ࡱ> pro3 Hjbjb^^ *h<h<]kBlBBBBTt1f11313131313131,2 4b_1u"_1'BB'''B11'BBBB11''52.1F<Ly0.1t1t10v\5'\51'Distributed / Collorative, Synchronous / Asynchronous , Collaborative \ Individual Learning Synchronous Asynchronous Located Distributed Consuming Contributory resource websites Community software think.com SMS Video conferencing Videodiscs Telephones Chalk/talk/dictate Alienation -participants Introduction (500) Findings (500) Research Methodology (250) Criteria for Success (250) Conceptual Model (1000) Theory into Practice (500) Analysis (1000) Critique (500) Bibliography Action Research Project Introduction (500) Virtual communities in a form that we would recognize today have been in existence since the advent of the Internet with the technology used constantly developing and evolving. This research report is about an online workshop in facilitation and community building and aims to inform our understanding of what conditions are required to promote effective online learning. Learning itself cannot be observed directly, so in an attempt to identify if any learning has indeed taken place we must observe behaviour and draw inference from it that learning has indeed taken place. Ultimately, it is performance of facilitators that the workshop was trying to impact upon but systematically gathering evidence for this was beyond the scope of this research project. If facilitator behaviour is to change, we are dependant upon them applying their cognitive learning to the facilitation process and the effects of behaviour modelling. The learning theory applied to the design of the workshop was a social constructivist approach to learning with some insight from the behaviourists approach to learning in particular the effects of modelling on changing behaviour.. It is important at the outset to establish some clear understandings that will inform the later analysis and discussion. The diagram below draws a conceptual map of the characteristics of communication. The red box locates the communication we are concerned with on the workshop and as facilitators. Distributed / Collorative, Synchronous / Asynchronous , Collaborative \ Individual Learning (After Heppell 2001) Firstly, the distinction between synchronous and asynchronous conversations is of central importance. The former, often referred to as chat rooms, are characterised by two or more people engage in conversations at the same time. The latter is characterised by postings that may be anything from a few seconds to many days, weeks, or even longer apart. Advantages of asynchronous communication is that it allows participants time to reflect and consider contributions in greater depth. A second advantage is the ability to slip time, that is the ability to participate at a time that is convenient to those involved. A second key distinction of virtual learning communities is their distributed nature. The spatial distribution of participants is unimportant; that is communities can be formed world-wide. At one end of the spectrum there are simple bulletin board services where messages are left and retrieved in a similar fashion to email and at the other end of the spectrum, state of the art software such as Oracles visually orientated Think.com interface which allows conversations to be threaded and structured in a number of ways with the inclusion of graphics, sound and video. In this project, communications were confined to the written word and were of an asynchronous nature. A central difference between face-to-face and online communications is described by Howard Rheingold (2000) as "all online interactions are influenced by the lack of corporeality". By this Rheingold he is pointing towards the missing cues given by body language, and the nuances of intonations in then spoken word. Advantages and disadvantages can be identified by this less rich means of communication. "Knowing how to use man-to-many communications enables folk to amplifies ability to think and communicate. Knowing how to use the tools of computer-enabled communication is a skill that must become a literacy understood by all This is a question of education." Bruner 1996 states that Acquired knowledge is most useful to a learner, moreover, when it is discovered through a learners own cognitive efforts for it is then related to and used in reference to what one has known before. social constructivism and cognitive constructivism. Brunner, 1986) building of relationships between new and existing knowledge NB: Look to constructivist theory to provide the framework for analysing the interactions. The development of tools which allow choice about which method of interaction best suits them offers bring online communications closer to. It is important to recognize the medium as distinct from the message, the ever increasingly sophisticated software does enhance the richness of the communication possibilities but is not the substance of the social interactions that form virtual communities. Their potential for learning, for sharing and for developing knowledge between individuals and. Research about how this online environment might best facilitate this learning process is still in its infancy and the focus of this particular enquiry is to begin to identify a methodology by which this learning can take place effectively within the structure of an online course with specified learning outcomes. Virtual communities are social aggregations that emerge from the Net when enough people carry on those public discussions long enough, with sufficient human feeling, to form webs of personal relationships in cyberspace The research was undertaken as a part of the Talking Heads pilot project for Headteachers and funded by the Department for Education & Science (DfEE) online community rooted in practical application and not simply academic research. The research was focussed on a Community of Practice (Wenger 1998) and took the form of an online course facilitated over a three week period starting in September 2000 by Pete Bradshaw, Alison Gee and myself. The course was run in a learning environment developed in using Think.com community software. The course had the following objectives for the participants: Develop strategies for developing online courses involving social and experiential learning Model behaviours in community design and interventions Research Methodology (500) The research methodology employed is that of action research with data collected through questionnaires, interviews and through observation. The purpose of this action and research is to understand, inform and improve practice (Cohen 2000). In order to assess the effectiveness of the workshop the information collected was: A self evaluation questionnaire (appendix 1) gathered information both before and after the workshop. A questionnaire about the experience of course participants was conducted immediately following the course Selected observation and analysis of the conversations to identify evidence of learning This report will use data collected through methods 2 and 3. Two methods of identifying learning through analysis of the conversations were employed. Namely the 5 stage model developed by Dr. Gilly Salmon and Bales' Interaction Process Analysis. Stated Aims for participants: - To share our learning from the On-line Facilitation Intensive and Community of Practice courses and enable others to share the learning experience - Hone our working practices through reviewing our best practice. Team building Stated Objectives for participants - Provide an intellectual framework for our work. - Develop a common understanding throughout the team of on-line communities - Reaffirm our ethos and culture - Increased confidence in developing on line community A questionnaire, survey and contextual analysis of the conversation. was used to try and determine the effectiveness of the course in meeting the aims and objectives and the overall design and implementation of the course to assist in its iterative development. Three methods of research were used to determine the effectiveness of the online course in meeting the stated targets aims and objectives of the course. Learning journal interactive between course participants Summaries of conversations Resources to read Topic 1 - What is community Topic 2 - Online Facilitation Topic 3 - Scope & Purpose of Community Topic 4 - Tools Topic 5 - Space design Topic 6 - Community Sustainability Topic 7 - Community knowledge strategies Purpose of the course The purpose of this community is to enable us to develop our understanding of managing online communities. We will do this by reflecting on our experiences to date through dialogue and by exploring other peoples approaches to online communities. Questionnaire analysis Conversation analysis to demonstrate changes in understanding/development of knowledge Findings (500) Evaluation of the data points towards a largely positive and rewarding experience for those who actively participated in the online community, but with some significant pointers for future course design and implementation. The course was found to be useful in developing individuals understanding of online facilitation techniques (their personal toolkit) and some of the different purposes of online communities including Communities of Practice. These findings support the methodology used in the development and implementation of the online course as being relevant and effective in an online environment. The major issues impacting upon individuals participation rates were the conflict between the time they felt able to give to the course and the amount of time required to fully participate. This tension acted to reduce participation rates of some community members, as they felt outfaced and unable to engage in the conversations. The particular time requirement of the reading resources informing the conversations was identified as the factor taking an excessive amount of time. Also identified was the need for better signposting of the reading and conversations that were essential rather than desirable and better communication to community members of timelines. The remedies Criteria for Success (200) Improvement in measures (!). For example Positive change in learners' perception, knowledge and understanding of online communities and facilitation (evidenced through self evaluations and questionnaire data) Consistency of facilitation and online learning space design (evidenced through agreement between learners) Conceptual Model (1000) Social Learning theory acknowledges then interaction between situation al and personal factors. Two key aspects are that internal cognitive processes effect behavious, that is individuals exhibit patterns of behaviour based on expectations about outcomes which are in turn informed by past experience. A second key aspect i is that individuals model their own patterms of behaviour through observing others. Again in expectation that benefits will accrew.(pp198) Belief that this is largely developed informally through for example co-working. Positive self-reinforcement by setting and reaching own goals Coganative Learning, chane in what learner jknows not what does. Insight learning, understanding what is being learned and thinking about it. Can be generalised to other similar situations. Latent learning, cognitions from many experiences may be integrated, view that reinforcement needed to bring them to the fore Behaviourists, reinforcements must be perceived by the recipient as being useful and relevant Operant conditioning learning theory offers an alternative approach to learning the major proponent of the theory being Skinner. It is worth recognizing that techniques of behaviour modification based upon the behaviourists approach to learning, reinforcement and punishment, such as modelling were a feature of the online workshop. Cognitive constructivism Social constructivism Two key areas of thinking inform the conceptual model for this learning. Firstly, the original work by Lev Vygotsky (1934,78) which gave rise the theory of development called social constructivism or the socio-culturalism school of learning. More recently Wenger (1998) has proposed a theory of learning which focuses on social participation. The theory draws upon a number of components that attempt to explain what it means for an individual to actively participate in social communities and how we might understand how learning takes place and how best to support such communities. The key components identified by Wenger are community, identity, practice and meaning. Self-directed learning ala Knowles (1975) Bruner encompass the social and cultural aspects of learning learning is an active process in which learners construct new ideas or concepts based upon their current/past knowledge Concept of cultural psychology For Vygotsky, the new-born infant begins to gain understandings through social interactions with adults. It is through socialisation that individuals ground the common meanings of their culture; the language, the traditions, the beliefs, the symbols, the icons, the tools. For Vygotsky, if an individual perceives meaning in something, then they have gained that meaning through their actions in their culture and they understand it through that culture. For him, education is a process of culturalisation. Piagets work has led to the socio-constructivism school while Vygotsky has led to the socio-culturalism school, and the rest of this article seeks to link the work of the latter school with the needs of an educational psychology for the future. Accepting the idea that meaning and culture are bound together then a number of ideas follow; 1. thought does not reside wholly within an individual but is distributed between what is in their head, what is in their culture, and what they can transform by their cultural tools, 2. thought is distributed across both time and space - shared with contemporaries and ancestors through actions within the shared culture, 3. sub-cultures exist when they have their own shared cultural tools and iconic structures (special words and word usage, dress, life styles, signs, values, aims ), 4. cultures and sub-cultures have patterns for inducting new recruits (education), and placing members within the cultural structure. Theory into Practice (500) The conceptual model outlined above was used to design, implement and facilitate an online course with the following objectives: Learners experienced some of the theory and process of online learning spaces Learners have a deeper understanding of Online Facilitation (including a comparison with natural facilitation) Learners have strategies for harvesting and management the shared knowledge of a community Learners have a more extensive Online-Facilitation toolkit Learners understand what the different purposes communities are including Communities of Practice and how to develop them These objectives were to be met by delivering a course over a three week period starting in September 2000 facilitated by Pete Bradshaw, Alison Gee and myself. The course was run using Think.com community software developed by Oracle with the instructional design from ULTRALAB. The course participants were all facilitators working on the Talking Project and as such constituted a Community of Practice as defined by Wenger, that is they shared a common community, domain and practice. Orientation SPo, AG, PB Topic 1 - What is community SPo, AG, PB Topic 2 - Online Facilitation AG Topic 3 - Scope & Purpose of Community SPo Topic 4 - Tools PB Topic 5 - Space design PB Topic 6 - Community Sustainability AG Topic 7 - Community knowledge strategies SPo Analysis (2000) Claim <----> Evidence (eg case study, vignette, research journal, critical incident) What have we learned? Is it worthwhile? (Why, why, why?) What would I do next Bales group interaction analysys What new perspectives can we bring? Evaluation of research Strength of findings Sources of bias (e.g. DfEE paying to set up CoP so therefore implies it is worthwhile) Personal learning Show that data was systematically collected and analysed and that exemplars are representative Bibliography Wenger, E. (1998) Communities of Practice Learning, Meaning, and Identity, Cambridge University Press McKenna. E. (2000) Business Psychology and Organizational Behaviour, Psychology Press Vygotsky, L (1978) Mind and Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press Bruner, 1986 Bruner 1997 Rheingold, H (2000) The Virtual Community Revised Edition. The MIT Press 2000 Ramondt, L. and Chapman, C. (1998) Online Learning Communities ULTRALAB Catherine Twomey Fosnot (1996) Constructivism : Theory, Perspectives, and Practice Knowles, M. 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