledge generation is a core tenet of connectivism. . Decision making is both action and learning: “Choosing what to learn and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality” (Siemens, 2005, p. 4).

A connectivist approach to course design acknowledges the complexities of knowledge management and learning in the digital age. In response to this theoretical view, the course promoted the development of personal learning networks (PLNs) by students and facilitators to assist knowledge/network formation by learners. The tools of each PLN varied, but often consisted of a personal blog, wiki, delicious account (social bookmarking), twitter account (microblogging), and other social media sharing services. Each learner developed a different PLN, consisting of different members within and outside the course community. These networks were developed through a student-centric approach, with the understanding that the needs of each student in the course were dramatically different. Through the development of the PLN, it was hoped that an environment for individual and group learning would develop, and outlive the general structures of the course itself. Downloaded by Wilfrid Laurier University At 04:18 23 June 2016 (PT)

2.3 Open thinking The third major theoretical inﬂuence for the development and facilitation of “open, connected, social” was the concept of open thinking. This concept is derived from a doctoral research study of teachers, educational administrators, educational theorists, and technical experts who had moved away from the use of proprietary software and publishing processes toward open source, open access, and democratic publishing tools and philosophies. Open thinking, in part, is deﬁned as: [...] the tendency of an individual, group or institution to give preference to the adoption of open technologies or formats in regards to software, publishing, content and practice. Open thinkers critique, question and seek to reject technologies or formats that compromise the power of adopters, especially in the freedom to use, reuse, edit and share creative works and tools (Couros, 2006, p. 148). While the study dealt mostly with educators, the concept of open thinking was Implications developed as a larger, societal concept as it was primarily extracted from philosophies for educational found outside of educational practice. However, in the development of this graduate course, I began to localize “open thinking” into an actionable philosophy that I now design refer to as “open teaching”. Open teaching can be described as the facilitation and promotion of learning experiences that are open, transparent, collaborative, and social. Open teachers may take several approaches to this achieve this goal, including: the use 235 of free and or open source software, the use and promotion of open content, open access session formats, open publication throughout the course, and perhaps most vitally, the shared development of student-centred learning networks. These were all strategies used in the facilitation of this course.

2.4 Synthesis Social cognitive theory, connectivism and open thinking were the three major philosophical inﬂuences for the development and facilitation of “open, connected, social.” From these theories, guiding principles for the course were synthesized and established. They include the following: . The instructor and assistants will assume roles as facilitators and social connectors, rather than deliverers of knowledge. . Course content will be offered through conversations with invited guests, and in student participation in the greater educational network (e.g. edublogosphere). . Students will immerse themselves in social knowledge creation and collaborative skill-building activities. . Student learning will be explicitly aligned with personal and professional learning goals. . Students will engage in the use of emerging technological tools (e.g. Web 2.0) for the critical consumption and production of content. . Students will participate in distributed conversations, be immersed in relevant topics, and reﬂect on personal learning experiences. . Students will engage in the development of student-centred, PLNs with the hope

Downloaded by Wilfrid Laurier University At 04:18 23 June 2016 (PT) that these networks outlive the course itself. . Course facilitation tools and processes will favour the use of free and open source software (FOSS), free services, open access tools, open formats, and transparent course mechanisms.

These principles guided the development of the course assessments and processes and are described in the next section.

3. Key design elements This section gives an overview of the course, describes the major assessments, synchronous activities, and course facilitation tools. It is important to note that, the majority of participants are practicing teachers or educational administrators, and therefore, course assessments and activities were designed to be both relevant and challenging in respect to their existing professional roles. CWIS 3.1 Major assessments 26,3 Three major student assessments guided student activities for the duration of this course experience: the development of a personal blog/electronic portfolio, the collaborative development of a wiki resource, and a major digital project. 3.1.1 Personal blog/electronic portfolio. Each student developed an electronic space to document learning, provide critique of course, readings and activities, and to foster 236 personal and professional reflection. The spaces became portals to student professional activities, and acted as distributed communication mechanisms – an alternative to centralized, managed discussion forums. Students chose from a variety of services to host their spaces and each was customized by the learner. Our hope is that these blogs are maintained beyond the duration of the course. 3.1.2 Collaborative wiki resource. Students worked collaboratively to create a wiki focused on the use of technology in teaching in learning. This resource, found at: http://t4tl. wikispaces.com, is the result of hundreds of student edits, and covers topics such as tools and techniques, digital pedagogies, virtual worlds, mobile learning, course management software, digital storytelling, screencasting, and podcasting. The site also provides case studies of technology use in the classroom supported by rich examples and media. 3.1.3 Major digital project. The major digital project was designed flexibly so that students could develop a relevant resource for their specific professional context. Some students engaged in producing videos, instructional resources, and other multimedia. Others engaged in global collaborative projects, developed online social networks, or produced local professional development workshops. The activities reflected the range of student technological competencies and professional/personal interests.

3.2 Synchronous activities To support the major assessments and provide content-rich opportunities, two synchronous sessions were offered weekly. Sessions varied in length from one to two hours, provided conversations with guests around theoretical issues or alternately, and were more skills focused (hands on). Additionally, these sessions helped to foster a sense of community among the course participants, the instructor, teaching assistants and guests from outside the course. 3.2.1 Hands-on sessions. Student technological competencies varied greatly from the onset of the course. A series of hands-on sessions were provided to help students

Downloaded by Wilfrid Laurier University At 04:18 23 June 2016 (PT) gain the knowledge and skills needed to better succeed in the technical aspects of the major project components. 3.2.2 Guest sessions. Leaders in the greater educational technology community were invited to participate in conversations with course participants. Notable presenters included Dr Richard Schwier, Stephen Downes and George Siemens. Sample topics included social learning tools, the history of educational technology, remote access, connectivism, open learning repositories, and personal learning. All conversations, including audio, video, and any instructional aids (e.g. slides and web resources), have been archived for future use.

3.3 Course facilitation tools The favoured primary tools used to facilitate “open, connected, social” were free and open source tools and services were favoured in the facilitation of this course. However, a number of proprietary tools were also used where deemed appropriate. 3.3.1 Wordpress. All students used the open source software Wordpress as their Implications blogging engine. While most used hosted services (e.g. Wordpress.com), some have now for educational moved to self-hosted solutions. Wordpress was also the software used for the course blog found at: www.educationaltechnology.ca/eci831 design 3.3.2 Wikispaces. Wikispaces is a free, hosted wiki service that allows simple, web collaboration. The “open, connected, social” course site was hosted primarily through the use of a Wikispaces wiki. This wiki featured course assessments, course calendar, 237 tutorials, session summaries, and a participant directory with student bios. The course wiki can be viewed at: http://eci831.wikispaces.com 3.3.3 Elluminate/Adobe Connect/Ustream. A number of tools were used to facilitate the synchronous sessions. Adobe Connect, a proprietary web conferencing tool, was ﬁrst chosen as a relatively inexpensive solution. However, Connect was dropped after the ﬁrst two sessions as audio was poor, and course participants experienced a number of system crashes. Elluminate, a more expensive web conferencing tool, was used next, and was found to be much more stable than Connect. However, participants and presenters found Elluminate to have a non-intuitive interface and the software contributed to a number of system crashes. Finally, Ustream.tv (a free service) was used in combination with Skype, an audio conferencing tool, to produce a very usable and robust system for course conversations. Ironically, the free tools were found to be the most stable, and thus, preferred by students and other course participants. A precise description of how these tools were used can be found at: http://educationaltechnology.ca/couros/765

4. Successes and lessons learned From the point of view of course, facilitator, several successes, and lessons learned can be shared at this preliminary stage. Further exploration of these issues, including the collection and analysis of student data are currently in progress.

4.1 Student feedback has been very positive Students have produced unsolicited reflections of their experience in the course. The following statements are representative of many similar writings from students in the course. Pseudonyms have been given to ensure anonymity: The course, the last one in my program, has been the most profound professional Downloaded by Wilfrid Laurier University At 04:18 23 June 2016 (PT) development experience I have ever had. It forced me to critique and review my own practice. I never thought about open access before. I never knew how important online social networks were. Now, I couldn’t be a teacher without being connected. It’s drastically changed my view of education (Melanie, e-mail message). The quality of presenters and the activities that were relevant to my classroom experience made this class perfect for me. I have learned so much about teaching in the digital age. I am now a networked learner. I am part of a network, and I feel that I have become a better teacher. My students love the change! (Suzanne, e-mail message). I never would have thought that teachers in my school would look to me for advice about technology. Now, I feel so much more confident about technology. I used to be scared of it. Now I feel like I have become a leader in my school in tech and teaching (David, e-mail message). Participants generally reported increased confidence in personal technological competencies, the importance of establishing and leveraging personal social CWIS networks for teaching and learning, and a renewed sense of leadership as viewed by 26,3 peers and colleagues. 4.2 Distributed conversation more authentic, but difficult to track Rather than using a central discussion forum and a course management system (e.g. Blackboard and Moodle), the course utilized several tools to help distribute the 238 conversation of students (e.g. blogs, wikis, podcasts, and Google groups). For novice users, this was initially problematic. Students found it difficult to manage the conversations in the course, and to keep up with all of the blog posts, wiki edits, and audio recordings. However, feed reader tools such as Google Reader were presented to students early in the course. Students learned quickly to use this tool to capture conversations and postings from various sources to a central location. This enabled students to subscribe to course content, and eventually, allowed students to subscribe to a number of other information sources outside of the course. One student commented: I was lost in the first part of this course. Once I figured out how to use Google Reader, and get everyone’s blogs in there, I couldn’t imagine reading the web in the old way. Doing it this way allowed conversations to happen where they naturally occurred, rather than always bringing it back to a central place (Jeff, e-mail message).

4.3 Free and open tools and services are valuable to online courses As outlined in the previous section, a number of free and open source tools and services were used to develop and facilitate the course experience. Blogs and wikis were more than sufﬁcient in handling the majority of functions offered by a traditional content management system (e.g. Blackboard and Moodle), minus a few notable exceptions (e.g. grading tools and student reporting). Additionally, open wikis and blogs created a transparent course environment where observers could co-participate in course experiences with registered students. This transparent environment is counter to the “walled-garden” approach typical of contemporary course management systems. Beneﬁts of each model can be examined, but this debate is not within the scope of this paper.

4.4 Social networks can provide valuable experiences for students A number of notable projects resulted from the use of social networks in the course. These projects were a result of students connecting with other classrooms and individuals for Downloaded by Wilfrid Laurier University At 04:18 23 June 2016 (PT) common, educational goals. Some of these projects are (insert list of three projects). 4.4.1 Collaborative Iditarod project. A student in the course developed a collaborative project with classrooms from two Canadian cities, a classroom from the USA, and one from the Middle East. The goal of the project was to develop an understanding of Alaska, the Iditarod (dog sled) race, geography, climate, and culture. Together, students from each of the participating classrooms tracked the progress of the race, while learning about Alaska. 4.4.2 Parents 2.0 social network. Another student created a social network focused on parent education issues related to technology and children. The site included resources, literature, surveys, legal guidelines, multimedia, and the ability to share and discuss issues. The site is a unique resource and has attracted much interest from parents and educators. 4.4.3 Classroom blogs. Several classroom blogs were developed during the course. Blogs that were perceived to be most successful included links and access to community (e.g. parental participation), multi-subject area content (e.g. content covering several Implications courses taught), visible guidelines and mission statements, and multimedia created by for educational K-12 students. These spaces were well received by students, and more apparent, most parents were excited to have an online link to the learning activities of their children. design

5. Closing This paper highlighted the processes involved in the development and facilitation of the 239 course “open, social, connected.” Careful attention to the course’s theoretical foundations, ﬂexible assessment models, collaborative activities, and the use of emerging technologies (e.g. Web 2.0 tools and FOSS) helped to make this course successful for its students. Participants leveraged new technologies, immersed themselves in new forms of pedagogy, and connected and conversed with content experts and colleagues from around the globe. Perhaps, the most telling quotes regarding the success of the course comes from Jennifer as she writes, “the best part of this course is that it’s not ending. With the connections we’ve built, it never has to end” (blog post).

References Bandura, A. (1997), Self-efﬁcacy: The Exercise of Control,W.H.Freeman&Company,NewYork,NY. Bandura, A. and Walters, R.H. (1963), Social Learning and Personality Development, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York, NY. Baraba´si, A. (2002), Linked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else,Plume,NewYork,NY. Couros, A.V. (2006), “Examining the open movement: possibilities and implications for education”, PhD dissertation, The University of Regina (Canada), Regina, Publication No. AAT NR29183, ProQuest Digital Dissertations Database, March 11, 2008. Gleick, J. (1987), Chaos: Making a New Science, Viking, New York, NY. Lorsbach, A. and Jinks, J. (1999), “Self-efﬁcacy theory and learning environment research”, Learning Environments Research, Vol. 2 No. 2, pp. 157-67. Miller, N.E. and Dollard, J. (1941), Social Learning and Imitation, Yale University Press, New Haven, CT. Siemens, G. (2005), “Connectivism: a learning theory for the digital age”, available at: www. elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm (accessed January 19, 2008). Vygotsky, L. (1978), Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. Downloaded by Wilfrid Laurier University At 04:18 23 June 2016 (PT) Watts, D. (2004), Six Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age, W.W. Norton & Company, New York, NY.

About the author Alec Couros is the Coordinator of Information and Communication Technologies and an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Education, University of Regina, Regina, Canada. He also serves as the Assistant Director of the Saskatchewan Instructional Development and Research Unit. He is a scholar and advocate of openness in distributed learning environments. He has given hundreds of workshops and presentations, nationally and internationally, on topics such as openness in education, social learning, instructional design, digital citizenship, and critical media literacy. He blogs at: http://couros.ca Alec Couros can be contacted at: alec. [email protected]

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