Theme: Next Generation Learning – Visions, Innovations, & Possibilities

This forum is intended to:

1. focus on learners’ expectations in the next generation, given the current embrace of newer solutions in teaching and learning, such as:
• social media applications;
• smart devices;
• digital learning resources or activities;
• Cloud computing; and
• Internet based learning environments;
2. encourage explorations in how above changes have taken shapes in our learning practices across Asia; and
3. initiate discussions, such as:
• best practices in managing such changes;
• challenges and success stories in engaging learners and assessing performances under these newer environments; and
• anticipation beyond Web 2.0 for teaching and learning.

The scope of the conference includes (but not limited to) the following topics:

• Building an infrastructure for next generation learning
  Next generation infrastructures are required to support learning continuity models where every student and educator are provided with the resources they need anytime, and anywhere using a range of access devices and Internet connections.  Topics of interest include cloud computing services, distance education and management systems, web accessibility, and data security and privacy issues on building such infrastructures for the 21st century learning models.

• OpenCourseWare – 精品課程 (Learning resources) & content management
  Learners can avail to the huge amount of open educational resources and online learning materials from their institutional course-sites, but may not find them useful due to poor delivery and appropriate linkages of the resources to the learning outcomes.  Educators tend to shy away from such (and free) resources as they are concerned about copyright and IP issues, and finds sharing of web content challenging.  Share your views on the above issues and others related to the development and management of learning resources for community of educators and learners, and best practices and success stories in implementing a learning repository strategy.

• Emerging learning technologies & applications
  What are the emerging technologies and applications that impact teaching and learning in your institution?  How do we evaluate these solutions?  New social media and collaboration sites offer tremendous opportunities to advance learning, but raises concerns about privacy and other challenging practices that may affect its potential for e-learning implementations.

• Mobile Learning & Mobile Social Networking
  While we recognise the benefits of mobile computing devices and services, questions are often raised on how such ubiquitous technologies can add real value to the student learning experience.  Social networking apps on smart-phones are also generating healthy debates on potentials and threats to m-learning implementations.  Do you have similar issues and concerns to share?  Or, you may have a good story to tell about implementing mobile learning to your students?

• Learning Environments
  In the past decade, educational institutions have been using centralised learning environments and tools to support and manage traditional teaching and learning processes.  With the momentum in moving beyond Web 2.0 and the advent of social media, educators are increasingly looking into virtual learning environments (“VLEs”) or course management systems that are more responsive to individual users.  Personal learning environments (“PLEs”), mobile learning apps or VLEs with features that offer students greater control of their own learning and goal settings are portrayed as possible answers to this debate.  What are your views on the current and future learning environments? Come and share about your issues, problems and solutions of using your institutional learning environments for the next generation of learners.

• Classroom Technologies
  To accommodate a diversity of learning styles and teaching methods, changes in the physical learning environment are evolving with new classroom technologies and tools, such as classroom management, recorded lessons, clickers and virtual worlds.  What are some effective classroom-of-the-future designs and implementations?

• Empowering educators for online learning and assessment
  Leveraging on technologies to improve learning and assessment of the learner leads to higher expectations of the teaching staff to be equally effective in the use of technologies to connect and facilitate learning.  New teaching methods and models are developed to build the capacity for 21st century educators and towards more self-directed learning and collaborative learning strategies beyond Web 2.0 tools.  This forum will also share on effective policies, staff incentive systems and strategic learning roadmaps for various staff groups.

• Active Learning Designs and Activities
  Good learning designs and development of appropriate learning activities are said to be effective for learning to occur.  Researchers and educators have found that in order for high quality learning to be realised, the faculty is expected to constantly engage the learners through key performance tasks that build on their understanding of specific learning outcomes.  Share your user experiences and thoughts on the use of tools that have achieved learning objectives.

• Motivating Next Generation Learners
  The goal is to get learners to engage in learning activities as productively as possible. Many educators have deployed new technologies and solutions to help motivate learning.  Are effective results being generated?  Share your experience on whether new technologies could provide the appropriate rewards to sustain a more motivated learning environment?  Would that motivate learners?

• Continuing Education &  Adult Training
  Continuing education workshops and courses are offered to the alumni and public in institutions of higher learning and adult learner training institutes.  Young learners are always on the move in their workplace and it is therefore not surprising to see more CET courses, seminars and workshops being put online.  Topics for discussion include distance learning, blended learning, communication and collaboration tools, authentic assessments and eAcademy models.

Feel free to offer topics to share about current practices and user experiences of your elearning strategies, projects and innovations.

The Forum offers unique opportunities to meet and network with key representatives from leading institutions in China, and across Asia.

Guidelines

1. Proposals may be submitted by individuals or by groups of presenters.  Presentations that are aligned to the conference theme and topic areas will be grouped into tracks.
2. All accepted presenters must register to attend the forum.  Please indicate in your proposal whether sponsorships of registration fee, and travelling and accommodation expenses would be required from eLFAsia if your proposal was accepted?
3. The duration for each presentation will be 35 minutes (30-minute presentation followed by a 5-minute question & answer session).  Live translation in Putonghua will be provided during each presentation upon request.
4. Deadline for submission: 14th February, 2012.
5. The program committee will review your proposal and selected speakers will be informed by 29th February, 2012.
6. The committee also reserve the right to edit your proposal for content clarity for publication purposes.

Submission of proposal
Complete the following information (in MS Word) and email to fei.feng@elfasia.org by 14th February, 2012.

1. Title of Presentation :
2. Abstract
   Provide an abstract (~50 words in English or Chinese) that outlines your presentation.
3. Description 
• Provide more details of your presentation (not more than 100 words in English or Chinese). 
• Indicate the topic area(s) listed earlier that fits this presentation.
• Otherwise, suggest a topic area that your presentation covers.
4. Speaker(s) information 
• Provide full contact information, including email, mailing address, telephone numbers and organization/institution of yourself and other team members.
• Include a brief resume/bio for introduction purposes (limit to 50 words in English or Chinese).
• Photo(s)
5. Technical requirements
• A notebook or desktop PC with Internet access and projection will be available in all of the presentation venues.  Please state any other technical requirements you need for the session.

For enquiries, kindly contact:
Ms. Feng Fei
eLFA2012
Peking University
No.5 Yiheyuan Road Haidian District, Beijing, P.R.China 100871
Tel: 86-10-62757027| Fax: 86-10-62758378 | eMail: fei.feng@elfasia.org

Or, alternatively

Ms. Merlyn Kwan
eLFAsia 2012
Tel: (65) 6822-8108| Fax: (65) 6822-8107 | eMail: merlyn.kwan@elfasia.org