This document summarizes a presentation given by Prof. dr. Frederik Questier to the University of Cuenca in Ecuador on improving teaching and learning with information and communication technologies (ICT). It discusses evolving technologies and learning theories, models for constructive learning environments using ICT, and strategies for educational innovation including teacher training, developing an expertise center, disseminating best practices, and facilitating communication and projects. The overall message is that ICT can transform and improve education when used to support intentional, collaborative, complex learning in authentic contexts.

1. Technologies for higher education
Prof. dr. Frederik Questier
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Management workshop for
University of Cuenca, Ecuador
March 2010

3. My background

4. ➢ Teaching courses:
➢ Educational Technologies
➢ Learning Technologies
➢ Virtual Learning Environments
➢ E-learning design
➢ Departments
➢ Interdisciplinary Teacher Training
➢ Educational Sciences
➢ Former head of center for
➢ Education innovation
➢ Teacher staff training
➢ Virtual learning Environment

5. My research interests
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6. Projects with Cuba
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7. Projects with Kenia
(Nairobi and Moi universities)
Expertise Centre ICT for edu
Training
Consultancy
Research
Postgraduate master ICT in Education 7

8. One Laptop Per Child
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9. Topic of today's workshop
How can we improve teaching and learning with
Information and Communication Technologies
(ICT)
?
Why?
How?
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10. Research studies show that
how much and how effectively
teachers integrate ICT
in their teaching process
depends mainly on their educational vision
(not age, gender, ...)
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11. University of Cuenca
Educational mission and vision
Formation of graduates with ethical, academic and technical skills
capable of tackling the challenges of today and next generation,
with focus on the sustainable economic development
of Ecuador’s rich resources in harmony with nature
and focus on equity between different genders, races and cultures.
Through:
Evolving from passive to participatory education
at pre- and postgraduate level;
Introducing research via
thesis projects and postgraduate programs
(from professional master to master of science programs)
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12. How can we educate
our students for
the unknown future?
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13. The best way
to predict the future
is to invent it.
(Alan Kay, 1971)
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14. Information Society ?
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15. Knowledge Society
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16. From information scarcity to information abundance !
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17. Evolution of the internet?
Web 2.0 (Social)
Web 3.0 (Semantic)
Mobile and Ubiquitous
Global brain – intelligence
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18. Virtual reality gets photorealism
Crysis 18

19. Augmented Reality
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20. Evolution of organizations
Source: Jessica Lipnack and Jeffrey Stamps, Virtual Teams
http://www.netage.com/pub/books/VirtualTeams%202/CHAPTERS%20PDF/chapter02.pdf
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21. Network society
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22. 22

23. Knowledge?
➢ More than facts
➢ Distributed
➢ in network of people and information sources
➢ Total knowledge is doubling every year
➢ Explicit knowledge
➢ Knowledge that can be expressed and transfered easily
➢ Tacit knowledge
➢ Knowledge that is not easy to express or transfer
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24. Knowledge Spiral
➢ Nonaka, Ikujiro, and Hirotaka Takeuchi, The Knowledge Creating Company, New York, Oxford University Press 1995
➢ Source figure: Jeremy J. S. B. Hall, http://www.simulations.co.uk/KM.htm
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25. Major learning theories
Behaviourism Learning = change of behaviour
Stimulus → response
Learner is passive receiver of knowledge
Mind = black box
Cognitivism Focuses on how the brain works
Metacognition, learning strategies
Motivation
Constructivism Knowledge is actively constructed by the learner
New knowledge is linked to prior knowledge
Learners discover themselves facts and relationships
Social Constructivism Social interaction plays a fundamental role
Discussions lead to deeper understanding and increased motivation
Constructionism Constructing an artifact or something that can be shared leads to
better learning
Connectivism Learning is a process of connecting nodes or information sources
Knowledge and learning may reside in non-human appliances
Try to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts
Know-what & Know-how → Know-where
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26. 26

27. Demand for new skills?
➢ Social skills
➢ communicating, networking, teamwork
➢ Creativity
➢ Entrepeneurship
➢ Information technology skills
➢ Handle information overload
➢ ...
➢
➢ Learning to learn → Life Long Learning!
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28. Competences ?!
➢ ability to use
➢ knowledge
➢ skills
➢ attitudes
➢ in complex, authentic situations
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29. Educational innovation
“The highest-ranked universities are the ones that
make significant contributions to the advancement of knowledge through research,
teach with the most innovative curricula and pedagogical methods
under the most conducive circumstances”
World Bank
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30. Staff are digital immigrants,
students are digital natives
(Prensky)
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31. Are we innovating fast enough
the way we teach?
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32. “Schools we have today
were designed around commonsense assumptions
that had never been scientifically tested”
R. Keith Sawyer
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33. 33

34. Educational innovation?
Traditional learning New Learning
teacher oriented student oriented
(passive) knowledge transfer (active) knowledge construction; interaction
focus on knowledge focus on competences
individual learning collaborative learning
focus on course contents also focus on learning process
(learning to learn, reflection)
teacher = expert teacher = coach
teacher directs also self-directed learning
selective education adaptive education
students focus on good scores attention for (intrinsic) motivation
surface learning deep (natural) learning
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35. Educational innovation?
Traditional learning New Learning
abstract, school-like examples & tasks authentic contexts
evaluation by teacher self/co/peer-assessment, ...
summative evaluation + formative evaluation
(learning from mistakes and feedback)
linear curriculum flexible curriculum
independent courses and disciplines connexion, integration, interdisciplinarity
supply oriented demand oriented
uniform education differentiated education
(adapted to e.g. learning styles)
classroom flexible learning environment
(also online & virtual)
course materials powerful learning environments
formal learning + informal learning
behaviorism and cognitivism Social constructivism (and connectivism)
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36. How can we improve
teaching and learning with ICT?
➢ Don't apply traditional teaching methods in new
technologies!
Substitution?
(dropping your coursebook online)
Transformation!
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37. Seek the synergy!
Theories about learning
and technologies
have evolved
towards very similar concepts
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38. Model Jonassen for
(constructive) learning environments
→ Technologies can support the intentional construction,
in a collaborative way, of complex contextualized artifacts
and the conversation and reflection about it
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39. Exercise
Which characteristics of Jonassen's model
apply to the following learning environments?

40. Active/Manipulative - Collaborative - Complex - Constructive - Contextualized - Conversational - Intentional - Reflective
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41. Active/Manipulative - Collaborative - Complex - Constructive - Contextualized - Conversational - Intentional - Reflective
Case kit (Ugent, Jan Velghe)
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42. Active/Manipulative - Collaborative - Complex - Constructive - Contextualized - Conversational - Intentional - Reflective
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43. Active/Manipulative - Collaborative - Complex - Constructive - Contextualized - Conversational - Intentional - Reflective
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44. Active/Manipulative - Collaborative - Complex - Constructive - Contextualized - Conversational - Intentional - Reflective
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45. Active/Manipulative - Collaborative - Complex - Constructive - Contextualized - Conversational - Intentional - Reflective
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46. Active/Manipulative - Collaborative - Complex - Constructive - Contextualized - Conversational - Intentional - Reflective
Pharmacy simulations
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47. Active/Manipulative - Collaborative - Complex - Constructive - Contextualized - Conversational - Intentional - Reflective
ICT supported
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48. Active/Manipulative - Collaborative - Complex - Constructive - Contextualized - Conversational - Intentional - Reflective
ICT supported
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49. Active/Manipulative - Collaborative - Complex - Constructive - Contextualized - Conversational - Intentional - Reflective
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50. Active/Manipulative - Collaborative - Complex - Constructive - Contextualized - Conversational - Intentional - Reflective
Competition + ?
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51. Active/Manipulative - Collaborative - Complex - Constructive - Contextualized - Conversational - Intentional - Reflective
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52. Active/Manipulative - Collaborative - Complex - Constructive - Contextualized - Conversational - Intentional - Reflective
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53. Active/Manipulative - Collaborative - Complex - Constructive - Contextualized - Conversational - Intentional - Reflective
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54. Active/Manipulative - Collaborative - Complex - Constructive - Contextualized - Conversational - Intentional - Reflective
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55. Active/Manipulative - Collaborative - Complex - Constructive - Contextualized - Conversational - Intentional - Reflective
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56. Active/Manipulative - Collaborative - Complex - Constructive - Contextualized - Conversational - Intentional - Reflective
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57. Active/Manipulative - Collaborative - Complex - Constructive - Contextualized - Conversational - Intentional - Reflective
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58. Active/Manipulative - Collaborative - Complex - Constructive - Contextualized - Conversational - Intentional - Reflective
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59. Active/Manipulative - Collaborative - Complex - Constructive - Contextualized - Conversational - Intentional - Reflective
evirtual.ucuenca.edu.ec (Moodle)
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60. Active/Manipulative - Collaborative - Complex - Constructive - Contextualized - Conversational - Intentional - Reflective
evirtual.ucuenca.edu.ec (Moodle)
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61. Active/Manipulative - Collaborative - Complex - Constructive - Contextualized - Conversational - Intentional - Reflective
evirtual.ucuenca.edu.ec (Moodle)
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62. Active/Manipulative - Collaborative - Complex - Constructive - Contextualized - Conversational - Intentional - Reflective
evirtual.ucuenca.edu.ec (Moodle)
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63. Active/Manipulative - Collaborative - Complex - Constructive - Contextualized - Conversational - Intentional - Reflective
evirtual.ucuenca.edu.ec (Moodle)
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64. Evolution in E-learning?
e-learning 1.0 e-learning 2.0
closed source software open source software
solitary platform integrated in ICT-environment
closed to outer world open where useful,closed where necessary
only own institution connected with other institutions
focus on technology focus on pedagogy
consumption interaction
courses communities
teacher oriented student centered
content management knowledge management
upload of materials authoring environment
tools intelligent assistant
institutional learning environment personal learning environment
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65. The VLE
(virtual learning environment)
➢ is becoming
➢ the centre of learning
➢ the face of your university
➢ crucial
➢ corner stone infrastructure
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66. Murphy's law
Anything that can go wrong will go wrong
➢ power interruptions and surges
➢ overheating (air-conditioning failure)
➢ hardware failure
➢ network interruptions and congestions
➢ bugs
➢ broken updates
➢ unintentional deletes
➢ dirty/faulty data input
➢ security breaches
➢ viruses
➢ fire, flooding, theft
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67. Scale (up) adequately
Prepare for disaster recovery
Have separate test and backup setups
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68. Is this ICT supported
learning paradigm shift
possible without
teacher learning/training?

69. Rogers' Model:
Diffusion of innovations
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70. How to get every teacher
to apply innovative teaching?
➢ Innovators and early adopters
➢ will start when you show them best practices
➢ The rest
➢ will need in situ support
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71. 71

72. 72

73. Build an
educational innovation center
➢ Expertise center
➢ Resources for experimentation
➢ Research approach
➢ Mixed team
➢ Educational scientists
➢ Educational technologists
➢ Provide services to teaching staff and students
➢ E-learning environment
➢ Training of teacher staff
➢ Facilitation of innovation
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74. Formalize contact with faculties
➢ Educational innovation steering committee
➢ members from
➢ each faculty
➢ central academic services
➢ and/or
➢ in each faculty
➢ an active, full time responsible for educational innovation
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75. Collaborate with edu researchers
➢ Researchers / teachers from school of
educational sciences could
➢ assist with advice
➢ help in training teacher staff
➢ elaborate research projects around local context
➢ provide internship and thesis students
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76. Educational mission
and vision on teaching learning
➢ Get it written
➢ Get it known
➢ Get it implemented
➢ ask on every curriculum reform
➢ ask every new teacher to elaborate her vision on it
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77. Perform a teacher needs analysis
Our results
➢ Didactical support for which tasks? (56%-30%)
➢ Adapt to the way students learn most efficiently
➢ Development of activating tasks
➢ Use of ICT in education
➢ Development of efficient learning materials
➢ Motivating my students
➢ Translate competences to evaluation
➢ Giving feedback to my students
➢ Translate competencies to effective learning activities
➢ Formulating end competences for my courses
➢ Adapt to the prior knowledge of my students
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78. Perform a teacher needs analysis
Our results
➢ Didactical support in which way? (66%-33%)
➢ Online self study courses
➢ Workshops
➢ Individual support of an educational advisor
➢ Intervision
➢ Project group
➢ Individual coaching/mentoring by an experienced colleague
➢
➢ Formal training 'academical didactics'?
➢ 57% 'yes'
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79. Disseminate best practices
➢ Website, news letter, books, ...
➢ Yearly day of Educational Innovation
➢ External keynotes
➢ Workshops from internal innovators
➢ Panel discussions
➢ Poster sessions
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80. Provide didactical seminar
for (new) teachers
➢ yearly
➢ 4 days residential
➢ 'obligatory' for new teachers
➢ reflection about personal educational vision
➢ didactical methods
➢ Introduction to educational technologies
➢ feedback with video recordings
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81. Provide workshops
➢ How to motivate my students?
➢ How to make my courses more interactive?
➢ Peer assessment for group projects
➢ E-learning platform
➢ Student portfolio
➢ Formulation & analysis of Multiple Choice tests
➢ Intellectual property & plagiarism
➢ Digital formats
➢ Open learning with wiki’s, Wikipedia, wiki courses, ...
➢ Open Source Software & reusable learning resources
➢ Voice techniques
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82. Provide question driven support
➢ Face to face advise and consultancy
➢ E-mail helpdesk
➢ evirtual@ucuenca.edu.ec
➢ OTRS (Open Source Trouble Ticket System)
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83. Facilitate innovation projects
➢ Open call for projects in faculties
➢ Provide funding
➢ Anything from small seed money to 2y 1 FTE
➢ Challenge: continuation after the funding
➢ Or: assign central people that can go from
project to project
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84. Facilitate communication
between students and staff
yearcode@pointcarre.vub.ac.be
coursecode@pointcarre.vub.ac.be
+ variants for 'ad valvas' and 'work students'
Software: GNU mailman : www.lists.org
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85. Involve your VLE users
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86. Reflection task
➢ Which recommendations do you have for you
university?
➢ How can we improve teaching and learning with ICT?
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87. Nominal group technique
University of Cuenca results
➢ ICT-edu training for teachers (and students)
➢ Funding for ICT-edu projects
➢ Policy for the use of ICT-edu
➢ Promote teachers that have good use of ICT
➢ Introduce ICT in curriculum, carreer, faculties
➢ Center for educational innovation and technologies
➢ Professional networks to share experiences & information
➢ Create awareness about reasons for ICT-edu use
➢ Promote evirtual, e.g. with workshops
➢ Workshops on ICT-edu
➢ Request feedback from attendance in ICT workshops
➢ Give teachers a few months training (learning) time
➢ Deadline for ICT-edu
➢ Open mind for new technologies
➢ Research about ICT-edu (tools)
➢ Project to implement ICT in the classroom with supervisors that monitor implementation
➢ Stimulate ICT instead of manual work for course descriptions
➢ Collect statistics of availability of students computers
➢ Budget for student computers and computer labs 87

88. Active/Manipulative - Collaborative - Complex - Constructive - Contextualized - Conversational - Intentional - Reflective
Questions? Comments?
Muchas gracias!
See also http://questier.com
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