Welcome to the 3C Project eNewsletter

At the Teaching and Learning Innovation Symposium held at PolyU in June 2010 Mr. Gilbert Ho (Head of Market Development, Apple Asia Education) presented in his keynote "Strategies for a Pervasive Digital Learning Environment" some material detailing iTunesU (or iTunes University). As a follow up from this he presented a session for PolyU staff on August the 12th looking at the possibilities for iTunesU more specific to PolyU. Presented below is some follow up material;

What is iTunesU?

• iTunes U is a specialised area of the Apple iTunes store that allows Higher Education institutions to make audio, visual and .pdf content available for download and subscription.
• In order to take advantage of iTunes U, users must first have iTunes installed on their computer. iTunes is available for both Mac OS X and Windows operating systems.
• iTunes U offers the advantage that users can listen or view a piece of content on their computer, or on the go by synchronising with their mobile device.
• iTunesU content can be PUBLIC (open to the world) or PRIVATE (only available to PolyU)
• iTunesU is a Content Management System, not  Learning Management System.

Some thoughts on how can iTunesU benefit PolyU staff and students?

• iTunesU content can be used to enhance the public image of the university as a leader in innovation and be used for PR purposes. EG: An example of content ‘Campus Beat’ from HKUST - http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/campus-beat/id207714044.
• iTunesU content can be used to enhance the learning and teaching experience of students through the provision of; course lectures, lab demos, campus tours, freshman orientation material..etc .
• The video capture of Foundation Year – Large Cohort seminars could free up teaching time for more engaging active discussion and also assist ESL learners.
• PolyU has many leading experts in their respective fields and similar to other leading institutions we can ‘showcase’ our best practice.

Your Thoughts?

If you have any comments or feedback please feel free to email Peter Duffy - etpeterd@inet.polyu.edu.hk

Fast, Easy @ PolyU: Tools for Blended Learning

On October 20 2010 the 3C Project will be conducting a workshop on two of its most important deliverables: the (e)Learning Mapping Tool and the Learning Design Templates. The workshop will take place from 10 am to 11:30 am in TU616. .Don’t miss this opportunity to find out how these new exciting tool can assist you with integrating a blended learning approach in your courses.

REGISTER NOW - http://eldss.edc.polyu.edu.hk/ams/activitydetail.aspx?activity_id=500

What is the (e)Learning Mapping tool (eLM)?

To effectively adopt a blended learning teaching approach involves creating alignment between learning activities (e.g., reading and reflection, quizzes, discussion, problem solving, peer support, guided writing), content types (e.g., theories, concepts, case studies), learning technologies (e.g., print media, video and audio, computer simulations, social networking tools) and learning outcomes (as determined by the course and unit outlines).The eLM is a tool to assist staff in understanding the pedagogy underlying the use of different eLearning tools, technologies and approaches. It is designed to guide staff in their choice of Blended Learning approaches that suit, and are specific to, their context in an informed manner.

What are the Learning Design Templates (LDTs)?

The move to a 4 year curriculum structure and a new LMS at PolyU represents an ideal opportunity to analyze and reinvigorate our current practices. In particular, it presents opportunities for the integration of blended learning approaches into teaching, learning and assessment at PolyU which can support PolyU staff in dealing with increasing workloads and curriculum demands. To support staff in the use of learning technologies in their teaching a series of LDTs is currently being developed. These templates provide a structured and simplified overview of possible options available to staff through an institutional LMS, (e.g., WebCT, Blackboard, Moodle). This will ultimately save PolyU staff time, ensure greater opportunities for teaching and learning quality, and offer greater learning opportunities to our students. Initial consultation was conducted with all Departmental, Faculty and School LTC Chairs, the eLAs, representative of all Faculties and Schools and key stakeholders from other support units in PolyU (eg: Library, ITS, SAO, etc). LDTs were then developed to assist staff to implement eLearning in a time and pedagogically effective way.

The LDTs are being trialed with selected staff in Semester 1, 2010, with a view to making them available to all teaching staff for Semester 2.