ascilite 2007 Workshop

Online role play: What it means for
learners, developers and educators

Objectives	This workshop aims to allow participants to engage in a short online role play simulation, and then to reflect on this situational learning experience from various perspectives, taking into account factors such as pedagogy, learning design, assessment, implementation issues, resource requirements and the Community of Inquiry conceptual framework (Garrison & Anderson, 2003). This will help to identify a framework and process for role play development. By the end of the workshop participants will be better able to: identify the value of role play in learning both content and generic skills (graduate attributes) from the perspective of learners and educators identify a development framework and template for developing a simple role play identify the organisational steps they will need to implement and monitor to facilitate a role play in their own context.
Intended audience	Staff interested in the use of online role play and development of resources for campus based or distance learners. Participants need to have some computer literacy and keyboard skills as the role play will be undertaken in an online environment via computer workstations.
Facilitators	Ann Davenport, BA, Dip Ed, Grad Dip Lang. & Reading, Cert IV Workplace Assessment & Training is a learning designer and Project Manager: Online Situational Learning, Centre for Learning and Professional Development, University of Adelaide. The Situational Learning Initiative aims to increase the use of online role play and scenario based learning across all Faculties. Ann has worked in the TAFE environment for 30 years, as a lecturer in a range of courses using experiential and flexible methodologies and, for the past 15 years as a learning designer/project manager. She has managed major materials development projects for print and online and written a wide range of resources. In 2004 Ann was a Flexible Learning Leader with the Australian Flexible Learning Framework where she researched project based methodologies. Her current work is focussed on developing/identifying user friendly learning design tools to guide educators in developing situational learning activities, and coaching and support processes. Website: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/clpd/about/clpdstaff/davenporta.html Judi Baron, MEd (DistEd), BEd (Bus), DipT (Comm) is Online Education Coordinator in the Centre for Learning and Professional Development, University of Adelaide. She has worked in higher education for more than 25 years, first as an academic in the discipline of business and management and since the mid 1990s has a special interest in learning and teaching, including distance and online. Judi helped instigate a situational learning initiative for the University of Adelaide in 2006 and is currently focussing on gaining evidence about the pedagogical effectiveness of online role play simulations and scenario based learning in mainstream curriculum. Website: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/clpd/about/clpdstaff/baronj.html Ann and Judi are Leaders of the South Australian cluster for the Project EnRoLE (2007), based at the University of Wollongong, which promotes development of online role play in Australia's higher education sector.
Details of activities	Online role play simulations are recognised as effective ways of learning. Learners enjoy being immersed in an experiential learning environment, lecturers obtain evidence that learning outcomes and graduate attributes are being achieved and addressed, and schools and faculties receive due recognition and teaching and learning grants. This has been the case at the University of Adelaide with the Mekong E-Sim online role play simulation. Nevertheless, even with support, lecturers are overwhelmed with the perceived amount of time and effort required to develop an online role play simulation. They willingly attend information sessions and introductory workshops but falter at taking the next step. One solution is to start small and develop a short role play simulation that may only require the equivalent of one or two tutorial sessions for learners to complete. Participants will undertake a short online role play simulation on a cultural issues topic, relevant within higher education. They will take on a persona, either individually or as part of a group, depending upon the number of participants. At the end of the role play they will debrief, with facilitation from the presenters. This will involve deconstructing the experience to identify frameworks and templates that could be reused and modified for their own practice. Brief introduction: Objectives and structure of the session    - 10 mins Briefing: Introduction to the online role play and allocation    of roles - 20 mins Interaction: Participants undertake the role play - 60 mins Break - 15 mins Debriefing: Sharing perspectives - 60 mins    • from a learner perspective    • from a development perspective    • from an educator perspective
References	Garrison, D. & Anderson, T. (2003). E-Learning in the 21st century: A framework for research and practice. RoutledgeFalmer. Project EnRoLE (2007). Encouraging role based learning environments. http://cedir.uow.edu.au/enrole/