Retrieved from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/celestinechua/

What are some of the conditions that UBC would need to consider in order to offer a flexible learning pathways program?

 

This is a list of potential stages, programs and changes that UBC could investigate when considering integrating informal and formal learning pathways:

 

1. Learning Pathways Summit

Provide the physical and virtual environment to host a summit on,  “Informal Learning Currency” where interested stakeholders from industry, community associations, k12 and higher education could come together and discuss the future of learning by integrating formal and informal learning. Consider supporting CANeLearn’s Centre for Innovation by igniting collaboration and relationships.

 

2. Create an Open Badges Learning System

Connect and partner with Mozilla Open Badges to consider the stages for a UBC Open Badges System. By creating a UBC Open Badge Platform, all participants will be able to store their badges in a Mozilla Badge Backpack for all stakeholders to see.

 

3. Choose a Digital Learning Pathways Provider

Find a digital tool to support open badges, competency based learning, learning pathways, evidence of informal and formal learning with a Canadian based server and repository. This tool would need to be able to be integrated into Learning Management Systems and support Student Information Service (SIS) programs. I would suggest a pilot with the Jibe’s Keiro platform.

 

4.  Promote Team Teaching, Mentoring in High School and Authentic Project Collaboration

Industry, community association and Higher Education leaders are encouraged to consider and participate in team teaching and mentoring programs in k12 institutions. These programs can offer open badges and be added to a common digital platform and repository of learning pathways.

 

5. Student Application Process to UBC

Students that apply to UBC would be required to combine their high school grades as well as an ePortfolio, or Keiro evidence of learning with current evidence of their experiences and mastery of competencies and/or a collection of open badges to demonstrate their evidence of learning.

 

6. Offer more Opportunities for Dual Credit:

Students who completed a dual credit course based on competencies, for example m101, would receive advanced acceptance or alternatively dual credit for both high school and university based on the demonstration of their competency. UBC is encouraged to increase, support and examine the apprenticeship programs to increase support for dual credit for high school and college as well.

 

7. Pre-boarding Courses

The university faculty could create modular based, pre-boarding courses, that offer anyone the opportunity to be introduced to university courses and expectations. The value would be setting the students up for success by encouraging a transition between systems/programs. An example of this kind of pre-boarding course could be a pre-boarding module for the current m101 course for all UBC students in order to encourage digital literacy. Pre-boarding courses can be assessed with a badge based on skill completion.

 

8. Course Badges at a Higher Education Level

The university could ask for volunteer instructors to offer badges as part of their regular course assessment. These badges could be offered to credit and non-credit courses, as well as for extracurricular, informal learning opportunities and training opportunities for UBC staff.

 

9. Competency Based Program

The university would need to restructure the assessment policies and design a core competency based program and faculty competency based program.

Examples:

Click on links for examples of institutions and an article

 

10. Communicate Authentic Learning

By promoting transparent learning, which includes what is working, and what is not working, UBC could model leadership and networked learning. Participants and stakeholders in the learning pathways process would be encouraged to consider open, authentic social networking opportunities in order to communicate with each other.

Conclusion:

Learning pathways can offer a means to demonstrate and gather evidence of the integration of informal and formal learning. A serious consideration are open badge systems to support the integration of competency based learning assessment systems. Purdue and UC Davis are currently in a proof of concept stage and can be used as current examples. The descriptions of the other current formal and informal learning examples and resources in this proposal are offered in an attempt to ignite the opportunities for alternatives. This proposal offers examples and steps for UBC to be the educational leader in Canada by considering learning pathways and the integration of formal and informal learning in Higher Education.

References: (for ALL Blog Posts on Learning Pathways)

Ash, K. (2012). Colleges Use ‘Digital Badges’ to Replace Traditional Grading. Retrieved December 1, 2014 from,http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2012/06/13/03badges-s1.h05.html

Clement, J. (2000).  Model based learning as a key research area for science education”. International Journal of Science Education 22 (9): 1041–1053.

Kitsantas, A. & Dabbagh, N. (2011). The role of Web 2.0 technologies in self-regulated learning. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 2011: 99–106. doi: 10.1002/tl.448

Enonbun, O. (2010). Constructivism and Web 2.0 in the Emerging Learning Era:

A Global Perspective. Journal of Strategic Innovation and Sustainability vol. 6(4). Retrieved December 1, 2014  from, http://www.na-businesspress.com/JSIS/EnobunWeb.pdf

Falconer, I., Littlejohn, A.,  & McGill, L. (2013). Fluid learning: vision for lifelong learning in 2030.  Retrieved December 1, 2014  from, http://blogs.ec.europa.eu/openeducation2030/files/2013/04/Falconer-et-al-OE2030-LLL.pdf

Glover, I. & Latif, F. (2013).  Open Badges: a visual, learner-centric approach to recognizing achievement. Retrieved December 1, 2014 from, http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2013/11/19/open-badges-learner-centric-approach-to-achievement/

Haskell, C.  (2013)  ”Understanding Quest-Based Learning [white paper]“. Retrieved December 1, 2014  from, http://works.bepress.com/chris_haskell/21/

Ito, Mizuko, Sonja Baumer, Matteo Bittanti, danah boyd, Rachel Cody, Becky Herr, Heather A. Horst, Patricia G. Lange, Dilan Mahendran, Katynka Martinez, C.J. Pascoe, Dan Perkel, Laura Robinson, Christo Sims, and Lisa Tripp. (with Judd Antin, Megan Finn, Arthur Law, Annie Manion, Sarai Mitnick and Dan Schlossberg and Sarita Yardi). (2010). Hanging Out, Messing Around, Geeking Out: Living and Learning with New Media. Cambridge: MIT Press.

Pintrich, P. & De Groot, E. (1990)  Motivational and Self-Regulated Learning Components of Classroom Academic Performance, Journal of Educational Psychology

1990, Vol. 82, No. 1,33-40

10 Predictions for Personalized Learning for 2013. (2012).  Personalized Learning: Transform learning for All Learners. Retrieved December 1, 2014  from, http://www.personalizelearning.com/2012/12/10-predictions-for-personalized.html

Purdue University’s Passport to intercultural Learning (PUPIL). (n.d)  Purdue University Centre for Instructional  Excellence. Retrieved December 1, 2014 from, http://www.purdue.edu/cie/learning/global/pupil.html

Sefton-Green, J. (2012). Learning at Not-School: A Review of Study, Theory, and Advocacy for Education in Non-Formal Settings. John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Reports on Digital Media and Learning. MIT Press. Retrieved December 1, 2014  from, https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/learning-not-school

Simpson, S. (2013) Collaboration between universities and industry propels research.  Vancouver Sun. Retrieved December 1, 2014 from, http://www.vancouversun.com/touch/business/bc2035/Collaboration+between+universities+industry+propels/8086332/story.html?rel=6399

Teitle, J. (2012). Theorizing hang-out: Unstructured youth programs and the politics of representation.(Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA.

Teitle, J. (2013). The Other 17 Hours: Valuing Out-of-School Time. Retrieved December 1, 2014 from,  http://bankstreet.edu/occasional-papers/30/

Watson, W.R. , Watson, S.L., & C.M. Reigeluth (2013). Education 3.0: breaking the mold with technology, Interactive Learning Environments, DOI:10.1080/10494820.2013.764322.

Williamson, B. (2013) The Future of the Curriculum: School Knowledge in the Digital Age.  MIT Press.  Retrieved December 1, 2014 from,

http://mitpress.mit.edu/sites/default/files/titles/free_download/9780262518826_The_Future_Of_The_Curriculum.pdf

Zimmerman, B. J. (Ed); Schunk, D. H. (Ed) (1989) Self-regulated learning and academic achievement: Theory, research, and practice. Springer series in cognitive development.

New York, NY, US: Springer-Verlag Publishing. xiv 212 pp. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4612-3618-4

I must thank and give credit to the following people for their information and support:

Dr. Bill Watson-Purdue University, Purdue graduate student Elizabeth Brott Beese, Dr. Colin Mulligan-Glasgow Caledonian University, Alex Molina-PASA, Will Engle-UBC, Dr. Randy LaBonte, Dr. David Porter, the Mozilla Open Badges Team and Dr. David Vogt- UBC.

Appendix:

Possible Chart to describe connections between Systemic Learning Pathways:

Flexible Learning Pathways Process: