bringing 'second life' to a tough undergraduate course

Bringing ‘second life’ to a tough undergraduate courseBringing ‘second life’ to a tough undergraduate course

Cognitive apprenticeship through Machinimas

Nona Muldoon, Jennifer KofoedColin Beer & David Jones

@ CDDU

http://flickr.com/photos/squeakymarmot/2293398178/

http://flickr.com/photos/squeakymarmot/2293398178/

What type are you?

Archaeologist?

Fortune teller?

Builder?

Day dreamer?

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To lose one's self in reverie,one must be either very happy,or very unhappy.

Reverie is the child of extremes.

~ Antoine Rivarol

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Build to learnLearn to build

Generate and test theories of different types

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Learning design

Organisational support of learning

Application of technology- Web 2.0/social software

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Partnerships

Today’s presentation

• Focus on outcomes not process– Process presented in July at FBI, available at

http://cddu.cqu.edu.au/index.php/CDDU_Presentations

• Today is about… – the idea of ‘practice fields’ in the classroom– how Second Life Machinima helped make this happen– impacts on students’ active engagement

• Further research

Perspectives on learning

Perspectives on learning

L&T approaches in accounting educationLearners are taught in abstract and decontextualised form little or no opportunity to develop graduate skills and attributes ignores the interdependence of knowledge and cognition

L&T approaches in accounting educationLearners are taught in abstract and decontextualised form little or no opportunity to develop graduate skills and attributes ignores the interdependence of knowledge and cognition

Perspectives on learning

Accounting educators’ challengeProvide learning experiences that demonstrate

the authethic practices and values of the profession.

Accounting educators’ challengeProvide learning experiences that demonstrate

the authethic practices and values of the profession.

Perspectives on learning

Situated cognitionLearners are empowered to “learn knowledge and skills in context with the way knowledge will be used in real life” (Collins, 1988, p.2)

Situated cognitionLearners are empowered to “learn knowledge and skills in context with the way knowledge will be used in real life” (Collins, 1988, p.2)

Workplace environment

Complex problems

Dilemmas are ill-structured

Collaborative

Self-directed

Complex problems

Dilemmas are ill-structured

Collaborative

Self-directed

Workplace environment

“Cognitive apprenticeship methods try to

enculturate students into authentic practices through activity and social interaction similar to that evident in craft apprenticeship” (Brown, Collins & Duguid, 1989, p. 39)

“Cognitive apprenticeship methods try to

enculturate students into authentic practices through activity and social interaction similar to that evident in craft apprenticeship” (Brown, Collins & Duguid, 1989, p. 39)

Learning environment as practice fields

Practice fieldsContexts in which learners can perform and practice the kinds of activities they will encounter outside of formal learning environment (Barab & Duffy, 2000)

Practice fieldsContexts in which learners can perform and practice the kinds of activities they will encounter outside of formal learning environment (Barab & Duffy, 2000)

Learning environment as practice fields

Cognitive apprenticeship & practice fields

Ownership of the enquiry

Support the learners rather than simplify the dilemmas

Work is collaborative and social

Learning context is motivating

Opportunity for reflection

Coaching and modelling of thinking skills

Dilemmas are ill-structured

Engagement in domain related practices

Technology & the design of practice fields

• Knowledge must be learned in context, but that context can be a virtual surrogate of the work environment (McLellan, 1996)

Second Life… what is it about?

• A type of multi-user virtual environment

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Affordances of Second Life

• SL makes it possible to create interactive learning experiences

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Affordances of Second Life

• It can leverage aspects of authentic learning conditions

Affordances of Second Life

• Learners can interact with digital artifacts and communicate with other learners, as well as computer-based agents

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Second Life – ideal for authentic contexts

• But…. steep learning curve

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Why Second Life Machinimas?

• Hardware issues

• Bandwidth issues

• Cognitive load issues

Extraneous cognitive loadloading learners with unnecessary information split attention effect diverts attention away from the direct object of learning

(Pollock , Chandler &Sweller, 2002)

Extraneous cognitive loadloading learners with unnecessary information split attention effect diverts attention away from the direct object of learning

(Pollock , Chandler &Sweller, 2002)

Second Life – ideal for authentic contexts

• Hardware issues• 3D graphics• CPU• Memory• Disk Space

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1376/840884888_68750e65ae.jpg?v=0

Second Life – ideal for authentic contexts

• Hardware issues

• Bandwidth issues• Fast Internet connection required• Organisational Issues

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Second Life – ideal for authentic contexts

• Hardware issues

• Bandwidth issues

• Cognitive load issues– New Environment– A lot to learn

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Why Second Life Machinimas?

How we brought ‘second life’ to the course

Method

Summary of major findings

Results: Final grades T1 2008

Campus AF NS DE RO F SE P C D HD Grand Total

BDG     1         1 5 3 10BNE 1   2       4 7 2   16FLEX 3 2     1   9 15 12 5 47GDC     2   1     3     6MEL   4 4   2 2 35 28 3   78MKY               6 3 2 11NZDS             2       2ROK             8 3 2   13SYD   1 4 1 5 1 54 60 12 1 139

Grand Total 4 7 13 1 9 3 112 123 39 11 322

Results: Final grades T1 2008

Campus AF NS DE RO F SE P C D HD Grand Total

BDG     1         1 5 3 10BNE 1   2       4 7 2   16FLEX 3 2     1   9 15 12 5 47GDC     2   1     3     6MEL   4 4   2 2 35 28 3   78MKY               6 3 2 11NZDS             2       2ROK             8 3 2   13SYD   1 4 1 5 1 54 60 12 1 139

Grand Total 4 7 13 1 9 3 112 123 39 11 322

The greatest part of the experience for me was feeling like we were a real audit team, learning together and conducting the audit together.

The greatest part of the experience for me was feeling like we were a real audit team, learning together and conducting the audit together.

Active engagement, e.g.discussion board interaction

Discussion Board

Posts Team 1

Team 2

Team 3

Team 4

Team 5

Team 6

Team 7

Team 9

Team 10

Teaching team 56                  

Audit Partner 166                  

Audit Manager 2                  

Flex students

      1,315 127 98 111 110 173 392 138 159 7

Overall I have been very pleased, even impressed, with the work and commitment students are putting in during class time… AIC Lecturer/Tutor

Overall I have been very pleased, even impressed, with the work and commitment students are putting in during class time… AIC Lecturer/Tutor

Audit Team 6 Audit Team 10

N = 5 N = 6Posts = 392 Posts = 7Weeks = 1-13 Used tools outside Bb, e.g. MSN

Audit Team 6 Audit Team 10

N = 5 N = 6Posts = 392 Posts = 7Weeks = 1-13 Used tools outside Bb, e.g. MSN

Curriculum alignment = active learning

Curriculum alignment = active learning

• “I could appreciate how the weekly group tasks were building towards the assessment…”

• “I have enjoyed the learning process while working within an audit team. Each weekly review tasks was relevant to the subject and was a stepping stone to the end goal.”

• “I have never learnt more in a subject and truly appreciate the structure of the course.”

Entire course site accessT1 2007 – 187,689 – 630 studentsT1 2008 – 232,106 – 322 students

Entire course site accessT1 2007 – 187,689 – 630 studentsT1 2008 – 232,106 – 322 students

Machinima accessCrebel Machinima = 2.011Sealant Machinima 2.1 = 954Sealant Machinima 2.2 = 1,098Sealant Machinima 2.3 = 1,068

Machinima accessCrebel Machinima = 2.011Sealant Machinima 2.1 = 954Sealant Machinima 2.2 = 1,098Sealant Machinima 2.3 = 1,068

Study Guide accessModule-based = 1,398Entire Study Guide = 215

Study Guide accessModule-based = 1,398Entire Study Guide = 215

Real world problems transformative learning

Future research – ‘perspective transformation’

• “I am the first one to admit that the thought of working in an audit team…was a little daunting and I thought at first totally unreasonable and there is no way this will work but I have to admit that it did and it’s given us the experience or the feeling of what it would be like to work in an audit team.”

• “I am the first one to admit that the thought of working in an audit team…was a little daunting and I thought at first totally unreasonable and there is no way this will work but I have to admit that it did and it’s given us the experience or the feeling of what it would be like to work in an audit team.”

• “The group work. I don’t like being dependent upon someone’s performance for my grade. I don’t like having to do more work to cover for lazy students.”

• “The group work. I don’t like being dependent upon someone’s performance for my grade. I don’t like having to do more work to cover for lazy students.”

Next presentation - L&T Seminar

• 15 September – Results of survey data based on the 7 Principles questionnaire

Thanks for listening… questions please Thanks for listening… questions please