Ms Denise o'Dwyer
Secretary
031 373 6810
deniseo@dut.ac.za

Unit members: (Educational Technologists)
Dr Liz Harrison, Ms Marí Peté, Ms Gita Mistri, Mr Preggy Reddy, Ms Bwalya Lungu

View our CELT e-Learning Services document

The Education Technology Unit of CELT has established itself as a key player in learning innovation at DUT. The unit promotes and implements e-learning in the various programmes offered by the university. Over the last ten years we have focused our services to academics on establishing an inter-disciplinary e-learning community of practice. To date, individual lecturers who have an interest in e-learning have attended e-Learning training on a voluntary basis.

We have seen many lecturers applying e-learning in creative ways, focusing on solving educational problems. In preparing learners for the 21st century world of work, lecturers use e-Learning tools to stimulate learner motivation and engagement with the learning process, creating opportunities to interact with content and collaborate within learning communities. E-Learning also has many benefits for lecturers in other ways not related to distance education per se, e.g. by automating assessments and time-consuming classroom management tasks.

Wired generation Y learners are keen to learn as they live. We work to close the gap between Generation Y and lecturers, who are largely still Generation X.

We believe in blending the best of face to face education and online tools. Humans need contact. However we have to keep realities in mind and access to computer resources is still the biggest challenge for many institutions. In this respect mobile learning research is now exploring pushing online content to cell phones, a commodity most learners already own and depend on. It will take a while, though, to test the waters of M-Learning. Regarding what institutions like DUT offer the community, online or e-Learning requires clear communication and writing skills. It‟s all in the blend!

Pioneers Online, the DUT short course in web-based learning

Staff members who complete this course successfully obtain a DUT Short Course Certificate, indicating that the course is developed against the Level 7 Unit Standard "Design and Develop web-based learning". This unit standard is a module of the NQF HET Level 7 Post-Graduate Certificate in Higher Education. Total Notional Hours: 160. Total NQF Credits: 16. The training is a personal investment that makes participants marketable internationally. Through project activities and socials, participants have the opportunity to exchange ideas with innovative peers from other faculties. The course enables participants to explore technology solutions to educational problems and write draft conference papers.

Mr John Roome, Senior Lecturer, Dept of Fine Art and Jewellery Design, with a student during an e-learning session

Contact: Mari Pete
031 373 5259
mpete@dut.ac.za

Power Hour Ongoing Support
Power Hour is held once a month to support the community of web-based learning practitioners.

Contact: Preggy Reddy
031 373 6754
preggyr@dut.ac.za

e-Learning Day

The Education Technology Unit hosts the e-Learning Festival annually. From 17 to 19 November, the 2010 Bending Blackboards Festival celebrated ten years of e-Learning at DUT. From 2000-2010 many academic and non-academic staff members embarked on pioneering journeys to “bend blackboards”,…changed perceptions of traditional educator roles, experimented with, and challenged outmoded ways of working and learning. Breaking new ground, the festival took place in blended mode. The first two days took the form of webinars. This format enabled international presentations and participation without incurring the cost of travelling. Environmental impact was also reduced. The webinar afforded delegates the opportunity to participate from their offices, homes and favourite coffee shops. During this time DUT lecturers showcased their e-Learning and Podcasting innovations. The Vice Chancellor opened the proceedings, delivering a welcome address via a podcast.

Chris de Beer receives the Distinguished eLearning Teachers Award (DELTA) from Vice Chancellor Prof Roy du Pré in 2008

The third day took place face to face. The Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) awarded certificates and awards to staff members who completed the short course in web-based learning and the Podcasting project. This was followed by a workshop for Executive Deans, HoDs and programme managers, providing an inter-disciplinary space for brainstorming, questions and discussion about embarking on new e-Learning projects.

The Educational Technology team wishes to acknowledge the creative energy and sacrifice of all DUT staff members who are willing to explore 21st century ways of being and learning for the sake of providing students with a relevant education.

Podcasting Project: Toward Readiness for Mobile Learning
Towards Readiness for Mobile Learning (mLearning) is a pilot project exploring the feasibility of mLearning within the blended learning approach. Podcasting allows lecturers and tutors to record and upload mp3 (audio) or mp4 (video) files online for students to download. Educational Podcasting is particularly appealing because its portable nature allows you to listen to a podcast at your convenience, and as frequently as you please.

At the Educational Technology Unit of CELT, we will be introducing mLearning, as part of the professional development opportunities for lecturers, who are receptive to the idea of including podcasting in their teaching repertoire to engage the techno-savvy students entering Higher Education today.

Contact: Gita Mistri
031 373 2786
gitam@dut.ac.za

Research or e-Learning
The E-learning Research Group (ERG)

ERG was established in 2010. It uses as a metaphor the unit of measurement of work known as an erg - the unit of energy and mechanical work in the centimetre-gram-second (CGS) system of units. One erg is the work done by a force of one dyne acting over a distance of one centimetre, or alternatively the amount of work needed for a mosquito to take off.

It is a group that intends to support DUT‟s e-learning practitioners in formally disseminating their discoveries, findings and learning about e-learning in the DUT environment. The idea is to „work smart‟ and, with the minimum amount of stress, create quality contributions to the body of knowledge about e-learning.

The group meets face-to-face for an hour. During the session those present briefly summarise their work progress and one member sketches a project, while another shares a piece of formal research writing for feedback. „Snack writing‟ (Murray, 2009: 72) also occurs. In 2011, the group will establish a formal online space in order to make allowances for a typical DUT academic‟s work life. Participation is entirely voluntary, but relies on Ed Tech‟s philosophy of facilitating a dynamic e-learning community of practice (Wilson & Ryder, 1996; Wenger, McDermott & Snyder, 2002), in which all members contribute to the value of the group.

References
Murray, R. 2009. Writing for Academic Journals. Maidenhead: Open University Press.

Wenger, E, McDermott, R & Snyder, WM. 2002. Cultivating Communities of Practice: A Guide To Managing Knowledge Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard Business School Publishing.

Wilson, B & Ryder, M. 1996. Dynamic Learning Communities: An Alternative to Designed Instructional Systems. Paper presented at 18th National Convention of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology, Indianapolis, Indiana.