Learning to Teach in the New ANU Teaching Building

ANU Marie Reay Teaching Centre

Greetings from the Marie Reay Teaching Centre at the ANU Kambri complex, by lead architect Ninotschka Titchkosky of BVN, and constructed by Lendlease. The buildings opened in Canberra this morning. ANU Online, the central ed-tech unit, is running a series of workshops to teach the staff to use the new building for flipped and other forms of flexible learning.

In 2008 I gave my last lecture at ANU, having decided that more flexible forms of learning are needed. Since then I have been teaching online. But with the opening of the teaching center I have the facilities to go back into the classroom.

There is no point in spending millions of dollars on a new building with furniture on wheels, movable walls and flat floors,  and then use it for old fashioned "lectures". This requires "lecturers" come to terms with a different way of teaching. Also students need to understand that getting them to do things, is the essence of teaching.

The first workshop right now is by Dr Graeme Salter. We are sitting in one of the smaller rooms and Graeme is using some of the techniques he advocates, such as online polls to keep student attention, as part of the workshops. This is fun, with one participant saying they get students to imagine they are a tomato.

I have booked a room in the building to do flipped teaching in a few weeks time in a module on How to Write Job Application.

My first impressions of the building are good. This is a six story hi-tech wooden  building. The wooden beams are visible as part of the aesthetics of the building, along with wooden ceilings. There is an open staircase, with adjacent informal space for students, then classrooms around the outside. The classrooms have glass walls to the central areas, flat floors and retracting room dividers. The flip top tables are on wheels. This is a style of room previously best implemented at the University of Canberra Inspire Center. 

What I liked was that all the rooms in the Marie Reay Teaching Centre were rectangular, without any gimmicks. Many institutions install round, or oval shaped rooms, in an attempt to improve interaction, but these waste space and make it difficult to place desks and screens. Also institutions tend to want a tech-gimmick, just as a 3D room, or a giant ultra-high definition screen wall. These tend to be break, or are decommissioned after a few months, when the novelty wears off. 

The Marie Reay Teaching Centre is clearly aimed at flipped group learning. You could give a presentation, but there are no lecterns, to make it just that little bit more difficult to do so.

The wooden building doesn't look high tech, but the wifi, projectors, and sound reinforcement are all there and working. One thing to keep in mind is that all of the online resources of the institution are available in the classroom. So rather than finding some new online tools, those already available in the learning management system for students to use remotely, can be used live.in the classroom.

The only glitch so far is the display screen in the foyer has the image inverted. For a new building that is very good.

The classrooms have glass walls which gives a more open feel. But it may be a little distracting for the class when there are large number of people moving outside. The glass might need some more frosting, so the sense of openness is not lost, but there it is not like being in a fishbowl.

The classrooms could do with some small electronic screens on side and back walls, display what is on the main screens. Also the whiteboard on walls need some additional lighting. But these are minor matters.

I did question the decision to have the teaching rooms around the outside, and the informal spaces in the middle, without a direct view. But then I noticed the classrooms had been strategically placed, so the open areas get magnificent views across Canberra.

Walking past the new buildings I had a feeling of had been there before, although it just opened. Then I recalled walking the avenues at University of British Columbia,  Vancouver Campus, which I spent a week at l2015.

ANU has taken the approach with Kambri of retaining separate tiered lecture theatres and flat floor group work rooms. I spent several years trying to work out a design for a classroom combining the features of a lecture theatre and group work room. Early versions were limited by the need to accommodate power and data cables and, desktop computers. The advent of WiFi and portable devices removed those restrictions. Eventually I decided it was just not possible to reconcile the conflicting requirements, and better to have separate optimized rooms.

In 2015 I attended conferences in Hong Kong and Cambridge. Both of these were held in rooms with retractable tiered seating. A similar setup has now been installed in Kambri. This allows for a large lecture, or by retracting the seating, a large flat floor event.

The Future of Teaching and Learning at ANU

Greetings from the TELFest conference at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra where Professor Grady Venville, PVC Education, is chairing a panel on teaching and learning at ANU:

1. Paul Francis - College of Science
2. Gemma King - College of Arts & Social Science
3. Anna von Reibnitz - College of Business and Economics
4. Bernardo Cielo - PARSA
5. Tess Masters - ANUSA

Professor Venville said that ANU's new flexible learning building will have the fist classes from 24 February 2019. I discussed how to use new tech-infused teaching spaces, at a conference in Singapore recently.

Professor Venville also mentioned that ANU has programs to broaden the student body, with more from lower socioeconomic groups. Last week Professor Cathy Stone talked about the challenges of supporting these students, at EdTechPosium 2018.


Professor Venville mentioned ANU was looking to "moving into micro-credentialing in a big way" for professional short courses for post-graduate credit. I gave a presentation on one way this might be done and will be presenting a formal paper on Micro-credentials with M-learining for the Indo-Pacific at the 7th International Conference on Teaching, Assessment, and Learning for Engineering (TALE), in December.

Stopping Climate Change One Classroom at a Time

As a child I enjoyed watching black and white science fiction disaster films. Scientists in white coats would warn of impending doom, but be ignored until it was almost too late.

I don't have a white coat, but I am a member of the Australian National University Climate Change and Energy Change institutes. Some of my colleagues helped write the "Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C" for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), issued 8 October. The report warns of more extreme weather and rising sea levels if carbon emissions are not reduced. The report says limiting global warming to 1.5°C requires "rapid and far-reaching" transitions in land, energy, industry, buildings, transport, and cities."

Unfortunately, like those old science fiction films, such unwelcome news is not well received. But some changes can be made which enhance human well being while also reducing emissions.

At the EduBuild Asia 2018 conference in Singapore today I am suggesting the increased use of blended, online and mobile learning. Older students can spend more time learning via their mobile devices, away from campus. Classrooms can be reconfigured and teaching techniques changed, so when on campus students learn much more intensively. As well as improving student's education, this will reduce the carbon footprint of the campus.

Learning to Use Tech-teaching Spaces in Singapore

Just on my way to Singapore to speak on energy use and flexible classrooms at EduBuild Asia 2018. My talk on energy use and learning was planned months in advance. But the talk on flexible classrooms only came about yesterday, when a gap opened up in the EduTech Asia program.  I had prepared notes for a Roundtable Discussion on 10 October, but will now be presenting this the day before as TechTalk as well.

UBC Flexible Learning Strategy

The University of British Colombia (UBC) have released report detailing their Flexible Learning Strategy. This should be of value to universities in Australia, and elsewhere, facing similar challenges from online competition and a demand for professionally relevant education. UBC's short term strategy is to: 1. improve the learning technology used for blended coruses, 2. develop continuing and professional education programs and, 3. join the edX consortium.

On 22 August 2014 I attended a Flexible Learning Strategy Workshop at UBC's main campus in Vancouver. This workshop was intended for internal staff and so I could not report all the details at the time. The UBC Flexible Learning Implementation Team have now released "Flexible Learning Charting a Strategic Vision for UBC: Vancouver Campus", summarising this and other workshops. Apart from making public that UBC have joined edX (something which the implementation team asked me not to reveal previously, although everyone on the UBC campus seemed to already know), this document sets out the challenges for a large traditional university and some options for UBC to address these challenges.

The issues UBC is seeking to address are:

1. Increasing focus on vocational education,
2. Online competition,
3. Demand for mid-career education.

While these are problems from the point of view of an established university, perhaps the issue should be "flipped" and looked at from the point of view of the view of the customer, that is the student. As a student, I don't want to have to go across town (or across the world) to a set place, at a set time to undertake a set course of study. What I first want is help identifying what education I need for my career (and life) goals, formal recognition for prior learning and recognition of my experience. Only after that do I want to undertake courses, and other forms of education, to fill in any gaps in my education. As much as possible I want to do this without having to attend a campus and at time of my choosing. Also I only want to pay for the education I need and get.

UBC's Executive Summary describes the problem as:

"Globalization, demography and the evolving careers market are changing the population of learners, while technological innovations and learning research are both empowering and challenging universities’ role in higher education.

To understand the impact of these forces, we analyze the extent to which they enable other institutions to unbundle the components of education traditionally delivered by universities, and to challenge the capacity of the university to cross-subsidize between activities. We conclude that in a world in which excellent content and delivery are increasingly available online (and often for free) ..."

Less clearly it goes on to propose a solution:

"... we must invest in delivering an outstanding education that is far more than content. These same forces may also unlock university access to new learner and program opportunities, and the potential for collaborations that strengthen a university’s position in the delivery of higher education. Indeed we are already seeing some evidence of this reshaping."

 It goes on to say:

"(1) strengthening performance in its traditional undergraduate programs through Place-based innovation in curriculum and student experience;  (2) addressing adjacent and growing areas of demand for higher education; and (3) building partnerships that allow us to offer our students the most effective learning experiences and widest array of opportunities."

By "Place-based" I assume that "on campus" is meant. Growing areas of demand are presumably non-campus based courses and "partnerships" edX and similar.

UBC segments students into four groups:

1. Access-driven degree seekers: Traditional and younger students who want to attend a campus, but still want some of the learning online (a blended model).
2. Convenience-driven degree-seekers: Adult students wanting an online program.
3. Practitioners: Students seeking for prior learning assessment and credit transfer for professional qualifications (which may not be a degree).
4. Growth learners: Those seeking education for less career specific goals.

The problem for the university is how to satisfy these diverse groups with limited resources. Also demand will fluctuate and the same people may seek different types of education at different times.

Such market segmentation may cause problems for the university in that it could end up competing with itself. A product offered by one group of students may be attractive for another group. As an example online courses may be offered for adult "convenience-driven" students, but could also be attractive to younger students who would otherwise have attended a traditional full time on campus program.

Also it is not clear why only practitioners would seek recognition of prior learning and credit transfer. Presumably any student will want credit for what they have already done elsewhere. I know I do and I am increasingly unwilling to sign up for educational programs where this option is not provided.

Three opportunities the UBC report identifies are:

1. Continuing and professional education (CPE).
2. Prior Learning Assessment (PLA), also known as Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL),
3. Academic partnerships (including MOOC consortia).

As the report points out none of these are new concepts and none is without difficulties. However, the availably of on-line technology makes them easier to implement (as well as increasing the competition from non-traditional educational providers).

Flexible Education Strategies for at Canadian Universities

After attending a  Flexible Learning Strategy Workshop at University of British Colombia (UBC) in Vancouver last week, I went across town to see what was happening at Simon Fraser University (SFU). There is a SFU have a Task Force on Flexible Education. This goes beyond just flipping the classroom with some on-line videos and considers how to redesign campuses and programs of study to make them more flexible.

I met with David Porter  from BCcampus, which works to get collaboration between BC's post-secondary institutions.  David is the co-author of the course "Ventures in Learning Technology" at the University of British Colombia and will be visiting NSW and Tasmania in early November for open education meetings of OERu. The OERu is providing low cost open educaitonal materials. One which got my attention was the e-Learning Maturity Model (eMM) course.

The SFU Task Force on Flexible Education Terms of Reference are:

1. Produce an inventory of institutionally-supported learning technologies and service units at SFU that support credit and non-credit programs,
2. Perform an environmental scan of trends and directions in flexible learning being used at other post-secondary institutions,
3. Engage in a broad consultation with the university community on the objectives for and issues concerning the development of flexible learning environments,
4. Identify effective and leading-edge practices by referring to the academic literature and efforts undertaken at other institutions,
5. Rely on the investigative work carried out in 1. though 4. to establish thematic working groups consisting of members of the university community with appropriate expertise that would explore various aspects of flexible learning and develop recommendations on an institutional strategy for flexible education at SFU, and
6. Develop an implementation plan for putting the recommendations into effect, including
   
   a) a resource model which supports the growth and sustainment of flexible education at SFU,
   b) a compilation of examples of effective practice that could be adopted and/or refashioned by SFU to create its flexible learning environments, and
   c) a support model which facilitates faculty engagement in the use of new technologies and pedagogies. 

The BC Campus Open Textbook Project currently has 62 free open access textbooks available for use.

Meanwhile in Australia, UNE has decided to discontinue its disaggregated approach to charging for on-line courses, where students could undertake a course for  $495, plus $35 an hour for group tutoring and $150 an hour for individual tutoring ("UNE shuts down its loss-making MOOCs", Tim Dodd, The Financial Review, 25 August 2014).

Future of University Education Being Discussed in Vancouver This Week

Greetings from the University of British Colombia (UBC) where I am attending a Flexible Learning Strategy Workshop. I got off the aircraft from Sydney two hours ago, so this posting may not make much sense. I am here to speak on "Chinese and Australian Students Learning to Work Together Online" at  the 2014 IEEE International Conference on Computer Science and Education (ICCSE 2014) which starts tomorrow. I am also speaking to UBC and Simon Fraser University (SFU) people about their e-learning plans next week, but I noticed this seminar was on for staff, but open to anyone, so I signed up.

UBC, like other universities, is under pressure to deliver more vocationally orientated programs which match the best in the world, while containing costs. Also full service universities have to compete with institutions offering specialised education.  These issues are very familiar from discussions in Australia. UBC is  addressing these issues under the term Flexible Learning.

UBC is formulating its Flexible Learning Strategy in consultation with the university community. Other universities have tended to either ignore the issues, or leap into signing up with some product or consortium. Some of the issues revolve around what the broad mission of a university is and how flexible learning can help this.

UBC has three goals for Flexible Learning:

1.     enhance educational outcomes,
2.     enable greater access to UBC learning,
3.     improve  effectiveness with new learning models.

UBC had priorities for the Flexible Learning Initiative:

1. Transformation of undergraduate courses to blended mode,
2. Targeted growth in professional programs: Applied Master’s & certification,
3. Flexible continuum between credit and non-credit sources,
4. MOOCs

However, there does not appear to be a specific "strategy" as such, instead there are a collection of projects to address the priorities.  This is a similar approach to ANU, which does not have one single approach to education. I did notice that UBC has a draft policy "Use of Learning Materials in UBC Credit Courses", which encourages the use of Creative Commons licenses.


UBC is not new to flexible learning. One of their flexible learning projects which is of interest to me is "Engineering for Sustainable Development" and their UBC's online courses includes "Climate Literacy: Navigating Climate Change Conversations" (through Coursera).

It appears that although UBC already offers courses through Coursera, they UBC is considering joining the edX Consortium.  ANU is already a member and has run two free open online courses (I am supervising a post-graduate student who has surveyed the students on their experience). However, it should be noted that membership of such a consortium is not an education strategy in itself (just as installing learning management software is not). The real questions are what you are going to do with the technology, why you are going to do it, how it will help the students (the community and of course the university) and how thousands of staff (and students) are going to learn new skills to implement the strategy.

I took part in the group discussion, the details of which I agreed not to reveal, however the themes were familiar from Australian universities. On a less serious note, transport metaphors seemed to feature in the discussion. One person commented that being asked to envision flexible learning was like asking a bus driver about the future of transport: they may think of a flying bus, but it would still be a bus. Another commented that they felt like they were tied to the bow of a ship and were wondering where it was being steered and by whom.

I will be talking about what I found in Canada, at the ACS e-learning SIG Meeting at the Australian National University in Canberra, 3 September (all welcome).

Preparing Materials for Open, Distance and Flexible Learning

The book "Preparing Materials for Open, Distance and Flexible Learning" (by Derek Rowntree, Routledge, 1993), is another of the excellent series of books from the UK Open University on the mechanics of delivering higher education.While first published in the early 1990s, the techniques described are still applicable for today's Internet based education, as well as being of benefit for classroom teaching. Rowntree goes through the steps of planning, writing and rewriting materials for education, giving numerous examples. In the glamor of smart-phones, tablets and phablets, it is important to remember that education still relies on having good content, designed and delivered by people who know about teaching.