About

I’m Geraldine Jones and I work as e-learning officer in the Department of Education at the University of Bath. This blog is a space for me to reflect on ideas, readings and events connected with my work in the broadest sense.

The aim of my role is to raise awareness of the possibilities offered by e-learning and to support the development of good e-learning practices in the teaching of undergraduate, postgraduate, campus based and distance learning students within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.

My work involves a number of different activities; designing and leading e-learning workshops for staff; facilitating student induction sessions, supporting staff who wish to use technologies in carrying out their research and working with staff on development projects that explore and exploit the potential of new technologies.

Mobile learning is an emerging interest of mine. Recently I have been collaborating with colleagues to explore ways in which mobile technologies and communication can be effectively integrated into UG teaching to increase student engagement and learning. The first year UG and GAU unit ‘Exploring Effective Learning’ has undergone extensive redevelopment to provide an integrated learning environment encompassing face to face sessions and the VLE linked by SMS communication. This has been a particularly exciting project!

My background is in open and distance learning and my involvement in the design and development of the School for Health’s suite of online distance learning programmes (MSc Sport and Exercise Medicine, PD Health etc.) has provided me with valuable experience in designing, supporting and implementing e-learning innovation. In particular, three teaching development funded projects have acted as text beds for innovation:

• Virtual Clinics – problem based learning for health professionals
• Digital voices – an exploration of podcasting techniques and their application to distance learning programmes
• Supporting and Enhancing UG learning with mobile phones and SMS

I have long standing experience in e-moderating and the design of e-tivities to scaffold learning in online groups with an extensive portfolio of online group learning activities used in a variety of contexts e.g. UG/PG Induction, PD Health, MSc Sport and Exercise Medicine, staff development e-workshops for online tutors, CPD for adult care workers.

More generally I’m interested in the technologies and philosophies that underpin mobile learning and Web 2.0 and their implications for learning and teaching. The ways in which e-learning technologies shape staff approaches to teaching and the ways in which staff approaches to teaching shape their adoption of e-learning technologies is an ongoing interest.