The Open/Technology in Education, Society, and Scholarship Association Journal

On the Misappropriation of Spatial Metaphors in Online Learning

2023-01-14T20:40:06-08:00

In online educational systems, teachers often replicate pedagogical methods, and online institutions replicate systems and structures used by their in-person counterparts, the only purpose of which was to solve problems created by having to teach in a physical environment. Likewise, virtual learning environments often attempt to replicate features of their physical counterparts, thereby weakly replicating in software the problems that in-person teachers had to solve. This has contributed to a vicious circle of problem creation and problem solving that benefits no one. In this paper I argue that the term ‘environment’ is a dangerously misleading metaphor for the online systems we build to support learning, that leads to poor pedagogical choices and weak digital solutions. I propose an alternative metaphor of infrastructure and services that can enable more flexible, learner-driven, and digitally native ways of designing systems (including the tools, pedagogies, and structures) to support learning.

Surveillance in the System: Data as Critical Change in Higher Education

2023-01-14T20:40:03-08:00

Over recent decades, higher education infrastructures have become increasingly digitized and datafied. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated adoption of online learning platforms, trading the walls of the classroom for digital systems. Yet the surveillance, privacy, and discrimination issues that such systems raise are minimally understood by those who teach and learn within them. This paper overviews a 2020 pilot survey and 2021-2022 qualitative study of higher education instructors on a global scale. These projects explored the ways in which instructors from various locales and academic status positions understand data and classroom tools using proxy questions surrounding knowledge, practices, experiences, and perspectives. This paper draws on those studies to frame concerns about datafication amplifying issues in higher education. Its premises are twofold: first, if higher education instructors, as knowledge workers, are not knowledgeable about the contexts within which they teach and conduct scholarship, then the construct of shared governance within higher education is inevitably undermined. Secondly, if faculty and academic decision-makers are not intentional about equitable and ethical use of digital platforms within higher education, students’ privacy and data is at risk. In this conceptual paper, we outline findings that frame datafication as a critical change within higher education culture.

Introducing A Reflective Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Microcredentials

2023-01-14T20:39:59-08:00

Assessment and recognition are key aspects of microcredentials, and other courses offered on massive open online course (MOOC) platforms. Microcredentials are designed to address the needs of employers and learners looking for units of study at a higher education level aligned with the requirements of labour markets. This paper reviews current methods for assessment and recognition used in MOOCs and microcredentials, proposing a framework with seven aspects and two checklists for use at planning and design stages. The framework is based on a review of 27 documents and a synthesis process. It provides a tool for microcredential producers to check whether the best ID verification, assessment, recognition, and quality assurance approaches are in place, enabling them to reflect on, and possibly improve, their choices.

Integrating Technology With Instructional Frameworks to Support all Learners in Inclusive Classrooms

2023-01-17T15:35:32-08:00

In Ontario, as the number of students requiring special education support continues to rise, the transition to inclusive classrooms has become more challenging for teachers due to limited time and lack of resources and support in the classrooms. However, this study explored how eight elementary school teachers addressed these obstacles in their successful transitions to inclusion through the integration of technology, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and the Response to Intervention (RTI) frameworks in both online and physical classrooms. Through online interviews and classroom observations, the teachers orally shared and demonstrated how technology could increase student engagement, differentiate instruction, provide students with alternative instruction and assessment methods, and build teacher capacity within the classrooms. Despite this successful integration of technology and instructional frameworks, inefficiencies were revealed in screening approaches and teachers’ access to streamlined assessment resources to identify the needs of students. A discussion examined the teachers’ barriers in supporting the needs of all learners with proposed technology-based considerations that may assist other teachers in their transitions to inclusive classrooms.

Elders’ Conversations: Perspectives on Leveraging Digital Technology in Language Revival

2023-01-14T20:40:12-08:00

In First Nations, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) communities, Elders are highly regarded as intergenerational transmitters of ancestral language and Indigenous knowledge. Without language revival initiatives, ancestral languages in FNMI communities are at risk of extinction. Leveraging digital technologies while collaborating with Elders can support revival initiatives. Through semi-structured interviews and qualitative analysis, this study addresses how three Elders who use technology in their ancestral language teaching (1) describe the benefits, drawbacks, and preferences of technology; (2) reveal the accuracy with which cultural knowledge is imparted through technology; and (3) view the impact of technology on their role as traditional knowledge keepers and intergenerational language transmitters Findings suggest that while Elders acknowledge the benefits of leveraging digital tools in language revival initiatives, they are concerned about technology’s potential negative impacts on relationality.