Title: About the EdTech Course
Course: Stage 0 - Orientation > Section: Essential Course and Support Information

This book containes important information pertaining to the Overall Course and Support.

Overall Course Information

Please read through this important course and support information booklet so that you know what to expect and how to obtain support when engaging with the EdTech course.

- You can navigate through this digital booklet by using the Table of contents on the Left Hand Side (LHS) of your screen,

OR if you prefer to work through the pages sequentially:

     - press the 'Next' or 'Previous' links that appear at the top and bottom of the text on each page of the booklet.

- If you would like to download a PDF of the entire booklet contents for offline viewing, then
  - locate your Administration block on the bottom LHS of this screen,
  - and choose the Print option - this will 'print' the booklet to a PDF file that you can then save for offline viewing.

Context

The EdTech-UEM project focused on four interrelated areas:

1. The development of a new educational technology unit (TIC-EID – ICTs for Education, Research and Development Department) under the UEM Informatics Centre (CIUEM);
2. Large scale professional development activities for UEM researchers and lecturers;
3. Upgrades to UEM infrastructure;
4. Postgraduate training in educational technology and key technical areas at the University of Cape Town for UEM staff.

Introduction

Why this course? This course arises in the context of the expanding possibilities for blended teaching and learning created by the EdTech-UEM sub-program. The goals of EdTech-UEM are consistent with the UEM strategic plan which includes the importance of integrating technology in teaching and learning. The pioneering work in several UEM units on the use of ICTs for teaching and learning, notably the Faculty of Education and the Centre for Distance Learning (CEND), dates back a few years, but progress has always been limited by infrastructure, resource constraints, Internet access and the experience and knowledge of lecturers.

Thus, other components of the EdTech programme include the rehabilitation of communication networks within UEM, an increase in bandwidth and improved management capacity, and an increase in the computer equipment available within Faculties and Schools, as well as scholarships for graduate studies in the field of educational technologies. As a purpose, it is intended that most teachers and students of UEM will have access to the benefits of technological integration in their courses. At the most practical level this will mean that UEM teachers design their courses well for blended (and in some cases online) teaching and use the Moodle-based Vula platform courses to support learning by their students.

The planned roll-out of the EdTech-UEM staff development course in the blended mode to all the UEM campuses was delayed by the advent of the global COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. The course has now been adapted for fully online provision, and the roll-out phase is able to commence online. The course will also be provided in a blended face-to-face format when conditions allow. Comments and input from participants will be important contributions to the further revisions and institutional adoption and sustainability.

Description and Overall Outcomes

We will start on this learning journey together  by exploring what is possible with educational technology and then engage with course design, online and blending teaching, and the creation and collation of resources and activities. By the end of the EdTech course participants will be equipped to complete the development of their new blended/online courses.

On completion of the EdTech course, participants will have:

- gained knowledge of a course design process
- chosen key pedagogic strategies
- created a storyboard for their course
- become familiar with the Moodle platform
- developed competence with some important Moodle tools
- acquired knowledge of other web-based technologies
- understood how to source and use Open Educational Resources
- developed a Moodle course with a structure, some content and activities
- the necessary motivation, knowledge and support to complete development of a Moodle course

Course Flow

Figure 1: Course Flow and Progression

Mode of Provision

This online course will comprise both synchronous and asynchronous elements.

- The synchronous Sessions will take place using live web conferencing software such as BigBlueButton (BBB)/Zoom/GoogleMeet using the Vula Moodle integration. These Sessions will be led/facilitated by a member of the facilitation team.
- The asynchronous elements will take place in participants' own time but with reference to the structured schedules of activities.
- All of the information regarding course guidance, interaction, resources, and activities will be available within the EdTech Moodle course/s.

 Supporting Videos:

What is Moodle? (1m54s)
BigBlueButton overview for moderator/presenters (6m39s) | BigBlueButton overview for viewers/students (5m24s)

Schedule

The schedules for each stage of the course are provided below:

Stage 0 Schedule (over 1 week)

Synchronous events: 2 x 1.5 hr Live Sessions using BigBlueButton (BBB)/Zoom/GoogleMeet via Moodle (3 hrs)

Asynchronous supported and independent work using Moodle (3 hrs)

Support will be provided through the Help desk and facilitators in between live sessions.

Dates/Times - Schedule TBD

Stages 1-4 Schedule. (over 2 weeks each)

Each stage comprises:

Synchronous events: 4 x 1.5 hr Live Sessions using BigBlueButton (BBB)/Zoom/GoogleMeet via Moodle (6 hrs)

Asynchronous supported and independent work using Moodle (+- 6 per stage)

Support will be provided through the Help desk and facilitators in between live sessions.

Dates/Times - Schedule TBD

How to make this work - the 4 Ps!

Group to discuss and agree on our suggested norms.

Punctuality: The virtual contact sessions will go much better if we can start them on time.
Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewtoday/34652914272/

Preparedness: The activities during and after each virtual contact session, follow up exercises, and practice weeks help us to move forward into the next stage of activity.
Image source: https://pixabay.com/photos/african-work-kenyan-working-black-3843960/

Presence: This is time dedicated for learning about teaching with technology. It will go better for each person and the group in each virtual contact session if we can stay present in the learning activities and to each other. We challenge you to keep cell (mobile) phones on silent and to let your emails wait until after the session is over. Image source: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/presence-being-present-awareness-904563/

Participation: We expect you to be proactive and engaged in all the virtual contact sessions and related activities. Read the guidance provided. Ask questions about anything and support your colleagues.
Image source: https://www.kissclipart.com/bnvolat-png-clipart-volunteering-opposite-definiti-zpmyf8/

Figure 2: Suggested norms

Assessment and Certification

The EdTech-UEM Design for Blended Learning course comprises a total of 60 hours distributed in:

- * Synchronous: +-30 hours of direct contact in a course comprising:
          - * Stage 0 Live Sessions (2 x 1.5 hrs); followed by
          - * Stage 1 and 2 Live Sessions (4x1.5 hrs each); and a
          - * Mid-Consolidation week
          - *Then we continue to Stages 3 & 4 (4x1.5 hrs each); followed by a
          - *Final Consolidation week

- * Asynchronous: +-30 hours of asynchronous supported independent work.

In order to achieve the objectives of this course, the following is expected from participants:

- * active participation in the live synchronous sessions and the discussion forums, AND
- * completion of all the activities planned in the course stages.

Attendance, punctuality, and participation also form part of the evaluation criteria.

Successful completion of this course requires: a minimum of 90% online Live Session participation and completion of at least 90% of the activities. This will result in the award of two (2) credits, in accordance with the Centre for Academic Development (CDA) norms.

This course forms part of a total of 14 courses that together offer the possibility of obtaining the 25 credits required for teaching staff to receive the Certificate “B” established in the Regulation on the National Qualifications Framework for Teaching Staff in Higher Education (2010).

Acknowledgements

This EdTech course was originally developed  in 2018-19 and piloted as a workshop series to support academic staff capacity building within the Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM, Mozambique) Ed Tech project funded by the Sweden International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). The core course activities were designed and developed by the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT) at the University of Cape Town (UCT, South Africa) in partnership with CIUEM and the Education Faculty (CDA, UEM).

The fully online version of the course was initially developed and piloted in 2020 in a partnership between the Association of African Universities (AAU) and the e/merge Africa professional development network using the materials developed for the original workshop series at UEM. The latest version of the EdTech course includes significant revisions and enhancements since the AAU online pilot.

The EdTech course is led by a team of facilitators from several UEM faculties and supported by CIUEM through its TIC-EID Department and specialised technicians.

Licencing

EdTech-UEM Project Licencing:

Except where otherwise noted, content in this module is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License .

Citation: UEM (2020). Stage 0: Orientation. EdTech-UEM Project, Universidade Eduardo Montlane, Mozambique.

Every effort has been made to adhere to the licenses of the OER incorporated in this stage. Should there be any queries around individual licensing of stage components, please contact the Centro de Informática, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane (CIUEM): info@ciuem.mz

Overall Course Support

Please browse through all of these support options that will enable you to make your way through the EdTech course. Some support is available from your course facilitators and local support personnel, while contextual support is also available to you from within the Moodle system as well as your peers undertaking this learning journey together with you.

Within each Stage, a link will be provided through to the original respective Forums, Glossaries, and Moodle) HELP page.

Facilitation Team

Facilitators for the 1st pilot group starting on: date ...

Names of facilitators:

Use of Buddy Groups

Introduction: There will be support during this course from the facilitators and technical staff as well as supporting resources. However this course works best when participants actively support each other. We recommend that you form buddy groups of two to four colleagues so you can check in with each other and support each other as you go through the course. There will also be particular activities where we ask you to work with your buddy group.

Support Forums

Moodle FAQs & Tips Forum
(A single form active throughout the EdTech course by linking from within each stage)

Some of you may not have had the opportunity to use Moodle regularly, or perhaps not at all. This forum is intended to support your exploration of the features and functionality of this Learning Management System (LMS) also known as a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

Ask your questions about any Vula (Moodle) functionality, starting a new topic for each new query. Also, if you have discovered a Vula (Moodle) tip that you would like to share, this is the place to do so.

You are encouraged to respond to each other's queries and comments so we can support each other throughout the course and beyond. The facilitator/s will also respond to queries.

Within each of the Stages additional forums will appear that are dedicated to support that particular Stage. These are:

Announcements Forum
(These are specific to each stage)

This forum is for general news and announcements of interest to everyone in this cohort.

- Only a facilitator can post a new discussion and participants will be able to reply, but not initiate a new discussion.
- The "Latest Announcement" block on the RHS of your main course screen will display recent announcements from this forum for your attention in each Stage.

Open Space Forum
(These are specific to each stage - community of practice)

This is for you to share your achievements, discoveries and questions about online learning.

- Have you made a major advance with the design of your course?
- Have you found an important article that has helped you to design your course or raises an important question for you?
- Start a new discussion and tell us here.

Glossaries

There are two (2) glossaries active throughout the EdTech course:

- * Supporting Course Resources: EdTech & Moodle
- * Glossary of Terms: EdTech & Moodle

HelpDesk (local)

Active throughout and after the EdTech course

- Send an email to <email> stating your problem clearly;
- You can also contact the Helpdesk on: <#> (Voice/SMS/WhatsApp);
- You can also use the HELP chat if available in the bottom right hand side of your screen - this chat will be monitored automatically and responded to as soon as possible.

Moodle HELP

See the Moodle HELP page