Activity Theory Triangle

Object

Open media courses

Subject

all stakeholders

Community: social context; all actors involved in the activity system

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how this impacts on various stakeholders

Tools: the artifacts (or concepts) used by actors in the system

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the model/approach

Rules: conventions, guidelines and rules regulating activities in the system

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institutional aspects

Roles (division of labour):  social strata, hierarchical structure of activity, the division of activities among actors in the system

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changing roles - skill aspects

What does Coventry University want to know?

Has this enabled open students to experience Cov Uni learning and teaching?

Have open learners joined Cov Uni in other capacities (as paying customers) after engaging through open opportunities/

Has this increased student enrollment?

Has this improved the student experience?

Has this increased student retention?

How do paying students respond to working with open learners?

What links can we make with other educational institutions?

What is the nature of new partnerships and how does this impact on the institution?

Do the approaches adopted fit with Institutional technologies?

Is the model sustainable in terms of support during and after courses?

Would the model be transferrable to other Cov Uni courses?

Has this model enhanced the institution’s reputation?

Does this cost more or less?

How does this approach impact on the University brand?

Does this approach require changes to strategy or policy?

Which Institutional

strategies does this fit with  - L and T, assessment, innovation, widening participation, IT, etc. ?

Are there any issues around ownership and copyright?

How does this approach impact on  academic staff?

What are the practical implications of this approach on support service teams?

What do Course team want to know?

Has this lowered the entry threshold to the HE experience without cost or other barriers? (taken from COMC project plan)

Were all staff and stakeholders committed to this open approach?

has this offered new possibilities of personal/ open/ collective learning and encourage the formation of independent online learning communities?(taken from COMC project plan)

Did students understand and engage with the open content and open approach?

Has this enhanced student participation and contributions?

Have students developed stronger digital literacies, particularly around online presence and professional visibility?

Has this led to additional opportunities for networking or professional development?

Has this led to new ways of incorporating external people into learning and teaching?

Are these new partnerships sustainable?

What challenges exist in engaging open professionals and students?

How is archiving, signposting and accessibility going to be dealt with?

Do different subjects merit different approache

Has what we have learnt changed out pedagogical approaches?

How far can we take this model for different subject areas? (developed iteratively - so still in development)

What are the legacy issues around maintaining active vibrant community spaces once courses have finished?

How does this fit with course validation and quality mechanisms?

Has this led to new pedagogical approaches? (From Broadcast to collaborative content development and curation)

How has this improved and extended our professional practice?

Has engaging external partners changed or informed practice development of

the team?

What does Jisc want to know?

How do we overcome an inherent fear of new open models?

What are the best methods to tell this story to different stakeholders?

How do we convince others that the benefits outweigh the barriers?

How far are the wider community prepared to challenge existing accepted practice and culture?

How can this model be adopted or adapted for other UK HE or FE institutions?

This model relies on use of open social technologies yet many FE institutions restrict these (for various reasons).How do we challenge these restrictions or enable this different model?

Is this model still possible to some extent even within these limitations?

What are the practical implications for institutions that are interested in adopting this model?

What have been the barriers to open academic practice?

What are the legal aspects of this model?

What changes in academic practice are needed?

How can Jisc support change in practice to incorporate openness?

How do we enable open academic practices?

What does the wider community want to know?

How does this link or relate to other open educational models?

How do learners perceive open courses?

How do registered paying students respond to working with open learners?

Are students digital literacies really good enough to take advantage of this kind of model?

Can these courses enhance student’s professional use of digital media?

Are there any ‘quick wins’ - small adaptations that can have a big impact?

What are the practical aspects of adopting this kind of model? (so time allocation differences, responding to open multi-time zone students and wider contributors, etc.)

What impact has this had on professionals in the field?

What do academic practitioners need to change in order to adopt this approach?

What do other educational institutions want to know?

Does this improve the student experience?

Does it enhance retention, progression, etc……?

Does it attract new students to the institution?

How does this model differ from xMOOC offerings?

What are the benefits - why should we do this?

How does the costing model differ from traditional course provision?

What are the cost implications?

(Effective Actively Open classes are social interactions, which do not respect the schedule/costing models of conventional classes within HE)

How does the resourcing differ? more time upfront

Is there any funding to help us do this?

What would need to change operationally?

How does this fit our branding?

Does this approach fit with our existing strategic priorities?

Do we need to adopt new strategies or policies to take this kind of approach forward?

Do our academic staff need additional support?

Are our academic staff informed enough about the implications of this approach on existing practice?

What do other academic practitioners want to know?

How do I engage my students in these new technologies?

How do I make contact with professionals in the field? How do I convince them to contribute to my course?

How do I open the course to open students?

Are my subject area and teaching traditions able to be adapted to an open approach?

Does this take more time?

How do I convince my department, faculty, institution to let me try this model or aspects of it?

Which institutional services might I need to involve?

Which technologies work best for collaborative creation and collation of content?

How do I convince my students that this approach has value?

Do I need to change my approaches to assessment?

Will my institution support me if I want to try this?

How do I brand the course?

Do I need to ‘police’ the open students?

Can I tie this in with existing institutional priorities and strategies?

How will my role change?

Do I need new skills?

Will my existing skills still be valued?