second life machinima: creating opportunities for curriculum and instruction

S

Second Life

MachinimaCreating new opportunities for curriculum and instruction

Nona Muldoon & Jennifer Kofoed

ED-MEDIA 2009

What is this research about?

Traditional methods not working

High failure rate

Graduates not ready for work

Re-engineering the learning

environment

Traditional teaching

model

Situated learning model

Transmission approaches Real life contexts

Greater focus on content Authentic learning tasks

Less focus on generic

skills

Real world problems

Focus on assessing facts

and figures

Authentic assessment

Our context…

Technology

Machinima

Hird & Co Intranet

LMS

Engagement in domain-related

practices

Coaching and modelling of

thinking skills

Ill-structured dilemmas

Support the learner

Practice fieldprovides bridges rather than gaps between

learning at university and professional practice

How can we bridge the gap?

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/62/202872717_a8a4799419.jpg?v=0

Cognitive Apprenticeship

Authentic context

ill-structured dilemma

Critical stages of

apprenticeship

modeling, coaching, fading

Designed-based research

Collaborative partnerships

Test and refine educational designs

Quantitative + qualitative method

Context - 3rd year specialist accounting course

multi-modal delivery, 8 Campuses +

Distance Educationn=233 students

1 course coordinator, 5 lecturers, 6 tutors,

1 mentor, 1 curriculum designer

• Lecture, tutorial & workshop for on-campus students

• Online group space for off-campus students

• Textbooks, Course Website, Hird & Co Intranet, Machinimas

• Students act as Audit Assistants and Audit Seniors

• Employed in mock audit firm – Hird & Co

• Audit Working Papers, Performance Review Summary (30%) + Mid Term Test (10%) and Final Exam (60%)

The new learning design

Comparative course resultshistory of failure rate 2005-2008

Year and term of

offeringNo. of students Failure rate

Term 1 2005 505 48.6%

Term 1 2006 873 50.7%

Term 1 2007 716 24.9%

Term 2 2007 265 22.7%

Term 3 2007 164 32.4%

Term 1 2008 380 8.4%

Curriculum alignment is critical

I learned and retained subject matter as a result of the structure of the course. I can’t

say the same for other subjects. A lot of this has really sunk in.

I can honestly say I have never learnt more in a subject and truly

appreciate the structure of the course.

Meaningful and motivating

context for learning

.

• “The Hird& Co scenario made the course more life like and made a tough course interesting.”

• “The hands on attitude of the course that you actually see what happens in the real world not just theory ...”

• “I enjoyed the machinemas. What a good idea – something different and enjoyable rather than just reading the case studies.”

To conclude…

• Informed use of technology can offer new possibilities for curriculum and instruction.

• “It was a very interesting way of doing a pretty tough subject... I want to thank you for this unique style of teaching.”

Questions and further info…

Nona Muldoon Jennifer Kofoed

Email: n.muldoon@cqu.edu.au Email: j.kofoed@cqu.edu.au

Skype: nona.muldoon Skype: jenny.kofoed

Blog: http://nonamuldoon.wordpress.com

Twitter:Nona_Muldoon

PPT slides in Slideshare:

http://www.slideshare.net/nona.muldoon

/ED-MEDIA-2009