All Ireland Society for Higher Education
| Name: | Alan Masson |
|---|---|
| Email: | aj.masson@ulster.ac.uk |
| Institution: | University of Ulster |
Ross, Vilinda, v.ross@ulster.ac.uk MacNeill, Aine, abmacneill@ulster.ac.uk
The need to describe and disseminate effective practice in teaching and learning has become increasingly important. There are many emerging trends and technologies to review, reflect, capture, record and disseminate current practice. The Hybrid Learning Model, a novel method of capturing and disseminating teaching practice has been developed by the CETL(NI), 'Utilising Institutional e-Learning Services to Enhance the Learning Process'. Research undertaken as part of this initiative reports the use of the model to investigate both teacher and learner perspectives within the realm of e-learning.
The use of the Hybrid Learning Model offers the opportunity for academics to reflect on their current practice and can assist in responding to changing learner contexts in online environments. The model can also be utilised in a learning design context to assist in the design and delivery of online course materials.
The strength of the method proposed is its transparency, use of simple language and its potential of breaking down effective complex learning activities into a generic, re-usable format so that good practice can be disseminated, reapplied and evaluated easily. The method has added value in that, along with recording practice and the actual process involved at every stage of the learning activity, it promotes self and peer reflection of teaching and learning practices and communicates these practices to support evaluation. Use of this proposed model can be used to enhance the learning and teaching experience, create re-usable learning scenarios and promote and change teaching practice.
The paper will briefly describe the development and evaluation of the model and discuss its evaluation as a reliable method of reflecting on practice, in particular with respect to reported changes in teacher's perceptions of the learner perspective. The session will include a brief hands-on session to permit participants to contextualise the model and the reported findings.