Online+teaching+by+CIHS

=Education for World Futures Initiative= Steve Johnson Centre of Integrated Human Studies

The **Centre for Integrated Human Studies** has launched an [|Education for World Futures] (EWF) initiative that aims to provide undergraduate and graduate students with knowledge and skills for the 21st century.

Our goal at the Centre of Integrated Human Studies is to develop and deliver blended and fully online units and courses at first year and postgraduate levels. Our current focus is the development of an online Graduate Diploma in Integrated Human and Global Studies, which provides essential knowledge about the changing context of the 21st century, as well as essential skills for responding to the future and making a positive contribution to local and global communities, institutions and corporations. The diploma aims to support careers in a range of fields, including business, government and non-government organizations.

Delivery options for the diploma will include blended and fully online delivery. In both cases, Web 2.0 technologies will be used to support knowledge and social networking skills essential for the diploma objectives. The main objectives are that graduates should gain: • personal and professional development relevant to global citizenship • basic understanding of the key concepts and ability to integrate concepts and theoretical perspectives across a range of disciplines • the ability to collaborate with others nationally and globally to construct new meanings and understandings and work towards practical solutions • knowledge and social networking skills related to the use of Web 2.0 technologies

Generic skills developed in the diploma will include the ability to: • develop new ideas through creative activities, collaborative knowledge building and the use of relevant Web 2.0 technologies • integrate or synthesise knowledge and understandings across disciplines • use a variety of modes and media to communicate ideas effectively, present information and actively contribute to group projects

Assessment tasks will include: • an e-portfolio of activities completed during the course relevant to personal or professional development plans • contribution to discussion forums • a group project wiki on a particular global or local challenge

A combination of online technologies will be used to facilitate the diploma. These may include the following: • Moodle VLE (use of the platform will focus on course management and the use of discussion forums, glossaries and wikis) • Mahara open source e-portfolio system • a range of other applications for specific activities (such as Cmap for concept mapping

Some challenges for course design include: • the balance between content provision and social networking (Web 1.0 vs. Web 2.0) • providing for students with different levels of e-competency • interoperability between Moodle and Mahara (How reliable is ‘Mahoodle’?) • feature overlap between Mahara and Moodle (Should discussion forums be promoted in both?)

Mr Steve Johnson Lecturer Anatomy and Human Biology Phone 6488 2324 MBDP M309 Email Steve.Johnson@uwa.edu.au