Association for Learning Technology
Fortnightly news digest 234, issued on 30 September 2011
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deadline for the next issue of the Digest is 12.00 on Wednesday 12
October for the Digest to be issued on Friday 14 October 2011.
Key links
* The new ALT web site: http://www.alt.ac.uk/
* Join ALT at http://www.alt.ac.uk/get-involved/membership
* Summary of ALT membership rights and entitlements:
http://www.alt.ac.uk/docs/membership_at_a_glance_2010_v2.pdf
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* ALT Online Newsletter – http://newsletter.alt.ac.uk/
Table of Contents
1. ALT news
2. ALT events
3. News
4. Other events
5. Calls for proposals
6. Funding calls
7. Job vacancies
8. ALT Online Newsletter - links to articles from the most recent issue
9. Current issue (19.2) of the ALT Journal - Research in Learning
Technology
1. ALT News
1.1 2012 ALT Conference - call for expressions of interest in membership
of the programme committee
Please use http://goo.gl/7027C to express an interest in membership of
and roles within the Conference Programme Committee for the 2012 ALT
Conference, which will be chaired by Jonathan Drori, Sarah Sherman and
Julie Voce, and which will take place in Manchester, UK, between 11 and
13 September 2012. The closing date for expressions of interest is 17
October.
1.2 Updated version of ALT-C 2011 Abstracts now available
The ALT-C 2011 Abstracts document has been updated to include a credit
to the editors. The updated document is available here
http://repository.alt.ac.uk/2160/
1.3 Memorandum of Understanding between NIACE and ALT
NIACE and ALT signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 18 August. Here is
a link to the media release http://goo.gl/ZwNfF.
1.4 20% discount for ALT members of Routledge Educational
Technology/e-Learning books Routledge has set up a 20% discount to
enable ALT members to purchase its Educational Technology/e-Learning
books, which are shown at http://goo.gl/u7izX [6MB PDF]. To secure the
discount, enter the code ALTDISC when checking out from
http://www.routledge.com/.
1.5 New account creation process for the ALT wiki
We have introduced a requirement for editors of the ALT wiki -
http://wiki.alt.ac.uk/ - to have an authorised account. This is to
reduce and hopefully eliminate the presence of bogus "stub" pages, and
save us time on "behind the scenes" weeding out of such pages. You can
apply for an account from
http://wiki.alt.ac.uk/index.php/Special:RequestAccount. (Feel free to
send feedback on the process to [log in to unmask])
1.6 Any employee of an ALT member organisation is entitled to join ALT
individually at no cost as an Associate Member. You can do this in
seconds from http://goo.gl/fOCYC
1.7 Prize winners announced at ALT-C 2011 - we've listed the winners of
the main ALT awards on the ALT web site at
http://www.alt.ac.uk/get-involved/awards
2. ALT events
2.1 Free lunchtime webinar - Getting started with serious games
19 October 2011 at 12:30 BST
Booking is now open for this free lunchtime webinar organised by ALT
with the support of the eLearning Network. Steve Harris and Scott Hewitt
will take you through some key game mechanics and suggest how these can
be used to meet the aims of serious games. This will include mechanics
from video games as well as alternate reality games. The second part of
the session will focus on some of the current game development tools
available to create your own serious games and show you some examples of
where game theory and “gamification” is being used to solve problems and
to engage learners.
For more information and to book go to
http://www.alt.ac.uk/events/getting-started-serious-games
2.2 Management Strategies to Improve the use of Learning Technologies
AoC/ALT conference 12 October 2011
The impact of digital technology on learning continues to evolve and
mapping that evolution is complex. AoC and ALT agree however that the
'the central challenge is to ascertain whether our current sites of
formal learning will be able to adapt and incorporate the new power of
technology-driven learning for the next generation of public schooling
and education in further, higher and adult contexts.' How then do
Colleges make best use of learning technologies in a competitive market
and at a time of reduced funding?
This FE event will bring together experts in the use of learning
technologies and will show case innovative practice that is already
achieving good results in Colleges.
For further information go to http://goo.gl/X8Dqa
2.3 The ALT/ELN webinar schedule for 2011
This is as follows, with fuller details soon to appear on the ALT web site.
* 19 October - Getting started with serious games [Please note that the
date of this webinar has changed from that previously advertised]
* 16 November - Writing effective quiz and assessment questions
* 13 December - The psychology of learning
[We reserve the right to change the order and titles of these webinars]
http://www.alt.ac.uk/events
3. News
3.1 Tilburg School of Economics and Management Receives Prestigious
Award for Mediasite Program
Tilburg School of Economics and Management has won the prestigious Jim
Bulloch Award for innovations in Management Accounting Education. The
award recognizes and rewards faculty members Bob van den Brand, Eddy
Cardinaels and Ivo van Amelsfoort who created the E-STAR Learning
Project. Launched with Mediasite as its core educational technology,
E-STAR focuses on in-depth applications of blended e-learning in the
introductory courses of management accounting. The jury admired the
integrated approach of offering web-based materials to students to
improve their effectiveness in learning.
3.2 Web-hosted resources for UK institutions and their international
students
Prepare for Success is a website hosting free learning resources to help
international students prepare for UK academic culture and study skills
required for HE and FE. Developed by eLanguages at the University of
Southampton with PMI funding from the UK Council for International
Student Affairs (UKCISA), UK institutions can link to the homepage for
their students or to selected items for pre-arrival online induction, or
use resources with their students post-arrival.
http://www.prepareforsuccess.org.uk
3.3 BTL Launches the Surpass e-Assessment Platform in Holland
BTL Group Ltd, the leading UK based provider of e-Assessment solutions,
will be launching their Surpass® e-Assessment Platform in Holland at the
SURF Seminar on the 13th September 2011. SURF is the collaborative
organisation for higher education institutions and research institutes
aimed at breakthrough innovations in ICT. The seminar will be taking
place at the Centraal Museum Utrecht.
http://www.btl.com/news
3.4 The Bloomsbury Colleges are moving to Moodle
ULCC is pleased to announce that The Bloomsbury Colleges are moving to
its Hosted Moodle service. The move from Blackboard means significant
cost-savings for the consortium of five Bloomsbury Colleges which
provides 5,000 courses to over 30,000 students. “In addition to the
pedagogical and technical advantages we will gain by moving to Moodle,
this switch will also mean significant cost savings for the consortium,”
said Dr Mandy Bentham, Chair of BLE. “The decision to host Moodle with
ULCC came naturally, due to its experience in supporting similar moves
for other HE institutions.” Read the full article at:
http://bit.ly/BLE2Moodle
3.5 Mobile Learning Challenge - £1000 prize
The International Association for Mobile Learning (IAMLearn,
www.iamlearn.org), in collaboration with Epic (www.epic.co.uk), is proud
to announce the Mobile Learning Challenge. The Mobile Learning Challenge
is searching for innovative and visionary solutions for learning using
mobile technologies. Practitioners, students, and young researchers are
particularly encouraged to contribute their inspiring and visionary
concepts. Specific technical skills are not required for participating!
Full details here: http://www.iamlearn.org/competition.php
3.6 Innovating e-Learning 2011: Learning in transition
Relevant to delegates from both further and higher education, the sixth
JISC online conference, Innovating e-Learning 2011, takes place on 22-25
November 2011, with pre-conference activities starting 15 November. The
theme of this year’s programme, Learning in transition, explores the
potential of technology to meet the challenge of the fast-changing
landscapes of post-16 education. Register now to join in live online
activities and presentations and asynchronous debates focused on
assessment, lifelong learning, open educational practices and the role
of students as agents of change. Further information and registration
(£50): www.jisc.ac.uk/elpconference11. Follow on Twitter: @jiscel2011
3.7 Desire2Learn Honoured as Microsoft Public Sector Partner of the Year
Desire2Learn has been honoured with the 2011 Microsoft U.S. Public
Sector Partner of the Year Award. The company was recognized for its
innovative use of Microsoft technology in support of Desire2Learn
Learning Suite and services. Desire2Learn works closely with Microsoft
to implement the latest technology through early adopter programs. This
enables Desire2Learn to be among the first to market with new
technologies and services that improve the user experience and save
clients’ money. For more information, read the press release at
http://bit.ly/oXEpL2
4. Other events
4.1 Panopto Regional Workshop - University of Birmingham, Wednesday 19th
October
If you're currently using, trialling or considering Panopto's lecture
capture software, this event provides an ideal opportunity to discuss
your experiences with contacts from other universities and to share best
practice. The day kicks off with presentations from University of
Birmingham and Aston University - how they implemented lecture capture,
issues that have arisen and how it has been received by staff and
students. Panopto will be on hand to provide feedback about our new 4.0
release/Unison, as well as to facilitate discussions surrounding the
future product roadmap and how best to involve Faculty members in the
uptake of lecture capture. To register for the day, please email:
[log in to unmask] www.panopto.com
4.2 NIACE Conference - Learning in a Digital World
The conference will explore how adults are currently learning to use ICT
and using ICT to learn, consider what the future of learning could look
like and plan how to best prepare for learning in the digital age. Held
in the presence of HRH, the Princess Royal, the conference will provide:
* Updates on current policies and practice in relation to digital
inclusion, open educational resources, innovation in learning delivery
and the development of digital skills.
* Support for the development of professional practice.
* Support in the delivery of adult learning programmes and the
identification of strategic priorities.
To reserve a place please visit http://goo.gl/7bxsU. Enquiries to the
NIACE Events Team on 0116 204 2833 or [log in to unmask]
4.3 Conference: Students at the Heart of the System 21 November 2011
The Publishers Association Academic and Professional Division annual
conference, Students at the Heart of the System: how to meet their
learning needs? will take place on 21 November at the ICO Conference
Centre, London W1 10am - 4pm. It will debate the implications of the HE
White Paper; our keynote speaker will be Professor Ian Diamond, leader
of the UUK Efficiency and Modernisation Task Group whose work will shape
recommendations based on the White Paper. For more information and to
register see http://www.publishers.org.uk/StudentsAtHeart
4.4 Curriculum Transformation using Scenario Based Learning Workshop
St George’s University of London 5-6th December 2011
The e-learning unit at St George’s University of London is holding an
exciting new workshop on Curriculum Transformation using Scenario Based
Learning. The workshop will demonstrate scenario based learning in the
form of interactive virtual patients and how they are used to transform
medical and healthcare curricula. These tools can not only replace
existing styles of learning used to teach, but also provide additional
training opportunities in problem-solving, patient management and
training against error. Participants will experience playing scenarios
and have hands on experience on creating them. For more information and
registration details please see the website:
http://www.elu.sgul.ac.uk/elu_wordpress/workshops/
4.5 ENCKE Virtual University Collaboration in Second Life
When: 27, 28 October 2011
Where: At a Second Life SL, url to be announced
This unique event will begin with an intensive two day Second Life
meeting that will consist of a series of plenary talks, small group
discussions and report back sessions, workshops, tutorials,
demonstrations and tours. Over the following 4 weeks some of the main
ideas and concepts for virtual teaching, learning and meeting spaces
developed by participants will be constructed on the new virtual
university island (with assistance from professional Second Life
builders). Then over the next 3 months participants will be able to book
and use these spaces for their own teaching and learning sessions, role
plays and meetings. Registration and more information:
http://adfi.usq.edu.au/encke.html
4.6 ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN 2011 November 30 – December 2, 2011.
As part of an Association Partnership, OEB can offer members of ALT a
discount on the normal attendance fee for the conference. The discounted
rate will be 650 euros instead of the standard 790 euros. Enter code:
AC119. http://www.online-educa.com
4.7 Media & Learning 2011 Conference programme online, registration open
Register now for the Media & Learning Conference taking place 24-25
November 2011 in Brussels, and check out the possibility to attend for
free by recommending the conference to others:
http://www.media-and-learning.eu/attend-for-free. The conference
programme, centered around the development and use of digital and media
skills in education, has an interesting line-up of keynote speakers and
includes screening sessions, presentations, discussions, practical
workshops and the MEDEA Awards Ceremony. Participants can also try out
various devices and apps in the conference play area. Visit:
http://www.media-and-learning.eu.
4.8 8th International Conference on Networked Learning in HE and
Lifelong Learning, Maastricht, the Netherlands, 2 - 4 April 2012
This conference is considered a major event in the international
'technology enhanced learning' conference circuit, and provides a
friendly, collegiate context for meeting researchers and practitioners
in networked learning. All submissions are peer reviewed, and accepted
papers published in conference proceedings. Full papers must be
submitted for peer review by Monday 3rd October, 2011. Invited Speakers:
Terry Anderson, Tara Fenwick & Judi Marshall. PRE-CONFERENCE ONLINE HOT
SEATS will run from October 2011 to March 2012 : For details of Hot Seat
hosts and programme see conference web site. Full Conference Details can
be found at http://www.networkedlearningconference.org.uk/
4.9 ATN Assessment Conference 20/21 Oct 2011: 'Meeting the challenges'
The ATNA2011 Conference Committee warmly invites you to participate in
the 2011 ATN Assessment Conference, to be held at Curtin University, in
Perth, Western Australia, on the 20th and 21st October 2011. This
conference provides opportunities to explore research and scholarly
practice relating to the challenges of assessment in higher education.
We are delighted to announce keynote addresses from Professor David
Nicol, Professor Beverley Oliver, and Professor Geoffrey Crisp with
conference themes relating to standards, leadership, challenges and
engagement. http://atna2011.curtin.edu.au.
4.10 Educational Technology and Related Education Conferences for June
to December 2011
The tireless Clayton R Wright has circulated an updated version of his
thorough listing of conferences and, as with previous updates, this is
now on the ALT Open Access repository at http://repository.alt.ac.uk/2106/.
5. Calls for proposals
5.1 Call for Proposals for an International Roundtable
The STELLAR (The European Network of Excellence in TEL) Theme Team on
“Social Mobile Networking for Informal Learning” (SoMobNet,
http://www.somobnet.eu) invites proposals for an International
Roundtable which will take place at the Institute of Education in London
on 21st November 2011. Participation at the event is by invitation only
and free of charge. Places are limited (max 35). Confirmed speakers
include Aleks Krotoski (Guardian), Gunther Kress (IoE), Sonia
Livingstone (LSE), Ben Bachmair (Kassel/IoE), Beat Doebeli (Goldau),
Klaus Bredl (Augsburg) and Christoph Pimmer (Basel).
Deadline: Friday 30th September.
http://www.somobnet.eu/roundtable
5.3 Call for the first European Immersive Education Summit (iED Summit),
29th November 2011 in Madrid, Spain.
Call for papers for the 1st European Immersive Education Summit to be
held on the 28th and 29th November 2011 at Leganes (Madrid, Spain). This
summit will address core topics on the use of virtual and mixed-reality
environments for online education and training applications. This is the
first summit organised by the newly formed European Chapter of the
Immersive Education Initiative (http://europe.immersiveeducation.org),
and builds on the success of previous iED summits held in Boston and
London (http://mediagrid.org/summit/). The paper submission deadline is
30th September 2011. See http://goo.gl/7T5pk for further information.
6. Funding calls
6.1 Leadership Foundation and HEFCE announce £1 million to stimulate
efficiencies in higher education
The new Innovation and Transformation Fund, which is provided jointly by
the LF and HEFCE, will support innovative projects to improve efficiency
in universities and higher education colleges over the next two years.
To read this item in full visit: http://goo.gl/DGftq
6.2 JISC Grant Funding 14/11: Access to Resources and Open Innovation
JISC invites institutions to submit expressions of interest in
undertaking projects that will proliferate good practice in Access to
Resources and Open Innovation, building on JISC’s investment in this
area. Funding for Access to Resources projects will help institutions
develop and demonstrate the provision-in-partnership of integrated
online service models, offering access to information, knowledge and
expertise to business and community organisations and individuals,
especially SMEs. The deadline for Stage 1 expressions of interest is 19
October 2011. The full text of the call is available at: http://goo.gl/xXsYG
6.3 JISC Funding Call 15/11 - Closing date 31 October 2011
Embedding impact analysis good practice in research using Business and
Community Engagement (BCE) practitioners – call for projects: JISC
invites institutions to submit funding proposals for partnership
projects comprising BCE ‘impact analysts’, research groups, and
information management expertise, to embed technology-enabled good
practice in impact analysis in research departments. Up to £240,000 is
available to fund 8 projects at £30,000 each. 6 month projects should
start in January 2012 and complete by end June 2012. The full text of
the call, including eligibility to bid, is at http://goo.gl/dq5iq
7. Jobs
7.1 The University of Nottingham
Information Services
Learning Support Development Officer
LD/05189
£27,428 - £35,788
Full time, Permanent
Closing date: 21 October 2011
Informal enquiries to [log in to unmask]
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/jobs/currentvacancies/ref/LD05189
7.2 The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Educational Development Centre
Learning Technologist
11091201
Salary negotiable
Full time, Temporary
Closing date: 15 October 2011
Informal enquiries to Josephine Csete at [log in to unmask],hk
http://www.polyu.edu.hk/hro/job_external.htm
7.3 Glasgow Caledonian University
Various Academic Schools
Learning Technologist x 3
PH3/30
£29,973 - £34,745
Full time, Permanent
Closing date: 03 October 2011
http://www.gcu.ac.uk/jobs/vacancies/PH330-BlendedLearningTechnologists.html
7.4 CERN
Human Resources Department
Scientific Information Officer
GS-SIS-2011-180-LD
Closing date: 18 October 2011
http://goo.gl/vE7nW
7.5 The Open Knowledge Foundation is hiring
We are currently seeking:
1. A python web developer
2. Community Coordinators
3. A foundation administrator
4. Graphics/ UX designers
Full details of all the positions & information on how to apply can be
found here:
http://okfn.org/jobs/
7.6 Epigeum Ltd
Learning and Development
Senior Learning Consultant
£35-£45,000 depending on experience
Full time
Closing date: 14 October 2011
Informal enquiries to David Lefevre [log in to unmask]
http://epigeum.com/jobs-at-epigeum
7.7 North Hertfordshire College
Assistant Principal, eCollege
£45,000 - £50,000
Full time, permanent
Closing date 7 October 2011 to start as soon as possible
http://goo.gl/kb8zq
7.8 There is a regular supply of mainly US jobs in the learning
technology field at http://www.salt.org/salt.asp?ss=l&pn=joblistall,
with a helpful RSS feed at http://www.salt.org/Weblink/SaltJobs.rss.
8. ALT Online Newsletter - links to articles from Issue 24, published in
August 2011
Table of contents for Issue 24 - http://newsletter.alt.ac.uk/tag/issue-24/
Article – ‘DIVERSE 2011’ by Mark Childs
http://goo.gl/Tv1oU
Article – ‘Virtual Experiments Team launch new website and virtual
experiments’ by Paolo Memoli
http://goo.gl/aTBkK
Article – ‘Why Distribute Documents in MS Word or OpenOffice for an
International Audience?’ by Clayton R. Wright
http://goo.gl/XIDxZ
Article – ‘Highlights from ‘Lecture Capture – Doing it well and at
scale’’ by Caroline Dobson-Davies, Gill Ritchie and Mimi Weiss Johnson
http://goo.gl/sgM4n
Article – ‘Tips and Suggestions from a Software Training Veteran’ by
Gena Taylor http://goo.gl/cTSOQ
Article – ‘A week in the life of Graham McElearney, University of
Sheffield’ by Graham McElearney
http://goo.gl/mDHEq
9. Most recent issue of Research in Learning Technology, the Journal of
the Association for Learning Technology (previously ALT-J) – published
online on 21 July
Volume 19 Issue 2. If your organisation is a member of ALT, or if it has
an online subscription to the Journal, *and* if its network is
appropriately configured, then you should be able to click straight
through to the individual articles. Note that all organisational and
sponsoring members of ALT are entitled to online access to the Journal
for all their employees when logged into the network.
* Note 1.* If you cannot access the Journal online, this is something we
may be able to help you fix.
*Note 2.* Research in Learning Technology will be fully Open Access from
1 January 2012, published by Co-Action Publishing.
*Note 3.* The DOI resolver that supports the links below sometimes works
inordinately slowly.
Table of contents http://goo.gl/eg1it
Editorial – “The role of people and organisations in learning technology
practice”
Frances Bell
http://goo.gl/X4E7Y
DOI:10.1080/21567069.2011.586809
Article – “Undergraduate paramedic students’ attitudes to e-learning:
findings from five university programs”
Brett Williams, Malcolm Boyle, Andrew Molloy, Richard Brightwell, Graham
Munro, Melinda Service and Ted Brown
http://goo.gl/Hf1XO
DOI:10.1080/21567069.2011.586679
Article – “Learners’ perceived information overload in online learning
via computer-mediated communication”
Chun-Ying Chen, Susan Pedersen & Karen L. Murphy
Note – there appear to be two other versions of this paper published
elsewhere. We are in discussions with Taylor and Francis about this.
http://goo.gl/68xBb
DOI:10.1080/21567069.2011.586678
Article – “Using technology to encourage student engagement with
feedback: a literature review”
Stuart Hepplestone, Graham Holden, Brian Irwin, Helen J. Parkin & Louise
Thorpe
http://goo.gl/BHPpj
DOI:10.1080/21567069.2011.586677
Article – “Peer mentoring – is a virtual form of support a viable
alternative?”
Joanne Smailes & Pat Gannon-Leary
http://goo.gl/6N93Q
DOI:10.1080/21567069.2011.586675
Article – “Educators’ perceptions, attitudes and practices: blended
learning in business and management education”
Vladlena Benson, Deborah Anderson & Ann Ooms
http://goo.gl/0GvW9
DOI:10.1080/21567069.2011.586676
Article – “The chicken or the egg? Investigating the transformational
impact of learning technology”
Janet F. Buchan
http://goo.gl/3kUhe
DOI:10.1080/21567069.2011.586674
----
The digest returns on 14 October 2011. All news, jobs, events, etc, to
the form at
http://www.alt.ac.uk/publications-and-resources/publications/alt-news-digest
by 12.00 noon on Wednesday 12 October. This issue was compiled by
those who submitted content for it, and very lightly edited by Anna Davidge.
----
Disclaimer. Reasonable care is taken to ensure that the ALT Digest is
accurate. But ALT does not vouch for the accuracy of information
provided on web sites to which the digest links, and opinions expressed
on those sites should not be construed to be those of ALT.
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