Simon McIntyre | The University of New South Wales (original) (raw)

Papers by Simon McIntyre

Since 2003, the College of Fine Arts (COFA), The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia... more Since 2003, the College of Fine Arts (COFA), The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia has successfully developed and implemented online learning and teaching training programs. In 2008, an increase of interest amongst the Faculty in the potential of blending learning, prompted COFA Online (COFA's elearning unit), to conduct a special Blended Learning Fellowship Training Program to support staff wishing to develop and implement their own blended learning curricula. This program was to serve as a pilot test before a wider implementation of blended learning strategies across the faculty. A total of 35 academics participated in the program, which comprised blended curriculum development, online teaching, and online class management techniques. A total of 11 blended courses across a range of programs and stages were developed, involving 1185 students. During the program and the teaching semester, comparative analysis of different courses in the program was conducted in th...

... effectiveness Xiaojing Liu Indiana University United States xliu@indiana.edu CurtBonk Indiana... more ... effectiveness Xiaojing Liu Indiana University United States xliu@indiana.edu CurtBonk Indiana University United States cjbonk@indiana.edu Simon McIntyre The University of New South Wales Australia s.mcintyre@unsw.edu.au ...

The rapid emergence of the global, digital workplace within contemporary design practice has rais... more The rapid emergence of the global, digital workplace within contemporary design practice has raised questions regarding the educational implications of professional collaboration across cultural, geographical and disciplinary borders. Are we effectively preparing students for this new creative paradigm? Educationalists are responding by implementing more face-to-face team-based approaches, but the potential of online learning-the medium ideally suited to this new international digital work environment-has largely been overlooked. COFA Online has been creating, evolving and evaluating fully online art and design courses for the last three years in response to these questions. By triangulating data from a series of online case studies, teacher and student experiences, and three years of evaluations, this paper highlights specific online pedagogical approaches that have successfully engaged students in an active, collaborative online learning environment. It also pinpoints problems that can occur in online teamwork, and investigates several potential solutions. If carefully considered, online team-based learning can parallel contemporary collaborative work practices within the global design industry, and can help equip students with the collaboration and communication skills they need in order to work successfully in this professional environment. This paper highlights the need for educationalists to continue to pursue higher levels of understanding of online collaborative learning in the context of design, and offers suggestions on how to move forward.

Connected 2007 International …, 2007

Proceedings of the Australian Council of …, 2004

The last decade witnessed a 'virtual goldrush' of activity in regard to online educatio... more The last decade witnessed a 'virtual goldrush' of activity in regard to online education worldwide. Unfortunately, many institutions and software companies flattened the pedagogical landscape in a scramble to establish their own online presence. In general, what ...

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.

This thesis exemplifies, through the exploration of a specific case study, how the design of an o... more This thesis exemplifies, through the exploration of a specific case study, how the design of an online professional development resource is capable of penetrating, disrupting, and fostering innovation in online teaching practices within a wide range of existing professional education networks.

Following its release in 2009, the ‘Learning to Teach Online’ (LTTO) project spread rapidly around the world via conduits such as Twitter, Facebook, blogs, institutional links and word of mouth — throughout K-12, vocational, higher education and private consultancies across 146 countries and territories. This thesis investigates how the design of LTTO facilitated its discovery, dissemination and integration in a range of educational contexts. There was a large volume of data collected from Web 2.0 activity surrounding LTTO. Using data visualisation techniques, patterns and hidden relationships between individuals sharing and using the resources were revealed, that provided insight into previously invisible relationships between individuals within vastly different established professional networks all over the world. The concept of the rhizome is at the core of this thesis, inspired by the observation of the growing patterns of connection between seemingly disparate educational communities globally, in a manner that was neither precisely controlled nor predictable.

Key outcomes include a detailed analysis of the design of an online professional development resource that was effective across a range of disciplines and education sectors; the determination of an effective method of researching the spread and use of similar initiatives; and observations and strategies that can help others to improve the design process for future online professional development resources.

Could you trust someone you had never physically met to successfully collaborate with you on a de... more Could you trust someone you had never physically met to successfully collaborate with you on a design project?

As online communication technologies rapidly evolve, the creative industries continue to move towards globally networked and interdisciplinary modalities of practice. These inescapable shifts in the ways designers work have challenged many long held assumptions about the nature of individual design processes.

Such revolutionary changes mean that designers must increasingly master new skills to effectively communicate and collaborate in online environments with colleagues from different cultures, disciplines and locations world-wide. Since they may never meet face-to-face, the success of this new working methodology relies on high levels of trust between practitioners, both personally and professionally in order to achieve effective design outcomes.

In turn the need for design educators to equip students with skills to thrive in the face of this new industrial paradigm is highlighted. Trust is integral to developing the personal and professional relationship building and collaborative skills necessary for contemporary digital working practices. By being sensitive to, and cognisant of these issues, educators can initiate and implement strategies that help create the right conditions for trust to emerge between participants in online learning scenarios.

In reality however, the relative suddenness of this shift has seen some educationalists engage in unconsidered responses to this challenge. In the rush to embrace online technologies, the social and cultural dimensions of online pedagogies are often neglected while the relative functionality of digital tools and spaces is given prominence.

Drawing upon three specific case studies of very different applications of online learning in a design context, this paper aims to highlight the impact that fostering positive, interpersonal, interdisciplinary and transcultural relationships between students in online design education can have upon their levels of trust and the effectiveness and outcomes of their online collaborative processes. The projects examined were conducted by COFA Online and The Omnium Research Group at The College of Fine Arts (COFA), University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Each case study examines particular dynamics associated with global, local and cross-cultural contexts. They include:
• Global - Fully online Masters of Cross Disciplinary Art and Design
• Local - Blended Learning at The College of Fine Arts
• Cross-Cultural (Australia and China) - The Collabor8 Project, East-West online design collaboration

By triangulating data that examines student/teacher experiences through online surveys, interviews, responses to targeted online discussions and peer reviews, this paper outlines online pedagogical approaches that have successfully engaged students in active, collaborative and trust building online learning environments. It also pinpoints problems that can occur in online teamwork related to trust, communication and interpersonal relationships, and investigates several potential solutions.

If strong human-to-human relationships are seen as the foundation for effective collaborative design practice online, educators will be helping emerging generations of designers maximise their creative potential in a globally competitive market where online collaborative, cross-cultural, interdisciplinary creative skill-sets are demanded as the ‘norm’.

Keywords: online, collaboration, pedagogy, cross-cultural, blended learning

The Learning to Teach Online concept focuses on developing capacity amongst teachers in all secto... more The Learning to Teach Online concept focuses on developing capacity amongst teachers in all sectors to design and deliver education using online technologies. The case history follows the iterative development of a series of pedagogically-focused professional development initiatives at UNSW Australia. All are based upon the concept of interdisciplinary support communities, providing practical strategies to alleviate the problems and anxieties teachers can suffer when moving into unfamiliar online teaching practices:
• (2004-2008) The Art & Design Fellowship Programs helped to improve the online teaching practice of 75 UNSW academics, leading to the creation of 50 fully online UNSW undergraduate and postgraduate units.
• (2009-2011) The Learning to Teach Online project (LTTO) [tinyurl.com/lttoproject] evolved the concept of the local programs into a series of open educational resources (OERs) that continue to be accessed since the completion of the project. To date, these have been viewed over 367,000 times from 146 countries; linked to by 153 institutional websites in 19 countries; and embedded in 133 postgraduate or professional development programs in 23 countries.
• (2014-2015) The LTTO MOOC [coursera.org/course/ltto] was the next evolutionary stage designed to help educators develop their own teaching strategies by applying the knowledge gained from the LTTO OER. In 2014, the MOOC attracted over 28,000 enrolments from teachers in 192 countries. Its 2nd offering will be in July 2015, and has been incorporated into the US Government’s ConnectEd Initiative [bit.ly/1Aj98Dw].

This evolutionary approach exemplifies the strategies used to extend a successful face-to-face professional development program (with limited capacity, flexibility and academic access), into online, flexible and openly accessible resource and curriculum. The case history will demonstrate how to adapt to, and maximise the potential of, the rapidly changing dynamics of online education and technology, to continue to improve the teaching practice of an ever-increasing number of teachers around the world.

International Journal of Education and Development using ICT (IJEDICT)

The Foundations in University Learning and Teaching (FULT) course is a professional development p... more The Foundations in University Learning and Teaching (FULT) course is a professional development program aimed at developing the foundational knowledge, skills and attitudes of UNSW teaching staff necessary to inform effective and scholarly teaching approaches. Similar introductory teaching development programs are offered by most Australian universities to their teaching staff (Hicks, Smigiel, Wilson, & Luzeckyj, 2010). FULT has been offered at UNSW Australia for over 25 years in different forms and traditionally, up until last year, delivered primarily face-to-face. However, in 2013 FULT was redesigned to better align with the university’s strategic intent to develop teaching staff capabilities to teach in blended learning mode, incorporating a ‘flipped classroom approach’ as outlined in UNSW Australia’s Learning and Teaching Strategy 2014-2018. This approach is based on the work of Baker (2000) and Lage, Platt, and Treglia (2000) where the passive component of the course, such as reading textbooks, listening to podcasts and watching videos are individually done by students whilst the more active components of the course are used to engage students through problem solving, case studies and discussions. This flipped classroom can help students to increase their motivation and manage cognitive load (Abeysekera & Dawson, 2014), maintain their class attendance (in blended learning) and sustain their out-of-class effort (He, Gajski, Farkas, & Warschauer, 2015), and increase their participation and interactions with teaching staff (Roach, 2014).

Reframing Quality Assurance in Creative Disciplines: Evidence from Practice, Apr 10, 2015

A case study of Cross Disciplinary Art and Design 1, the first core course for the fully online ‘... more A case study of Cross Disciplinary Art and Design 1, the first core course for the fully online ‘Masters of Cross Disciplinary Art and Design’ Program at UNSW Art & Design, UNSW Australia. Featured in the book 'Reframing Quality Assurance in Creative Disciplines: Evidence from Practice'

HERDSA Review of Higher Education, Jul 10, 2014

This review outlines the challenges faced by higher education from the ongoing evolution and pene... more This review outlines the challenges faced by higher education from the ongoing evolution and penetration of digital technologies throughout many aspects of society. It examines how complex organisational structures can prevent institutions from developing effective means of support for innovation; academics from developing necessary digital literacies and online teaching practices, and students from developing proficiency in contemporary technologically inclusive professional practices. It proposes that academics must look outside of their own institutions for inspiration and support to break this cycle, and explores the potential of informal professional development strategies based upon the notion of disruptive innovation (C. Christensen, n.d.), to help generate systemic change ‘from the individual up’.

The adoption and integration of online learning and teaching in higher education is becoming incr... more The adoption and integration of online learning and teaching in higher education is becoming increasingly important in our rapidly changing digital society. While many teachers and academics acknowledge the importance of adapting their own teaching practice to this new approach, knowing how and where to get started can be a daunting task for many. There is an overwhelming amount of professional development information regarding online teaching available to educators through workshops, the Internet, books, technical demonstrations and academic papers. However time-poor teachers often find it difficult to invest time and effort into attending workshops, or analysing available theory and research (McIntyre 2011) to derive online teaching approaches relevant to their own situations.

Similarly, many teachers first embarking on a new online initiative can find it an isolating and frustrating experience, with limited peer support (Bennett, Priest and Macpherson 1999) and practical pedagogical guidance while ‘learning the ropes’ or preparing course curriculum.

So what approach can be taken to firstly connect with these teachers at the ‘coalface,’ and then support them through their initial investigations and subsequent development of online teaching practice?

In 2009, COFA Online at The University of New South Wales won funding from the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) Competitive Grant Scheme for a project called Learning to Teach Online (LTTO): Developing high-quality video and text resources to help educators teach online http://bit.ly/d18ac5. The project’s aim was to produce a set of resources to enable more educators, particularly those with no online experience, to successfully adopt and develop online teaching practices, and to reach a diverse audience of teachers across different disciplines and institutions throughout the world.

This paper discusses the strategies adopted by the LTTO Project to ensure the resources focused on pedagogy and were perceived as pragmatic, easy to use and readily adaptable. It also outlines how the adoption of social media as a dissemination method facilitated easy access to the resources by a wide audience of teachers both with and without online teaching experience, and promoted greater awareness and uptake across disciplines and institutions around the world. It demonstrates, through summative and formative evaluations, how this approach effectively encouraged teachers to get started with their online teaching and stimulated their interest in further research on the topic.

A rhizome is a horizontal system of roots that grows underground, comprising a series of nodes an... more A rhizome is a horizontal system of roots that grows underground, comprising a series of nodes and connecting shoots, that continues to expand and form new connections as it grows. The Internet, with its increasing number of servers and connections could be considered as an ever- expanding system that enables new types of rhizome-like connections between people, knowledge and communities to occur. These connections can often seem random, but those involved usually have an underlying, if not immediately obvious common interest or purpose. Web 2.0 tools and digital networks are becoming increasingly ubiquitous in many aspects of contemporary society, and are in many ways similar to the nodes of a rhizome - a place where connections may form. Yet understanding how to maximise the potential of being able to connect with a diverse range of individuals, professional entities and institutions via these mediums can be difficult. What is the purpose of such connectivity, and how can the design and implementation of professional development resources utilise the concept of a rhizome as an effective means to maximise the constructivist potential offered by the digital age?

The Learning to Teach Online project http://bit.ly/d18ac5 is a free Open Educational Resource (OER), designed to offer educators proven advice from a wide range of colleagues in different institutions and disciplines, about the pedagogies, challenges and rewards of online teaching. Following its release in 2010 by COFA Online at The University of New South Wales, the spread of the resources around the world via Twitter, Facebook, blogs, institutional links and word of mouth far exceeded initial expectations. While the use of social media to promote the project was always considered from the outset, the extent of the spread within K-12, vocational, higher education and private consultancies, and the subsequent penetration of the resources into existing educational programs was not expected. In this respect, the dissemination of the Learning to Teach Online project mirrored the behaviour of a rhizome, being widely spread to seemingly disparate educational communities globally, in a manner that was neither precisely controlled nor predictable.

This paper is a snapshot of ongoing research within the author’s doctoral thesis, into the behaviour and significance of the ever-growing digital rhizome surrounding Learning to Teach Online. It begins to unravel how the design of the resource enabled social media to be used for rapid dissemination on a global scale. The paper also explores how, as a result of some members of existing academic communities connecting with the project’s digital rhizome, the resources were able to benefit other teachers not familiar with online teaching or web 2.0 technologies. In these cases, the penetration of the rhizome into many different types of existing academic communities has enabled the transmission and acceptance of new ideas that have begun to positively effect perception and adoption of online teaching practices amongst their members.

This final project report, completed for the funding body, the ALTC, analyses the outputs and imp... more This final project report, completed for the funding body, the ALTC, analyses the outputs and impacts of the project up until June 24, 2011 when the report was completed. Since that time, the project has continued to attract attention from educators all over the world, and as of 14 October 2011 when this report was released here, we are nearing 90,000 unique views of the episodes from all over the world (nearly 40,000 more views than when the report was written 4 months previously). We hope this will continue well into the future!

The final evaluative report examines:

The project output, outcomes and impact
- Project methodology
- Critical factors for project success
- The dissemination strategy employed
- Evaluation of the success of the project

Since its release, the Learning to Teach Online project has developed a reputation for providing quality, pedagogically sound and broadly applicable professional development resources relevant not only to the Australian higher education sector, but to other sectors around the world.

ISBN number 978-1-921856-70-9

What do you think of this resource? Please click http://svy.mk/e6BP1G to complete a quick survey.... more What do you think of this resource? Please click http://svy.mk/e6BP1G to complete a quick survey.

Also watch the accompanying video for this episode http://bit.ly/koVNA2 from the Learning to Teach Online project website.

This case study examines how ePortfolios, used in conjunction with blogs, can encourage students to become more critically reflective learners. The benefits and challenges of using ePortfolios are discussed, along with strategies for providing sufficient technical and pedagogical support, to enable teachers and students to confidently use the technology as a collaborative learning tool.

When teaching larger classes, an online environment can provide many opportunities for increased ... more When teaching larger classes, an online environment can provide many opportunities for increased student engagement, group work and self testing. In this case study Professor Alan Crosky, from the University of New South Wales, explains how he uses a blended learning approach in his Engineering Materials and Chemistry course with 700 first year students. He highlights the importance of providing student orientation and support when first introducing an online component, and discusses the benefits of integrating online tutorials and resources, group work, peer assessment and self-testing into the course.

While developing effective teamwork and collaboration skills are considered important to the lear... more While developing effective teamwork and collaboration skills are considered important to the learning process, many students find group work challenging and difficult. In this episode we explore how Internet technologies can improve the collaborative process within online teamwork, and offer some useful strategies for facilitation and assessment.

This case study aims to show how simple and powerful using audio feedback can be. While the conte... more This case study aims to show how simple and powerful using audio feedback can be. While the context of this case study is in art and design, the use of audio files for giving students feedback is applicable to any discipline or almost any type of student work, even in 100% face-to-face classes. This case study will examine some of the motivations for adopting the use of audio feedback, the benefits for students and teachers, and some key considerations to keep in mind.

This case study examines how technology can be used to support an active learning strategy within... more This case study examines how technology can be used to support an active learning strategy within face-to- face Chemistry classes. Both in-class polling software and online lectures are used as part of a comprehensive teaching strategy, designed to enable students to develop critical thinking and analytical skills. While in- class polling is not an online process, it is included within this case study to highlight how different types of technology can be used together to effectively support classroom teaching, when integrated with a carefully considered pedagogical approach.

Connected 2007 International …, 2007

Proceedings of the Australian Council of …, 2004

International Journal of Education and Development Using Information and Communication Technology, 2015

Keywords: online, collaboration, pedagogy, cross-cultural, blended learning

International Journal of Education and Development using ICT (IJEDICT)

Reframing Quality Assurance in Creative Disciplines: Evidence from Practice, Apr 10, 2015

HERDSA Review of Higher Education, Jul 10, 2014

The final evaluative report examines:

The project output, outcomes and impact
- Project methodology
- Critical factors for project success
- The dissemination strategy employed
- Evaluation of the success of the project

ISBN number 978-1-921856-70-9

Also watch the accompanying video for this episode http://bit.ly/koVNA2 from the Learning to Teach Online project website.

The annual Outstanding Educator Awards recognise the impact that Coursera MOOC instructors have h... more The annual Outstanding Educator Awards recognise the impact that Coursera MOOC instructors have had on learners around the world. Three awards are given annually to instructors nominated from the entire suite of global Coursera courses: Transformation, Innovation, and Learners First.

Exemplary and research informed use of technologies for teaching and learning in tertiary educati... more Exemplary and research informed use of technologies for teaching and learning in tertiary education - Learning to Teach Onilne. McIntyre, S., Watson, K.

Faculty Development Editorial Board award - Learning to Teach Online. McIntyre, S., Watson, K.

Appointed as one of 18 inaugural members of the UNSW Scientia Education Academy. The Academy comp... more Appointed as one of 18 inaugural members of the UNSW Scientia Education Academy. The Academy comprises outstanding UNSW educators who have achieved recognition at the University, national or international level through significant learning and teaching activities, grants, awards, fellowships, major national or international projects or professional society recognition. Academy members:
- Provide leadership and vision in learning and teaching
- Enhance the profile and quality of learning and teaching, including innovation in curriculum design and delivery and online education
- Interact with the wider academic body within UNSW and contribute to education strategy and improvements in teaching practice
- Contribute to positioning UNSW as an exemplar institution for student experience and outcomes.

One of 14 Teaching Excellence Awards issued nationally in 2015 by the Australian Government in re... more One of 14 Teaching Excellence Awards issued nationally in 2015 by the Australian Government in recognition of teaching excellence, leadership and innovation.

"Mr McIntyre’s teaching passion is to close the digital literacy gap for students and teachers. He has pioneered award winning online teaching practices, motivating hundreds of students to build their digital literacy and collaborative skills. He also led the design and implementation of a series of award winning UNSW professional development programs for online teaching practices. He designed the world’s first fully online Master of Cross- Disciplinary Art and Design program and several successful globally disseminated projects, including the Learning to Teach Online professional development resource and the Massive Open Online Course."

McIntyre, S., Watson, K., & Mirriahi, N. Learning to Teach Online Programs. The Reimagine Educat... more McIntyre, S., Watson, K., & Mirriahi, N. Learning to Teach Online Programs.

The Reimagine Education Regional Award recognises the best entries from the different regions of the world.

The Wharton-QS Stars Awards is a global competition awarding the best educational innovations worldwide. 22 awards were issued in 2015, judged by a panel of 40 international experts. 520 universities and enterprises from 50 countries entered the competition.

McIntyre, S., Watson, K., & Mirriahi, N. Learning to Teach Online Programs The Reimagine Educati... more McIntyre, S., Watson, K., & Mirriahi, N. Learning to Teach Online Programs

The Reimagine Education Regional Award recognises the best entries from the different regions of the world.

McIntyre, S., Watson, K., & Mirriahi, N. Learning to Teach Online Programs. The Reimagine Educat... more McIntyre, S., Watson, K., & Mirriahi, N. Learning to Teach Online Programs.

The Reimagine Education Nurturing Employability Award recognises the most innovative programs for nurturing the employability of students.

The Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE) Program began in 1994, when Apple recognized K-12 and high... more The Apple Distinguished Educator (ADE) Program began in 1994, when Apple recognized K-12 and higher education pioneers who are using a variety of Apple products to transform teaching and learning in powerful ways. Today it has grown into a worldwide community of over 2,000 visionary educators and innovative leaders who are doing amazing things with Apple technology in and out of the classroom.

Podcast of radio interview on Sundays with James O’Loghlin - ABC Radio.

"WATCH VIDEO EPISODE --> http://bit.ly/ijlL3g Engaging students in online learning is critic... more "WATCH VIDEO EPISODE --> http://bit.ly/ijlL3g

Engaging students in online learning is critical for success. In this episode, we speak with teachers and students about strategies for improving engagement and motivation in online learning environments. Effective facilitation, creating learning communities, strategies for motivating students, and encouraging and sustaining participation are discussed."

"WATCH VIDEO EPISODE --> http://bit.ly/gFPzbN This episode explores some of the key consider... more "WATCH VIDEO EPISODE --> http://bit.ly/gFPzbN

This episode explores some of the key considerations when planning your online or blended (face-to-face and online) class. It examines the importance of considering pedagogy before technology; constructively aligning assessment with learning outcomes; and the integration of digital literacy skills. It also offers some useful strategies for deciding which components are better suited to an online learning environment.

It is strongly recommended that teachers who are considering planning an online class also watch other Learning to Teach Online episodes and case studies for more in-depth information about the concepts discussed in this episode."

This case study aims to show how simple and powerful using audio feedback can be. Simon McIntyre ... more This case study aims to show how simple and powerful using audio feedback can be. Simon McIntyre from COFA Online, at The University of New South Wales discusses how he uses audio feedback effectively in his trans-national fully online Master of Cross-Disciplinary Art and Design program. While the context of this case study is in art and design, the use of audio files for giving students feedback is applicable to any discipline or almost any type of student work, even in 100% face-to-face classes. This case study will examine some of the motivations for adopting the use of audio feedback, the benefits for students and teachers, and some key considerations to keep in mind.

This Learning to Teach Online case study aims to demonstrate how the effective use of simple 'jus... more This Learning to Teach Online case study aims to demonstrate how the effective use of simple 'just in time' style online tutorials, stringently prepared and designed to support the needs of the students, can positively impact student learning when used in conjunction with traditional teaching approaches. Stephanie Eckoldt and Dominic Alder from the University of Bristol examine the reasons why they adopted an online supported teaching approach, and discuss key considerations in the planning and use of online tutorials. It is hoped that teachers in a wide range of different disciplines will be able to relate how the use of online tutorials would be of benefit to their own students' learning. Any teachers or students studying medicine and surgery are freely able to access and use the Hippocrates online tutorials.

"This case study features Tam Nguyen from The University of New South Wales, describing how a blo... more "This case study features Tam Nguyen from The University of New South Wales, describing how a blog was used in one particular teaching context to promote peer-to-peer interaction, feedback and discussion. Tam's students also integrate YouTube and Flickr into their blogs, maximising the potential of both social media and a learning management system.

While the case study does examine one particular teaching application of a blog, the principles discussed can just as easily be applied to any teaching situation where the ability for individuals to chronologically record a learning process, collate different learning resources such as text, video and audio, and increased peer feedback or discussion between students is desired. This episode will examine the context, planning and teaching within the case study, and highlight any issues that were encountered, and benefits that make this type of online teaching worthwhile."

In this Learning to Teach Online case study, Mark Schulz from the University of Queensland examin... more In this Learning to Teach Online case study, Mark Schulz from the University of Queensland examines the concept of using the Internet to remotely access laboratory equipment to conduct experiments in science or engineering. In particular, it demonstrates one of several experiments that can be conducted online using the iLabCentral website developed by Northwestern University. It explores benefits and opportunities for student learning offered by iLabs, by demonstrating how online learning materials in the iLabCentral website utilise remotely access specialist laboratory equipment made available by the Centre for Educational Innovation and Technology (CEIT) at the University of Queensland, in Brisbane Australia.

This Learning to Teach Online case study aims to give you a basic understanding of the website Fl... more This Learning to Teach Online case study aims to give you a basic understanding of the website Flickr, and how it was used to teach photography in a blended (face-to-face and online) class. It discusses the benefits of using an online community for submitting, organising and giving feedback on images, and the impact on student learning. Key issues surrounding pedagogic planning and teaching with Flickr that were encountered in this context of the case study will also be examined, highlighting the benefits and potential issues of adopting this approach.

Online classes are not bound by scheduled class times, and it can be very easy to spend too much ... more Online classes are not bound by scheduled class times, and it can be very easy to spend too much time teaching and managing your students in this environment. This episode highlights some important issues regarding managing your teaching time online. It examines some of the benefits and potential pitfalls of online teaching related to time, and offers some practical tips and suggestions on how teachers can make their online teaching more effective and productive.

In this episode we look at two different types of online learning environments: a centralised Lea... more In this episode we look at two different types of online learning environments: a centralised Learning Management System (LMS), and free open access social media (such as Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, etc). We discuss the benefits of each and highlight some important issues that need to be considered when using each of them.

This episode provides a brief overview of how our increasingly digitally networked world is chang... more This episode provides a brief overview of how our increasingly digitally networked world is changing the way we communicate and learn. It examines the benefits and challenges of online teaching, and how higher education is responding and adapting to these changes. We hope to paint a broad picture of the shifting educational landscape and to contextualise the need for the Learning to Teach Online project to help individual teachers play their own part in this.

The Learning to Teach Online project is a free professional development resource designed by COFA... more The Learning to Teach Online project is a free professional development resource designed by COFA Online at the University of New South Wales, in association with the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) to help teachers from any discipline, whether experienced in online teaching or not, gain a working understanding of successful online teaching pedagogies that they can apply in their own unique teaching situations. This episode gives an overview of the aims of the project, and describes how teachers can get the most out of Learning to Teach Online.

This case study describes how a postgraduate degree in cross-disciplinary art and design can be c... more This case study describes how a postgraduate degree in cross-disciplinary art and design can be conducted in a fully online studio environment. The program comprises a structured sequence of core-courses which contextualise a wide variety of elective choices by illuminating their theoretical, practical and disciplinary connections. Electives include subjects such as creative thinking processes, drawing, sculpture, digital illustration, art curation, textiles, photography, understanding and experiencing art, hologram design, digital animation, graphics. Students and teachers are represented from across the world and Australia.

Transmedia storytelling is the practice of designing, sharing, and participating in a cohesive st... more Transmedia storytelling is the practice of designing, sharing, and participating in a cohesive story experience across multiple traditional and digital delivery platforms - for entertainment, advertising and marketing, or social change.

Have you ever read a book, seen a movie, watched a television show, or played a game that centred around different aspects of a larger story or universe? You may be familiar with popular examples of such universes like Star Wars, Marvel, and The Walking Dead (to name a few).

How do the professionals develop such expansive narratives? How do they ensure that each element stays true to the original story? How do they innovatively use different technologies to share the stories, grow audiences and create an active and involved community of fans?

More and more, we are also engaging with elements or franchises of larger and more complex stories across a much more diverse range of platforms like interactive web experiences, social media communities, mobile devices, theme parks, and even augmented and virtual reality. A major challenge that current and future storytellers face is being able to engage different audiences in a story that is seamlessly told across all of these different platforms.

WHAT WILL I LEARN?
This course will help you to design a strategy for developing and telling your own transmedia story. You will learn about what it takes to:
• Shape your ideas into compelling and well structured narratives and complex story worlds
• Identify, understand, and engage different audiences in your stories
• Create cohesive user experiences across different platforms
• Evaluate existing and emerging technologies to share your story with the world, and help your audience participate in the larger storyworld you create

The course provides you with a unique, authentic, and industry relevant learning opportunity. You will have access to current theory, industry examples and advice and undertake learning activities that will equip you with the tools you need to start developing your own ideas.

Are you an educator? Have you ever wanted to understand more about how to design your class to ma... more Are you an educator? Have you ever wanted to understand more about how to design your class to make better use of educational technology – whether fully online or in blended contexts? Would you like to learn from those who have extensive practical experience with online technologies?

The Learning to Teach Online (LTTO) MOOC will help you develop a working understanding of successful online teaching strategies that you can apply in your own practice. The course is based upon the multi award winning open educational resource developed by Dr Simon McIntyre and Karin Watson.

Integrating online technologies into your teaching can be a challenging prospect, and it can be difficult to know how to approach it effectively for the benefit of both students and yourself. No one knows your own content and teaching strengths better than you, and the “one size fits all” formula doesn’t always suit everyone. No matter what type of technology you are interested in exploring or your level of experience, this course will help you draw on your teaching strengths and find the approach that is right for you, your students and your educational context.

This course will guide you through your journey of understanding how online technologies can enhance your course design. You will have the opportunity to develop your understanding of effective online teaching practices and their relationship to the use of different technologies. You will also be encouraged to progressively design and reflect upon your own online learning activity, assessment or resource for use in your own class if you choose to undertake the course assignments.