proceedings of Student Mobility and ICT: Can E-LEARNING

1 or 2 days of face to face
contact
Module materials
are loaded on
VLE-MyDundee
Discussion Forums
on Week 3
&
Week 6
Module starts
9 weeks
Formative Peer
Assessment Tasks
4
weeks
1 or 2 days of face to face
contact
Module materials
are loaded on
VLE-MyDundee
Discussion Forums
on Week 13
&
Week 16 Summative Assessment
Module ends
9 weeks
Figure 2 displays a representative time line of 22 weeks on the average for a module
Source: Master of Education – Report (SESWCE, 2008)
The chronology of the activities as well as the activities is supported by VLE-MyDundee. Unless
exceptional instances, the face-to-face contact between tutor and students has undergone significant
reduction. Apart form loading the module materials on VLE-MyDundee, the ‘Discussion Forums’
scheduled for Weeks 3, 6, 13 and 16 represent major collaborative tasks between tutors and students and
among students themselves. Another important collaborative task is the ‘Formative Peer Assessed Task’
where students undergo peer assessment. The ‘Summative Assessment’ is the end-of-module activity.
The social constructivist approach and Blended Learning
Learning innovation include rethinking how to prepare students for the workplace.
Blended Learning programmes have been developing in parallel with VLE-MyDundee. As already
highlighted in previous section, the postgraduate framework together with VLE-MyDundee supports the
development of blended learning programmes at SESWCE. Blended learning programmes are also
supported by recent communication technologies. The postgraduate framework addressed both tutors and
students by first interrogating the kind of tutor that the school requires and the quality of graduate students
that the school projects to inject into the job market. Following a thorough investigation on different
models of applied social science and relevant pedagogies, a holistic approach is taken to address teaching
and learning.
This approach is presented in Figure 3 and it aims at transforming both the philosophy and the
technicality of course delivery. In this context, the following list of pre-requisite features are in operation at
SESWCE: situated learning; empowerment, agency wellbeing and resilience; examination of world views;
cross-cultural perspectives; non-intrusive forms of intervention; clear ethics and values; and critical
competency (SESWCE, 2007). Course developers and researchers at SESWCE have found that these
features would impact on participation, sustainability, wellbeing and empowerment of students as well as
tutors.
Ongoing brainstorming among the different stakeholders and interrogation of discussion reports
and evaluation papers has lead to the following guidelines on postgraduate courses at the SESWCE:
• Flexibility through modularity;
• Calibration against Scottish Credit & Qualifications Framework (SCQF) level descriptors;
• Integration and articulation across associated programmes;
• Response to demand at a local, national and international level;
• Recognition of prior learning and experience;
• Multiple entry and exist points; and
Conference proceedings of Student Mobility and ICT: Can E-LEARNING overcome barriers of Life-Long learning?” 21