‘new and extra ordinary insights’ at ELESIG

I asked some ELESIG members to provide me with some words that summed up their experience of being a member of this group for some flyers we are producing. There isn’t room on the flyers for all the comments so I thought I would post them here. I think they speak for themselves.

“I love ELESIG as it provides fascinating learning opportunities and academic network in my early higher educational career. The video shared in the 1st ELESIG event-A Vision of Students Today strikes me to my core from today learner perspective! There are also various interesting learners’ projects shared across the members’ corner as well as on the Ning site. The best parts of ELESIG are the scholarly debates and group discussion during the f2f events, and the informal chat over the lunch time – I have experienced something new and extra ordinary insights that have challenged my preconceptions about digital literacy and learners’ experience through ELESIG.”  

Esyin Chew 
Senior Lecturer in Technology Enhanced Learning, Teaching & Assessment 
Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT)

For me, ELESIG is the working group with great potential for changes in higher (and other) education system as it works with learners’ perspective – this is not as usual as it should be! ICT provides (still not fully discovered) opportunities for democratization of the educational system, using learner-oriented approaches, support of (teacher-learner and learner-learner) communication etc. Thus, ICT could have undoubtedly great positive impact on the quality of learning process which cannot be proved without reflection through research in practice of e-learning. At the same time, this research cannot be oriented on traditional learning outcomes that could be measured as ”knowledge” – e-learning brings many positive (and also some negative) side-effects. Access to this research (and meta-research, researching the ways of research itself) is available through ELESIG work – often providing free methodological and other resources. Thanks for opportunity to be part of it (even as a little bit distant member)!

Dr. Jana Dlouha, PhD.
Charles University Environment Center
Czech Republic

‘The online NING network for ELESIG has been an excellent way to keep in touch ‘virtually’ with other researchers into the Student Experience and to be inspired by examples of innovative practice. I have found the informal group meetings around the country to be a really good way to hear from other researchers into student experiences of e-learning. They offer an additional opportunity outside the major conferences to exchange the latest research ideas and findings.’

Amanda Jefferies
Principal Lecturer/University Teaching Fellow
Blended Learning Unit
University of Hertfordshire

Attending the ELESIG face to face impact events has been invaluable for me.
The opportunity to meet other people, share problems and progress and come away inspired and motivated is fantastic.

Head of Learner Development and Student Engagement
Learner Development Unit
University of Bradford

This was a great forum for presenting our (digital literacies) research – a focused, well-informed and generous group of people who gave us excellent feedback on our project.

Helen Beetham, independent consultant