Masters of the digital age?
Jane Alexen Shuyska
Data already gathered suggest that the provenance and previous education of Master’s students may have bearings on their overall experience of learning as well as on their perception of the institutional provision of technology at Oxford. Moreover, although the great majority of students are adept in their use of technology, the extent to which they spontaneously use newer tools such as Web 2.0 to support and manage their learning is less certain. They also appear to entertain a conservative perspective on pedagogy that suggests that we should instead look to teachers for innovation with respect to the roles of, and interactions between, teachers and learners. How the outcomes of Thema and related research might be integrated into staff training and development programmes, potentially through pedagogy planner tools, is an area for future research.
Liz is currently a senior researcher with the Learning Technologies Group at Oxford University Computing Services. Since August 2004 she has worked on a number of projects in the JISC Design for Learning programme, including the Phoebe Pedagogy Planner project. Within the JISC Learner Experiences of E-learning programme she is principal investigator of the Thema project, investigating the experiences of Master’s students in a digital age, in particular the role of technology in their academic and social lives.
Liz also has an interest in the integration of cognitive and sociocultural approaches in the design and evaluation of learning technologies.