Resources

Ubiquitous Learning: Strategies for Pedagogy, Course Design, and Technology bridges the gap between digital media and education, by presenting an intriguing look on the future of education. By combining theory, research, and practice, this book paints a broad picture of the field of ubiquitous learning by focuses on how to use theory and research to enhance technology integration to support teaching and learning through instructional design strategies for instruction, models and frameworks for course design, and applications of mobile and social media tools to create, implement, and deliver a ubiquitous learning environment. This book is of interest to researchers and graduate students in educational technology, information sciences, adult learning and other learning and performance fields, as well as university faculty, teachers, administrators, policymakers, and industry leaders, who can use this text to make essential decisions related to their respective roles in education. Ubiquitous Learning: Strategies for Pedagogy, Course Design, and Technology is a great reference for those who wish to enhance their levels of teaching and student engagement though the use of technology. (From the Publisher)

This practical handbook for designing and teaching hybrid or blended courses focuses on outcomes-based practice. It reflects the author’s experience of having taught over 70 hybrid courses, and having worked for three years in the Learning Technology Center at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a center that is recognized as a leader in the field of hybrid course design. Jay Caulfield defines hybrid courses as ones where not only is face time replaced to varying degrees by online learning, but also by experiential learning that takes place in the community or within an organization with or without the presence of a teacher; and as a pedagogy that places the primary responsibility of learning on the learner, with the teacher’s primary role being to create opportunities and environments that foster independent and collaborative student learning. Starting with a brief review of the relevant theory – such as andragogy, inquiry-based learning, experiential learning and theories that specifically relate to distance education – she addresses the practicalities of planning a hybrid course, taking into account class characteristics such as size, demographics, subject matter, learning outcomes, and time available. She offers criteria for determining the appropriate mix of face-to-face, online, and experiential components for a course, and guidance on creating social presence online. The section on designing and teaching in the hybrid environment covers such key elements as promoting and managing discussion, using small groups, creating opportunities for student feedback, and ensuring that students’ learning expectations are met. A concluding section of interviews with students and teachers offers a rich vein of tips and ideas. (From the Publisher)

Early life experiences are likely to be important for the formation of preferences. Religiosity is a key dimension of preferences, affecting many economic outcomes. This paper examines the effect of college major on religiosity, and the converse effect of religiosity on college major, using panel data from the Monitoring the Future survey as a way of gauging the extent to which various streams of thought, as taught in college, affect religiosity. Two key questions, based on the differences in college experience across majors, are whether either (a) the Scientific worldview or (b) Postmodernism has negative effects on religiosity as these streams of thought are actually transmitted at the college level. The results show a decline in religiosity of students majoring in the social sciences and humanities, but a rise in religiosity for those in education and business. After initial choices, those respondents with high levels of religiosity are more likely to enter college. Of those who are in college, people with high levels of religiosity tend to go into the humanities and education over other majors.

This book is a practical resource for lecturers working with groups of all sizes, in a range of teaching environments. Written by a highly experienced teacher and lecturer, Alan Mortiboys, the book is a distillation of the common concerns and issues raised at workshops Alan has run. The book reflects three of the six areas of activity outlined in the UK Professional Standards Framework for Teaching and Supporting Learning in Higher Education: Design and Planning of Learning Activities and/or Programmes of Study Teaching and/or Supporting Student Learning Evaluation of Practice and Continuing Professional Development The book answers 55 of the questions most commonly asked by HE teachers. There are 14 tasks to help the reader apply the answers to their own teaching practice. The answers are also linked to relevant literature for further reading. How to be an Effective Teacher in Higher Education provides key reading for those teaching and undertaking PGCert in HE or other postgraduate teaching courses as well as academics concerned with their professional development. (From the Publisher)

In recent years there has been increasing use of virtual worlds in Higher Education, particularly in Second Life. This practical handbook is a pedagogically-informed text that guides staff in the use of Second Life in the fields of further and higher education. The book has been designed to support teachers who want to use Second Life and provides both an overview and a detailed consideration of the opportunities this immersive world offers for teaching, learning, assessment and research. To assist readers, Maggi Savin-Baden has included: - A glossary of terms - Details of challenges and mistakes to avoid - Examples of good practice - Links to websites and other sources of help This book is designed both for those new to Second Life as well as those with experience of teaching in virtual environments. It will help teachers to progress from getting started with Second Life to developing their teaching within the environment. (From the Publisher)

There is intense interest in computer games. A total of 65 percent of all American households play computer games, and sales of such games increased 22.9 percent last year. The average amount of game playing time was found to be 13.2 hours per week. The popularity and market success of games is evident from both the increased earnings from games, over $7 Billion in 2005, and from the fact that over 200 academic institutions worldwide now offer game related programs of study. In view of the intense interest in computer games educators and trainers, in business, industry, the government, and the military would like to use computer games to improve the delivery of instruction. Computer Games and Instruction is intended for these educators and trainers. It reviews the research evidence supporting use of computer games, for instruction, and also reviews the history of games in general, in education, and by the military. In addition chapters examine gender differences in game use, and the implications of games for use by lower socio-economic students, for students’ reading, and for contemporary theories of instruction. Finally, well known scholars of games will respond to the evidence reviewed. (From the Publisher)

A Volume in the Series: Instructional Innovations in Teaching and Learning Series Editor(s): Kathleen P. King, University of South Florida and Mark Gura, Fordham University This book is provided as a guide, encouragement and handbook for faculty to introduce digital media in language you can understand and provide strategies and activities you can quickly assimilate into your teaching. We are excited that more people will be able to benefit from the powerful help and guidance contained in this book. We are even more exhilarated as we anticipate how each of you will discover applications and new directions we would never anticipate, and look forward. We look forward to your innovations as you use the material you discover here. This book responds to the needs of our changing world and students by revealing innovative technology applications and how faculty are and can use digital media in teaching in higher education because faculty make the quickest changes and learn how to do it best. It is a valuable resource for faculty from faculty, because it allows the sharing of successful teaching experiences with digital media with our worldwide colleagues so they may modify it, extend it, and improve it. Moreover, in our work with faculty across all disciplines, we also find that many struggle to think about teaching in ways in which they can incorporate technology meaningfully. While we might be experts in our discipline (chemistry, philosophy, music, etc) due to the curriculum of terminal degrees, we might not have strong preparation in instructional design. We have been fortunate to bring together faculty experts across different disciplines to specifically speak about how and why to use digital media in higher education settings. We realize we are asking you to think about your way of teaching with new ideas and strategies. Therefore, we try to illustrate them with clear examples. These different approaches include clear descriptions of what these activities look like, why to develop and implement them, and how to do so for your specific needs. (From the Publisher)

This groundbreaking book offers a down-to-earth resource for the practical application of blended learning in higher education as well as a comprehensive examination of the topic. Well-grounded in research, Blended Learning in Higher Education clearly demonstrates how the blended learning approach embraces the traditional values of face-to-face teaching and integrates the best practices of online learning. This approach has proven to both enhance and expand the effectiveness and efficiency of teaching and learning in higher education across disciplines. In this much-needed book, authors D. Randy Garrison and Norman D. Vaughan present the foundational research, theoretical framework, scenarios, principles, and practical guidelines for the redesign and transformation of the higher education curriculum. Blended Learning in Higher Education •Outlines seven blended learning redesign principles •Explains the professional development issues essential to the implementation of blended learning designs •Presents six illustrative scenarios of blended learning design •Contains practical guidelines to blended learning redesign •Describes techniques and tools for engaging students (From the Publisher)

A volume in Perspectives in Instructional Technology and Distance Education Series Editors: Charles Schlosser and Michael Simonson Nova Southeastern University The Perfect Online Course: Best Practices for Designing and Teaching was edited under the assumption that a perfect online course can be delivered following different instructional methods and models for design and for instruction, and by implementing different teaching or instructional strategies. Such methods, models, and strategies are framed within quality educational guidelines and must be aimed towards attaining the online course's learning goals. The book seeks to make a contribution to the existing body of literature related to best practices and guidelines for designing and teaching distance courses, specifically online education. The process of selecting works suitable for this compilation included an extensive review of the journals Quarterly Review of Distance Education and Distance Learning. The book begins by covering literature related to general approaches and guidelines, continues with proposed methods and models for designing and instruction, and ends with instructional strategies to achieve engagement through interaction. The book is divided into four independent, yet interrelated, parts and a concluding section: Part I: Introduction; Part II: Best Guidelines and Standards; Part III: Best Instructional Methods and Models; Part IV: Best Engagement Strategies; and the concluding section, And Finally..., with words from Simonson who delineates the structure of a perfect online course. (From the Publisher)

This book is a product of a dissertation project that was completed in December 2006. This project investigated teachers' experiences in relation to teaching and learning using the hybrid-context instructional model. The dissertation itself has been noted as one of the best in providing practical tips for teachers in this area. The study methodology is included as appendix B. To answer the questions raised during the interviews, the findings of the study have been supplemented and supported with extensive literature review of empirical studies to provide theoretical and practical solutions. The literature review draws from total Internet, blended, and hybrid instruction studies. The literature on the total Internet instruction has relevance in that the Internet piece of the hybrid-context course shares the same course management systems and requires the same approaches and principles as do total Internet instruction. The book discusses the conceptual and descriptive presentations of the hybrid-context model, media, applicable teaching philosophies; strategies best accomplished in each medium; various ways of linking the face-to-face and the Internet activities; the why and how the study participants transitioned into teaching hybrid-context courses, teachers' expectations, etc. The discussion on 'labor of love' is the core of this book as the discussion has captured the surprises the study participants met in a way that is not reflected in the current literature. Built into this discussion are the amounts of things teachers had to learn in order to function well as hybrid-context model teachers. The contents of this book will aide teachers who teach in any way using the Internet. Therefore, any establishment/individual using the Internet for teaching and learning will benefit from the contents of this book. Also, the administrators will find this book a selling point to encourage more participation in the adoption of the hybrid-context instructional model as well as realizing what the teachers would need to successfully implement this phenomenon. (From the Publisher)