ePortfolios

On the 20th of May, The Office of Teaching and Learning and the eLearning Sub-Committee sponsored a half-day workshop called ‘The Many Faces of ePortfolios’. This workshop was designed as a starting point for the dialog, within UQ, needed to establish a coherent approach to the characterisation and implementation of ePortfolios. In particular it sought to develop a shared understanding of the potential of ePortfolios for students and to begin developing a working model for ePortfolio development and implementation at UQ.

Approximately 80 people attended the event including five representatives from the Student Union and a diverse range of UQ staff representative of the university community. The workshop was opened by Professor Terry (DVC Teaching and Learning) and featured three US-based ‘virtual’ guest speakers who participated via Wimba (online collaboration tools). This included Phil Long (MIT), Steve Ehrmann (Teaching, Learning & Technology Group) and Darren Cambridge (George Mason University and The Inter/National Coaliton for Electronic Portfolio Research). Project leaders from the ALTC (formerly Carrick) Australian ePortfolio Project, Gillian Hallam and Wendy Harper, spoke in-person at the workshop. This highly interactive and conversational forum was co-facilitated by Professor Robert Hendy (CHIS) and Ms Caroline Steel (TEDI). Further discussion on ePortfolios will be forthcoming and a strategy and approach developed.

Second Life (Virtual Worlds)

The University of Queensland would like to encourage the exploration of alternative educational environments like those offered by virtual worlds such as Second Life. Second Life is a virtual world created and owned by a private company called Linden Lab. Linden Lab has allocated virtual space within Second Life to a consortium of universities and colleges called New Media Consortium.

UQ has signed an agreement with NMC that facilitates our university presence in virtual worlds such as Second Life. All UQ virtual land purchases in Second Life will be made through NMC as part of this agreement. There are many benefits to UQ in purchasing through NMC rather than directly through Second Life including being part of a network of Universities World Wide and a reduction of risk to UQ students and staff

Guidelines have been developed and are available from the Teaching and Learning Web site and will be referred from the ITSPP site and other eLearning sites. A letter has been developed referring to these guidelines and will be circulated to Faculty and Schools. The key points to be highlighted are:

• Requirement to purchase through NMC and purchasing through ITS Licensing and Maintenance so a record can be maintained on virtual land.
• Intellectual Property Risks
• Use of Confidential Information
• Access by students under 18
• Griefing
• Guidelines for students
• Technology considerations – Equipment compatibility and download.

Visit by New Media Consortium (NMC)

New Media Consortium is a not-for-profit consortium dedicated to the exploration and use of new media and new technologies. The University of Queensland recently became an NMC member joining over 260 member organisations globally. On the 16th of July, the board members of NMC, Larry Johnson (CEO), Alan Levine (VP) and Rachel Smith (VP NMC Services) visited The University of Queensland. They had meetings with senior UQ staff and with lecturers who were interested in the work of NMC including Second Life projects. Members of the Teaching and Learning Committee, the eLearning Sub-Committee, and the eLearning Power User Network were invited to an engaging presentation that showcased some of the ways that the UQ community can draw on this valuable resource. Dr Helen Farley, of the School of History, Philosophy, Religion & Classics, also gave a presentation of her excellent Second Life project called ‘UQ Religion Bazaar’.

Wimba (online collaboration tools)

The Wimba Live Classroom was implemented as a trial in Semester 1 2008 and is in the process of being launched to the general UQ community. Some network limitations still exist, and until they are completely resolved Wimba is being activated in Blackboard courses on a case by case basis.

The helpdesks are equipped to provide support for Wimba, and all support requests for Wimba can now be directed via the helpdesks on x56000 or on the email below.

Staff training is recommended before using Wimba in your courses, and training can be accessed through the TEDI staff development program.

For staff who wish to have access to the Wimba tools within their Blackboard courses, please email your request to help@its.uq.edu.au with your course name and ID. The turnaround on this is 3-5 work days, and you will be notified when the Wimba tool becomes available.

Further information on Wimba at UQ can be found by selecting the staff tab within Blackboard and accessing the eLearning Staff Community site. Click on Wimba Pilot link in the tools menu on the left.