Farid Mokhtar Noriega, Stephen Heppell, Nieves Segovia Bonet and Julliette Heppell
The purpose of this paper is to describe the relevant role of users/learners as designers/creators of meaningful and effective learning places and spaces in both digital and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe the relevant role of users/learners as designers/creators of meaningful and effective learning places and spaces in both digital and virtual worlds.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on research and observation of changing trends in users' behavior in physical and digital collaborative workplaces and spaces all over the world.
Findings
In this third millennium, the new spirit of knowmadic workers and learners is breaking down old design concepts and rules. The progressively more subtle frontier between virtual and physical learning environments and working environments is changing the use by, and the behavior of, learners in these places and spaces. In this context, the transversal‐thinking, designer‐guided paradigm is rendered effectively useless. The era of user‐led design has started. User‐oriented design is an old trend; it has changed over time. In societies and economies based on learning, reflection and constant collaboration, the individualistic design guru has no place.
Originality/value
This paper discusses the evolving strategic role of users/learners as designers and co‐creators of their own places. Traditional design criteria and theories are outdated. The role of the designer as master/creator is not compatible with the collegiate and collaborative, reflective spirit of knowmadic learners. A consequence is a requirement for new strategies and a redefinition of the designer's role in the creation of space. The axis of design control has shifted.
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This chapter makes the case that school-related material and informally used content need to be considered equally important as complete, higher education (HE)-level courses when…
Abstract
This chapter makes the case that school-related material and informally used content need to be considered equally important as complete, higher education (HE)-level courses when exploring how open education (OE) is used in practice. It provides a brief overview of several key HE and school-related OE projects, what they offer, their approximate reach and the significance of established brands, with short case studies of TES Connect, Khan Academy and TESSA. It also examines the evidence of impact on students, and how some of the projects counter criticism that they promote ‘closed’ forms of traditional, instructor-led education through blended and flipped teaching approaches or peer-led learning.
The purpose of the chapter is to explore how OE sites are used in practice by examining some of the key projects that provide free materials to students and teachers.
This chapter provides an overview of some of the biggest OE providers online, drawing particular attention to those that provide school-level material instead of just HE-level resources. It examines the motives of open education resources (OER) users, and provides mini case studies of a selection of HE-level and school-level projects. It also explores the reach and impact of the schemes, the significance of brand and the criticism that they simply provide a new form of ‘closed’ education. This provides a handy overview of key OE projects and an introduction to the significance of school-related projects. It should be a source of material of special interest to those involved in teacher training or development, or in OE from either a school or a university.
This chapter makes an original case for school teachers to have greater recognition in the discussion about OE, and reveals a finding from an international poll of more than a quarter of million teachers who use OE resources with their students.
Findings of this chapter indicate that the significance of school-level OE has been underestimated, given the extent of user-generated teaching material available and teachers’ powers to multiply the reach of a single downloaded resource to several classes of students.
The overview however is not exhaustive, and the author stresses the problematic nature of attempting to compare projects that deliver different kinds of content for different contexts.
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Digitisation initiatives have produced a wealth of high quality digital images for educational use. Illustrated by examples from the SCRAN digital library, this article describes…
Abstract
Digitisation initiatives have produced a wealth of high quality digital images for educational use. Illustrated by examples from the SCRAN digital library, this article describes some of the ways in which images can be used to support innovative and effective learning and teaching in further and higher education.
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Chris Yapp is Head of Public Sector Innovation at Microsoft. He has been in the IT Industry since 1980s in a variety of roles. He is also an Associate of the Think Tank DEMOS…
Abstract
Chris Yapp is Head of Public Sector Innovation at Microsoft. He has been in the IT Industry since 1980s in a variety of roles. He is also an Associate of the Think Tank DEMOS. Here he answers questions about his work.
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This essay aims to introduce the “knowmads” concept in the context of converging futures of work, learning, and how people relate to one another in a world driven by exponential…
Abstract
Purpose
This essay aims to introduce the “knowmads” concept in the context of converging futures of work, learning, and how people relate to one another in a world driven by exponential, accelerating change.
Design/methodology/approach
A conceptual framework for understanding knowmad society is presented, with specific insight to how it impacts formal education systems. A summary of articles following this viewpoint in this issue of On the Horizon is presented to highlight key ideas and how the issue is structured.
Findings
Knowmad society is already here, but education systems seem ignorant of this reality. This essay highlights that in this issue, ideas, approaches, and original solutions are offered for further discussion.
Practical implications
It is too late to ignore the trends driving the creation of a knowmad society, and it has to be decided if there is to be an attempt to catch‐up to the present, or leapfrog ahead and create future‐relevant learning options today. Otherwise there is a risk of producing workers equipped for the needs of previous centuries, but not the kind that can apply their individual knowledge in contextually‐varied modes to create new value.
Originality/value
This essay presents a formal introduction to the knowmad concept, and calls for the co‐creation of a broader ecology of options for relevant learning in a knowmad society.
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Chris Hart, Manmohan Bains and Kathryn Jones
At the centre of most cities and towns in the UK, public library buildings form a significant part of the civic landscape. No other country has such an extensive collection of…
Abstract
At the centre of most cities and towns in the UK, public library buildings form a significant part of the civic landscape. No other country has such an extensive collection of buildings principally designed for the collection, categorization, storage and provision of knowledge, learning and information, dedicated for public use. Argues that the role and function of the library have never been actualized. That the concern of cultural studies with social constructionism has ignored the obvious ‐ that the socio‐historic construction of an image of knowledge is represented by the placing and design of library buildings; and pre‐library notions of a global knowledge have become a reality through the development of information technology (the information superhighway) and this is displacing and superseding the constructionist displays of knowledge embodied in the library building.
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Richard Millwood and Stephen Powell
This paper seeks to describe and analyse an approach to course design as part of a strategic, technology‐inspired, cross‐university intervention to widen participation. A…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to describe and analyse an approach to course design as part of a strategic, technology‐inspired, cross‐university intervention to widen participation. A curriculum framework was developed for students who wished to make their work the focus of their study and could not readily access current university provision. A deliberate assumption was made that this would require a technologically inspired response to teaching, learning and assessment.
Design/methodology/approach
The approach taken was one of action research, by planning the curriculum framework, validating a course, delivery and review through interviews. Cybernetics was applied post‐hoc to analyse the data generated.
Findings
Staff found the framework a useful source of inspiration and critique for current practices, although established practice and preconceptions could render the framework meaningless. The ideas in the framework are not enough to change the institution – authoritative sanction may be needed. The cybernetic concepts of variety and its absorption proved useful in analysing the framework, and highlighted weaknesses in the design of the framework regarding the organisation of teaching.
Research limitations/implications
Clarity about strategic purpose when making a change intervention is vital – in this instance raising the level of critical debate was more successful than recruitment. The establishment of an independent unit may be a more successful strategy than embedding university‐wide. Further work is required to understand how to market novel approaches. The action research shows that the university has the capability to develop curriculum designs that offer new groups of students access to higher education while improving their work practice.
Originality/value
The findings from interview confirm the value that peers attach to this development. Although the pedagogical design in this action research is based on previous work, the cybernetic analysis and conclusions are new.
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Meena Gupta, Prakash Kumar and Aniket Mishra
As the today's world is leading toward the digital dependency and after the world pandemic of COVID-19, the dependency of students and the university is completely through a…
Abstract
As the today's world is leading toward the digital dependency and after the world pandemic of COVID-19, the dependency of students and the university is completely through a digital medium, in context with that the higher education according to the demand of the generation is leading towards digital transformation. The digital transformation in the sector of education is the road map for the sustainable management and development of education. The digital transformation is the new pillar of education in which the students are mostly reliable. The digitalization in the field of education will lead to simple and clarified as well as multiple way for acquiring the knowledge. As the integration of the new model of education system is applied and implemented throughout the globe, the digital medium plays a significant role for the smooth and the systemic development of the model. In this chapter, the pathway for the development of the well-stable and well-developed strategies is considered in which the integration of the essential requirements, proper guidance, and advantages of the model is dependent for the transformation to digital medium of the higher education that will be leading to the development of the management and the education system. The foundation of that transformation model is detailed in the paper for the digitalization of higher education.