2021 Conference Program

Monday, June 14th, 2021

All times are Eastern time

9:00 AM - 10:15 AM - OPENING SESSION - STREAM 1

9:00 AM - 9:15 AM - CONFERENCE INTRODUCTION

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Conference Introduction

David Guralnick, Ph.D.
President and CEO
Kaleidoscope Learning
New York, New York, USA

9:15 AM - 10:15 AM - KEYNOTE

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Keynote Speech
Learning on the Seam: The Intersection between Learning Science and User-Centered Design

Alicia Sanchez, Ph.D.
Director of Innovation, Defense Acquisition University
Department of Defense
Fort Belvoir, Virginia, USA
Slides

Voluminous tidbits focused on how we improve learning can leave us wondering which methods or practices might be the right ones to pursue.  Determining what to implement how and when is traditionally left to each of us based on our assumptions about our learners and our own ability to curate, assimilate and apply the information we receive. 

From long-established practices to responding to our learners’ evolving needs, there is no unifying discipline that guides our decision-making strategies.  Traditional and emerging constructs from the science of learning often show promise, but in our consumer-driven world, focusing on our users has never been more imperative.

In this keynote session, an intersection between Learning Sciences and User-Centered Design will be examined from the perspective of “what our learners need now” in order to create relevant and outcome-oriented learning assets.  By combining two frequently separated methodologies, this session seeks to pull the thread on new perspective on how to create or realign meaningful programs of learning by eliminating gaps and overlaps in competing theories. 

10:15 AM - 10:30 AM - BREAK

10:30 AM - 12:00 NOON - PARALLEL SESSIONS

STREAM 1
Chair: David Guralnick, Ph.D., Kaleidoscope Learning, New York, New York, USA
10:30 AM - 12:00 NOON

10:30 AM - 11:30 AM

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Taking Project-Based Learning Online

Gary Natriello, Ph.D., Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA and Hui Soo Chae, Ph.D., New York University, New York, New York, USA

This session brings us a case study of a university course that was entirely moved to online in fall 2020 due to COVID-19. The course was developed following project-based learning, collaborative small teams, and the scrum project management frameworks. During the session, Dr. Natriello will review the course activity data, discuss changes in the instructional strategy over the semester, examine areas for improvement, and make suggestions for improving the online learning experience.

Taking Project-Based Learning Online

Gary Natriello and Hui Soo Chae

This session will present a case study of a university course using project-based learning, collaborative small teams, and the scrum project management framework. The course was moved entirely online in fall 2020 due to COVID19. Students in the course were unable to come to campus and so were distributed widely across time zones with concentrations in North America and Asia. Students had access to a set of tools arranged specifically for the class, including: a Wordpress website, the Learndash learning platform to organize resources and activities, Slack for the class and for individual teams to facilitate communications, and ASANA for individuals teams to track project progress. Students also brought other tools of their choice (e.g., Google docs, WeChat, Notion). None of the tools were institutionally based with the exception of an institutional zoom account that was used for five whole class sessions as well as by individual teams for their collaboration meetings. Students were assessed based on team projects as well as individual short papers. Additional data from Slack and ASANA allowed the instructors to follow the progress of each team throughout the semester and to offer guidance along the way. The session will review the course activity data, discuss alterations in the instructional strategy over the semester, examine areas for improvement, and pose suggestions for improving the online learning experience.

11:30 AM - 12:00 NOON

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Digital Project-Based Learning in the Higher Education Sector

Prof. Dr. Christoph Knoblauch, University of Education, Ludwigsburg (Germany), Tübingen, Germany

This presentation discusses the structure, methodology and outcomes of an online project-based course offered as part of an Education Master’s program offered by the Ludwigsburg University of Education (LUE). Students’ attitudes, practices and preferences towards digital project-based learning will be at the center of the discussion.

Digital Project-Based Learning in the Higher Education Sector

Christoph Knoblauch

This paper discusses evaluation findings from a digital project-based course in the higher education sector. The empirical findings focus on students’ attitudes, practices and preferences towards digital project-based learning. The evaluated course was developed and taught in the context of the Master’s programme for Education at Ludwigsburg University of Education (LUE). It aims at the digital project-based planning, execution and critical reflection of an individual empirical study carried out by the participating students. This paper presents a discussion of the structure, the digital methodology and the outcomes of the course, using digital qualitative interviews for the evaluation research. By doing so, the study investigates how students deal with a digital project-based learning environment and how these results can be constructively implemented in order to improve future digital or blended-learning scenarios in the higher education sector.

STREAM 2
Chair: Imogen Casebourne, University of Oxford, UK
10:30 AM - 12:00 NOON

10:30 AM - 11:30 AM

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Experiences of Team Coaching in a Virtual Environment: What We Can Learn for Future Practice

Simon Finley, Aston University, West Midlands, UK

The session showcases the experiences of a range of participants and coaches who have engaged in virtual team coaching during the global pandemic. In particular, it identifies opportunities to expand team coaching and better support the development of high performance teams, regardless of geographic barriers.

Experiences of Team Coaching in a Virtual Environment: What We Can Learn for Future Practice

Simon Finley

If questioned, most people would be able to identify high performance teams from the sports world: the 1990s-era Chicago Bulls or Manchester United; the New England Patriots of the last twenty years; recent FC Barcelona soccer teams; and the fearsome New Zealand All Blacks that won back to back world cups are just a few that spring to mind. One thing they all have in common is great coaching. While highly developed in the sports world, team coaching is a relatively new phenomenon in other domains, such as education and organizational team development. Nonetheless, a growing body of research and literature has demonstrated its potential for elevating performance in such contexts. As well as borrowing from more traditional coaching theory, team coaching uses the principles of heutagogy, or self-determined learning, and socially constructed learning to help create powerful, context specific learning opportunities that enable teams to work more openly and productively. While these concepts and their use in team coaching are well documented, there is almost no research or literature relating to team coaching in a virtual environment. Given the rapid globalisation of organisations and the need to work in increasingly geographically dispersed teams, this comes as something of a surprise.

The paper will explore the experiences of a range of participants and coaches who have engaged in virtual team coaching during the global pandemic. While a virtual format may present obstacles it is important that we learn from our experiences so that we do not simply see the virtual domain as a barrier to effective coaching. We must identify opportunities to incorporate virtual technologies into regular coaching practice. In so doing we will be able to expand team coaching and create greater opportunities to support the development of high performance teams, regardless of geographic barriers.

11:30 AM - 12:00 NOON

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GRAF: A System for the Assessment, Accreditation and Representation of Competency Learning in Online Higher Education

Cristina Girona, Lluís Pastor, Ph.D., Xavier Mas, Ph.D., and Josep A. Martínez-Aceituno, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain

This session shares the experiences and lessons learned by the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), after developing and implementing GRAF. This session explains the added value of this system for competency assessment and accreditation: it is an agile evidence-based learning activity grading system that allows teachers to assess competencies, and provide formative and continuous feedback throughout the semester. It is based on an accurate competency-based design of study programs and on the use of rubrics for teaching and learning. It is compatible with the traditional credit rating system and makes the student assessment visible.

GRAF: A System for the Assessment, Accreditation and Representation of Competency Learning in Online Higher Education

Cristina Girona, Lluís Pastor and Josep A. Martínez-Aceituno

The evaluation and accreditation of competencies is one of the challenges that higher education must address in the 21st century.

GRAF is a system of evaluation and accreditation of curricular competencies based on the integration of pedagogical engineering methodologies with data architecture design and technological applications, especially tailored to online higher education.

From the teaching point of view, it provides a model, a methodology and a tool for designing competency-based programmes and assessing the evidence of competency learning generated by the students in the teaching and learning process throughout the semester. From the student's perspective, it enhances conventional evaluation by accompanying marks with educational feedback on the level of competency achieved, and provides a graphic representation of progress.

Specific tools and applications have been developed for each phase of work: for the design stage, the Competency Design Tool; for the evaluation and monitoring stage, the Competency Assessment Tool; and for the graphic representation stage, the Competency Graph Report.

The UOC has spent two years developing GRAF. It has been applied to five programmes in different areas: an MBA, two master's degrees, a postgraduate course and a university extension course. A total of 59 compulsory subjects and 293 students have been involved in these programmes. Due to the success of the initiative, the UOC has decided on a widespread application of GRAF to other programmes.

We are interested in sharing the experience and lessons learned in order to improve GRAF.

STREAM 3
Chair: Maria Rosaria Re, University Roma Tre, Rome, Italy
10:30 AM - 12:00 NOON

10:30 AM - 11:00 AM

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Hybrid to the Power of x Higher Education - A Multidimensional Overlay of Hybrid Forms of Learning and Teaching

Prof. Dr. Christian-Andreas Schumann, Westsächsische Hochschule Zwickau, Saxony, Germany

This talk examines current hybrid teaching models in higher education, in particular the reference model Hybrid x Higher Education. Selected application scenarios from various fields and perspectives will be showcased in the form of case studies and analyzed.

Hybrid to the Power of x Higher Education - A Multidimensional Overlay of Hybrid Forms of Learning and Teaching

Christian-Andreas Schumann

The diversification of study programs serves to impart knowledge and skills in a way that is appropriate to the target group and to individualize learning paths in the sense of student-centredness. Classic hybrid forms of learning such as the combination of face-to-face and distance learning (blended learning) are being overlaid by new hybrid approaches such as the mixture of classroom instruction and online teaching in the face-to-face part or digitalized learning and classic literature study in distance learning. Several hybrid forms overlap due to the diversity of possibilities and forms more by coincidence than on a well-founded basis.

Hybridity of higher education teaching are increasingly combined in different contexts and levels of digitization. The thus growing complexity of higher education will only be manageable if learning and teaching models are created by means of evidence-based approaches with better structuredness and transparency of processes. The reference model of Hybrid x Higher Education teaching describes the combination of several teaching and learning dimensions with varying degrees of expression between two forms that can be combined. It is the basis for the systematic penetration of higher education teaching by several combined and innovative forms, especially in the wake of the digitization hype. Significant key services for digitized higher education teaching are derived from the variety of options. Special, innovative manifestations of the reference model will be explained in the context of selected application scenarios in the form of case studies from various fields of application with different perspectives. International and intercultural aspects will be included. They are based on experience in the establishment and operation of educational cooperation, especially educational networks. The focus will be on the increasing omnipresence of digitized teaching. In addition, examples are given of how transformations to the Hybrid x Models for Higher Education take place.

11:00 AM - 11:30 AM

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Emotional Intelligence Development in Tourism Education and Training through Digital Technologies

Sofia Kallou and Aikaterini Kikilia, Ph.D., University of West Attica, Faculty of Administrative Economic and Social Sciences, Department of Tourism Management, Attiki, Greece and Michail Kalogiannakis, Ph.D., University of Crete, Faculty of Education, Department of Preschool Education, Crete, Greece
Slides

The presentation analyzes the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges of developing students' emotional intelligence in the context of new technologies. In particular, it focuses on strategic key points to target the development of emotional intelligence as part of the Tourism Education and Training curriculum.

Emotional Intelligence Development in Tourism Education and Training through Digital Technologies

Sofia Kallou, Aikaterini Kikilia and Michail Kalogiannakis

The role of emotions and their utilization in the workplace is considered by the scientific community as a critical key that affects the professional excellence, success and performance of employees. On the other hand, the ongoing rapid development of emerging technologies in the field of learning leads to the transformation of the pedagogical strategies, design, methods and the learning content so that the learner achieves significant learning outcomes. Additionally, digital learning technologies provide new forms of communication and collaboration while creating opportunities and challenges for education and lifelong development.

The article analyzes the combined use of emotional intelligence and digital technologies in learning for tourism education and training. Particularly, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges of development emotional intelligence in combination with new technologies in the field of tourism education and training are analyzed while the results of the analysis focus on the strategic key points for successful application in Tourism Education and Training.

11:30 AM - 12:00 NOON

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Teaching Programming Skills to Blind and Visually-Impaired Learners

Sarantos Psycharis, Ph.D., Higher Education Institute ASPETE, Attica, Greece

This session synthesizes findings from the literature review about the main computational thinking methods used with blind and visually impaired learners. During the session, the presenter will share examples of educational scenarios and methods aimed to promote computational thinking in general, and programming skills in particular, with blind and visually impaired learners.

Teaching Programming Skills to Blind and Visually-Impaired Learners

Sarantos Psycharis

The research literature on Computational Thinking (CT) in education has exponentially grown in recent years. In a domain, where new concepts, techniques and dimensions are constantly introduced, it is, therefore, of paramount importance and urgency to analyze the recent trends of this literature for blind and visually impaired, which is only partially included in the research papers published. Therefore, there will be a first attempt to review the techniques to exemplify and evaluate Computational Thinking methods in Blind and Visually Impaired learners. Furthermore, educational scenarios from the most basic and characteristic methods that promote general Computational Thinking and in particular programming skills for the blind and visually impaired will be proposed according to the literature review. Examples of Computer Science unplugged activities and software based scenarios using code jumper and physical programming languages will be developed in οrder to integrate CT practices for the visually impaired students.

12:00 NOON - 1:30 PM - BREAK

1:30 PM - 3:00 PM - PARALLEL SESSIONS

STREAM 1
Chair: David Guralnick, Ph.D., Kaleidoscope Learning, New York, New York, USA
1:30 PM - 3:00 PM

1:30 PM - 2:00 PM

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Speech Analysis for Advanced Simulation

Fernando Salvetti, Ph.D. and Barbara Bertagni, Ph.D., Centro Studi Logos, Turin, Italy and Roxane Gardner, M.D., MSHPEd, D.Sc., Harvard Center for Medical Simulation, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

This session introduces the audience to a speech analysis system aimed to help simulation instructors to track the tone of voice and spoken words of learners. This system is useful for detecting emotions and at facilitating the search for fixation errors and other cognitive biases.

Speech Analysis for Advanced Simulation

Fernando Salvetti, Barbara Bertagni and Roxane Gardner

This proposal is about a Speech Analysis system that we developed to help simulation instructors to track—individually—both the tone of voice and spoken words of the learners, providing a semantic and pragmatic overview of interpersonal communication aimed also at detecting emotions and at making easier the search for fixation errors and other cognitive biases.

Functions and visual outputs include the following:
- An integral transcript or a dialogue which can be visualized. Audio clips, automatically divided phrase by phrase, are also available.
- A word counter shows the number of spoken words per minute.
- An internal search engine enables keyword search, highlighting the words in the transcript.
- A word cloud tool visually summarizes the most spoken words.
- A Voice Analysis tool is available in order to measure and visualize waveform (Decibel), perceived loudness (Hertz) and pitch.

2:00 PM - 2:30 PM

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A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words: Using Collaboration Technology to Enhance Peer Learning

Alice Cherestes, Ph.D., McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada and Leslie Schneider, Visual Classrooms, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, USA

This presentation examines the implementation and use of innovative computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) tools and teaching practices to teach an online organic chemistry course. In particular, it addresses persistent challenges in online education that have been accelerated by the pandemic: how to foster student engagement and equity in online learning environments.

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words: Using Collaboration Technology to Enhance Peer Learning

Alice Cherestes and Leslie Schneider

This presentation documents the effective implementation and use of innovative computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) tools and teaching practices. We address several persistent challenges of online education to learning processes that have been accelerated by the pandemic. The first is fostering student engagement and a sense of community – helping students interact actively with each other, with their instructor, and with the subject matter. The second is equity – giving all students a voice in their learning and the online conversation. The third is using technology to support the above by enabling students to work in groups, share their work, and provide feedback to each other. We used a research-validated platform called Visual Classrooms along with carefully designed educational scripts to address these challenges in an online organic chemistry course. The goal was to help students learn and use the language of organic chemistry by asking them to provide feedback to peers. Students were given regular Visual Classrooms assignments where they answered questions and provided feedback to each other including explaining why their peers answer was correct and how they could improve the solution or how it was incorrect and how they could fix it (propose a repair), using terms learned in the course. In an end-of-term survey, students confirmed that both giving feedback (72%) and receiving feedback (82%) helped them learn organic chemistry. As well, 86% of the students answered that Visual Classrooms made it easy for them to demonstrate their understanding of course content. Visual Classrooms has also been used to support teacher professional development and workplace training, for example of TSA employees. The technology coupled with peer feedback activities promotes learning of both foundational work-life skills and content collaboratively with a learning community of peers. By making students' thinking visible, faculty can see and formatively assess the evolution of their learners' skill development.

2:30 PM - 3:00 PM

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Planning Interactive Hybrid Special Events That Actively Connect and Engage Online and In-Person Attendees Together

Matthea Marquart and Krystal Folk, Columbia University School of Social Work, New York, New York, USA and Melissa Murphy Thompson, Dominican University, River Forest, Illinois, USA
Slides

In this session, the presenters will share Columbia University’s School of Social Work’s online campus experience, and provide lessons learned and advice for educational institutions and workplaces planning online and hybrid special events. Applications for learning organizations include celebratory culminating events for course completion, receptions for special guest speakers, networking sessions at conferences, showcase events, and more.

Planning Interactive Hybrid Special Events That Actively Connect and Engage Online and In-Person Attendees Together

Matthea Marquart and Krystal Folk

Columbia University’s School of Social Work launched an Online Campus in 2015, offering a fully online Master’s of Science in Social Work degree. With this launch, the Online Campus needed to develop ways to incorporate virtual attendees into on-campus events so that online students could join from across the country. For many events, on-campus speakers and workshops were simultaneously streamed online, with virtual attendees participating via the chat and a host conveying questions and comments to the speakers. However, for special events, including graduation receptions and an award reception, the administration created hybrid elements to actively connect the virtual and in-person attendees and engage them together. Examples how this was done include setting up computer stations where in-person attendees could talk via mic and webcam with virtual attendees without the audio being projected across the event, projecting virtual attendees’ webcams onto large screens to include them in group photos, designating a virtual host/emcee for the virtual attendees partnered with an in-person host, and mailing the virtual attendees certificates and event materials.

As the world begins to slowly transition away from pandemic-related restrictions on travel and gatherings, organizations may want to host these types of special events that include both virtual and in-person attendees; these types of events can also be inclusive of participants who experience difficulty traveling to in-person special events due to health, ability, or cost issues. In this session, the presenters will share CSSW’s experiences and provide lessons learned and advice for educational institutions and workplaces planning these types of hybrid special events. Applications for learning organizations include celebratory culminating events for course completion, receptions for special guest speakers, networking sessions at conferences, showcase events, and more.

STREAM 2
Chair: Imogen Casebourne, University of Oxford, UK
1:30 PM - 3:00 PM

1:30 PM - 2:00 PM

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Agile Project Management with Movies: The Use of Films to Raise Awareness in an Organizational Transformation Toward Agile

Claudia Alcelay, Certificacionpm®, Madrid, Spain

This session presents an experience of organizational change towards agile project management. Film analysis in the context of online learning was the method used to raise awareness and boost the shift towards an agile mindset in the organization.

Agile Project Management with Movies: The Use of Films to Raise Awareness in an Organizational Transformation Toward Agile

Claudia Alcelay

An organization of 5000 employees, one of the top 10 in the beverages industry, increasing revenues year after year and… part of the Steering Committee perceives they need to better understand their customers, explore other ways of working and count on an standardized approach to project management.

After a first contact with different project management approaches, agile seems to be the one that the organization perceives more adequate for their goals: shorter testing cycles, integration of customers in product requirements definition and prototyping, better internal communication channels…

But, how could a traditional way of working organization shift towards an agile mindset? How could they overcome a systemic resistance towards change and mainly towards a different approach to their own clients/customers?

This is the context we found 2 years ago and the experience that I would like to share in “the learning ideas conference”: How raising awareness as the source of transformation can be tackled with online training based on analyzing a film.

Films are an ideal teaching resource to see our characters in action. We see them fail, strive, decide, feel… and we mirror ourselves, learn, disagree… With a methodology that integrates a film we do not only watch a film but also start a journey towards specific learning objectives.

Films let us be creative, imagine alternatives. The distance between the spectator and the characters provides perspective and an optimum scenario to propose options without fear of being wrong. Integrating a film in a teaching path helps students free their potential beyond established organizational/mental structures.

Films guide us in an unconscious process of learning, acquiring knowledge almost without realizing it. The connection of a film with specific project management objectives makes the students improves their vocabulary, amplify their perspective, gain more project related concepts or develop new working patterns.

2:00 PM - 2:30 PM

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Integrating Design Thinking in eLearning Evaluation to Drive Training Usage

Elizabeth Regan Ed.D., PING, Red Rock, Arizona, USA and Roger Cottam, Bobcat Software, New River, Arizona, USA

This session presents an eLearning design experience that integrated data analysis and design thinking into the design and development process. A small team of eLearning content developers were first taken through design thinking activities to determine key performance metrics, which were later used to guide design decisions. The result was the development of a new eLearning microlearning module.

Integrating Design Thinking in eLearning Evaluation to Drive Training Usage

Elizabeth Regan and Roger Cottam

A mixed methods study was conducted in 2020 to incorporate data collected from a learning management system into the eLearning design and development process. A small team of eLearning content developers were first taken through design thinking activities to determine key performance metrics. The team used this information, facilitated through a custom-designed dashboard, to guide decisions in developing a new eLearning microlearning module. The results suggested that this process made data more transparent and actionable for the team.

2:30 PM - 3:00 PM

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Using Learning Analytics to Better Understand International Students’ Application Decisions for U.S. Undergraduate Colleges and Universities

Guangming Ling, Ph.D., Lydia Liu, Ph.D., and Caitlin Tenison, Ph.D., Educational Testing Service, Princeton, New Jersey, USA

This presentation reports results of a study that analyzes how international students apply for colleges and how institutions select international students. In this study, different learning analytics methods were applied to analyze TOEFL and TOEFL iBT test-takers’ application behaviors and demographics. One of the expected outcomes of this study is the ellaboration of a sophisticated recommendation and matching system.

Using Learning Analytics to Better Understand International Students’ Application Decisions for U.S. Undergraduate Colleges and Universities

Guangming Ling, Lydia Liu and Caitlin Tenison

The globalization of the world economy has led to an exponential increase of students pursuing an international college education. Applying to foreign institutions could be much more complicated than the domestic ones because students need to consider additional factors such as immigration policy, attitude towards international students, and safety. Similarly, receiving institutions struggle to compare applicants from different countries for admission purposes. These complexities and challenges lead to a natural question: What could be done to improve the application and admission process for international students? To date, there is limited research on how international students apply for colleges and how institutions select international students, focusing on individual institutions (e.g., Lehmann, 2017), domestic students of the U.S. (e.g., Pallais, 2013; Lukszo & Hayes, 2019), and factors affecting international students’ application and enrollment decisions (e.g., Nicholls, 2018; Padlee, et al., 2010; Tan, 2015).

We utilize multiple learning analytics methods (e.g., cluster analysis and collaborative filtering models) and analyze TOEFL test-takers application behaviors through their score report requests data, together with their TOEFL iBT test scores, age, gender, country, and other background information. We found that: 1) That students’ application patterns differ by age, country, TOEFL score, and the number of institutions applied to; 2). Most students send their scores within a few months after the testing date, and their institutional choices appear to be stable across time; 3). Institutions could be grouped in latent clusters, and students are more likely to apply to the in-cluster institutions than those outside-cluster institutions.

These findings may be useful for prospective international students and related institutions. Moreover, we expect to develop a sophisticated recommendation and matching system after incorporating institutional admissions and enrollment data, with the ultimate goal of having a solution to mitigate the current challenges international students and institutions are experiencing.

STREAM 3
Chair: Steven Schmidt, Ph.D., East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA
1:30 PM - 3:00 PM

1:30 PM - 2:00 PM

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Online Student-to-Student Interaction: Is it Feasible?

Jenny Pange, Ph.D., University of Ioannina Greece, Epirus, Greece

Based on the presenter's teaching experience during COVID-19, this session examines the aftermath of transitioning from the classroom to distance education, particularly how online learning spaces have impacted student-to-student interactions.

Online student-to-student interaction: Is it feasible?

Jenny Pange

The covid19 pandemic has led to some important changes to teaching and learning. Many universities worldwide offered online learning courses, although some professors were not prepared for online teaching at that time. In an online course, the most challenging aspect is not only the teaching process but also the student-to-student interaction.

It is well documented that during covid19, online learning has changed the way students interact, communicate, and exchange ideas. Students experienced new ways of online communication and missed student-to-student interaction during the pandemic. Online learning platforms, Facebook, Viber, and other social media replaced often the face to face interaction.

University students, up to now, have had the opportunity for socialization during their university studies. Nowadays face the challenge to interact only online without any contact with their closest friends. In a face to face environment, students build metacognitive skills and improve their communication skills, working in well-established partnerships. When students faced the transmission to online learning, they miss the interaction with their peers, and they were engaged more in specific class activities rather than forming concrete project-oriented groups.

To test the student-to-student interaction during the pandemic, I asked all my undergraduate students to form their own virtual communities, interact with their ‘closer’ classmate/s and make use of social media for accurate and continuous communication. According to my findings, third-year students who had the experience of the previous face-to-face communication were more comfortable to trust these online communities, interact with their peers, compared to second-year students. So, the shift to the fully online teaching environment is not a promising change for inexperienced students. A blended-learning environment with face-to-face communication and extra online activities using social media will keep and support the student-to-student-interaction for fresher students.

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

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Instructional Design in a Digital Age: A New Model Is Taking Hold

Crystal Kadakia, M.S., LCD Group, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Learning is no longer limited to one time, one place, and one target audience. This session lays out the philosophy behind the OK-Learning Cluster Design model, an alternative to L&D’s traditional design models. The model calls for a new goal for L&D: to provide a variety of learning assets tailored for multiple learner personas across the flow of work for a specific desired behavior change back on the job. The presentation provides case studies and stories of how the model has been applied and its main results in the L&D field.

Designing for Modern Learning: Redefining L&D's Approach for a Digital Age

Crystal Kadakia

L&D professionals are tired of feeling like overworked order-takers, hit with new demands for virtual & trendy tech. Is this you? We found the barrier is our one-and-done approach to learning design. Apply a new model used by leading orgs like Visa to strategically design learning to meet learner and business needs now and for decades to come.

Based on the book Designing for Modern Learning (ATD Press, 2020), the author(s) describe the OK-Learning Cluster Design model, and an overview of how the model helps L&D modernize with less stress and more results. We will provide a deeper dive on the 5 Actions that make up the model. Case studies and stories will make the model accessible and inspire you!

We analyzed the shifts that have taken place from the Industrial Age to what is emerging in the Digital Age. What we found is that L&D’s traditional design models are based on outdated assumptions. Learning is no longer limited to one time, one place, and one target audience. The ‘Learning Cluster Design Model’ is based on our new call for L&D: to shift our job towards providing a variety of learning assets across the flow of work for a specific desired behavior change back on the job, while acknowledging more than one target audience. This model is gaining exponential momentum in light of remote working environments and a need for greater inclusion.

This session lays out a philosophy and a model that is helping L&D organizations remain relevant, and even critical, to the success of our businesses and its employees in this digital age.

3:00 PM - 3:30 PM - BREAK

3:30 PM - 5:00 PM - PARALLEL SESSIONS

STREAM 1
Chair: David Guralnick, Ph.D., Kaleidoscope Learning, New York, New York, USA
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

3:30 PM - 4:00 PM

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Building Learning Communities in the Workplace

Kinga Petrovai, Ph.D., The Art & Science of Learning, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Carefully designed and supported learning communities can improve performance, increase employee engagement, and create an organization that can meet the continuously changing demands of industry. This session examines the role of learning communities in lifelong learning, in the context of workplace learning. Additionally, it discusses steps to build a successful learning community.

Building Learning Communities in the Workplace

Kinga Petrovai

It is increasingly being recognized that workplace learning needs to be a continuous and interwoven aspect of the modern workplace. Historically, learning has been episodic and intermittent, in that individuals would embark on new learning when there was a change in the work they had to do. In this increasingly fast paced world, we are facing a very turbulent and disruptive time, where the future of work will incorporate learning in the fabric of daily work. Lifelong learning will be a constant capacity building that will be co-created by individual, educational institutions and workplace learning. An important aspect of this new way of learning will be learning communities, in which individuals gather to learn from each other. A well structured and supported learning community has been found to significantly improve learning in organizations, to the point of making it a determining factor in the success of implementation of new technologies or processes in the workplace. It has been found to be the glue that binds the existing learning resources, such as external courses or support material, amplifying the learning and defining the success of an organization. Learning communities can form spontaneously and exist outside of the workplace, including online, but they may not impact an entire organization. Creating a learning community in an organization is essential, but careful design is essential to ensure it is beneficial and not simply symbolic. In this talk, the key aspects of a learning communities are outlined and the steps need to build a successful learning community. A carefully designed and supported learning community will improve performance, increase employee engagement, and create an organization that can meet the continuously changing demands of industry.

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

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UX + LX Research: Incorporating Participatory Design into Learner Dashboards

Kasha Williams, University of North Texas, Richmond, Texas, USA; Janetta Boone, NASA, Houston, Texas, USA; and Danita Bradshaw-Ward, Dallas College - Eastfield Campus, Mesquite, Texas, USA

Dashboards are a learning analytics tool that can present analytics visually to the learner in a user-friendly format and support self-regulated learning. This session presents a proposal to study User Experience (UX) research principles and their application in learning design. As the outcome of this study, practical recommendations and guidelines will be provided on how to design learner-focused analytics dashboards in the workplace.

UX + LX Research: Incorporating Participatory Design into Learner Dashboards

Kasha Williams

Learning analytics is currently utilized by instructors, however, there is a growing need to put analysis into the hands of the learners. Dashboards are a learning analytics tool that can present analytics visually to the learner in a user-friendly format and support self-regulated learning. Based on the theoretical framework of social cognitive theory, self-regulation has been shown to impact goal setting and increase achievement. In order to empower learners and involve them in the process, participatory design principles borrowed from User Experience (UX) research can be used to create learner-focused dashboards. The dashboards can result in continuous timely feedback that the learners are more inclined to use, due to their involvement in the design process. Although research on learner dashboards exists, there is a research gap for workplace learning evidence. This is a proposed study with an exploratory purpose to understand how professionals incorporate UX into learning design. The intent is to conduct ten semi-structured interviews of both academic and industry professionals to collect relevant data. Coding software will be used to analyze the collected data utilizing the grounded theory approach. By conducting this study, practical recommendations and guidelines will be given on the design of learner-focused analytics dashboards in the workplace. This will benefit the learning and development community, as well as provide evidence to the research community.

STREAM 2
Chair: Imogen Casebourne, University of Oxford, UK
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

3:30 PM - 4:00 PM

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Is it Possible to Teach Medical and Surgical Skills on a Virtual Platform?

Dr. Anton Scheepers, The Apprentice Corporation, Kenmore, New York, USA

In this talk, Dr. Anton Scheepers, director of the Apprentice Doctor®, shares his insights after teaching surgical skills workshops in three different virtual programs: The B.E.S.T. Academy’s 2020 Medical Program for Aspiring Medical Professionals (Tampa FL, USA), The Future Doctors Academy’s EST Program for Future Doctors (Eastern USA and Canada), and The Medipath Emergency Medicine Symposium 2020 – Suturing Workshop (Sofia, Bulgaria).
Slides

Is it Possible to Teach Medical and Surgical Skills on a Virtual Platform?

Antoin Scheepers

Dr. Anton Scheepers as director of the Apprentice Doctor® has been involved in numerous physical medical and surgical skills programs and workshops. Workshops include teaching necessary clinical examination skills like determining the blood pressure, heart and respiratory rate, body temperature, teaching basic aseptic techniques, and many more. More advanced workshops include surgical knot tying and suturing techniques. In 2020 – instead of the usual physical on-site medical and surgical skills programs – the author was part of a team teaching these skills on a virtual platform. Although initially skeptical, the attendees’ feedback and the assessment results demonstrated a highly satisfactory outcome.

This perception is based on experience gained at three virtual programs:
•The B.E.S.T. Academy’s 2020 Medical Program for Aspiring Medical Professionals (Tampa FL, USA)
•The Future Doctors Academy’s EST Program for Future Doctors (Eastern USA and Canada)
•The Medipath Emergency Medicine Symposium 2020 – Suturing Workshop (Sophia, Bulgaria)

The suturing workshop practical assessment module made it possible to assess students’ suturing skills individually and offer meaningful feedback.

Conclusion: with some adjustments, teaching specific basic medical skills is possible – resulting in a satisfactory to excellent student experience, and an acceptable level of skills transfer judged by the assessment results.

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

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Digital Learning and Medical Simulation

Fernando Salvetti, Ph.D. and Barbara Bertagni, Ph.D., Logosnet, Houston, Texas, USA, and Roxane Gardner, M.D., MSHPEd, D.Sc and Rebecca Minehart, M.D., Harvard Center for Medical Simulation, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

This session presents e-REAL Online Simulation, a highly immersive virtual platform aimed at fostering effective teamwork, knowledge sharing and cooperation. Participants of this session will be invited to join a live online session and reflect on key questions, including: How can we design engaging and effective online learning? How can we perform tele-simulation? How can we make digital learning authentic and not over-produced? And, how can we apply gamification strategies to enhance online cooperation?

Digital Learning and Medical Simulation

Fernando Salvetti, Barbara Bertagni, Roxane Gardner and Rebecca Minehart

Tele-simulation and online cooperation are essential today. The main challenge, in our experience at the Harvard Center for Medical Simulation in Boston, MA, is really enhancing learners’ online cooperation and proactive participation. To do so, we created a platform called e-REAL Online Simulation, aimed at fostering effective teamwork, knowledge sharing and cooperation. The simulation setting is highly immersive and learners may interact all together in real time among themselves, as well as with virtual objects and avatars.

The key-questions related to our proposed session are: How can we design engaging and effective online learning? How can we perform tele-simulation? How can we make digital learning authentic and not over-produced? How can we apply gamification strategies to enhance online cooperation?

After a short introduction, people attending The Learning Ideas Conference will be invited to join the simulation instructors online (Roxane Gardner, PhD and Rebecca Minehart, PhD—both from the Harvard Center for Medical Simulation—together with Barbara Bertagni, PhD and Fernando Salvetti, PhD—both from Logosnet) to perform lively an online session aimed at providing some insights related to the above key-questions

STREAM 3
Chair: Shelby Marshall, FableVision, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

3:30 PM - 4:00 PM

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The Role of a Playful Learning Approach in the Relationship among Explanatory Styles and Goal Orientation

Qiyang Lin, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA

This session presents a study that analyzed the relationship between explanatory styles (optimism and pessimism), playful learning, and goal orientation. The data examined was collected from the revised scale of the Life Orientation Test, which measures explanatory styles, the OLIW playfulness scale, which assesses playful learning, and Adult Hope Scale, which measures goal orientation.

The Role of a Playful Learning Approach in the Relationship among Explanatory Styles and Goal Orientation

Qiyang Lin

People are born to play and be playful when they are young. However, play/playfulness is paying less attention as people grow up. This study focused on analyzing the relationship between explanatory styles (optimism and pessimism), playful learning, and goal orientation. The sample included 672 participants from either Florida International University or online social media. The measurements were the revised scale of the Life Orientation Test to measure explanatory styles, the OLIW playfulness scale to assess playful learning, and Adult Hope Scale to measure the goal orientation. The results of the study revealed a significant correlation among these three constructs. Particularly, a positive mediating effect on optimism and goal orientation with playful learning as the mediator. A negative mediating effect on pessimism and goal orientation when playful learning set in-between. There was no significant moderating effect found. The study showed the importance of promoting playful learning in predicting goal orientation especially when people hold an optimistic attitude of themself.

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

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(POSTPONED TO THURSDAY, 4:30, STREAM 2) How to Design Compliance Training that is Engaging for Frontline Workers

Lucia Stejer, Kaplan Professional, Sydney, Australia

This session presents the transformation process undertaken by Kaplan Professional Education after deciding to transition to e-learning training to improve the quality of training courses. This experience provides a valuable case study to illustrate stakeholder engagement and project management, in a business-to-business context.

How to Design Compliance Training that is Engaging for Frontline Workers

Lucia Stejer

As the largest provider of compliance training in the Australian financial services sector, Kaplan Professional Education embarked on its vision in e-learning to improve the quality of training courses. We initiated the Tier 2 project with the goal to increase the quality of our compliance training as measured by feedback from bank employers and students. To date, the Tier 2 Accreditation course has been completed by over 25,000 students in all the major banks and insurance companies in Australia. Our project success is measured by the feedback that the course materials are engaging and relevant to compliance accreditation in the Australian financial services industry.

Our success story provides a valuable case study in the stakeholder engagement and project management of instructional design and delivery of e-learning content in a business-to-business context.

THE PROJECT TO TRANSITION WITH E-LEARNING

Kaplan developed an e-learning course to replace the existing Tier 2 compliance training. The project established four main objectives. To develop an e-learning course which was fully online. To provide the required accreditation outcomes. To integrate the training within an induction program. To position the relevance of learning in call centre and bank teller environments.

The project management plan focused on engaging employers and students in focus groups to elicit scope requirements. Conclusions from the focus groups then informed the priorities for e-learning development in our project teams in curriculum, business development and marketing.

The features of the Tier 2 Accreditation course include: WCAG accessibility to cater for students with diverse needs; narrative based on the Romeo and Juliet story to cross-link e-learning modules; presentation with real-life characters; interactive formative activities; printable resources and targeted assessments. The project created an engaging e-learning environment in which students can take on the role of a customer liaison officer at a fictional general insurance and banking business. Within the role, students are presented with realistic tasks to develop their knowledge and skills expected in workplace practice. Hence, students with diverse needs and learning preferences are prepared for assessment at the end of each e-learning module.

5:00 PM - 5:15 PM - WRAP-UP - STREAM 1

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David Guralnick, Ph.D.
President and CEO
Kaleidoscope Learning
New York, New York, USA

5:15 PM - END OF CONFERENCE DAY