Authentic Learning

Back from ED-MEDIA, I wanted to flag up this really interesting ESRC project that I heard about at the conference. It is being conducted by an interdisciplinary team from the OU and Mike Sharples’s LSRI group in Nottingham (standard disclaimer: I’ve previously worked with the OU’s Grainne Conole, who is a key team member, on various CARET/OU projects :-) ). The Personal Inquiry (or "PI") project is designing new educational methods of scripted inquiry learning, and aims to evaluate their effectiveness through a process of scientific enquiry. The curriculum focus is UK Key Stage 3: “Myself, My Environment, My Community”, with emphasis on engaging young learners in investigating their world. Lots more details available on their website.

The ELI 2008 Spring Focus Session, "Real-World and Technology Rich: Learning by Doing, Learning in Context," will be held March 18–19 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The conference program will address these topics and more:

• What it means for students to “learn by doing” and “learn in context”
• The value of using authentic activities and information technologies to support student learning
• Projects that model best practices
• Assessment strategies tailored to these experiential learning environments

View a list of speakers and register by February 19 to save money with low, early-bird rates.

ELI has released its fourth in a series of four white papers on authentic learning, Making the Grade: The Role of Assessment in Authentic Learning, by Marilyn M. Lombardi and edited by Diana G. Oblinger. This paper discusses assessment as an integral component of any successful teaching effort. Research has shown that students engage with subject matter based in part on their expectations about how their achievement will be evaluated. Educators who strive to bring authentic learning experiences to their students must devise appropriate and meaningful measures to assess student learning and mastery of concepts at hand. Although some barriers must be overcome, numerous examples point to the opportunities available for effective assessment of authentic learning initiatives.

The pedagogical applications of online games, simulations, virtual worlds, and other immersive environments are discussed in the new full-length video from ELI, Immersive Learning Environments: New Paths to Interaction and Engagement. The video draws on the ELI 2007 Spring Focus Session on this topic and includes discussions by Gary R. Bertoline, Phillip D. Long, Constance Steinkeuhler, Richard Van Eck, and others.

For the last few months, ELI has been focusing on authentic learning--learning by doing rather than learning by listening. Authentic learning allows students to use the practices of professionals to gain experience, understanding and motivation. ELI just released the second white paper in its Authentic Learning series: "Approaches that Work: How Authentic Learning is Transforming Higher Education" (see http://connect.educause.edu/library/abstract/ApproachesThatWorkHo/44821). The paper provides multiple examples of how colleges and universities are using these unique environments to improve student engagement and knowledge.