student internationalization through web 2.0
DESCRIPTION
This presentation explores how the NextEd project with its aim to create collaborative environments for teaching and learning is a useful tool for giving students an international experience in their learning.TRANSCRIPT
NextEd: Web2.0 & a sustainable approach to Internationalising
students An invitation to “…spend the morning indoors going to Africa and back…”
Rose Quilling & Craig Blewett
Internationalisation?
Has always been about
• physical mobility• academic
cooperation• knowledge transfer
Internationalisation?
And may be about
• Mutual understanding
• Skill migration
• Revenue generation
• Capacity building
…about a process & growth
It’s about a journey…
Travel is fatal to prejudice, Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-bigotry, and narrow-
mindedness, and many of our mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these people need it sorely on these
accounts.accounts.
Mark TwainMark Twain
A documented journey…
One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.
Henry Miller
We must travel in the direction of our fear.
Berryman
We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us.
Steinbeck
Benefits are clearBut let’s get real !
UKZN Student Exchange Programme: Semester 1 - 2011
…a good academicrecord.
…subject to selection at both the home and host
institution.
responsible for their own expenses including travel, subsistence,
accommodation, health insurance and any other costs as applicable at the host
institution.
……enrol for courses for which credits can
be transferred
Some financial aid will be available for financially
needy students
But let’s get real…
UKZN Student Exchange Programme: Semester 1 - 2011
…a good academicrecord.
…subject to selection at both the home and host
institution.
responsible for their own expenses including travel, subsistence,
accommodation, health insurance and any other costs as applicable at the host
institution.
……enrol for courses for which credits can
be transferred
Some financial aid will be available for financially
needy students
VERY
FEW !VERY
FEW !
We’d like to invite you to
“…spend the morning indoors going to Africa and back…”
Our invitation to you
…cross-cultural communication (electronic or otherwise) does not require a total transformation of behavior to suit cultural differences but does demand an ability to work within a culturally diverse framework.
Zakaria, et al. (2004:24)
Less immersive...
Using Web2.0
Using Web2.0
Anywhere – anytime
Engaging (multimedia)
Collaborate - contribute
Social Computing (Web 2.0)• Social networks• Social bookmarking• Wikis• Blogs• Virtual worlds
………….. is a global, virtual educational network, built on an ubuntu philosophy of collaboration anda scaffolded model of supportiveengagement.
Collaborations since 2008
UKZN• South Africa
• Originating institution
• BCom IS&T Hons (4th yr)
• 2 flexible modules: CMC & Special Topics
• 10-30 students
US & Africa
UMass• USA• MBA students - Core
MIS class (~20)• OR students Ugrad
(~70)• Topic link to
“Special Topics in IS&T”
Daystar• Kenya• BSc Applied Comp
Sc (4th year)• (10-20)• HCI module• Topic link to “CMC”
Practically…
• Share topics – not modules• Specific learning objectives
– Hard– Soft
• Jointly select platforms• Team
– Teaching– Assessment– Timing
ImpressionsThe wiki was a great collaboration platform – it’s nice to be able to add work, and edit the work of others, slowly molding and shaping
text into a final product.
I found my [SA] teammates to be knowledgeable and very willing to help. I was particularly surprised, and am not sure why, that their depth and knowledge of our
topic equaled ours. Perhaps it was a stereotype to think their educational system
would not be on the same level as ours, but it was quite
the opposite
… students participated in the group activities
very well and ended up learning more than they thought they would…
UMass(MBA)
Daystar Faculty
More tasks should be done in collaboration with students
from other countries.
Activities that require the use of Facebook,
Twitter, YouTube, Flickr should be
introduced and added to the module.
Impressions
Computers must be up to standard
…there was not enough collaboration
between SA and USA students.
Team issues!
Lessons We Learned..
• Courses & Students
• Requirements & Assessment
• Participants
L1: Courses & Students
• Courses– Courses with common content?– Compartmentalised into topics?– Aligning timing of topic?
• Student academic level– Knowing your own & collaborator’s
L2: Requirements & Assessment
• Requirements being made of students– Multidisciplinary teams – Variety of Skills– Notional study hours available for collaboration
• Assessment– Modes of assessment: assignments? exams?– Grading norms ~ NB for initiator
• Equally difficult for initiator and collaborator to judge?!
L3: Participants
• Expectations? Students & FacultyExpectations? Students & Faculty
• Success requires motivated Success requires motivated participants…So what? …What’s participants…So what? …What’s in it for me?in it for me?
• ““Seeing is believing” Seeing is believing”
ConclusionIt’s about vision casting
“Virtual Internationalisation” is not the same thing as “immersive” internationalisation!
Yet it is
–Simple
–Can be scaffolded
–Scalable
–Accessible
conclusion
"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said the Cat.
Lewis Carroll Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
