Improving university teaching: Creating strategies and tools to support the design process. This project will create strategies and tools to help university teachers design effective online learning experiences. Excellence in online education is important to Australia, socially and economically. Social benefits come from greater participation and graduates better equipped to contribute to their communities. Economic benefits come from graduates with skills and knowledge to be flexible, adaptable ....Improving university teaching: Creating strategies and tools to support the design process. This project will create strategies and tools to help university teachers design effective online learning experiences. Excellence in online education is important to Australia, socially and economically. Social benefits come from greater participation and graduates better equipped to contribute to their communities. Economic benefits come from graduates with skills and knowledge to be flexible, adaptable and productive in a dynamic workplace. As high quality online education providers, Australian universities will be more competitive in the international education market. This project will raise the profile of Australian research and lead to new commercial ventures through the development of innovative technologies for online learning.Read moreRead less
Facilitating the Lifelong Learning Needs of the Mature Age Community through Learning Object Technology. By understanding learner preferences, needs and requirements, it could be possible to provide opportunities in an online learning environment that will improve the quality, variety and relevance of learning for all. There could be particular benefits for mature-age learners. Curtin has begun to explore the benefits of reusable learning objects with current online learning management systems. ....Facilitating the Lifelong Learning Needs of the Mature Age Community through Learning Object Technology. By understanding learner preferences, needs and requirements, it could be possible to provide opportunities in an online learning environment that will improve the quality, variety and relevance of learning for all. There could be particular benefits for mature-age learners. Curtin has begun to explore the benefits of reusable learning objects with current online learning management systems. This project aims to define the use and application of learning object technology and applies a meta-model of pedagogical design to online learning environments. Outcomes will allow the applications of new methodologies for the effective implementation of complex, intelligent learning environments.Read moreRead less
School-University e-Learning research partnerships for scaling up innovation. Despite optimism about new technologies for learning, e-learning innovation has been slow to scale up. This project tests a novel research strategy for engaging schools sustainably with e-learning. Teams of students (school and university), teachers (including beginning teachers), community members, consultants and e-learning researchers are constituted, in schools, to identify, collaboratively, hard-to-learn (technolo ....School-University e-Learning research partnerships for scaling up innovation. Despite optimism about new technologies for learning, e-learning innovation has been slow to scale up. This project tests a novel research strategy for engaging schools sustainably with e-learning. Teams of students (school and university), teachers (including beginning teachers), community members, consultants and e-learning researchers are constituted, in schools, to identify, collaboratively, hard-to-learn (technology-and-science) concepts and effective teaching approaches, develop ways of exploiting new media to teach such concepts and scale up their solutions within and beyond their schools. Re-conceiving the problem so students and teachers gain equity as e-learning researchers yields a model for scholarly, future-oriented educational renewal.Read moreRead less
Design experiments in ICT in education research. How to use information and communication technologies (ICT) to improve teaching and learning outcomes has become a critical question for educators world-wide. Governments are investing hugely in hardware, software and infrastructure to support the use of technologies but the research conducted into their effective use in inadequate. This proposal will investigate a relatively new methodology, design experiments, that has potential to provide the b ....Design experiments in ICT in education research. How to use information and communication technologies (ICT) to improve teaching and learning outcomes has become a critical question for educators world-wide. Governments are investing hugely in hardware, software and infrastructure to support the use of technologies but the research conducted into their effective use in inadequate. This proposal will investigate a relatively new methodology, design experiments, that has potential to provide the basis for enhancing both pedagogy and outcomes through technology integration. The research will determine the major principles, methods and critical characteristics of design experiments, and develop guidelines for their use in ICT research.Read moreRead less
Blended learning in schools, TAFE and universities: experience, principles, patterns and practice. Effective use of technology in education depends upon the teacher's understanding of good ways to support learning. New uses of technology to improve learning are emerging constantly: the challenge is to share good practice. This project focuses on investigating the quality of blended learning experiences and using the outcomes to identify and share good practice using a format called a 'design pa ....Blended learning in schools, TAFE and universities: experience, principles, patterns and practice. Effective use of technology in education depends upon the teacher's understanding of good ways to support learning. New uses of technology to improve learning are emerging constantly: the challenge is to share good practice. This project focuses on investigating the quality of blended learning experiences and using the outcomes to identify and share good practice using a format called a 'design pattern'. Design patterns combine research-based evidence and the knowledge of experienced practitioners in a format which is relatively easy to communicate, learn and apply. They are not yet used in teaching with technology. We will generate and test design patterns for learning through discussion in technology-based and other classroom settings.Read moreRead less
Conceptual Understanding and Problem-solving Approaches in the Presence of Graphics Calculators. The objectives of the project are to identify how students conceptualise mathematical relationships and formulate problem solutions, when graphics calculators are utilised. Graphics calculators are now common in schools and research is needed to provide sound bases for teaching and assessment. Investigation will centre on upper-secondary applied mathematics subjects because they are studied by a high ....Conceptual Understanding and Problem-solving Approaches in the Presence of Graphics Calculators. The objectives of the project are to identify how students conceptualise mathematical relationships and formulate problem solutions, when graphics calculators are utilised. Graphics calculators are now common in schools and research is needed to provide sound bases for teaching and assessment. Investigation will centre on upper-secondary applied mathematics subjects because they are studied by a high proportion of students for university entrance, are relevant to a wide range of careers and have received relatively little research attention in relation to calculator use. The project will yield, for school and research communities, new knowledge of mathematics learning with graphics calculators.Read moreRead less
Using machine learning and automated document analysis methods to support English composition training. The project has the potential to further strengthen Australia's Higher Education industry by providing scalable solutions for teaching academic writing, a core competence for students in the tertiary sector. It is also a contribution to the E-learning industry in general. Innovating with these respective technologies will have a significant impact on the quality of online training. Australian ....Using machine learning and automated document analysis methods to support English composition training. The project has the potential to further strengthen Australia's Higher Education industry by providing scalable solutions for teaching academic writing, a core competence for students in the tertiary sector. It is also a contribution to the E-learning industry in general. Innovating with these respective technologies will have a significant impact on the quality of online training. Australian organizations will be able to reap the benefits of a well-tested platform, with the exclusive added capabilities that this project will develop. One of the software systems to be used in this project is an open source Learning Management System that is available to every Australian institution without any licensing cost.Read moreRead less
Virtual Reality Training Kit for Arc Welders. The aim of this research is to develop a virtual reality training package that enables welders to obtain basic manipulative skills in a safe environment before they are exposed to additional welding hazards. The research addresses the problem of welder training in a novel manner by utilizing a virtual reality simulator to allow the welding trainee to develop his manipulative and functional skills prior to attempting real welding tasks. An additional ....Virtual Reality Training Kit for Arc Welders. The aim of this research is to develop a virtual reality training package that enables welders to obtain basic manipulative skills in a safe environment before they are exposed to additional welding hazards. The research addresses the problem of welder training in a novel manner by utilizing a virtual reality simulator to allow the welding trainee to develop his manipulative and functional skills prior to attempting real welding tasks. An additional feature of the package is the internetworking facility that will allow monitoring and feedback of results to trainers. This is an advantage especially for remote communitiesRead moreRead less
The role of technology-enriched, technology-mediated learning communities in reforming mathematics teacher education. This project examines the impact of a technology-enriched teacher education program on beginning teachers' integration of educational technologies into secondary school mathematics classrooms. It seeks to increase theoretical understanding of how beginning teachers are initiated into a collaborative professional community featuring both web-based and face to face interaction, and ....The role of technology-enriched, technology-mediated learning communities in reforming mathematics teacher education. This project examines the impact of a technology-enriched teacher education program on beginning teachers' integration of educational technologies into secondary school mathematics classrooms. It seeks to increase theoretical understanding of how beginning teachers are initiated into a collaborative professional community featuring both web-based and face to face interaction, and how participation in such a community shapes their pedagogical beliefs and actions. Of central interest is the role of technologically knowledgeable pre-service and beginning teachers as agents ofinnovation and reform in secondary school mathematics. Outcomes will inform the design and implementation of models of pre-service teacher education and professional development.Read moreRead less
Learning through inquiry in Higher Education. This project can make a significant contribution to socioeconomic well-being. It addresses a major dilemma in higher education practice. It focuses on learning through inquiry - an approach to education that many claim is particularly appropriate for training graduates for knowledge work in the 21st Century. Our project makes a timely intervention by providing broad-based evidence that can inform debates about the future direction of this area of hig ....Learning through inquiry in Higher Education. This project can make a significant contribution to socioeconomic well-being. It addresses a major dilemma in higher education practice. It focuses on learning through inquiry - an approach to education that many claim is particularly appropriate for training graduates for knowledge work in the 21st Century. Our project makes a timely intervention by providing broad-based evidence that can inform debates about the future direction of this area of higher education. In practical terms, take-up of the outcomes of this project can improve the quality of Australian higher education, as well as the knowledge and skills of graduates entering the Australian workforce. It helps understand what is involved in promoting an innovation culture.Read moreRead less