Bob Fox | The University of New South Wales (original) (raw)
Papers by Bob Fox
International Journal of Education and Development using ICT, 2019
Universities are faced with major challenges in a time of socio-economic and technological growth... more Universities are faced with major challenges in a time of socio-economic and technological growth and change. In the past, universities have offered predominantly an educational service for the small elite, but now they are facing the demand to provide for a more mass higher education to meet the needs of the growing knowledge-based economies. Internal and external pressures on universities are creating opportunities for changes to occur as a whole and in learning and teaching, in particular. Based on a synthesis of research and experience with the increased role of technology, the following pressures are highlighted: • Demand for more higher education places • The need to seek alternatives to government funding • A trend for higher education to seek partnerships with external corporate bodies • A larger clientele of learners with diverse needs, from varied backgrounds, with different motivations, capabilities, learning preferences, time availability and course content requirements ...
Teaching in the disciplines/learning in context: Proceedings of the 8th annual teaching learning forum, University of Western Australia, Feb 1, 1999
A postgraduate unit offered by Curtin's Science and Mathematics Education Centre (SMEC), des... more A postgraduate unit offered by Curtin's Science and Mathematics Education Centre (SMEC), designed for the professional development of practising teachers, was developed in accordance with the referent of social constructivism. Two years ago, web-based modes of communication, including email and an online discussion room, were introduced to supplement existing'paper and mail'distance education materials in order to facilitate richer student-tutor and student-student social interactions.
The paper explores how mobile technology can be appropriated as a tool to mediate mobile learning... more The paper explores how mobile technology can be appropriated as a tool to mediate mobile learning (m-learning) in the “right space” where meaningful learning occurs. The authors propose examining m-learning under two intertwined conditions of (a) the properties of the context that enable the effectivities of the mobile technology, and (b) student capabilities and interpretations to take learning actions. When these conditions are met, mobile technology is deemed to be appropriated at the “right space”. This space is termed as the “niche” for mobile learning, and learning taking place in the space is termed as “niche mobile learning (m-learning)” in this paper. Two individual case use of the mobile technology for learning in a university has been traced and examined over a one-year period. Data was collected and triangulated for analysis. The research findings show that the two cases appropriated mobile technology as a tool for mobile learning differently due to different “niches”. D...
… of Education and Development using ICT, 2006
In 1998 the new Hong Kong government made clear its perception of ICT as an agent of change in te... more In 1998 the new Hong Kong government made clear its perception of ICT as an agent of change in teaching practices seeing technology "as a powerful educational tool that can play a catalyst role in the transformation of school education" (EMB, 1998, p. 1). In support of this view ...
International Journal of Education and …, 2005
This journal provides open access to all of its content on the principle that making research fre... more This journal provides open access to all of its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. Such access is associated with increased readership and increased citation of an author's work. For more information on this approach, see the Public Knowledge Project, which has designed this system to improve the scholarly and public quality of research. Archiving This journal utilizes the LOCKSS system to create a distributed archiving system among participating libraries and permits those libraries to create permanent archives of the journal for purposes of preservation and restoration. Publication Frequency There will be five issues of IJEDICT per year, in a continuous publication cycle. Articles will be published immediately in the current issue of IJEDICT on completion of the review/editing process.
Teaching and learning in higher education is experiencing rapid change, in part, as a result of t... more Teaching and learning in higher education is experiencing rapid change, in part, as a result of the influences of emerging technologies. For teachers in education it is imperative that we continue to keep abreast of these developments, not so that we implement technological change for change itself, but that we distil the affordances that these technologies offer and exploit them for the benefit of our students. This conference aims to showcase the technologies and the way they can be used to promote meaningful learning in the higher education sector. This is the 2 nd annual conference on Emerging Technologies conducted by the University of Wollongong's Centre for Educational Development and Interactive Resources (CEDIR) and the Faculty of Education's Research Centre for Interactive Learning Environments (RILE). The conference has a number of presentation formats that include keynote addresses, refereed and non-refereed papers, and workshops. The conference also incorporates presentation of a number of projects conducted as part of the Carrick funded project: New Technologies, New Pedagogies. Papers with the symbol ®, indicated in the abstracts, have undergone a double blind peer refereeing process to DEST standards. In so doing, the papers have been assessed as providing information that increases the stock of knowledge and the use of this knowledge to devise new applications; they are original and have the potential to produce results; they represent substantial scholarly activity; and they have validity through a peer validation process.
Learning environments in this paper are divided into two categories: physical and virtual. The ph... more Learning environments in this paper are divided into two categories: physical and virtual. The physical relates to the buildings, the classrooms, the laboratories, the libraries, the cafes, the formal and inform places where student study and learn. The virtual relates to the online learning resources and places for students, both formal and informal, the learning management systems and the online applications. Until recently, the virtual environments had little obvious impact on the physical in traditional research-led universities. But today, with nearing one hundred percent student ownership of computers and mobile phones (increasingly smart) and the introduction of thousands of free downloadable applications, social networks, social repositories and social bookmarks, the landscape of the university campus has started to show signs of significant change. In the United Kingdom, the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) published a seminal work on advising universities in the ...
Proceedings of the 3rd Teaching & Education Conference, 2016
Pressures to adopt new technology-based online solutions to enable increased flexibility in deliv... more Pressures to adopt new technology-based online solutions to enable increased flexibility in delivering higher education have accelerated in pace. The primary reasons for this growth concern ongoing debates about costs of residential on-campus courses and resulting economies of scale; demands for more student-centred and flexible approaches, providing students with more choices in learning; technology ubiquity, portability and their affordances providing solutions to identified student needs; and the impact of MOOC experiences and lessons learnt, rolling back into mainstream open and on-campus teaching. Based on case study analysis, this paper examines experiences in developing open and blended learning solutions for predominantly campus-based education and identifies longer-term impacts on changing core practices. The first case explores the impact of distance and open education courses and course resources and activities re-purposed to replace conventional on-campus teaching; the second a re-engineered continuing professional education course converted to distance and blended learning; the third describes how a conventional course structure, quality assurance and sustainable improvements were made through the introduction of blended and online solutions; and the forth case explores the impact of an institution's use of MOOCs as a catalyst to effect changes in mainstream courses and programs. Arising from the cases described, the paper identifies key concepts that support improved opportunities for success in adopting open and blended learning. The paper concludes by outlining a curriculum design framework, based on recent research and practice that facilitates sustainable and transferable improvements to learning and teaching in universities adopting open and blended learning strategies.
International Journal of Education and Development Using Information and Communication Technology, 2015
This paper reports on the current experience of one higher education institution in Australia emb... more This paper reports on the current experience of one higher education institution in Australia embarking on the path towards mainstreaming online learning opportunities by providing three complementary academic development initiatives that can inform strategies undertaken by other institutions internationally. First, an academic development program was redesigned and delivered in blended mode to provide teaching staff with the experience of learning in a blended environment to raise their awareness of effective strategies. Second, an accredited postgraduate course for teaching staff on the subject of educational design was redesigned to focus on strategies for online and blended course design and delivered fully online to raise awareness of online learning benefits. Third, a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), entitled Learning to Teach Online (LTTO), was developed to offer professional development opportunities to teaching staff at the higher education institution, as well as to a wider international audience of educators. The threefold professional development strategies reported in this paper provide teaching staff with an opportunity to interact, mentor, and share knowledge with one another, alongside experiencing online and blended learning to effectively meet the challenge of improving the digital literacy of teaching staff and enhancing effective online and blended learning opportunities for students.
Lecture Notes in Educational Technology, 2016
Student engagement has long been recognized as a serious challenge to learning and teaching in hi... more Student engagement has long been recognized as a serious challenge to learning and teaching in higher education. While increasing and innovative use of interactive digital technologies has been a hallmark of recent changes to higher education practice, the integration of traditional and innovative digital techniques in learning and teaching design and practice remains a crucial issue for university educators. There has been a tendency for new technologies to be added to existing curriculum design and learning and teaching practice in an ad hoc, isolated manner, rather than as part of an overarching learning design which incorporates both new technologies and traditional techniques and understanding of pedagogic principles and practice. Through the integration of the RASE (Resources/Activity/Support /Evaluation) pedagogic student-centred learning model, interactivity and applications of technology, this paper seeks to help teachers design more effective courses to enable students to acquire greater autonomy, and to cultivate dispositions to understand.
Students entering universities in the 21 st century have been described variously as digital nati... more Students entering universities in the 21 st century have been described variously as digital natives, the millennial generation or the net generation. Considerable study has occurred around the world to determine the knowledge, skills, understanding and the purposes to which this group of individuals makes technology work for them. A number of researchers have begun to question some of the claims made for this group in terms of their ability to engage with and use technology for learning. To date there has been little information specific to the Asian learner and their use of technology. This paper begins with a description and analysis of a survey that examined the knowledge, skills and understanding of students entering first-year undergraduate studies at the University of Hong Kong. This description is followed by a discussion of the potential impact this has for the design of learning environments in higher education.
Interactive Technology and Smart Education, 2009
PurposeThe course management system (CMS), as an evolving tool and innovation, is increasingly us... more PurposeThe course management system (CMS), as an evolving tool and innovation, is increasingly used to promote the quality, efficiency and flexibility of teaching and learning in higher education. This paper aims to examine students' experiences of CMSs across faculties at a comprehensive university in Hong Kong.Design/methodology/approachThis is an exploratory study. With questionnaires as the means of data collection, the exploration focuses on: perceived usefulness of technologies for study, usage pattern of CMSs, students' perceptions of CMSs, user support preference, and self‐reported experiences.FindingsThe results show significant differences between academic levels of students in their uses and perceptions, and shed light on issues concerning technology, pedagogy, and implementation strategies of CMSs in higher education.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a small‐scale study and results will not produce generalizations that can be applied directly in other inst...
Proceedings of the …, 2006
HKIEd Home. ...
55% undergraduates 4,500 'non-local' students and 1,400 from countries outside Asia HKU at a ... more 55% undergraduates 4,500 'non-local' students and 1,400 from countries outside Asia HKU at a Glance 6,500 full-time staff (1000 teachers; 2000 academicrelated staff; 3500 non-academic staff such as technical staff supporting the research and teaching functions). Over 6000 visiting scholars and part-time staff with written contracts are employed annually. HKU has developed from a teaching to a researchoriented university. 'Research-centered' focus is, for example, one of the main considerations in adopting a specific type of ICT system by the administration and management of the university.
Educational Technology & Society, 2005
Students entering universities in the 21 st century have been described variously as digital nati... more Students entering universities in the 21 st century have been described variously as digital natives, the millennial generation or the net generation. Considerable study has occurred around the world to determine the knowledge, skills, understanding and the purposes to which this group of individuals makes technology work for them. A number of researchers have begun to question some of the claims made for this group in terms of their ability to engage with and use technology for learning. To date there has been little information specific to the Asian learner and their use of technology. This paper begins with a description and analysis of a survey that examined the knowledge, skills and understanding of students entering first-year undergraduate studies at the University of Hong Kong. This description is followed by a discussion of the potential impact this has for the design of learning environments in higher education.
In 2003, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome or SARS spread rapidly through international air trave... more In 2003, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome or SARS spread rapidly through international air travel from China to many cities across the world, resulting in over 8,000 cases of infections and 774 deaths. In Hong Kong, as the virus invaded the community, so did fear. The ...
International Journal on E Learning, Apr 1, 2007
Pressures on higher education from outside as well as inside to incorporate information and commu... more Pressures on higher education from outside as well as inside to incorporate information and communication technologies (ICT) will continue to grow. Society expects graduates to emerge from their university experience with appropriate tech-nology skills and abilities ...
Lecture Notes in Educational Technology, 2015
International Journal of Education and Development using ICT, 2019
Universities are faced with major challenges in a time of socio-economic and technological growth... more Universities are faced with major challenges in a time of socio-economic and technological growth and change. In the past, universities have offered predominantly an educational service for the small elite, but now they are facing the demand to provide for a more mass higher education to meet the needs of the growing knowledge-based economies. Internal and external pressures on universities are creating opportunities for changes to occur as a whole and in learning and teaching, in particular. Based on a synthesis of research and experience with the increased role of technology, the following pressures are highlighted: • Demand for more higher education places • The need to seek alternatives to government funding • A trend for higher education to seek partnerships with external corporate bodies • A larger clientele of learners with diverse needs, from varied backgrounds, with different motivations, capabilities, learning preferences, time availability and course content requirements ...
Teaching in the disciplines/learning in context: Proceedings of the 8th annual teaching learning forum, University of Western Australia, Feb 1, 1999
A postgraduate unit offered by Curtin's Science and Mathematics Education Centre (SMEC), des... more A postgraduate unit offered by Curtin's Science and Mathematics Education Centre (SMEC), designed for the professional development of practising teachers, was developed in accordance with the referent of social constructivism. Two years ago, web-based modes of communication, including email and an online discussion room, were introduced to supplement existing'paper and mail'distance education materials in order to facilitate richer student-tutor and student-student social interactions.
The paper explores how mobile technology can be appropriated as a tool to mediate mobile learning... more The paper explores how mobile technology can be appropriated as a tool to mediate mobile learning (m-learning) in the “right space” where meaningful learning occurs. The authors propose examining m-learning under two intertwined conditions of (a) the properties of the context that enable the effectivities of the mobile technology, and (b) student capabilities and interpretations to take learning actions. When these conditions are met, mobile technology is deemed to be appropriated at the “right space”. This space is termed as the “niche” for mobile learning, and learning taking place in the space is termed as “niche mobile learning (m-learning)” in this paper. Two individual case use of the mobile technology for learning in a university has been traced and examined over a one-year period. Data was collected and triangulated for analysis. The research findings show that the two cases appropriated mobile technology as a tool for mobile learning differently due to different “niches”. D...
… of Education and Development using ICT, 2006
In 1998 the new Hong Kong government made clear its perception of ICT as an agent of change in te... more In 1998 the new Hong Kong government made clear its perception of ICT as an agent of change in teaching practices seeing technology "as a powerful educational tool that can play a catalyst role in the transformation of school education" (EMB, 1998, p. 1). In support of this view ...
International Journal of Education and …, 2005
This journal provides open access to all of its content on the principle that making research fre... more This journal provides open access to all of its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. Such access is associated with increased readership and increased citation of an author's work. For more information on this approach, see the Public Knowledge Project, which has designed this system to improve the scholarly and public quality of research. Archiving This journal utilizes the LOCKSS system to create a distributed archiving system among participating libraries and permits those libraries to create permanent archives of the journal for purposes of preservation and restoration. Publication Frequency There will be five issues of IJEDICT per year, in a continuous publication cycle. Articles will be published immediately in the current issue of IJEDICT on completion of the review/editing process.
Teaching and learning in higher education is experiencing rapid change, in part, as a result of t... more Teaching and learning in higher education is experiencing rapid change, in part, as a result of the influences of emerging technologies. For teachers in education it is imperative that we continue to keep abreast of these developments, not so that we implement technological change for change itself, but that we distil the affordances that these technologies offer and exploit them for the benefit of our students. This conference aims to showcase the technologies and the way they can be used to promote meaningful learning in the higher education sector. This is the 2 nd annual conference on Emerging Technologies conducted by the University of Wollongong's Centre for Educational Development and Interactive Resources (CEDIR) and the Faculty of Education's Research Centre for Interactive Learning Environments (RILE). The conference has a number of presentation formats that include keynote addresses, refereed and non-refereed papers, and workshops. The conference also incorporates presentation of a number of projects conducted as part of the Carrick funded project: New Technologies, New Pedagogies. Papers with the symbol ®, indicated in the abstracts, have undergone a double blind peer refereeing process to DEST standards. In so doing, the papers have been assessed as providing information that increases the stock of knowledge and the use of this knowledge to devise new applications; they are original and have the potential to produce results; they represent substantial scholarly activity; and they have validity through a peer validation process.
Learning environments in this paper are divided into two categories: physical and virtual. The ph... more Learning environments in this paper are divided into two categories: physical and virtual. The physical relates to the buildings, the classrooms, the laboratories, the libraries, the cafes, the formal and inform places where student study and learn. The virtual relates to the online learning resources and places for students, both formal and informal, the learning management systems and the online applications. Until recently, the virtual environments had little obvious impact on the physical in traditional research-led universities. But today, with nearing one hundred percent student ownership of computers and mobile phones (increasingly smart) and the introduction of thousands of free downloadable applications, social networks, social repositories and social bookmarks, the landscape of the university campus has started to show signs of significant change. In the United Kingdom, the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) published a seminal work on advising universities in the ...
Proceedings of the 3rd Teaching & Education Conference, 2016
Pressures to adopt new technology-based online solutions to enable increased flexibility in deliv... more Pressures to adopt new technology-based online solutions to enable increased flexibility in delivering higher education have accelerated in pace. The primary reasons for this growth concern ongoing debates about costs of residential on-campus courses and resulting economies of scale; demands for more student-centred and flexible approaches, providing students with more choices in learning; technology ubiquity, portability and their affordances providing solutions to identified student needs; and the impact of MOOC experiences and lessons learnt, rolling back into mainstream open and on-campus teaching. Based on case study analysis, this paper examines experiences in developing open and blended learning solutions for predominantly campus-based education and identifies longer-term impacts on changing core practices. The first case explores the impact of distance and open education courses and course resources and activities re-purposed to replace conventional on-campus teaching; the second a re-engineered continuing professional education course converted to distance and blended learning; the third describes how a conventional course structure, quality assurance and sustainable improvements were made through the introduction of blended and online solutions; and the forth case explores the impact of an institution's use of MOOCs as a catalyst to effect changes in mainstream courses and programs. Arising from the cases described, the paper identifies key concepts that support improved opportunities for success in adopting open and blended learning. The paper concludes by outlining a curriculum design framework, based on recent research and practice that facilitates sustainable and transferable improvements to learning and teaching in universities adopting open and blended learning strategies.
International Journal of Education and Development Using Information and Communication Technology, 2015
This paper reports on the current experience of one higher education institution in Australia emb... more This paper reports on the current experience of one higher education institution in Australia embarking on the path towards mainstreaming online learning opportunities by providing three complementary academic development initiatives that can inform strategies undertaken by other institutions internationally. First, an academic development program was redesigned and delivered in blended mode to provide teaching staff with the experience of learning in a blended environment to raise their awareness of effective strategies. Second, an accredited postgraduate course for teaching staff on the subject of educational design was redesigned to focus on strategies for online and blended course design and delivered fully online to raise awareness of online learning benefits. Third, a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), entitled Learning to Teach Online (LTTO), was developed to offer professional development opportunities to teaching staff at the higher education institution, as well as to a wider international audience of educators. The threefold professional development strategies reported in this paper provide teaching staff with an opportunity to interact, mentor, and share knowledge with one another, alongside experiencing online and blended learning to effectively meet the challenge of improving the digital literacy of teaching staff and enhancing effective online and blended learning opportunities for students.
Lecture Notes in Educational Technology, 2016
Student engagement has long been recognized as a serious challenge to learning and teaching in hi... more Student engagement has long been recognized as a serious challenge to learning and teaching in higher education. While increasing and innovative use of interactive digital technologies has been a hallmark of recent changes to higher education practice, the integration of traditional and innovative digital techniques in learning and teaching design and practice remains a crucial issue for university educators. There has been a tendency for new technologies to be added to existing curriculum design and learning and teaching practice in an ad hoc, isolated manner, rather than as part of an overarching learning design which incorporates both new technologies and traditional techniques and understanding of pedagogic principles and practice. Through the integration of the RASE (Resources/Activity/Support /Evaluation) pedagogic student-centred learning model, interactivity and applications of technology, this paper seeks to help teachers design more effective courses to enable students to acquire greater autonomy, and to cultivate dispositions to understand.
Students entering universities in the 21 st century have been described variously as digital nati... more Students entering universities in the 21 st century have been described variously as digital natives, the millennial generation or the net generation. Considerable study has occurred around the world to determine the knowledge, skills, understanding and the purposes to which this group of individuals makes technology work for them. A number of researchers have begun to question some of the claims made for this group in terms of their ability to engage with and use technology for learning. To date there has been little information specific to the Asian learner and their use of technology. This paper begins with a description and analysis of a survey that examined the knowledge, skills and understanding of students entering first-year undergraduate studies at the University of Hong Kong. This description is followed by a discussion of the potential impact this has for the design of learning environments in higher education.
Interactive Technology and Smart Education, 2009
PurposeThe course management system (CMS), as an evolving tool and innovation, is increasingly us... more PurposeThe course management system (CMS), as an evolving tool and innovation, is increasingly used to promote the quality, efficiency and flexibility of teaching and learning in higher education. This paper aims to examine students' experiences of CMSs across faculties at a comprehensive university in Hong Kong.Design/methodology/approachThis is an exploratory study. With questionnaires as the means of data collection, the exploration focuses on: perceived usefulness of technologies for study, usage pattern of CMSs, students' perceptions of CMSs, user support preference, and self‐reported experiences.FindingsThe results show significant differences between academic levels of students in their uses and perceptions, and shed light on issues concerning technology, pedagogy, and implementation strategies of CMSs in higher education.Research limitations/implicationsThis is a small‐scale study and results will not produce generalizations that can be applied directly in other inst...
Proceedings of the …, 2006
HKIEd Home. ...
55% undergraduates 4,500 'non-local' students and 1,400 from countries outside Asia HKU at a ... more 55% undergraduates 4,500 'non-local' students and 1,400 from countries outside Asia HKU at a Glance 6,500 full-time staff (1000 teachers; 2000 academicrelated staff; 3500 non-academic staff such as technical staff supporting the research and teaching functions). Over 6000 visiting scholars and part-time staff with written contracts are employed annually. HKU has developed from a teaching to a researchoriented university. 'Research-centered' focus is, for example, one of the main considerations in adopting a specific type of ICT system by the administration and management of the university.
Educational Technology & Society, 2005
Students entering universities in the 21 st century have been described variously as digital nati... more Students entering universities in the 21 st century have been described variously as digital natives, the millennial generation or the net generation. Considerable study has occurred around the world to determine the knowledge, skills, understanding and the purposes to which this group of individuals makes technology work for them. A number of researchers have begun to question some of the claims made for this group in terms of their ability to engage with and use technology for learning. To date there has been little information specific to the Asian learner and their use of technology. This paper begins with a description and analysis of a survey that examined the knowledge, skills and understanding of students entering first-year undergraduate studies at the University of Hong Kong. This description is followed by a discussion of the potential impact this has for the design of learning environments in higher education.
In 2003, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome or SARS spread rapidly through international air trave... more In 2003, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome or SARS spread rapidly through international air travel from China to many cities across the world, resulting in over 8,000 cases of infections and 774 deaths. In Hong Kong, as the virus invaded the community, so did fear. The ...
International Journal on E Learning, Apr 1, 2007
Pressures on higher education from outside as well as inside to incorporate information and commu... more Pressures on higher education from outside as well as inside to incorporate information and communication technologies (ICT) will continue to grow. Society expects graduates to emerge from their university experience with appropriate tech-nology skills and abilities ...
Lecture Notes in Educational Technology, 2015