Catherine Elizabeth McLoughlin

Australian Catholic University | ACU · Faculty of Education & Arts

As online learning expands across the higher education sector, individual university lecturers are required to take on roles that incorporate responsibilities for designing and teaching online courses. Their growing capacities to fulfil these roles are sometimes supported by professional development (PD) programs within their institutions while som...

The professional development of online teachers is now commonplace in most universities. Alongside the relatively straightforward decision to provide professional learning support for novice and experienced online educators within universities, decisions about the nature and content of such support are not always as clear cut. The study aimed to ga...

This article outlines the design and development of a bespoke Research Training Support Framework, targeting the professional development needs of higher degree research (HDR) supervisors and their students, which was achieved by implementing Patton's (2011; 2012) utilisation-focused evaluation methodology (UFE). The primary research question was:...

The use of threshold concepts to define key points of curricula is a relatively recent development in educational research. Threshold concepts represent crucial stages of learning, the acquisition of which enables learners to progress from one level of achievement to another. In this context, the learner is described as passing through an unsettlin...

Mathematics learning can be made more accessible with mathcasts, which are dynamic, digitally recorded playbacks of worked examples and mathematical problem-solving on a computer screen, accompanied by audio narration. Mathcasts aim to enable students to develop deeper understanding of key foundational concepts in order to equip them to undertake d...

There is widespread acceptance of the need for professional learning opportunities and support for teachers and for academics transitioning into the higher education workforce. In Australia and globally, social networking sites (SNS) provide teachers with formal and informal networking opportunities. While higher education institutions are respondi...

The field of teacher education has been evolving for several decades, and current approaches to teacher education aim to prepare preservice-teachers to teach diverse populations and develop a range of skills, dispositions, and attributes. Emerging models of teacher preparation recognize the disconnect that has occurred between theory and practice,...

The socio-political and economic conditions of the world signal that the global society is moving towards an era of international, cross-border collaboration in education. International higher education by its very nature sits at an intersection of socio-cultural, economic, and geopolitical variables. Over the years, we have seen the complex intera...

In this activity, students from a single cohort undertaking practicum placement at geographically dispersed locations form online, peer-to-peer mentoring relationships in which they assist and support one another with the help of Web-based social software tools. They undertake structured tasks requiring them to create weekly blog entries and voice...

Abstract Abstract: We report on a preliminary evaluation of the delivery of engaging, flexible and learner-centred experiences using screencasting technology. This technological/pedagogical innovation is directed at enabling students to develop deeper understanding of key mathematical concepts in order to equip them to undertake degrees in enginee...

Although higher education has been taking advantage of Web 2.0 applications to create technologically-enriched learning experiences for students, most of the existing Web 2.0 literature shows that educators do not use those applications to their full potential.

Today, in a globalised, digital world, leadership challenges in the adoption and integration of emerging social software tools to support learning abound. Today’s students, who have grown up in technology saturated environments, have never known a world without the internet, mobile phones, video on demand and personal computers. Leaders and educato...

Engineering students undertaking mathematical subjects often encounter difficulties with specific concepts taught in their units. This presents a pedagogical challenge as teachers need to provide students with a sound foundation in mathematical concepts. Threshold concepts denote concepts that are essential to knowledge and understanding within par...

Lifelong learning can be broadly defined as purposeful learning that people engage in throughout the lifespan. The proliferation of knowledge, the information society, and the accelerating use of information and communications technologies combine to create a demand for professionals who are flexible, motivated, and self-directed, as well as multis...

While references to the concept of “learning community” abound in the literature, a common ingredient is the belief that learning is enhanced when there is a commitment to sharing ideas and knowledge within a collaborative group or network of individuals. To support student teachers completing their practicum placements as part of a one-year Gradua...

On-line forums or bulletin boards provide opportunity and potential for collaborative work, dialogue and study that can increase the flexibility of learning while motivating participants. By enabling peer-to-peer interaction, online bulletin boards can support the essential elements of a learning conversation by providing scope for

As new technologies and ways of communicating become increasingly central to daily life, new forms of social aggression using digital tools are emerging globally. Social networking technologies have brought about opportunities to engage in cyberbullying and place considerable pressures on families, schools and communities to remain informed and vig...

Today, in a globalised, digital world, leadership challenges in the adoption and integration of emerging social software tools to supports for learning abound. Today's students who have grown up in technology saturated environments have never known a world without the Internet, mobile phones, video on demand, and personal computers. Leaders and edu...

Learning for the professions has grown beyond mere consumption of knowledge and become a knowledge creation process. The new effective teacher must think more about process than content, enabling learners to operate in the digital world rather than learn a discrete body of facts. The paper will present the teaching and learning possibilities accomp...

Students entering first year university mathematics courses in Australia often show gaps in their mathematical understanding and may not have the cognitive and metacognitive skills to cope with abstract thinking. Screencasts produced as learning support for these students have definite benefits as learners have flexibility in accessing the resource...

At present, many Web 2.0 activities are being integrated into the e-learning spaces designed for learners. We need to analyze and learn from these activities to derive insights about their effectiveness, in order to promote the systematic application of technology in post-compulsory educational contexts, from undergraduate to postgraduate levels an...

The main agents of change in the present era can be posited as globalization and the diffusion and uptake of technologies that have given rise to a knowledge-based, networked society. The latest evolution of the Internet, Web 2.0, is resulting in significant transformations in terms of how we live, work, and communicate. In the higher education are...

blockquote> Research findings in recent years provide compelling evidence of the importance of encouraging student control over the learning process as a whole. The socially based tools and technologies of the Web 2.0 movement are capable of supporting informal conversation, reflexive dialogue and collaborative content generation, enabling access t...

To support students undertaking an initial teacher training program, a communities of practice model (Wenger, 1998) was implemented, supported by a social software-based technology framework, to enable mutual engagement, joint enterprise, and a shared repertoire. Participants formed peer-to-peer mentoring relationships, creating and sharing web log...

Worldwide, tertiary educators and institutions are discovering that new models of teaching and learning are required to meet the needs of today's students, and their demands for autonomy, connectivity, and socio-experiential learning. The educational applications of the new wave of Web 2.0-based social software tools compel us to consider how the a...

Learning management systems (LMS’s) that cater for geographically dispersed learners have been widely available for a number of years, but many higher education institutions are discovering that new models of teaching and learning are required to meet the needs of a generation of learners who seek greater autonomy, connectivity, and socioexperienti...

Recent educational research attests to an increasing awareness of the need to encourage learner control over the entire learning process. Web 2.0 and social software tools are capable of supporting informal conversation, dialogue and collaborative content generation, enabling access to a wide raft of ideas and representations. Used appropriately, t...

This chapter explores how educators can harness the potential of a new wave of social software to respond to the challenges of tertiary education in the new millennium, by combining the interactivity and immediacy of face-to-face instruction with the openness, connectivity, and flexibility afforded by the new tools and technologies. It also argues...

The Australian Catholic University (ACU National at www.acu.edu.au) is a public university funded by the Australian Government. There are six campuses across the country, located in Brisbane, Queensland; North Sydney, New South Wales; Strathfield, New South Wales; Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT); Ballarat, Victoria; and Melbourne, Vict...

Learning management systems (LMS's) that cater for geographically dispersed learners have been widely available for a number of years, but many higher education institutions are discovering that new models of teaching and learning are required to meet the needs of a generation of learners who seek greater autonomy, connectivity, and socio-experient...

National priorities set by an Australian ministerial taskforce provide clear guidelines to develop pedagogy that integrates ICT. Although these guidelines do not specifically address rural and regional school needs, the two priorities: promoting pedagogic leadership and creating new learning environments, are of particular Interest. But how are the...

Podcasting allows audio content from one or more user-selected feeds or channels to be automatically downloaded to one's computer as it becomes available, then later transferred to a portable player for consumption at a convenient time and place. It is enjoying phenomenal growth in mainstream society, alongside other Web 2.0 technologies that enabl...

In the emerging digital landscape of the Web 2.0 era, where social software tools like blogs, wikis and podcasts provide instant connectivity, promises of engagement and community building, there is a need to rethink models for teaching and learning. In this paper, the authors argue that outmoded didactic models, which place emphasis on the deliver...

Catherine McLoughlin and Mark J. W. Lee discuss the new pedagogical landscape made possible by the emergence of Web 2.0 social software, which allows users to become active contributors. Web 2.0 tools offer unparalleled opportunities for participation, productivity, and interaction. Through a discussion of emerging learning scenarios enabled by soc...

This brief study was conducted as part of a project in the effectiveness of innovative pedagogies conducted in a rural state high school in 2008. The project surveyed an entire cohort of 150 students in Year 9. Information was collected pertaining to uptake of, and knowledge of social networking tools and podcasting. In order to collect data, a sur...

The two-way Web has arrived, accompanied by a raft of affordances that expand how we teach, communicate, learn and create knowledge. New trends are emerging in the way information is distributed and consumed. Emerging "Web 2.0" services such as blogs, wikis and social bookmarking applications, as well as social networking sites like MySpace, Friend...

In the past decade there has been a phenomenal growth of online mentoring websites and opportunities within a wide variety of professions, yet few peer reviewed publications to date have addressed the linkage to ICT and how it supports such systems. The purpose of this article is to address this gap in our knowledge by: proposing that the Internet...

The authors are involved in an ongoing project in which a group of second year volunteer students are placed in charge of producing a series of short, talkback radio-style educational podcasts for the students enrolled in a first year undergraduate information technology subject. The entire production process, from inception and scriptwriting throu...

A group of volunteer students who had previously completed a first year undergraduate information technology subject were tasked with producing audio supplementary material for new students undertaking the subject, to be disseminated through podcasting. The production process, from inception and scriptwriting through to the final recording, was dri...

Emerging paradigms of clinical reasoning skills are tending to veer away from linear and clinical competencies towards generic professional skills and decision making processes. In the present study, occupational therapy students have previously complained that they do not receive enough support from the university or their peers during fieldwork p...

The authors have been involved in a year long project in which a group of second year undergraduate students is placed in charge of producing a series of educational podcasts targeted towards other students undertaking a number of information technology subjects. The exercise has proved to be a valuable learning experience for all those involved: t...

The paper is an example of industry involvement in tertiary learning and delivery of a postgraduate degree in IT, which contextualises the curriculum, and combines theoretical knowledge with practical work-based learning. The context of the study is a master's degree that utilises online learning and self-directed learning pedagogies. The design of...

Although much effort is devoted to investigating the use of technology to teach course content, an emerging area of some importance in online teaching is how to enhance the student experience of learning and communicating online. Associated with this is the creation of social and supportive environments for learning when there is little face-to-fac...

A group of volunteer students who had previously completed a first year undergraduate information technology subject were tasked with producing audio supplementary material for new students undertaking the subject, to be disseminated through podcasting. The production process, from inception and scriptwriting through to the final recording, was dri...

The chapter will, first of all, consider the challenges for educational designers of the need to maximise the opportunities of e-learning by enabling learners to participate in learning experiences, activities, and forms of communication that are congruent with their values, belief systems, and styles of learning. Second, by building on extant rese...

There is now a new wave of pedagogy advocating “alternative assessment” in which forms of student assessment are integrated into learning through engagement in real life contexts facilitated by online technologies. The use of the WWW in tertiary learning environments offers greater adaptability and flexibility than traditional assessment procedures...