ICT-UCT - Information Communication Technologies in University Communities of Teaching (completed)

About the project

ICT-UCT investigates the uses of staff development workshops using interactive computer-based materials as a strategy for the integration of information and communication technologies into Humanities curricula and pedagogy. It aims to support the development of electronic literacies of Humanities staff as well as the shaping of a community of educational technology practitioners. The project builds on collaboration between two centres in different contexts. The project meets immediate and expressed needs. It provides models for the wider uptake of the research in South Africa and Norway.

Objectives

  • What role can workshops play in the development of a community of practice of educators using educational technologies within Humanities?
  • How can workshops be designed to optimise the integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the Humanities curriculum?
  • In what ways do institutional contexts impact on the use and uptake of ICTs in such communities of practice?
     

Theory and methods

ICT-UCT uses a variety of qualitative research methods. A socio-cultural approach to learning realised in Activity Theory provides a general research model. Activity Theory in particular provides both a structural framework for understanding learning in context as well as mechanisms for theorising aspects of the mediation of learning (here on the part of university teachers) via the uptake of ICTs. Action research is also employed. The main features of Action Research. Here, the researcher is actively involved, with expected benefit for both researcher and organisation. Workshop sessions are observed. Discreet use of digital video documentation of the workshops is made with permission on the project website. Workshop designers and participants are interviewed shortly after each workshop via semi-structured interviews. The project website and related communication environments (e.g. chat, online discussions, lists, visual analysis) will also be used to build knowledge and review of the learning process. Case studies will be used as a means of researching and reporting the project. This is now underway with focus in the first phase on workshops on competence building. In the second phase attention will be directed towards the collaborative development of learning resources within specific disciplines and their experts.

Outcomes

The general outcomes for the project may be summarised as:

  • the development and critical implementation of a professional, developmental and research related approach to building staff involvement in teaching with ICTs
  • the building of local communities of practice and cases within and through which academics can moderate and support their own developmental approaches to the application of ICTs in their teaching
  • the presentation of a model for workshop based training to other similar centres and programmes in South Africa (and Norway) with the potential for collaboration in related staff development
  • the presention of research in online journals and through web-based multimedia reporting as a key component of how ICTs may be used in the articulation of research online and in realising a new rhetorics of research publication.

In addition oputcomes are specified as follows:

  • 12 workshop based training sessions
  • 18 interactive, computer based online learning tutorials for university teachers
  • On site research workshops
  • Inter and intra insitutional online community of practioners in the Humanities
  • 2 x research seminars
  • 2 x international conference papers
  • 2 x journal articles
  • I x project website
  • Models and actual online resources and distribution for other South African and Norwegian universities.
     

Publications & presentations

Carr, T., Deacon, A., Cox, G., & Morrison, A. (in press). ‘Teaching with technology: a multifaceted ftaff development strategy’. In (Eds) Kimble, C. & Hildreth, P. Communities of Practice: Creating Learning Environments for Educators. Information Age Publishing.

Deacon, A., Morrison, A. & Stadler, J. (in press ). ‘Multimodal production and semiotic resources for learning about film narrative’. In Morrison, A. (Ed.) Inside Multimodal Composition. Hampton Press: Cresshill NJ.

Carr, T., Morrison, A., Cox, G. & Deacon, A. (2007). 'Weathering wikis: net based learning meets Political Science in a South African university'. Computers and Composition. Vol. 24, No. 3. 266.284.

Cox, G., Czerniewicz, L., and Carr, T. (2005). Staff Development Workshops For Humanities Educators: Teaching With Technology. Paper presented at World Conference on Computers in Education 4-7 July 2005

Brown, C. and Deacon, A. (2005). Expansive designs for staff development workshops. Paper presented at 7th World Wide Web Applications Conference. Cape Town 29-31 August 2005

Carr, T., Brown, Cox G., Czerniewicz, L., Deacon, A., & Morrison, A. (2005). Communities of Practice in Staff Development: Learning to Teach with Technology. Paper presented at the 7th World Wide Web Applications Conference. Cape Town 29-31 August 2005

Deacon, A., Morrison, A. & Stadler, J. (2005). ‘Designing for learning through multimodal production: film narrative and spectatorship in Director’s Cut’. IJEDICT Vol 1 No 1.

Morrison A, Deacon A. & Stadler, J. (2005). ‘Designs for learning about film spectatorship’. In the Making. Proceedings of Nordic Design Research Conference. Copenhagen. 29 May–1 June.

Morrison, A. (2004). ‘Artful roles in blended learning: reflections on collaborative digital arts and Zimbabwe’. Paper presented at E/merge 2004. Blended collaborative learning in southern Africa. Online conference.

Morrison, A. (2004) 'Research rhetorics online'. presentation to Multimedia Education Group, December 2004. Paper for Kairos, a refereed online journal. Draft paper and video of presentation.

Morrison, A. (2005). 'Mediating research online'. A research seminar to Centre for Higher Education Development, University of Cape Town, March 2005.

Brown, C., Carr, T., Cox, G., Czerniewicz, L. & Deacon, A. (2005). 'Overview of the ICT-UCT Research'. Presented at an ICT-UCT Research Seminar. 24th February 2005.

Cox, G. (2005). 'Staff Development Workshops For Humanities Educators: Teaching With Technology.' Presented at an ICT-UCT Research Seminar. 18th May 2005.

Carr, T. (2005). 'Communities of Practice in Staff Development: Learning to Teach with Technology'. Presented at the Centre for Higher Education Development Research Indaba, June 2005.

Deacon, A., Jaftha, J. & Bokhorst, F. (2005). 'Developing tutorial learning environments.' Presented at the Centre for Higher Education Development Research Indaba, June 2005.

Deacon, A. & Stadler, J. (2005). Designs for Learning about film narrative and spectatorship. 'Presented in a Centre for Higher Education Development Research Seminar. 4 August 2005.

Published Sep. 16, 2010 8:58 AM - Last modified Nov. 11, 2016 1:01 PM

Contact

Project leader Andrew Morrison

Participants

Detailed list of participants