Date: Tuesday 1 November 2011

Time: 10.00 - 16.30

Venue: Open University

City: Milton Keynes

Financial challenges, market opportunities and technical innovation will drive greater use of e-learning. Some see cost-cutting as the primary driver, and fear that it will diminish the quality of the educational experience through reduced face-to-face contact. Others argue that e-learning creates new learning possibilities, and can strengthen educational quality, e.g. by enabling more rather than less learning contact with fellow students. The sustainability of e-learning is also contentious. Do virtual technologies have a lighter or heavier environmental footprint than traditional methods? And does e-learning create greater social inclusion, both globally and nationally, or will it lead to a ‘second class’ educational system with face-to-face methods reserved for an elite?

Given these controversies, how do both educators and learners decide which blend or variety of e-learning is most effective for them? Can we develop criteria for ‘best practice’ e-learning which recognise the validity of different approaches as opposed to current threshold standards?  These criteria could have many uses: directing attention to key issues during course design; helping providers (especially those new to the market) to reassure students that they can enjoy a quality educational experience; and helping learners to choose between providers. 

These questions will be addressed in this exploratory workshop, which blends face-to-face and virtual elements. 

To book a place at this workshop

Draft programme

 Time 

 Activity 

10.00 - 10.30
Registration

10.30 - 10.40
JISC and Best Practice E-Learning Rob Bristow, Green IT Programme Manager, and Sarah Knight, E-Learning Programme Manager

10.40 - 11.10
Economic Best Practice Criteria Andrew Lane, Professor of Environmental Systems, Open University and Director, SusTeach

11.10 - 11.40
Pedagogic Best Practice Criteria Dr. Doug Clow, Lecturer in Interactive Media Development, Open University (tbc)

11.40 - 12.10
Environmental Best Practice Criteria Peter James, Professor of Environmental Management, University of Bradford and Director, Virtually Sustainable

12.10 - 13.00
Moderated small group discussions

13.00 - 13.45
Lunch

13.45 – 15.15
Plenary session Feedback from group discussion, voting on preferred criteria and reflection on outcomes

15.15 - 15.30
Tea

15.30 - 16.30
Open University Showcase E-learning initiatives and associated R&D projects such as OpenLearn, iTunesU, and YouTubeEDU