Exploring pedagogical preferences and practices

Exploring pedagogical preferences and practices

I want to explore my own pedagogical preferences and practices

You could browse the Instructional Design Models site. This is a comprehensive site with lots of links - you'll need some patience!

If you want something more explanatory, try Brenda Mergel's frequently quoted paper on Instructional Design and Learning Theory.

I want to know how to recognise effective e-pedagogy

Check out Peshe Kariloff's paper Breaking the Barriers of Time and Space you will need to register for the Innovate online journal, and that's a good thing!

In Implementing the Seven Principles, Arthur Chickering and Stephen Ehrmann explain how the principles of effective e-pedagogy are still relevant for online courses.

I want to ensure consistency between my course learning outcomes, learning activities and assessment

Pathways to Good Practice's short section, Check alignment of all elements, includes a template that you can use for your own course materials.

The overview on the AUTC website Learning Designs investigates the alignment of these key course components.

I want to know more about the principles of flexible learning

Flexible Delivery, a paper by Normand Carey and Allison Littlejohn, explores the dimensions of flexible learning delivery. See Appendix 1 for a table of dimensions based on Collis and Moonen.

Flexibility through Online Learning is a comprehensive report on developing effective flexible learning - the context is Australia but the lessons learned are widely applicable.

I want some theory about online interaction

A good place to start is Terry Anderson's paper, Getting the Mix Right Again.

I want some theory about communities of practice

A good place to start is Etienne Wenger's Communities of Practice: A brief Introduction.

And if you want a good examination of the development of online communities, and an outline of a model that describes the process, read Chris Brook and Ron Oliver's Online Learning Communities.

How do I engage and support diverse learners?

Try the learning styles activity in IDOnline.

If you want to follow some research in this area, read Rod Sims's and Elizabeth Stork's paper, Design for Contextual Learning.

Or you could explore the resources on the WestEd site. Start by trying Using Technology to Support Diverse Learners. (This link is to the 'Research Base' - click on 'Home' to access the rest of this large site.)