International Journal of Education and Development using ICT

International Journal of Education and Development using ICT > Vol. 11, No. 1 (2015)

Blended learning innovations: Leadership and change in one Australian institution

Negin Mirriahi, University of New South Wales, Australia
Dennis Alonzo, University of New South Wales, Australia
Simon McIntyre, University of New South Wales, Australia
Giedre Kligyte, University of New South Wales, Australia
Bob Fox, University of New South Wales, Australia

Abstract
This paper reports on the current experience of one higher education institution in Australia embarking on the path towards mainstreaming online learning opportunities by providing three complimentary academic development initiatives that can inform strategies undertaken by other institutions internationally. First, an academic development program was redesigned and delivered in blended mode to provide academics with the experience of learning in a blended environment to raise awareness of effective strategies. Second, an accredited postgraduate course for academic staff on the subject of educational design was redesigned to focus on strategies for online and blended course design and delivered fully online to raise awareness of online learning benefits. Third, a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), titled Learning to Teach Online (LTTO), was developed to offer professional development opportunities to teaching staff at the higher education institution, as well as to a wider international audience of educators. The tri-fold professional development strategies reported in this paper provide academics with an opportunity to interact, mentor, and share knowledge with one another, alongside experiencing online and blended learning to better meet the challenge of improving academics’ digital literacy and enhancing effective online and blended learning opportunities for students.

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