Designs on eLearning Conference 2016Dr Paula Nottingham

Exploring the Strategies for Online Identities in an Arts-based Professional Practice Curriculum

The BA Honours Professional Practice in Arts – Blended Approach

Digital literacy and communication are at the centre of the professional practice programme (extension year Level 6 including APEL route).

BAPP Arts Network – using technology for learningBAPP Arts uses online communication through social media (blogs), Skypes, tutorials, workplace technology, adobe connect groups, interactive special peer groups, to stimulate flexible learning practice for work-based learners. Some believe that new technologies - particularly as a non-linear non-hierarchal system for representing knowledge – offer more compatibility than print does with constructionist pedagogy” citing Dwight and Garrison (2003) etc. (Cunningham and Allen, 2010).

Communicating and Sharing

1 May 2023Slide 5

Learning Blog

£/$

Research into flexible learning and facilitationWhat are learning blogs? Design of curriculum versus use and lifelong learning benefits?Connectivity – Siemen’s 8 principles “5. Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning” BAPP Arts promotes networks and engagementBUT HOW? AND TO WHAT END? (beyond assessment!)

Professional practice as a form of ‘learner-centered’ work-based practice (Nottingham, 2012. 2016).• Principles from lifelong learning research/literature (Jarvis,

Holford and Griffin; Jackson)• Transformational learning (Mezirow)• Transdisciplinarity/arts-based research (Leavy, 2011, 2015) • Continuing professional development (Jarvis) at a distance

(Salmon)• Social media. cloud and mobile technology for the

professional (Conole)• Social and cultural implications for flexible practice (Casey, J.

and Wilson)

Examples: considering networks for learning (Lave and Wenger, 1991)

Considering networks for learning

Blog example 1

Blog example 1

Blog example 2

Sarah joined three blogs from BAPP Arts and other external blogs…

1. BAPP SIG forum, BAPP Dance Teachers SIG, BAPP SIG A Dancer’s Mind“The most useful was the Dance teachers forum, where I continue to post and chat and comment with my fellow BAPPers :)”

2. An external LinkedIn “…It was the linked in group that I used to widen my responses for my professional artifact survey but have since found them very interesting and knowledgeable - lots of challenging topics raised.”

3. Since BAPP Sarah joined other subject specific professional organisations “all a result of Web 2.0 and networking I might add! The DANCE UK site I regularly post from as it's an amazing resource”.

During the course Sarah saw the ability to talk with a wide variety of ages and backgrounds useful.

The tutor blog’

01/05/2023Slide 13

Improve practice Change practice

Pedagogies and many places for learning

Analytics and evidence of engagement

“A well designed modeling environment is one that enables the learner to learn unaided, “without being taught” Laurillard (2012, p. 186).

LinkedIn and YouTube

Implications for academic practice - play and pause - the frequency and the ability to work in a blurred personal and professional setting as a learner.

Description of the project

‘Balancing Acts: Developing Online Professional Identities Using Multimodal Communication’

Research project aims to explore:  • the use of personal and professional online identities for work-based

students • how work-based learners perceive the role that online identities play

within professional practice • the extent to which this understanding has been informed by online

experiences with public learning and work-related (paid or unpaid) sites

• how multimodal analysis can develop the thinking about online professional identities

 

Research methods

Research methods: The research is using content analysis of online sites (e.g. blogs), interviews, and an online survey to gather data.

Ethics Permission - yes

Invitation to participate sent out

Criteria –purposive

Selected sample of 10-20 – considers year of degree

Range of ages Mixed gender Content analysis

and interviews

Research interview questions

 Participant Questions  What was your experience of using online/social media on BAPP Arts?Did you keep your BAPP Arts blog up? Why? Did you ever refer anyone to your blog?What is your present ‘online identity’?  What type of social media do you currently use?How do you communicate online to other organisations? How has this changed since the course?Who are your audiences?What is the purpose? Did the BAPP Arts coursework help you define your professional identity? How?

Emerging Findings

Participants talked about an enhanced ability to network but negotiating social learning could be challenging on a personal level. There could be time limitations on blogs because of progression issues from work.

Emerging Findings

The enhanced ability to research using the web. An appreciation that expertise was important us for critically thinking about work and further studies.

“it is very much work-based learning”

Emerging Findings

The critical ability to communicate with other professionals

“yes I’m working at a distance….I have the equipment for my work from a company so its no problem to work from home…”

• staying in contact with colleagues (WhatsApp)

• keeping up with software

Emerging Findings

The enhanced the ability to self-regulate social media.

Conclusion

01/05/2023Slide 23

Personal and Professional Identities

Lifelong learning Work based learningCommunication

Next Steps: completing research (6 people +), more theory on identity, more multimodal analysis of the online communication of learning and work sites.

Indicative Bibliography – other sources upon requestBryant, Akinleye, Durrant (2013) "Educating the early career arts professional using a hybrid model of work based learning", Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning, 3(1)17- 29.

Casey, J. and Wilson, P. (2005) A practical guide to providing flexible learning in further and higher education. S0 47, Glasgow: Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education Scotland.

Conole, Grainne and Culver, Juliette (2010). The design of Cloudworks: Applying social networking practice to foster the exchange of learning and teaching ideas and designs. Computers and Education, 54(3), pp. 679–692.

Cunningham A. and Allen, B.(2010) ‘Philosophical Questions About Learning Technologies’ In The SAGE Handbook of Philosophy of Education, Richard Bailey, Robin Barrow, David Carr, Christine McCarthy (eds), pp. 482-501.

Garrick, John and Usher, Robin (2000) ‘Flexible Learning, Contemporary Work and Enterprising Selves’, Electronic Journal of Sociology Flexible Learning, Page 1 - 11.

Healey, Mick and Jenkins, Alan (2009) Developing Undergraduate Research and Inquiry, Heslington, The Higher Education Academy.

Jarvis, Peter, Holford, John, Griffin, Colin (1998) The Theory and Practice of Learning, London Kogan Page.

Jewitt, Carey (ed) (2009) The Routledge Handbook of Multimodal Analysis, Abingdon: Routledge.

Indicative Bibliography

Laurillard, Diane (2012) Teaching as a Design Science, London: Routledge. Nottingham, Paula (2012) Unpublished Thesis, London: Birkbeck, University of London.

Nottingham, Paula and Akinleye, Adesola (2014) "Professional artefacts: embodying ideas in work-based learning", Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning, Vol. 4 Issue: 1, pp.98 -108.

Salmon, Gilly (2003) Etivities The Key to Active Online Learning, Abingdon, RoutledgeFalmer.

Siemens, George (2005) Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age, Available from: http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Jan_05/article01.htm.

Smith, Peter J. (2003) ‘Workplace Learning and Flexible Delivery’, Review of Educational Research, Vol. 73, No. 1, pp. 53-88.

Tallantyre, Freda (2011) Flexible Learning Summit, Higher Education Academy.

Weller, Martin The Digital Scholar (2011) London: Bloomsbury.

Wenger, Etienne, White, Nancy and Smith, John D. (2009) Digital Habitas Stewarding Technology for Communities, Portland, USA: CPSquare.

Contact Details:p.nottingham@mdx.ac.uk+44(0)7799033978Paulanottingham (Skype)

Thank you.

Special thanks to:Graduates BAPP Arts

+ Colleagues and past colleagues on BAPP Arts + the wider community