The Asia-Pacific Online Distance Education (APODE) week was held from 12 to 14 November 2024 and had the theme ‘Sustainable education practices’. We partner with EDEN Digital Learning Europe who was holding the European Open and Digital Learning Week (EODLW) at the same time.

Gen AI past its hype and its impact on education in Aotearoa New Zealand

Time: 12 November 2024, 1-2pm NZDT.

We are convening a panel for a conversation around generative AI now that it’s past its peak hype according to the latest Gartner Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies. Where do our experts see the impact of artificial intelligence, and in particular generative AI, in our education sector in Aotearoa New Zealand? What questions are asked, but more importantly, which questions are not being asked or are pushed to the back of the conversation though they should be more centre stage in our context? How can and should educational institutions at all levels of education, from primary to tertiary education, support students and educators in this area?

Join us for an engaging conversation with Claire Amos, Professor Stephen, and Dr Steve Leichtweis, who will bring different perspectives to this topic. This panel will be moderated by Dr Kwong Nui Sim.

Panellists

Claire Amos, MEdLeadership, is Principal at Albany Senior High School. She is also co-founder of DisruptED and also sits on the board of NetSafeNZ. Claire enjoys contributing to a wide range of advisory boards and reference groups. Claire was also a founding council member for the Education Council, Aotearoa, NZ. Claire was a foundation Deputy Principal at Hobsonville Point Secondary School. From 2011-2012 Claire was the Director of e-learning at Epsom Girls Grammar School. She has lead and taught English in a variety of roles. She has worked at a national level in assessment and curriculum in English. In 2009 Claire was a Ministry of Education e-fellow for which she undertook a study of how ICTs can be used to support literacy in and beyond the English classroom. Claire is passionate about her family, education, fashion, and tattoos, living by the mantra “you can never be overdressed or overeducated” (Oscar Wilde).

Steve Leichtweis, PhD, is Head of the eLearning Group, initially in the Centre for Learning And Research in Higher Education (CLeaR) from 2016-2020 and now with Ranga Auaha Ako | Learning & Teaching Design Team from 2020, at University of Auckland. Prior to this he was the Manager of the Centre for the Creative Application of Technology in Education (CreATE) at the Faculty of Education & Social Work (2013-2015). His background includes almost 15 years working in university IT and a decade before that as an academic researcher in cardiovascular disease. His interests involve the use of digital technology to enhance learning and teaching, quality assurance, learning analytics, and learning environments.

Professor Stephen Marshall (PFHEA) is Director at the Victoria University of Wellington Centre for Academic Development and former President (2016-2019) of the Australasian Council on Open and Distance Education. Stephen leads Victoria University Digital Vision and Strategy for Learning and Teaching initiatives and researches in the areas of organisational change in higher education, quality, benchmarking, plagiarism and academic integrity, intellectual property, and the development of educational policy and strategy supporting and encouraging the effective use of technology. He is co-creator of the internationally recognised and applied eLearning maturity model (eMM) and author of the 2018 Springer book Shaping the University of the Future: Using Technology to Catalyse Change in University Learning and Teaching.

Working together for change: Digital education meets the climate and nature emergencies

Time: 13 November 2024, 9-10am NZDT.

In light of the climate and nature crises, Neil Selwyn (2021) issued a call to ‘reimagine educational technology as a focus for collective action rather than individual gain’. In this session, we aim to start a discussion on what resources could help us to take climate positive actions within our roles as digital education professionals. We will seek to crowdsource examples of what is already happening across the sector and start thinking about how we can work together to effect positive change to address the climate and nature crises within a digital education context.

Facilitators

Geraldine Foley, MA, joined University College London (UCL) in 2023 as a Senior Learning Technologist focusing on UCL East. She has worked in higher education for over eighteen years, with central and faculty-based learning technology roles at City University of London and London School of Economics. She has a PGCert, Senior CMALT, is a Fellow of the HEA, and a Senior CMALT assessor. She has an interest in learning design, game-based learning, active learning, peer learning, students as producers and students as partners projects.

Irina Niculescu, MA, joined UCL in 2023 as a Senior Learning Technologist. Empowering others to take advantage of the transformative potential of digital educational practices is central to her work. Prior to this, she worked at the University of Surrey as a learning designer, learning technologist, and digital education manager. She has led various university-wide staff development programmes and projects and taught on an MA in higher education and PG Cert teaching programmes. She is particularly interested in learning design, student-staff partnerships, and in the human and social aspects of digital practices. She is currently exploring approaches to developmental and systems change.

Dominic Pates, MA, is a Senior Educational Technologist in the Department of Learning Enhancement and Development (LEaD) at City St George’s, University of London, which he joined in 2014. He is the Relationship Lead between LEaD’s Digital Education service and three of City’s schools – Bayes Business School, the City Law School and the School of Science and Technology. Dominic’s professional experience includes blended learning and learning design, educational multimedia, learning spaces, mobile learning and hybrid teaching.

Roger Rees, MA, is the Design and Development Manager, University of Surrey. He has worked in a number of roles including previously as a Senior Lecturer and Head of Learning Enhancement when he also led successful JISC funded projects in relation to student digital literacies. He joined the University of Surrey in 2009 and manages development and design work within the Digital Learning Team. This includes leading academic and professional development of staff digital capabilities and fluency. He has a particular interest in ecological and systemic approaches to the adoption of new and emerging technology to enhance learning and collaboration.

Empowering STEM educators in Fiji: Integrating OERs and technology in the classroom

Time: 14 November 2024, 1-2pm NZDT.

Integration of Open Educational Resources (OERs) and technology in teaching and learning is crucial for enhancing learning experiences, particularly in STEM education. This presentation outlines a training programme designed for Fiji secondary STEM teachers, focusing on the basics of OERs and the role of technology in education. The programme included a 2-day face-to-face workshop and an online component hosted on Moodle, featuring a main course and two sub-courses: ‘OER Basics’ and ‘Introduction to AI and ChatGPT.’ The ‘OER Basics’ course was adapted from the ‘Digital Skills for OER Sharing’ online course developed by the Commonwealth of Learning. This training aims to equip educators with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively integrate OERs and technology into their teaching practices, fostering a more interactive and inclusive learning environment. These resources and activities are outcomes for the Pacific Partnership in Open Distance and Flexible Learning.

Facilitator

Mojito Jione, MS, has been an Open Education Design Architect at the Centre for Flexible Learning (CFL) at University of the South Pacific (USP) since February of 2022. He has worked at CFL for over 10 years. He holds a Masters degree in Information Systems, Postgraduate Diploma in Information Technology (PGDipIT), Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching, and a Bachelor of Science degree from USP. His interests lie with integrating technology in teaching and learning particularly with Moodle, Mahara, eLearning authoring tools, and Web 2.0/3.0 tools