Instructional Designers' Perceptions of Using Web 2.0 Technologies in E-Learning Course Design

August 31, 2010 - 3:10pm | by rtbrown
Presenter(s)
Jane Costello (Memorial University of Newfoundland, CA)
Session Information
November 5, 2010 - 11:55am
Track: 
Technology and Emerging Learning Environments
Areas of Special Interest: 
Social Networking
Major Emphasis of Presentation: 
Research Study
Institutional Level: 
Multiple Levels
Session Type: 
Individual Presentation
Location: 
Curacao 4
Session Duration: 
35
Concurrent Session: 
8
Abstract

Instructional designers' experience of strategies used in implementing Web 2.0 technologies in e-learning course design is discussed. This study taking a phenomenographic approach revealed six unique categorizations: W2 conceptions, pedagogy, processes, rules, learning, and reflections. The relevance of this outcome space to instructional design is also discussed.

Extended Abstract

Goals: Review instructional design processes used in e-learning design. Discuss research methods and results - focusing on outcome space. Discuss relevance of outcome space to field of instructional design practice. Seek audience's opinion on currency of topic for future research. Description: Instructional designers work with faculty to design and build e-learning courses many of which employ various Web 2.0 and social software technologies. These technologies are expounding at an energetic pace. How do designers keep pace with these emerging technologies so they may recommend their use in online courses? What strategies do they use in implementing Web 2.0 technologies in e-learning? This question was explored as part of a phenomenographic study that asked designers to recount their experiences implementing Web 2.0 technologies in course design. Background on research context, instructional design and Web 2.0 technologies are presented. The research was conducted at a traditional university with over 40 years experience in distance learning. Four instructional designers were interviewed as part of data collection. This project aimed to understand what designers consider when working with Web 2.0 in course design by answering the following: what are designers' perceptions of using Web 2.0 technologies in e-learning course design, and how are they experienced? The results revealed six unique categorizations: W2 conceptions, pedagogy, processes, rules, learning, and reflections. Their descriptions and examples that depict how and why designers work with Web 2.0 technologies are presented. The significance of these findings to instructional designers' practice is discussed. In what ways could this outcome space influence how designers perform their jobs? How might this impact course design and student learning experiences? Finally, audience impressions of significance of topic for online course design, designers, faculty and staff is of interest as it will aid in gauging relevance of topic for future research.

Final Presentation: 
application/pdf iconSloanC-ISD-W2-5Nov2010_FINAL.pdf
Lead Presenter

Jane Costello is a Senior Instructional Designer (SID) with Distance Education and Learning Technologies at Memorial University of Newfoundland where she is primarily responsible for overseeing the instructional design of for-credit distance courses which are developed in collaboration with content authors and a team of specialists. Jane is the project lead on the learning object repository project at DELT. She is currently PhD Student at Lancaster University (E-research in Technology Enhanced Learning), focusing on use of Web 2.0 technologies in online learning.