Australian Journal of Teacher Education - Issue 11 - Navigating E-Learning and Blended Learning for Pre-service Teachers: Redesigning for Engagement, Access and Efficiency

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jasmine

Nebulous combinations of face-to-face and online learning are increasingly common across Australian higher education contexts. This paper reports on part of a redesign project for an undergraduate education subject at a regional university. The redesign aimed to enhance e-learning and blended learning environments by mapping evaluation research activities to the e-learning design cycle. Using participatory action research with ongoing reflective exchange, it transforms practice and informs future e-learning and blended curriculum design.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Learning Opportunities Afforded by Emerging Technologies

Australian Journal of Teacher Education | Volume 39 | Issue 11 | Article 8 | | --- | --- | 2014 Navigating E-Learning and Blended Learning for Pre-service Teachers: Redesigning for Engagement, Access and Efficiency Philemon Chigeza James Cook University, [philemon.chigeza@jcu.edu.au](philemon.chigeza@jcu.edu.au) Kelsey Halbert James Cook University, [kelsey.halbert@jcu.edu.au](kelsey.halbert@jcu.edu.au) Recommended Citation Chigeza, P., & Halbert, K. (2014). Navigating E-Learning and Blended Learning for Pre-service Teachers: Redesigning for Engagement, Access and Efficiency. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 39 (11). [http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2014v39n11.8](http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2014v39n11.8) This Journal Article is posted at Research Online. [http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol39/iss11/8](http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol39/iss11/8) Australian Journal of Teacher Education Navigating E-Learning and Blended Learning for Pre-service Teachers: Redesigning for Engagement, Access and Efficiency Philemon Chigeza Kelsey Halbert College of Arts, Society and Education, James Cook University Abstract: Nebulous combinations of face-to-face and online learning are increasingly common across Australian higher education contexts. This paper reports on part of a redesign project of an undergraduate education subject at a regional university. The aim of the redesign was to enhance e-learning and blended learning environments. An approach that maps the evaluation research activities to the design and development cycle of e-learning tools and learning tasks was adopted (Phillips et al., 2012). The research took a participatory format involving ongoing reflective exchange with pre-service teachers with the aim of transforming practice. The article presents the context of e-learning, blended learning and drivers of curriculum renewal in teacher education at a regional institution and discusses the phases of the redesign project which adopted an action research approach. Finally the paper discusses the implications of the redesign for informing future practice and in approaching elearning and blended learning curriculum design. Background The subject ED2990: Education for Cultural Diversity is a core subject in the preservice teacher education program at James Cook University in North Queensland. The subject is offered to second year pre-service teachers at both the Cairns and Townsville campuses. The subject aims to prepare pre-service teachers with the knowledge of theories, policies, frameworks and teaching strategies to cater for culturally diverse classrooms and involves pre-service teachers confronting their understandings of their own culture and the culture of ‘others’. The subject is vital to the strategic aims of the university in catering for underserved populations in our region and is a necessity for pre-service teachers who are entering increasingly economically and culturally diverse schools in Australia. The aim of the redesign was to enhance teaching and e-learning approaches for flexible and inclusive learning, extend access and address efficiency of delivering the subject. The redesign project was funded by the National Center for Academic Transformation, the LH Martin Institute and James Cook University. The contemporary teaching and learning approaches were informed by The National Center for Academic Transformation (NCAT) Models for Online Learning (2003) 1. An evaluation of the impact of the redesign on the learning outcomes was achieved by comparing pre-service teachers’ performance and achievement in the traditional format in 2011 and redesigned subject formats in 2012 and 2013. Phillips, Kennedy and McNaught (2012) suggest the use of the term ‘evaluation 1 NCAT is based in the USA and has developed its redesign methodology and a number of resources from more than 120 large-scale course redesigns. [http://www.theNCAT.org/R2R/R2R_Planning_Resources.htm](http://www.th

FAQs

What was the goal of the subject redesign for pre-service teachers?

The redesign aimed to enhance teaching and e-learning approaches for flexible and inclusive learning, extend access, and improve efficiency in delivering the subject.

Which research approach guided the redesign activities?

The project adopted an action research approach using a participatory format with ongoing reflective exchange with pre-service teachers.

How did the redesign evaluate changes in learning outcomes?

Learning outcomes were assessed by comparing pre-service teachers’ performance in the traditional format in 2011 with redesigned subject formats in 2012 and 2013.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jasmine