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Developing Digital Worked Examples To Efficiently Develop Procedural Knowledge
Conference presentation

Developing Digital Worked Examples To Efficiently Develop Procedural Knowledge

Monte Wynder, Michelle Joubert and Gabrielle Parle
Learning & Teaching Week, 2017 (Sippy Downs, Australia, 25-Sep-2017–27-Sep-2017)
University of the Sunshine Coast
2017
url
https://www.usc.edu.au/View
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Abstract

Specialist Studies in Education
Universities in Australia, responding to reduced government support, are changing rapidly in efforts to increase efficiency. At the institutional level this includes increasing staff workloads, decreasing face to-face contact, and greater reliance on sessional staff members. At the same time, the student cohort face financial pressures that often require a balance between work and education. These macrolevel changes have put pressure at the 'coal face' as educators are called upon to adapt their teaching methods. Blended learning has been advanced as a means of achieving both cost savings and increased learning effectiveness. This study provides a personal account of a group of accounting academics (content specialists) who have responded to institutional pressures by becoming ad hoc instructional designers. These challenges may resonate with many other academics. Without specialist training in educational technology, many academics are being called upon to develop learning materials to support their university's commitment to Blended Learning. We also consider the wealth of materials already made available online by other academics, and the relative benefits of production versus referring students to existing resources. For academics who choose to develop their own Digital Learning Objects (DLOs), Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) provides insights and guidance. Specifically, worked examples provide an efficient way to develop procedural knowledge that can be efficiently and effectively distributed as DLOs. Videos that explain and illustrate the problem-solving steps in fundamental accounting problems offer an alternative, or at least a supplement, to individual consultation. Student feedback has been positive, and the pattern of student access to on-line materials suggests that they are particularly useful for just-in-time learning. Our experience also suggests that, despite a significant initial investment of time, there are significant time savings to be achieved by the educator.

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