Innovations in Learning and Technology: Asia-Pacific Perspectives

The conference brought researchers from Asia-Pacific and other parts of the world to UVic to discuss innovations in learning and share their experience in incorporating technology into education. Complex interaction of people and technology and its impact on society is becoming increasingly visible in today's world especially in the Asia-Pacific region.

For more information please also visit the conference website.

The conference is led by Madhumita Bhattacharya, CAPI's Japan Program Chair.

Conference Program

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Emergent Division of Labor - Source of learning opportunities in collaborative learning

Professor Hiroshi Kato 

Emergent division of labor is an aspect of our everyday collaborative activities. Even if we defined a role in collaboration in advance, we can't help violating it in order to make things go smoothly. Close observations of actual interactions show that people, in case of difficulty, contingently cross the border of the role and reorganize their division of labor, - what we call emergent division of labor -, so that they help, advise, demonstrate, mimic, and watch each other. Since these actions are educationally significant, supporting emergent division of labor can be a design principle of collaborative learning. As a case study presentation discusses use of a collaborative concept mapping tool called "KneadingBoard", to support emergent division of labor in an online environment. 

Dr. Hiroshi Kato is currently a professor at Center of ICT and Distance Education in the Open University of Japan. Previously he was the Director of the Centre. He has several publications in distinguished journals and has received best paper awards at different prestigious conferences. Professor Kato's research interests include; Socio-Cultural Learning Theory, Computer Support for Collaborative Learning and Peer Assessment.

DISTINGUISHED GUEST SPEAKER

Tangible Talking Robots/Toys as an Interactive Learning Companion for Fostering English Speaking

Professor Shelley Young

The speaker will share the pioneering research project on the design and implementation of the tangible interactive talking companions in Taiwan. The presentation will cover the following aspects: background of the English learning context and the related issues; why there is a need to use the innovative learning device to facilitate English conversation; how the researchers implement the learning companions by applying the voice recognition techniques through the inter-disciplinary research teams; affordances and appearances of the tangible talking companions; the learning effects and the perceptions of the targeted learners and teachers on uses of the learning companions in the English conversation settings.

Dr. Shelley Shwu-ching Young is a professor at National Tsing Hua University (NTHU), Taiwan. Currently she holds joint appointments at the Center for General Education and the Graduate Institute of Information Systems and Applications. She was the founding division director of learning technologies of the Computer and Communication Center (CCC) of NTHU.

PAPER PRESENTATIONS

Using Mobile Phone in Language Learning (v)

Kalyanamalini Sahoo, English & Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad,  India

A values-based approach to technology in higher education - Focus on Developing Countries

Robert Aucoin , University of British Columbia & Royal Roads University, BC, Canada

Free eLearning - Tools, Platforms and Practices

Haim Michael, Tel Aviv Jaffa Academic College, Israel

Use of visual metaphors in virtual environments for teaching and learning

Beatriz Pacheco & Eliani Kfouri, Computing School - Mackenzie and Design School - SENAC, Brazil

Learning Traces

Thamarai Selvi Somasundaram,  Anna University, India

DISTINGUISHED GUEST SPEAKERS

From Sea Level Up...and Beyond
Multimodal learning at the University of the South Pacific

Professor Susan A. Kelly

Diversity and distance characterize the learning and teaching environments at the University of the South Pacific (USP). Distributed over 33,000,000 km2 of ocean, the USP region comprises twelve member countries where the population of one small island state (Niue) at 1500 people is the same as the population of students and staff at another of one of USP's mid-size campuses. This paper presents reflections and evaluation of the Moodle implementation process, challenges and solutions adopted to building and enabling Moodle at USP so that it can open doors to education opportunities for thousands of people in the Pacific.

1st and 2nd co-authors: Theresa Koroivulaono & Dhiraj Bhartu, University of the South Pacific
Suva, Fiji

Professor Susan Kelly is the Deputy Vice Chancellor Learning Teaching & Student Services at the University of the South Pacific Suva, Fiji. She has authored three books; published in the scientific and popular press and had a 30 year parallel career as a media psychologist and commentator. Professor Kelly has established a reputation as a turnaround specialist of mission-driven organizations.

ICT in Indian Higher Education: Trends , Application and Lessons Learned

Professor Madhulika Kaushik

Faced with explosive surge in the demand for higher education and the challenge of enlarging access without compromising quality and cost economics, India has often looked at ICT as an enabler to leverage available resources. The paper explores the prevailing scenario of ICT usage in higher education, across public universities and colleges including the open and distance learning sector and the private for profit higher education sector. Based on an analysis of the information presented, the paper attempts to draw out the lessons learned and the possible way forward for Higher education providers in large, diverse and widely distributed systems.             

Dr. Madhulika Kaushik is the Higher Education specialist at the Commonwealth of Learning, Vancouver, Canada. Professor Kaushik is an MBA and PhD in Marketing, has a teaching and research experience of over 32 years. Her current research interests include application of ICT in Higher education, use of OER and issues of quality and governance in open learning and entrepreneurship education for developing and transition economies.

Online in Africa: The Early Childhood Development Virtual University (ECDVU)

Professor Alan Pence

The ECDVU is an online graduate level program offered as part of the School of Child and Youth Care at the University of Victoria. The program is unique in many respects, working with leadership nominees from a diverse range of African countries to address country-identified priorities regarding child and family well-being. Participants remain in-country and in their mid- to senior-level employment positions while they utilize the flexible structure of the courses to address policy, program, training or other related capacity enhancing initiatives. The program completed its 4th cohort delivery in November 2011, and it has a completion rate of 95% with over 99%
participant retention in Africa (virtually no brain drain).

Dr. Alan Pence, Professor, University of Victoria, is the founder and director of the ECDVU which has delivered online, professional development and leadership programs in sixteen different countries in Sub-Saharan Africa since 2001.

PAPER PRESENTATIONS

Exploring iPad as a ubiquitous cloud device to enhance teaching (v)

Siew Mee Barton, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia

Network Performance for Mobile Collaborative Learning (v)

Suhaimi Abd Latif, International Islamic University Malaysia,  Malaysia

DISTINGUISHED GUEST SPEAKERS

Professor Mahnaz Moallem

Research shows that increasing the interaction in online or distance learning environments results in a smaller transactional distance or cognitive space between instructors and learners and among learners and more effective learning in educational settings. Despite these findings and the emergence of the newer Web-synchronous conferencing tools, the majorities of fully online learning courses either offer limited asynchronous communication or only offer interaction between learner and learning content.  This presentation provides research findings to demonstrate the online learning effectiveness of combination of new technology, specially designed environment and interactive elements to create the feeling of being all in one space. 

Mahnaz Moallem, Ph.D. is a Professor of Instructional Technology and Research,Program Coordinator for Instructional Technology Graduate Program and Grant Coordinator, Watson School of Education, University of North Carolina, Wilmington. Dr. Moallem also served as Instructional Technology Project Leader at National Science Foundation for two years. Dr. Moallem severs as editorial review board for several journals, books and conferences. She has more than 29 years experience in research, teaching and consulting.

The 21st Century University:  Developing a Model of Multi-Access Learning and Openness

Dr. Valerie Irvine

In this session, we will discuss issues facing brick and mortar universities in the current global context of post-secondary education and what universities can do to adapt, innovate, remain both competitive and relevant in the 21st century. There are increasing demands from students for flexibility and connectivity via social media and ways for us to support them. I propose a solution being piloted at the University of Victoria through a new delivery method I have termed multi-access learning. Through modification of our registration system, we will be able to let the learner choose the delivery method they want for enrollment.

Dr. Valerie Irvine is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education, founding director of the Technology Integration and Evaluation (TIE) research lab funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation. Valerie brings expertise in multi-access learning environments, open education, global learning, and digital literacies for 21st century teaching and learning.

PANEL PRESENTATIONS

Digital Media and Cultural Divide: Implications for Educational Technologists & Instructional Designer

Mahnaz Moallem,  University of North Carolina Wilmington, NC, USA

Learning 2.0: how Web 2.0 and digital tools impact teaching and learning: a global perspective

Nada Mach,  California State University, Dominguez Hills, CA, USA

Evidence based ePortfolio for Quality Assurance in Learning Assessment

Madhumita Bhattacharya, University of Victoria, BC, Canada

PAPER PRESENTATIONS

Formal student debating: What are the Learning Outcomes?

Virginia Vandall-Walker, Athabasca University, AB, Canada

Learning and Teaching Languages Online. What is our perspective?

Rita Santillan, University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University, BC, Canada

Using Computer Mathematics Games to Promote Young Children's Learning of Number Sense

Hengameh Kermani, University of North Carolina Wilmington, NC, USA

University students' perception of EFL Open instructional design with a podcast and a wiki (v) 

Yayoi Anzai, Aoyama Gakuin University, Japan