SCROLLA Symposium 1: Informing Practice in Networked Learning
SCROLLA held a one-day symposium at Glasgow College of Building and Printing, 60 North Hanover Street, Glasgow on Wednesday 14 November 2001. This was the first in a series of symposia organised by the centre.
The symposium asked: How useful are theoretical frameworks from psychological and educational research for informing good educational practice within networked communities of learners - at home, at work, in schools, colleges and universities? What have we learned from theoretical study and practice experience to develop our provision of learner support systems for 'virtual' classrooms? How do learners and teachers develop confidence, competence and fluency in the provision, acquisition and exchange of information over a range of learning contexts? These are key issues for good design, development and implementation of educational content and educational practice on-line.
Keynote speakers were Mary Thorpe, Director of the Institute of Educational Technology at the Open University UK and Andrew Tolmie, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Strathclyde (LTSN subject centre) and founder member of its Centre for Research into Interactive Learning; a third speaker, Dorothy Williams (Reader in the School of Information and Media at Robert Gordon University), was unable to attend on the day, but her paper was presented by SCROLLA Co-Director Dr Erica McAteer. Presentations were followed by plenary panels representing research, policy and practice across the Scottish educational sectors, and open discussion across the floor. The symposium was opened by Tom Wilson, Principal of the Glasgow College of Building and Printing.
The symposium aimed to bring together policy makers, practitioners and researchers from diverse educational institutions, organisations and agencies; to build bridges across sectors and to further understanding of the issues for educational practice within on-line learning communities: to ground a forum for development and to identify potential partnerships and collaborations for further research.
The following papers, with panel and audience comments, are available:
- Mary Thorpe, Rethinking Learner Support: The Challenge of Collaborative Online Learning | comments
- Andrew Tolmie, Characteristics of On-Line Learning Environments | comments
- Dorothy Williams, Information Literacy and Learning On-Line | comments
Posted by Rachel Harris on 1 March 2002
