How e-Learning is Progressing at KTI

This blog is based on a report completed for the e-Learning Executive Group in response to a request by Karen Dickinson for a quick, easy to understand snapshot of where we are regarding e-learning at KTI.

I looked at course reports from the end of 2011, when all existing online courses were migrated to WestOne from CE8 to Blackboard 9, until the latest report in July 2013. The courses migrated over in October 2011 represented all the e-learning that had been developed at KTI from 2008 to 2011.

The data I selected only includes courses where there are student enrolments showing up, as student enrolments in a course (even if it is only one) indicates that course has been active in some way.  There are large numbers of course shells in the pre-2011 reports but mostly without student enrolments, which indicates no development of these shells took place and no substantial student access occurred.  Therefore, “Actively using” in this report means there are student enrolments showing in the report – course shells with 0 student enrolments have been disregarded for lecturer activity, student numbers and course numbers.

Uptake of e-Learning

 

Measure	2011	2012
Number of lecturers with courses on Blackboard that had enrolled students	12 lecturers	35 lecturers
Number of courses on Blackboard with students enrolled in them	14 courses	42 courses
Number of student Blackboard enrolments	87 students	508 students

Use of e-Learning by Portfolio

 

TL and BU have always led the e-learning field at KTI, with OH&S, IT and Business units lending themsleves to rapid implementation due to the large amounts of ready-made materials in these areas.  Some emerging areas are Access, Marine Studies and Community Services - see "Green Shoots" below.

 

   Emerging Green Shoots

 

 Access - Josh John's Youth Engagement Program on Blackboard.  Josh, aided by Bronwyn Lovell and Michelle Okonkwo, developed an engaging Blackboard environment for their group of young people.

Melanie Smith and Jane Appleton have set up a brand new Blackboard space for their Open Learning LLN students. They see it as a way to increase the student's digital literacy as well as their LLN skills, to give them a space online they can own, and to engage them in tasks such as sharing photographs and communicating with one another online

Maritime Services lecturers Ben Little and colleagues have created three courses on Blackboard in 2013 for their students due to the fact that there are low numbers scattered throughout the Kimberley and having the courses on Blackboard means the courses can still run, with less need for face to face classes.

Witbin the GS portfolio, there is a brand new emergence of some community service courses online as lecturers in Aged Care (Rosalie Moulding) and Youth Work (Joe Tungaraza) try to solve the same problem as MS - small numbers of participants scattered through remote areas.  According to lecturers in these areas, this trend is set to grow significantly as they master the skills required and continue to try to meet the needs of their students.

As the e-Learning Coordinator I look forward to working with these lecturers to further develop their online course environments and to adopt tools such as the virtual classroom to give their students a more engaging experience.

E-Learning Activities other than Blackboard Use - Watch this space!

There are some delivery areas where Blackboard is either not easily accessible to students, due to remoteness, or is not suitable in the case of very low LLN and digital literacy skills.  Because of this, I have been conscious of the need to promote to lecturers other technologies for both engagement and access purposes.  These areas include non-Blackboard enviornments such as blogging, wikis, social networking tools and personal or class websites, all forms of mobile learning using smart phones, iphones, tablets and ipads, and even the use of CD or DVD course compilations or USB stick storage of course materials. 

Monique Ellis has used a blog to engage her VETIS students - go to Fishbytes and check it out

 Gary Lienert and David Broun have made extensive use of iPads to engage Kimberley Ranger trainees, to collect evidence for assessment, document materials for learning, and for administrative purposes such as signing and sending trainee forms.

Maureen Crowther has been making exensive use of her iPhone to make stories from video and photos, to assist her remote Indigenous aged care students to learn and to gather evidence for assessment.

Wayne Stanley has customised some materials for his pastoral course and has provided his students, who work remotely, with the materials on a USB stick.

Conclusion

It has been a busy year and yet some lecturers have been willing to experiment with technology to increase accessibility and engagement in their courses, with some outstanding results.  I look forward to continuing to assist all KTI lecturers to use technology to make their courses more available to a wider range of student in the Kimberley area and beyond.