ICT Education Seminar
presented by
Angela Carbone
School of Information Management and Systems
Monash University
Angela.Carbone@infotech.monash.edu.au
2001
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Presentation Overview
•
A personal teaching journey
- ICT Education Issues
- Steps towards valuing research in ICT Education
• IT Education Project Team
• Computing Education Research Group (CERG)
• Projects (Small/Medium/Large, Funded/Non-funded)
•
2001
Are there rewards for good ICT university teachers?
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Individual Teaching-Related Projects
•
•
Individual Projects
- Advanced Students’ Project Scheme
- Identifying Students at Risk (G-SPI)
- Mentor Scheme for females
- Development of Web-based teaching resources
(CADAL Quiz)
Why?
- Non-funded
- Little support/motivation to pursue
“Seek employment with TAFE College they’re interested in
teaching issues”
- Responding to student’s need, Intrinsic rewards,
changes to class size
1990 Level A, Dept. of CS
2001
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Valuing Research in ICT Education
•
A Common View held
- Any effort to improve teaching erodes time spent on
SERIOUS research
•
My View
- As one can not get high quality computing and
advances without research on computing one can not
get high quality teaching without research on learning
and teaching in the specific context of the teaching
•
Difficulty
- Many ICT Educators are unfamiliar with techniques of
educational research and evaluation
2001
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Perceived Problems in ICT Ed
•
•
In 1994 perceived problem in the teaching and
learning of computing/programming
The main concerns
- high failure rates
- a low flow of students into higher degrees
- a perception of a wide range of teaching skills
- Complaints about
“General decline in student quality”
2001
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IT Education Project
•
•
•
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Dean of IT approached the Dean of Education
Invested $50,000 towards resolving the
problem
Basically, the Dean of IT wanted Education
experts to tell academics in IT how to teach
Education project group (Edproj) was formed
to investigate the concern
1994 Formation of Edproj
2001
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IT Education Project
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•
•
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Isolated academics in Faculty focused on similar concerns
Educational experts provided IT educators with an
introduction to educational research methodology and
evaluation
Outcome: Small/ Medium Sized Projects
- Tutor Training
- Development of Web-based teaching resources
- Questionable work practices
- Anonymous feedback
- Investigating characteristics of programming tasks that
might encourage GLBs/PLTs
Still extrinsic motivation & rewards for educational
innovation minimal
1996 – Unsuccessful promotion to Level B
2001
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Minimal rewards
•
•
Reason for unsuccessful promotion (former Dean
of IT)
- “The reason is the concern the committee had
for your research potential… There was no
question of your teaching ability and initiatives
in that direction…. But it was felt that some
progress towards a research degree was
essential”
Appointed Dean of IT
- “To be promoted based on teaching, you can’t
just be a good teacher you must be an
outstanding teacher”
1996 – Enrolled in a PHD Computer Science Education
1997 – VC Award for Distinguished Teaching
2001
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Computing Education Research Group
About CERG
- Interested Faculty members led to formation of CERG, 1997
- provides a forum for the discussion of state of the art research
in ICT Education
- sharing of pedagogical approaches
- Main issues in ICT Education
- Investigates
• the uses of technology in teaching,
• different approaches to teaching computing topics,
• Approaches evaluated with the aim of determining their
effectiveness and efficiency in improving the processes of
human learning.
- http://cerg.csse.monash.edu.au
2001
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CERG Resources
•
People
- About 50 members [10 core players]
- Members from every school in the faculty
- Members from outside the faculty (Ed, Arts, Eng)
•
Needed
- Research expertise, statistics and education
• Appointed research fellow 1998
• Workshops
- Students
• In 1999 2 PhD students, 2 Hons students
- Equipment
• Computing equipment, Licenses for SPSS, NVivo
- Local and International Alliances
2001
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CERG Local Alliances
•
Within the Faculty of Information Technology
• The Associate Dean Teaching
• Facilitated Learning for IT Education (FLITE)
•
Within Monash University
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Centre for Learning and Teaching Support (CeLTS)
Educational Design Group (EDG)
Higher Education Development Unit (HEDU)
Language and learning Services Unit (LLS)
Monash University Library
Monash Transition Program
Higher Education Partnerships in Communications and
Information Technology (HEPCIT)
• Information Technology Services
•
Outside Monash University
• ASCILITE
• HERDSA
2001
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CERG International Alliances
•
CSERGI - Computer Science Education Research Groups
International is an informal alliance of Computer Science
Education Research Groups which aims to enhance the
work within each group by the cross-cultural international
support of interested colleagues world wide.
http://www.docs.uu.se/csergi/
•
Members are
•
- Computing Education Research Group,
Monash University, Australia
- The Centre for Informatics Educational Research,
Open University, UK
- Computer Science Education Research Group,
University of Texas at Austin, TX, USA
- Computers and Education Research Group,
University of Kent, UK
- Computer Science Education Research Group,
Uppsala University, Sweden
2001
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Main issues include:
- Difficulties facing students and staff in achieving
success in teaching and learning of programming
- What is the best programming language to teach?
- Effective use of emerging technologies
- Pedagogy (PBL, Studio-based)
- Meeting the needs of employers
- Increased class size
- Changing student demographics
- Low rates of female participation
- Prevent increasing incidence of plagiarism
- False impressions of ICT
- Curriculum development
- Assessment Methods
- Developing teaching resources
2001
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Conference Participation
Conference Title
- ACM SIGCSE Symposium
- IEEE Conference Advanced learning
Technologies
- AACE: ED-MEDIA, SITE, E-Learn(WEBNET)
- HERDSA
- ICCE/SchoolNet
- ITiCSE
- ASCILITE
•
•
2001
CERG held the Australasian Computing
Education Conference, Monash University 2000
Reviewers of research activities
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CERG Projects/Grants
•
1998 Successful Grants
- Monash FITR Grant, to support CERG research fellow
$45,100.
- Monash FIT’s TIF Grant to support a collaborative project
to produce teaching resources for first year programming in
Java $50,000.
- CUTSD Grant, "An Internet Environment for learning
Software Testing Processes“ $50,000
1998 – Promotion to Level B
1998 – Australian Award for Computing and Information Services ($40,000)
1998 – PM Award for University Teacher of the Year ($35,000)
1998 – Appointed to Level E (Prof)
2001
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CERG Grants
•
1999 Successful Grants
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•
2000 Successful Grants
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•
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AUTC Grant, Learning Outcomes and Curriculum Development in
Information and Communication Technologies, 2001-2002,
(yr 2001 - $200,000 + yr 2002 - $100,000)
http://cerg.csse.monash.edu.au/icted/
Other grants which CERG members have contributed to
-
2001
NCVER Grant, Size and scope of on-line learning in the VET
sector, 2000- Aug 2001, CERG will partner Chisholm TAFE and
West Coast College of TAFE (WA) in a project researching on-line
learning. $70,000 http://wombat.chisholm.vic.edu.au/NCVER
2001 Successful Grants
-
•
Monash SIF Grant, To develop Studio-based Teaching and
Learning Model in IT $75,000.
Monash FITR Grant, Continuation of 1998 grant to employ
Research Fellow as a CERG resource $27,575
Science Lectureship http://www.webworkforce.org (~$1.5M)
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Studio–based Teaching and Learning
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Aim
- Institute an innovative teaching and learning model
based on a studio approach
•
Features
- a modern teaching and learning space,
- pedagogy
• an integrated curriculum across all core subjects,
• collaboration (s-s, s-t, t-t)
- an IT infrastructure designed to support students
whether they are within the space or off campus,
- assessment scheme to elicit higher order thinking skills
2001
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Studio–based T & L Environment
The learning and teaching environment
(Studio 1, Studio 2, Studio Café, Meeting Room)
Development and team work
2001
Develop critical IT skills
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Pedagogy
1st year studio leader
First Year
Core
Core
Studio
Core
Core
Studio Manager
Tools and Technology
2nd year studio leader
Second Year
System design
Third Year
Practice
3rd year studio leader
Practical, Application, Vocational, Development Focus
2001
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Assessment
Portfolio Assessment
•
“A purposeful collection of student work that exhibits the
student’s efforts, progress and achievements in one or
more areas of the curriculum” (Paulson, Paulson & Meyer)
- Semester 1
• 30% Mandatory
• 10% Self-selected
- Semester 2
• 20% Mandatory
• 20% Self-selected
- Exam 20%
• Written, oral presentation, an interview
2001
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IT infrastructure
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IT Infrastructure divided into 4 areas
- Network
• Connected to internet, SIMS network and university student
network
• Citrix Metaframe (thin client) environment
• RF network (range 45m, run at 11Mbps)
- Hardware/Software
• Windows 2000, Macintosh 0S9
- Peripherals
• Digital cameras, desktop video conferencing cameras, zip drives,
scanners, data projector
- Electronic Community
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2001
Threaded discussion Area
Video and audio communications(NetMeeting)
CADAL Quiz
All lecture notes, exercises PDF
Other software
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Studio–based Teaching and Learning
•
2001
Evaluation Methodology
- Pilot Project 2000
- Full implementation 2001
- Student/Staff Quantitative Questionnaires
- Qualitative data
- Reflective Portfolios
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Evaluating Studio Model
•
The Physical Space
• Rated high in terms of its comfort level and as a learning
space
• ‘Studio café is a bit too small, most of the time it is so full
you hardly get a space to sit’
•
IT tools and Infrastructure
• Frustrated with software crashing, login process
• High access on studio Website
• Students wanted lecturers to answer all questions posted
on threaded discussion
• Appreciation of loan equipment
• Few commented on need for one computer per person.
2001
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Evaluating the Studio Model
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Teaching and Learning Philosophy
• “Studio subject was the only subject I could not really
understand its purpose” [Semester 1]
• “I liked the way the studio incorporated and related the
learning areas of other core subjects of BIMS. This
makes it seems that the subjects are not so separated but
related and hence easier to understand and apply skills”
[Semester 2]
•
Portfolio Assessment
• Preparation was time-demanding
• Students wanted to be told what to hand in
• Students didn’t appreciate opportunities for creative
freedom – thought this was a lack of organisation of the
subject
• By semester 2, significant differences were foundstudents found it easier to decide what items to submit
and easier to organize portfolio
2001
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AUTC Project Aim
Learning Outcomes and Curriculum Development in
Information and Communication Technologies, 20012002, funded by Australian Universities Teaching Committee
- Purpose
• to investigate the ways that teaching and learning have
been approached in the major disciplines of information
and communication technology (ICT) with a view to
making recommendations about the promotion of
innovation and good practice
- Reference group / Steering Committee
- http://cerg.csse.monash.edu.au/icted/
2001
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AUTC Project
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Research Methodology
• Quantitative questionnaire used to investigate employers’
views about university ICT graduates.
• Interviews used to investigate ICT graduates’ views on
their courses.
• Literature survey
• to investigate methods for assessing students’ satisfaction with their
courses and for the evaluation of teaching.
• Qualitative data gathered from mini-conference
discussions to investigate ICT educators’ views of
educational innovation and the dissemination of good
practice, and on current teaching and learning initiatives.
•
Findings
• University-Industry Interface
• Educational Innovation and dissemination
• Educational Evaluation
2001
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University-Industry Interface
Findings
- Employers generally satisfied with their ICT graduates.
- In terms of curriculum development, ICT sector is
subject to the vagaries of changing technologies, ideas
and fashions.
- Of respondents who employed recent ICT graduates
many were in contact with ICT departments
• 48% providing industrial experience
• 22% for course or subject advisory committees,
• 25% for R&D,
• 24% for consulting.
- Little research has been published on ICT graduates’
experiences and attitudes after they have entered the
workforce.
- Existing info not very useful in terms of curriculum
development and educational innovation.
2001
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Educational Innovation and dissemination
•
Findings
- 83 participants reporting a teaching initiative responding
to
• students’ learning needs, problems arising due to reduced
resources, increased student numbers, more diverse
student populations, the changing needs of employers.
- ICT educators perceive extrinsic motivation and reward
for educational innovations to be minimal.
- ICT educators perceive tension between demands of
students and the skills and knowledge they believe
necessary for students to be ICT professionals and lifelong learners.
- A range of factors are viewed as inhibiting ICT
educators’ ability to generate and to disseminate
educational innovations
2001
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Educational Evaluation
•
Findings
- Methods used to assess students’ satisfaction with their
courses are inadequate for the purpose of continuous
improvement.
- On the whole, ICT educators are unfamiliar with the principles
and techniques of educational research and evaluation
methods, impairing efforts to improve and to disseminate
teaching and learning initiatives.
- Most initiatives reported were formally evaluated; however, a
large proportion relied on standard student feedback
questionnaires and not motivated towards or skilled in the
pursuit of other methods.
- Educational evaluation and dissemination activities very low
priority in ICT departments. Consequently, difficulty
demonstrating that their teaching activities are innovative.
2001
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AUTC Project Recommendations
•
List of recommendations include:
- Improving interactions with outside world
- Ways of supporting educational innovation and
dissemination
- Ways of encouraging educational evaluation
- Executive Summary Report (Avail Fri 30th Nov 2001)
- http://cerg.csse.monash.edu.au/icted/execsum.html
2001
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AUTC Project
•
•
2001
Stage 2, 2002
Dissemination and building resources
- Conduct a series of curriculum and staff
development workshops/seminars around the
country
- Develop a Web-based resource centre
- Promote and develop evaluation skills
amongst staff to support independent activity
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Are there rewards for good teaching?
•
My personal view.
- No!
- But we are moving to a
system which provides
rewards for a
combination of good
teaching and research
on educational issues
in the ICT discipline!
2001
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Rewards in ICT Education
•
1997 Awarded Vice
Chancellor’s Award for
Distinguished Teaching,
1997 ($5,000)
•
1998 Recipient of Australian
Award for University
Teaching ($40,000)
•
1998 Prime Minister’s
Award for University
Teacher of the Year
($35,000)
•
1999 Professorship
2001
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Contact Details
Angela Carbone
School of Information Management and Systems
Faculty of IT, Monash University
Ph
Mob
Email
URL
2001
61 3 9903 1911
0407 886 791
angela.Carbone@sims.monash.edu.au
http://www.sims.monash.edu.au/Staff/Angela
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