| CODE | ACA5051 | ||||||||||||||||
| TITLE | Teaching and Learning Facilitation | ||||||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Arts, Open Communities and Adult Education | ||||||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit will present guiding principles of potentially effective teaching for learning in open and networked higher education contexts which may be taken forward in blended, hybrid, online and distance modalities. It begins by briefly reviewing the general principles of designing for learning, so setting the scene for a close consideration of what it means to teach, co-teach, convene and facilitate learning. Learning participants will be introduced to principled and evidence-backed strategies for teaching and facilitating learning in open and networked environments. Learning participants will have the opportunity to consider teacher presences, and critically discuss perspectives and issues that teacher presence calls upon. The study-unit provides participants with practices which have been found helpful to address problematic situations on the ground such as those resulting from failing group dynamics. Ethical issues related to the practice of teaching and learning facilitation in open and networked higher education will be discussed such as authorship, the use of algorithms and learning analytics in open and networked higher education teaching and learning contexts. This study-unit intends an opportunity for students to apply knowledge and skills, building competence through the implementation and review of a teaching (and learning) episode supported by peers and tutors. Study-Unit Aims: The main aims of the study-unit are: - to develop an understanding of teaching as intertwined, interconnected and interrelated to design for learning and assessment; - to deconstruct teaching as a composition of direct instruction and learning facilitation staged by the design for learning and related organisation; - to grow awareness, appreciation, and competence assuming different teaching and teacher roles including the dynamic nature of teacher positionality in (the act of) teaching for open and networked higher education; - to support students develop and expand their knowledge and skills to convene, facilitate and evaluate open and networked teaching and learning incorporating different modalities; - to help students deepen understanding and critical reflection on open and networked teaching and learning through active engagement in an immersive learning and teaching experience. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Discuss teaching as part of a complex system characterising open and networked higher education; - Critically consider developments in open and networked learning; - Recognise contemporary digital technologies seamlessly integrated in the practice of higher education teaching and learning; - Develop a critical understanding of the guiding principles of effective teaching for learning in open and networked environments, including the key research informing these principles; - Critically apply theoretical and research-evidenced principles to the development of teaching episodes within specific disciplinary contexts; - Discuss and debate different teaching positionalities and roles in open and networked higher education learning and teaching practices; - Critically review key elements implementing open and networked higher education teaching (for learning); - Critically identify teaching practice as an integrative process part of all stages of open and networked higher education design, development, implementation and evaluation. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Critically consider and confidently adopt different roles for teaching in open and networked higher education settings; - Discerningly use various contemporary digital technologies, critically considering discussion media, algorithms and learning analytics that monitor the students' online activities, and video-recording applications; - Discerningly apply theoretical knowledge integrating contemporary digital technologies in teaching practice; - Discerningly use digital technologies to communicate complex ideas in a clear, organised, stimulating and engaging way; - Develop competences critically considering and adopt different roles teaching in different open and networked higher education settings; - Develop competence in peer review and support; - Develop competence critically considering and appraising teaching in action. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Garrison, R. D. (2017). E-Learning in the 21st Century (3rd ed.). New York and London: Routledge. - Salmon (2013). E-tivities: The Key to Active Online Learning (2nd Ed.) Routledge, UK. Supplementary Readings: - Palloff & Pratt (2013). Lessons from the virtual classroom: The realities of online teaching (2nd. Ed.) Jossey-Bass, San Francisco:US - Cutajar, M. (2019). Teaching Using Digital Technologies: Transmission or Participation? Education Science, 9(3). doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci9030226 - Cutajar, M. (2018). Higher Education Teachers' Experiences of Networked Technologies for Teaching. Msida, Malta: Malta University Publishing. - Bennett, L., & Folley, S. (2020). Dashboard literacy: understanding students鈥� response to learning analytic dashboards. In N. Bonderup Dohn, P. Jandri膰, T. Ryberg, & M. de Laat (Eds.), Mobility, Data and Learner Agency in Networked Learning. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. - Beattie, A. R., & Hayes, S. (2020). Whose domain and whose ontology? Preserving human radical reflexivity over the efficiency of automatically generated feedback. In N. Bonderup Dohn, P. Jandri膰, T. Ryberg, & M. de Laat (Eds.), Mobility, Data and Learner Agency in Networked Learning. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. - Ferreday, D., & Hodgson, V. (2008). The Tyranny of Participation and Collaboration in Networked Learning. Paper presented at the Networked Learning Conference 2008, Halkidiki. - Bovill,C. (2020). Co-creating Learning and Teaching. Critical Publishing Ltd. St Albans: UK. |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-requisite Qualifications: First Degree (MQF 6) at Second Upper Level or better (as per requirements of the postgraduate study programmes it relates to). | ||||||||||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Independent Study and Online Learning | ||||||||||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | James Cilia Maria Cutajar (Co-ord.) |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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