103700CP120041UKERASMUSTN

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103700-CP-1-2004-1-UK-ERASMUS-TN
Connecting Geography!
The Use of ICT and eLearning in Geography
HERODOT Perspectives in European Higher Education
Karl Donert UK National Teaching Fellow,
Liverpool Hope University donertk_at_hope.ac.uk
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Bologna Process and EHEA

• Bologna Europeanisation of qualifications,
  standardisation of structures (European
  Commission, 2003) Bachelors-Masters-Doctorate
• make European Higher Education the best, most
  competitive in global marketplace
• course developments based on learning outcomes
• competences to match needs of employers
• student-centred learning approaches at heart of
  change

European Commission (2003), The Bologna Process
Next Stop Berlin 2003, http//europa.eu.int/comm/e
ducation/bologna_en.html
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Bologna Process and EHEA

• create EHEA (European Higher Education Area) by
  2010
• European Centres of Teaching Excellence to be
  established
• central role of e-learning and new technologies
  in learning and teaching (European Commission,
  2002)

European Commission (2002), eEUROPE 2002
communication from the Commission to the Council
and the European Parliament, European Commission,
Brussels
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HERODOT

• Network for Geography in higher education
• Supported by the European Commission
• 150 members increasingly beyond Europe
• Conferences, seminars and workshops
• Torun (October 2006) jointly with EUROGEO
• London (April 2007) jointly with IGU-CGE UK
• Publications free to members
• Join now membership is free ?
• email Glenda wallg_at_hope.ac.uk

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Context HERODOT Survey 2002
Main learning methods used by Geography students
percentage of departments, 65 institutions,
multiple responses
Few use computer-assisted learning
Donert K (2005), The use of ICT in Geography
departments in European higher education,
Changing Horizons in Geography Education, HERODOT
Publication
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HERODOT Survey 2002
Professional training (CPD) events in past 2
years (65 replies)
little or no professional development very few
related to computers
Donert K (2005), The use of ICT in Geography
departments in European higher education,
Changing Horizons in Geography Education, HERODOT
Publication
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HERODOT Survey 2002 some conclusions

• Geographers in higher education ought to
• incorporate ICT as part of the learning
• consider how e-learning can transform higher
  education Geography
• review the potential of new technologies
• undertake research to understand pedagogical
  opportunities in teaching exciting, authentic and
  relevant Geography in higher education

Donert K (2005), The use of ICT in Geography
departments in European higher education,
Changing Horizons in Geography Education, HERODOT
Publication
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HERODOT Survey 2005 Aims

• Describe use of ICT in Geography in European
  Geography departments in higher education
• Analyse some characteristics of ICT in higher
  education Geography teaching
• Assess the attitudes and approaches of academics
  to ICT use in learning Geography
• In order to
• Identify weaknesses and needs
• Make recommendations for action
• Plan HERODOT activities

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Some survey hypotheses

• Geographers do not use ICT for learning
• Geographers do not understand the value of ICT
• while Geographers were at the forefront of the
  Internet revolution, the use of ICT in teaching
  is now dominated by those teaching GIS.
• teacher educators use ICT, the use of ICT is
  obligatory in teacher training in all European
  countries (eEurope, 2002)
• Expect to find differences between
• Geography tutors, Teacher Educators and GIS
  teachers
• Managers a key group
• they make decisions, their attitudes and
  approaches critical

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Survey sample structure
Survey of 112 network HE members April-July
2005 69 institutions responded 26
countries UK-10, NL-6 CZ-7, ES-5, AT-5
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Survey sample structure
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Survey sample structure
15 managers
expert
experienced
established
senior
new
experienced
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Research Questions

• What are higher education Geographers in Europe
  using ICT for?
• What are their perceptions of ICT?
• What is their understanding of the potential of
  ICT?
• What are the drivers of change?
• What were the views of Geography Managers

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Experience
most Geographers used computers few involved in
online courses or online collaboration
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US
Survey 2005
Now
eEurope 2010
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Why use computers?

• most recognised learner benefits
• Bologna student-centred learning
• implies integrated computer use

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Why use computers?

• potential economic benefits recognised
• few strongly agree with teaching advantages

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Attitudes to computers in teaching Geography

• a few commented on negative aspects
• 1 or 2 were very negative towards computers

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Attitudes to computers in teaching Geography

• most agreed with positive aspects
• only a few strongly agreed with the potential
  that computers offer for learning and teaching

10 strongly disagreed
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Barriers to using computers

• Need
• improved provision
• better support

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Barriers to using computers

• Need
• more time and effort for ICT
• to change learner mentality
• better materials

learner
teacher
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What technology is needed for teaching/learning?

• put computers in the hands of learners
• Internet and Intranet essential

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What is needed?

• online learning tools not very important
• unaware of opportunities and needs
• specialist data and software more important

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Institutional drivers affecting computer use
Normal distribution? Haves and have
nots warrants further analysis
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Institutional drivers affecting computer use

• institutions require computer use
• most provide computers and support
• few rewards for teaching

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Geographers least convinced about computers
Geographers less committed to centrality of ICT
for learning and teaching than GIS and teacher
educators
Strongly agree
Strongly disagree
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Geographers least involved in using ICT
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HERODOT Survey Senior Managers-Geography (n15)

• more experienced at teaching with computers
• had attended more professional courses mainly
  HERODOT
• more convinced than others of institutional
  commitment
• asked ways computer use enhances the learning of
  Geography

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Ways computers enhance teaching of Geography

• Managers mentioned five main aspects
• Information, resources and access
• Data management, analysis, simulation and
  modelling
• Demonstration and presentation
• GIS and cartography
• Practical tasks which could not be done manually

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Ways computers enhance teaching of Geography

• Information
• allocate, interpret, arrange data, develop
  graphs, work with a Web-GIS, simulation and
  demonstration, work on a whiteboard
• It is necessary in any kind of spatial geography
  and scientific questions as well as in education
  because it is a tool to analyse, visualise,
  restructure etc. geographical data

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Ways computers enhance teaching of Geography

• Geo-information
• GIS as a tool to enhance the students
  understanding of social and natural phenomena on
  a local and global scale in a way most students
  are comfortable with due to their everyday use of
  computers for applications like gaming and
  communication etc.
• In the development of models, in cartography and
  GIS, for searching journals, papers and access to
  maps and planning issues

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Ways computers enhance teaching of Geography

• Global communication
• Facilitates information search from around the
  world, analysis of data, presentation of data
  (although great danger that Power Point used
  excessively at the expense of original thought
  and direct personal contact). Potential for
  contact across national boundaries could be
  developed more
• It allows students to broaden their awareness of
  big issues like global economy and
  globalization processes

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Ways computers enhance teaching of Geography

• Global and local communication
• Finding information on the web, collecting and
  evidence of students work, communicating with
  students (assessment, instructions...)
• Allows possibility of elearning
• Enables access to data
• More student-tutor interaction

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Ways computers enhance teaching of Geography

• Scepticism
• I dont know. My feeling is that students
  consult a much wider range of information sources
  than before, but much more superficially.
• In presentation (oral, written), FORM tends to
  overrule FUNCTION in the use of computer
  technologies.
• Computer communication (mail, discussion groups
  in webCT, etc) tends to be much more shallow and
  casual than face to face communication, in my
  experience.

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Summary

• subject managers hold the key to encouraging
  innovation and change (Fisher and Binns, 2000)
• experience, expertise, power and influence mean
  that they are more likely to affect practise,
  especially on more junior members of staff
• managers need to develop greater awareness of the
  advantages of computer use
• should find ways to encourage more Geographers to
  provide online learning opportunities

Fisher C and Binns T (2000), Issues in Geography
Teaching, London, Routledge/Falmer
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Network Actions

• HERODOT response
• training for managers/novices - Computers in
  Geography workshop Brno, Czech Republic
  (October 2005)
• publication State of computer use in Geography
  teaching in Europe - publication (September 2006)

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How to increase ICT awareness?

• Goal promote benefits of learning (and teaching)
  online
• a Web site specifically for Geographers, to offer
  advice, guidance and examples from around the
  world (interested in finding partners)
• series of best practise papers to provide
  interactive advice on how to use computers and
  the benefits of learning (and teaching) with ICT
• promote and support collaborative international
  projects (Keane, 2005 Solem, 2005) and launch
  further research
• evaluation HERODOT network role important in
  professional development and support for higher
  education geographers in times of reform

Keane MC (2005), Geography forum Intercultural
learning online, In Donert K and Charnzynski P
(Eds.), Changing Horizons in Geography Education,
236-240, Torun, Poland, HERODOT Network Solem MN
(2005), Internationalizing Geography in higher
education initiatives of the association of
american geographers, In Donert K and Charnzynski
P (Eds.), Changing Horizons in Geography
Education, 212-217, Torun, Poland, HERODOT Network
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Conclusions

• Geography has been struggling with the changes
  brought about by Bologna
• it appears to have become enslaved in its own
  disciplinary curriculum (Mezösi, 2005) seeking to
  deliver maximum content
• ignoring educational needs that the potential
  afforded by new technologies can provide

Mezösi G (2005), New Training Structure in
Geography Education in Hungary, In Donert K and
Charnzynski P (Eds.), Changing Horizons in
Geography Education, 160-168, Torun, Poland,
HERODOT Network
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Recommendations

• recognising the role and value of ICT is
  essential if Geographers are to embrace online
  learning (Zell, 2001)
• e-Learning is essential for geographers as it has
  been shown to be an excellent facility for the
  development of collaborative skills including
  cooperative problem solving and teamwork
  activities (Simms, 2000) in an international
  context (Solem, 2005)
• integrating e-learning within Geography courses
  (including teacher education) should be a high
  priority it would encourage deeper, more
  reflective and student centred learning approaches

Simms R (2000), An interactive conundrum
Constructs of interactivity and learning theory,
Australian Journal of Educational Technology,
16(1), 45-57, http//www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet
16/sims.html Zell, A.J., (2001) Four uses of the
Internet, http//www.sellingselling.com/articles/i
nternetSelling.html
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And finally

• This research has
• raised many more questions
• will we offer many more online Geography courses
  in the near future?
• what professional development will Geographers
  need?
• how will we provide Geographers with pedagogical
  guidance?
• should we try to build professional communities
  of academic geography teachers (Healey, 2003)?
• should we use ICT to establish communities of
  professional geographers and trainee geographers?
• reflected on the role of a Network like HERODOT
  in the world of international networks
• gathering information to document/understand
  change
• to stimulate, encourage and support innovation?

Healy M (2003), Promoting Lifelong Professional
Development in Geography Education International
Perspectives on Developing the Scholarship of
Teaching in Higher Education in the Twenty-First
Century, The Professional Geographer, 55 (1), 1-17
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HERODOT

• Joining is free and open to all organisations
• Contact
• Glenda wallg_at_hope.ac.uk or
• Karl donertk_at_hope.ac.uk