Methodological Issues and Solutions

M-ICT 2009, Lisbon

Dirk Morrison,
University of Saskatchewan

Research supported by a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
SDL & VLC in NFL

 Who am I?
 Member of a research team with….
 Dr. Richard Schwier & Dr. Ben Daniel
 Jaymie Koroluk & Xing Xu

 Where the #$%@ is

Saskatchewan!?
 Some flat place in Canada
SDL & VLC in NFL

 What the #$%@ is SDL, VLC,

NFL!?

 SDL= Self-Directed Learning

 VLC= Virtual Learning Communities

 NFL= Non-Formal Learning

SDL & VLC in NFL

 Program of Research
 4-year SSHRC (Federal) grant
 3-phases
TT
2nd Life
3M
SDL & VLC in NFL

 Context #1: Transforming

Teaching Group
 8 voluntary faculty participants
 26 wk blended “course”
 Online transcript, plus interviews
SDL & VLC in NFL

 Methodological Issues

 1. Volume of categories in VLC

model

 2. Nature of SDL

 3. Level of facilitator
participation
SDL & VLC in NFL

Methodological Issues

 1. Volume

 3 core categories/22 sub-categories,

plus qualifiers
 Cumbersome, saturation
 Granularity conundrum
SDL & VLC in NFL

Methodological Issues

 2. Nature of SDL

 How do we “do” SDL?

 Non-formal to informal spectrum
 Nature of “assessment” in SDL/NFL
SDL & VLC in NFL

Methodological Issues

 3. Level of facilitator
participation

 Too much?
 Too little?
SDL & VLC in NFL

 Methodological Solutions?

 1. Volume issue?

 2. Nature of SDL issue?

 3. Level of facilitator
involvement issue?
Formal VLC