In this chapter we pursue and discuss a number of pertinent questions raised in a recently published book on Networked Learning Practices. In this book the editors contrast a current trend towards personalisation and individualisation of learning with a focus on mutual interdependency and collaboration amongst networked learners, and ask which directions designers of Networked Learning should take. Related to this, they express concerns with notions of Personal Learning Environments, asking whether these might erode collaborative or communal patterns of interaction and the commonality of experiences among students. We continue these discussions by critically examining recent ideas articulated by researchers promoting the notion of 'connectivism', as this concept has strong relations to the recent popularisation of web 2.0. Terms such as 'connections', 'networks', 'sharing', learner-centric', 'collaboration', 'participation' seem to be shared between Networked Learning theory and connectivism. We argue, however, that there are subtle, but fundamental differences in how these terms are understood, which might have implications for pedagogical orchestrations of networked learning. In particular, we query into different understandings and values around the 'interactional interdependencies' between people, and how we should orchestrate networked learning in Higher Education. In doing so, we provide examples from our own practice to discuss how we might address or dissolve dichotomies, such as between individualisation and collaboration, and how ideas from networked learning and connectivism can inform each other.
In 2014, a new system has been put in place for the inspection and approval of social welfare institutions in Denmark. In as little as 10 weeks, 330 new employees in five regional centres participated in an introductory course, designed as work place learning with extensive use of e-learning and IT-based teaching materials. This paper presents the experiences of this particular project, and goes on to discuss the following points:The blended learning design -use of IT for teaching, learning and communication Digital learning materials -principals of design and use Work place learning and learning from work -the interplay between experiences of the learner and the curriculum of the programThe approach taken to customising the e-learning design to the needs and demands of a particular case.
, has been designing digitally supported teaching within diploma programmes and tailor-made courses in the fields of health, education, social sciences and management. More and more of these programmes and courses are designed as blended learning and are characterised by a short time cycle of design, delivery and completion. Despite a recent addition of learning design expertise to the organisation, there is a predominant tendency in design processes to focus on the technical setup, the content and the participants, and very little on the role of the teachers. The teachers' role is challenged by a number of issues in relation to the growing use of blended and online learning, e.g. the task of facilitating the learning processes of the participants in new ways; a higher degree of exposure as the teacher often becomes the sole point of contact in online environments; communication skills needed to facilitate dialogue and collaboration in an online environment; etc. Furthermore, involvement of teaching staff in co-creation of new learning designs require skills which many lecturers do not have when they enter the design team for the first time, among others skills to articulate their pedagogical principles and technological imagination. Over time, we in our roles as learning designers in the School of Continuing Education have developed, tested and refined a technique for user involvement in the design work, and teachers now work with our professional learning designer and course producer on redesigning courses or creating new module or courses. In these collaborative design processes, we have identified a number of challenges, which will be dealt with in our paper.
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