Julia Sargent, B. Rienties, Leigh-Anne Perryman, Elizabeth FitzGerald
{"title":"Investigating the Views and Use of Stackable Microcredentials within a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice","authors":"Julia Sargent, B. Rienties, Leigh-Anne Perryman, Elizabeth FitzGerald","doi":"10.5334/jime.805","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5334/jime.805","url":null,"abstract":"There is increasing interest around the use of microcredentials for upskilling, employability, professional development, and reaching a wide range of learners. However, little discussion exists around the use of microcredentials to contribute towards broader qualifications and accreditation. This paper investigates the use of a series of microcredentials contributing towards a broader Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP) qualification. Using a descriptive case study approach, we explore the initial development of this qualification. We also discuss PGCAP learners’ experiences of microcredentials study, drawing on the results of a survey. In doing so, we present both the merits of microcredentials from the learners’ perspectives but also some of the pedagogical and practical considerations involved. 2 Sargent et al. Journal of Interactive Media in Education DOI: 10.5334/jime.805 INTRODUCTION Online courses and learning have diversified substantially over the past decade, with higher education institutions seeking to offer online and distance education through avenues such as Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and microcredentials. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a more recent and global influence on online learning as institutions sought to temporarily (and sometimes permanently) expand the boundaries of the classroom and increase access to learning at a distance. Jordan and Goshtasbpour (2022) recently reflected on a decade of research on MOOCs and highlighted that MOOCs have largely failed to live up to their initial hype (around 2012) to drastically disrupt education. However, this is not a new mantra in the sense that many digital technologies in education claim to revolutionise education yet few truly revolutionise or innovate the status quo (Divjak et al. 2022; Hernández-de-Menéndez et al. 2022). Subsequently, it is important to critically investigate ‘new’ approaches to online teaching and learning and challenge their positioning as somewhat of a panacea for education. Microcredentials are relatively ‘new kids on the block’ in terms of online and distance learning courses. They differ somewhat to other credentials offered by universities in that they are delivered in a relatively short and compressed timeframe, are usually delivered online, and are usually formally accredited (Pollard & Vincent 2022). Designed largely as a solution to quickly upskill professionals (Oliver, 2019) they are popular with the general public as well as professionals (Kato, Galán-Muros & Weki 2020). Research on microcredentials is relatively sparse, largely limited to studies identifying key definitions and approaches, with few offering empirical evaluations (Brown & Nic-Giolla-Mhichil 2022; Iniesto et al. 2022). However, the interest in, and provision of microcredentials amongst higher education institutions is increasing. In 2020, for example, 36 out of 42 Australian universities were either developing or already offering microcredentials (Europ","PeriodicalId":45406,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Interactive Media in Education","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70676699","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Balance between Guidance and Self-Regulated Learning: Teaching and Learning Strategies in Online, Hybrid and Blended Learning in Higher Education","authors":"Victoria I. Marín, J. Salinas","doi":"10.5334/jime.770","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5334/jime.770","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45406,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Interactive Media in Education","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70676293","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Self-Regulation of Learning and the Co-Design of Personalized Learning Pathways in Higher Education: A Theoretical Model Approach","authors":"Sofía Villatoro Moral, Barbara de-Benito Crosseti","doi":"10.5334/jime.749","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5334/jime.749","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45406,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Interactive Media in Education","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70676487","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mitchell Peters, Montse Guitert-Catasús, M. Romero
{"title":"Finding Balance through Connected Learning Designs: Disentangling Self-Regulated and Co-Regulated Learning in Online Postgraduate Education","authors":"Mitchell Peters, Montse Guitert-Catasús, M. Romero","doi":"10.5334/jime.752","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5334/jime.752","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45406,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Interactive Media in Education","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70676571","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"JIME Virtual Special Collection – 2012 to 2022: The Decade of the MOOC","authors":"Katy Jordan, Fereshte Goshtasbpour","doi":"10.5334/jime.757","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5334/jime.757","url":null,"abstract":"In a New York Times article, Pappano (2012) declared 2012 as ‘the year of the MOOC’. It was a year which saw a surge in interest in this new, open form of online higher education. While the initial hype around Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) subsided and their form has changed significantly from the first large-scale courses, more learners than ever are registered with the platforms, which have attracted substantial levels of investment. In this special collection, we bring together articles published in the Journal of Interactive Media in Education over the past ten years, which have focused upon MOOCs from a diverse range of research perspectives. First, we provide an overview of major events and trends in relation to MOOCs over the past ten years. We then take a closer look at the 25 papers published in JIME and included in the virtual special collection, arranged in relation to four main themes, including: situating MOOCs; learning design and roles; MOOCs and languages; and accessibility and inclusion. of data case study of learning design how MOOCs can be used to support a range of learners. the example of the University of Warwick’s ‘Literature and Mental Health: Reading for Wellbeing’ MOOC, delivered through the FutureLearn platform. This MOOC incorporated survey data collection into the on a topic related to the integrating a research tool into the MOOC as large scale data collection, and enriching the experience for also of This study explores the perspectives of a small sample of invisible learners,","PeriodicalId":45406,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Interactive Media in Education","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70676218","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Experiencing Edublocks: A Project to Help Students in Higher Education to Select their Own Learning Paths","authors":"Carles Lindín, K. Steffens, A. Bartolomé","doi":"10.5334/jime.731","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5334/jime.731","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45406,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Interactive Media in Education","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2022-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70676381","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A. Littlejohn, L. Gourlay, E. Kennedy, Kit Logan, Tim Neumann, M. Oliver, J. Potter, J. Rode
{"title":"Moving Teaching Online: Cultural Barriers Experienced by University Teachers During Covid-19","authors":"A. Littlejohn, L. Gourlay, E. Kennedy, Kit Logan, Tim Neumann, M. Oliver, J. Potter, J. Rode","doi":"10.5334/jime.631","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5334/jime.631","url":null,"abstract":"This empirical study examines the experiences of academics and professional service staff in a large UK university during first weeks of the transition to online teaching and working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic. The method draws on the work by Gourlay and Oliver (2018) to explore engagement with the digital university in everyday practice. Using data from 412 survey responses and 32 interviews, the study traces varying ways staff characterised themselves during the first months of lockdown in the UK (from March to July, 2020). The findings highlight that university support services underwent a metamorphosis to support the transition to online teaching. However, insufficient attention was paid to the ‘identity crisis’ and threats perceived by academics who were used to teaching students on campus. Academics tended to focus on transferring traditional teaching practices to the online environment, rather than on changing teaching practice, leaving face-to-face teaching as the default point of reference. These cultural barriers are a persistent obstacle to a more productive engagement with digitalisation. Transitioning to online teaching involves continuing existing work while also learning new practices. Such efforts were challenging for teaching staff who did not have dedicated space at home to work and those with caring responsibilities. This, combined with gendered patterns around caring and the extra support needed by students during the crisis, added emotional labour to already-full workloads. We recommend that intersecting forms of disadvantage be acknowledged, supported and rewarded for universities to create sustainable and just futures.","PeriodicalId":45406,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Interactive Media in Education","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70675933","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}