Papers by Jenny Mackness (Retired)
We investigated how participants associated with each other and developed community in a Massive ... more We investigated how participants associated with each other and developed community in a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) about Rhizomatic Learning (Rhizo14). We compared learner experiences in two social networking sites (SNSs), Facebook and Twitter. Our combination of thematic analysis of qualitative survey data with analysis of participant observation, activity data, archives and visualisa-tion of SNS data enabled us to reach a deeper understanding of participant perspectives and explore SNS use. Community was present in the course title and understood differently by participants. In the absence of explanation or discussion about community early in the MOOC, a controversy between participants about course expectations emerged that created oppositional discourse. Fall off in activity in MOOCs is common and was evident in Rhizo14. As the course progressed, fewer participants were active in Facebook and some participants reported feelings of exclusion. Despite this, activity in Facebook increased overall. The top 10 most active participants were responsible for 47% of total activity. In the Rhizo14 MOOC, both community and curriculum were expected to emerge within the course. We suggest that there are tensions and even contradictions between 'Community Is the Curriculum' and Deleuze and Guattari's principles of the rhizome, mainly focussed on an absence of heterogeneity. These tensions may be exacerbated by SNSs that use algorithmic streams. We propose the use of networking approaches that enable negotiation and exchange to encourage heterogeneity rather than emergent definition of community.
Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 2016
Deleuze and Guattari’s principles of the rhizome were used to inform the design of a massive open... more Deleuze and Guattari’s principles of the rhizome were used to inform the design of a massive open online course (MOOC), Rhizomatic Learning: The Community is the Curriculum, which came to be known as Rhizo14. In a previous paper about learner experiences in this course our reported findings from a qualitative survey (which enabled anonymous responses) raised concerns about the ethics of using experimental pedagogies in designing MOOCs. In this paper, we continue this research and report learners’ understandings of the rhizome as applied in Rhizo14, from what participants have told us in email interviews and from our own reflections on participation in the course. Our findings reveal that many participants could relate to and welcomed the anti-authoritarian, antihierarchical characteristics of the rhizome, but that knowledge and understanding of Deleuze and Guattari’s conceptual principles of the rhizome was more difficult. Lack of engagement with theory and lack of appreciation of the incompleteness and complexities of the rhizome metaphor can result in negative consequences, such as imbalances in power relations and increased vulnerability for some learners.
ABSTRACT In an integrated view of perception and action, learning involves all the senses, their ... more ABSTRACT In an integrated view of perception and action, learning involves all the senses, their interaction and cross-modality, rather than multi-modality alone. This can be referred to as synaesthetic enactive perception, which forms the basis for more abstract, modality-free knowledge and a potential underpinning for innovative learning design. The authors explore this mode of learning in two case studies: The first focuses on children in Montessori preschools and the second on MEDIATE, an interactive space designed for children on the autistic spectrum that offers a “whole-body” engagement with the world.
International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning
It is ironic that the management of education has become more closed while learning has become mo... more It is ironic that the management of education has become more closed while learning has become more open, particularly over the past 10-20 years. The curriculum has become more instrumental, predictive, standardized, and micro-managed in the belief that this supports employability as well as the management of educational processes, resources, and value. Meanwhile, people have embraced interactive, participatory, collaborative, and innovative networks for living and learning. To respond to these challenges, we need to develop practical tools to help us describe these new forms of learning which are multivariate, self-organised, complex, adaptive, and unpredictable. We draw on complexity theory and our experience as researchers, designers, and participants in open and interactive learning to go beyond conventional approaches. We develop a 3D model of landscapes of learning for exploring the relationship between prescribed and emergent learning in any given curriculum. We do this by re...
This case study explored learner participation in First Steps in Learning and Teaching in Higher ... more This case study explored learner participation in First Steps in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (FSLT12), a short massive open online course (MOOC) aimed at introducing learning and teaching in higher education that was offered by Oxford Brookes University in June 2012. Both novice and experienced MOOC learners joined the course. The aim of the case study was to explore triggers for active participation. A mixed-methods approach was utilized in order to collect and analyze data from focus groups, individual interviews, participant blog posts, and a survey. The lenses of social constructivism, connectivism, and community of practice theories were used to enhance understanding of participation in FSLT12. Three main themes emerged: (1) Navigation: New participants felt overwhelmed by technical issues, multiple channels, and a perceived need to multitask, while experienced learners were judicious about planning their route; (2) Transformative learning: Ultimately, learners ex...
This paper is situated within the paradigm of open, emergent learning, which exploits the full ra... more This paper is situated within the paradigm of open, emergent learning, which exploits the full range of social and interactive media, and enables independent initiative and creativity. Open, emergent environments change the way we experience learning, and this has implica-tions for the way we design and manage learning spaces, and describe and analyse them. This paper explores the ways we have engaged with these issues, as participants, design-ers, researchers, and as facilitators, and how we have reflected on, visualized, shared, and valued the rich dynamics of collaborative discovery. In particular, we explore how emergent learning can be enabled by using uncertain probes rather than predictable outcomes, by em-phasizing tacit rather than explicit reflection, and by seeking ways to give the learners back a real voice in a collaborative conversation about the value of learning and teaching.
Leonardo, 2014
ABSTRACT In an integrated view of perception and action, learning involves all the senses, their ... more ABSTRACT In an integrated view of perception and action, learning involves all the senses, their interaction and cross-modality, rather than multi-modality alone. This can be referred to as synaesthetic enactive perception, which forms the basis for more abstract, modality-free knowledge and a potential underpinning for innovative learning design. The authors explore this mode of learning in two case studies: The first focuses on children in Montessori preschools and the second on MEDIATE, an interactive space designed for children on the autistic spectrum that offers a “whole-body” engagement with the world.
… Review of Research in Open and …, 2011
This paper describes emergent learning and situates it within learning networks and systems and t... more This paper describes emergent learning and situates it within learning networks and systems and the broader learning ecology of Web 2.0. It describes the nature of emergence and emergent learning and the conditions that enable emergent, self-organised learning to occur and to ...
Seventh International Conference on …, 2010
Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Networked Learning 2010, Edited by: Dirckinck-... more Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Networked Learning 2010, Edited by: Dirckinck-Holmfeld L, Hodgson V, Jones C, de Laat M, McConnell D & Ryberg T ... Blogs and Forums as Communication and Learning Tools ... Sui Fai John Mak, Roy Williams, Jenny ...
The authors present findings from the first stage of research into a “home-grown” connectivist MO... more The authors present findings from the first stage of research into a “home-grown” connectivist MOOC,
Rhizomatic Learning: The Community is the Curriculum (Rhizo14). We compare the surface view of the MOOC
that has been presented in a range of open blog posts and articles with the view from beneath the surface
that we have found in data we have collected (some anonymously). Our analysis reveals a positive, even
transformative, experience for many participants on the one hand, but some more negative experiences and
outcomes for other participants. These findings highlight the need for further research on the ethical implications
of pedagogical experimentation, interrelated processes of community and curriculum formation, the role of
the MOOC convener, and learner experiences within MOOC communities. In this paper we report on the
alternative experiences of Rhizo14 participants and identify issues that we will explore in deeper analysis in
forthcoming publications.
ABSTRACT This presentation explores the relationship between involuntary synaesthetic perception,... more ABSTRACT This presentation explores the relationship between involuntary synaesthetic perception, and creative synaesthetic ability, analysing the examples of the Montessori preschool, and the MEDIATE interactive installation for young people on the Autistic Spectrum. It links this to notions of embodied learning, and to some tentative ideas on 'intuitve', symbolic, and intuitive-symbolic perceptive action. (See the slideshare presentation here: http://www.slideshare.net/dustcube/sterling201210.
Seventh International Conference on …, 2010
The International Review of Research in Open and Distant Learning, 2013
"Despite the increase in massive open online courses (MOOCs), evidence about the pedagogy of... more "Despite the increase in massive open online courses (MOOCs), evidence about the pedagogy of learning in MOOCs remains limited. This paper reports on an investigation into the pedagogy in one MOOC - Oxford Brookes University’s ‘First Steps in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education’ MOOC (FSLT12). FSLT12 was an open and free professional development opportunity for people moving into HE teaching. It was a small course (200 participants registered from 24 countries) which was focused on introducing HE teaching skills, and, uniquely, to deliberately integrate open academic practice as a vital part of professional development for HE teachers. A qualitative, case-study approach was used in the research, based on surveys, interviews, and social media, to provide evidence about how people learned in this course and consider wider implications for teaching and learning in higher education. The evidence shows that participants who completed the course were able to learn autonomously and navigate the distributed platforms and environments. The most challenging issues were acceptance of open academic practice and difficulty in establishing an academic identity in an unpredictable virtual environment. An interesting and significant feature of the course was the support for learners from a number of MOOC ‘veterans’ who served as role models and guides for less experienced MOOC learners. The research shows that small task-oriented MOOCs can effectively support professional development of open academic practice.""
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Papers by Jenny Mackness (Retired)
Rhizomatic Learning: The Community is the Curriculum (Rhizo14). We compare the surface view of the MOOC
that has been presented in a range of open blog posts and articles with the view from beneath the surface
that we have found in data we have collected (some anonymously). Our analysis reveals a positive, even
transformative, experience for many participants on the one hand, but some more negative experiences and
outcomes for other participants. These findings highlight the need for further research on the ethical implications
of pedagogical experimentation, interrelated processes of community and curriculum formation, the role of
the MOOC convener, and learner experiences within MOOC communities. In this paper we report on the
alternative experiences of Rhizo14 participants and identify issues that we will explore in deeper analysis in
forthcoming publications.
Rhizomatic Learning: The Community is the Curriculum (Rhizo14). We compare the surface view of the MOOC
that has been presented in a range of open blog posts and articles with the view from beneath the surface
that we have found in data we have collected (some anonymously). Our analysis reveals a positive, even
transformative, experience for many participants on the one hand, but some more negative experiences and
outcomes for other participants. These findings highlight the need for further research on the ethical implications
of pedagogical experimentation, interrelated processes of community and curriculum formation, the role of
the MOOC convener, and learner experiences within MOOC communities. In this paper we report on the
alternative experiences of Rhizo14 participants and identify issues that we will explore in deeper analysis in
forthcoming publications.
I have published 21 peer-reviewed works that have been cited by many other researchers in the field. These works contribute to an understanding of the theory and practice of MOOC pedagogy, individual participants’ learning experiences in MOOCs and the roles of teachers in facilitating these experiences. This has led to the development of a multi-dimensional framework (known as ‘Footprints of Emergence’), which takes a holistic approach to reflecting on and evaluating open learning. This unique framework, has been used in the UK, Europe, the USA and Canada to explore the design of open learning environments and to elicit and make explicit tacit understandings of individual learning experiences, positioning such experiences on a spectrum between prescribed and emergent learning.
My work has been collaborative, open and emergent. The research has drawn on social learning theory and connectivism to conduct empirical research into MOOCs. The research findings highlight the diversity of participants in MOOCs and their vulnerability to imbalances of power relations, which can lead to isolation and exclusion, particularly in the absence of sound ethical teaching and learning practices. This is significant because MOOCs can be experienced as liminal spaces in which participants can have transformational learning experiences. I propose that a new perspective on the balance between structure and agency to support these transformational experiences is required. The Footprints of Emergence framework is suggested as a useful tool for determining what an appropriate balance might be.
This research has implications for the methods used for investigating learning experiences in cMOOCs, the design of these MOOCs and the changing roles of teachers, learners and researchers in these environments. The research suggests that innovative methods and frameworks are needed for cMOOC research, that the design of cMOOCs should take greater account of the complexity of open environments, that new responsibilities are required of teachers and that a fresh perspective is needed on the ethics of teaching and learning in MOOCs.