home

=**Sebbowa Dorothy 's E-Portfolio** = =**Welcome to my e-Portfolio home page** =

=**This e-portfolio gives the background and theoretical underpinnings of the prototype online learning design:** Using webquests in History education based on the Integrative Learning Design Framework model(Dabbagh and Bannan-Ritland,2005). =

=**Personal background** = ==My name is Sebbowa Dorothy,I am employed as a teacher trainer in the History unit, School of Education (SOE) Makerere University(MU), Uganda. I hold a Masters of Education degree in Social Sciences and Arts Education and a Bachelor of Arts with Education degree all obtained from MU. I facilitate undergraduate courses and Post Graduate Diploma courses for students offering history methods as one of the course units at SOE, MU. ==

==I have taught at MU,SOE for a period of eight years(first as a part-time lecturer in 2004 and later as a full-time lecturer 2009). However, over the years i have developed a lot of interest in embracing the integration of Information and Communication Technologies(ICT) in teaching and learning at the University. For this reason, I have participated in a number of training sessions and projects aimed at facilitating the integration of E-learning in the teaching and learning at Makerere University. For example, I participated in the creation and editing of Open Educational Resources(OER) for the E-Learning and Teacher Education Project(ELATE) accessible on [|www.elateafrica.org]. The ELATE project began in May,2007, was hosted by the SOE,MU in collaboration with the Open University UK under the sponsorship of British Council.Due to inability to sustain the project ended in May 2009 and its members have since then been looking out for funding. I also participated in the Advanced International Training Programme on Education for Sustainable Development(ESD) in formal Education at Howick, South Africa November 16-28 ,2008.The knowledge acquired from the training enabled me develop a guide for a change project, Using Information and Communication Technology in teaching and learning to enhance Education for Sustainable development at MU.The purpose of the guide was to increase ICT use and awareness among the practicing lecturers at the University.This was done through providing refresher courses and training workshops so as to enable lecturers obtain abilities and skills to adequately integrate ICT in daily work(teaching and learning). This guide suits the University's ICT policy objective of equipping staff and students with ICT skills. ==

==At MU the ICT policy was put in place with a vision to provide University wide access to the utilization of ICT. And also to promote ubiquitous and equitable access to ICT resources for students and staff. The ICT policy further emphasized the need to leverage faculty and unit effectiveness by using ICT in instruction,learning and University wide research(Makerere University Education Technology Strategy, 2010). In correspondence with the above ICT policy, the University set up ICT infrastructure; a broad band fibre optic infrastructure that provides high speed connectivity to the intranet and internet was established, a campus wide wireless network was put in place and also e-learning laboratories were set up in the 11 faculties(currently transformed in to seven colleges). Further still,the Makerere University E-learning Unit(MUELE) accessible on [] was set up to enable staff and students obtain online content and interactive learning activities. MUELE adopted the use of moodle as an open source accessible on [|http://moodle.mak.ac.ug]as its Learning Management System(LMS) because of its ease of sustainability. Many lecturers in the University especially from the School of Computing and Informatics Technology(CIT) and School of Education have used the LMS for content delivery, communication and collaboration which has enabled learners to become active participants in the learning process. ==

==Concurrently,several units in the University are mandated to ensure that ICT trainings and services are made available to all students and staff. For example the School of Computing and Informatics Technology(CIT) linked [] offers various trainings on integrating ICTS in teaching and learning. And also the Directorate of ICT support(DICTS) provides expert services and guidance on ICT to all academic and administrative units of the University.However, though much has been done on embracing ICT in different units of the University, it has not been fully integrated in the teaching and learning process at my faculty; School of Education, History Education unit. This has been hindered by a number of challenges;some lecturers are still pegged on the traditional way of content delivery(lecture method), there is limited interaction between the lecturers and students caused by large class sizes. Many lecturers have tried to integrate e-learning in their teaching and learning through obtaining information from the internet and using it in the pedagogical process. Critical is the ability to find the desired information among the vast amount of information available on the internet, the ability to integrate information coming from multiple sources, and the ability to effectively use this information to solve problems(Leu&Kinzer,2000 cited in Segers&Verhoeven,2009:423). Further still,lecturers often search the web for hours and become frustrated with the quantity of resources and the time needed to actually identify the best sites to use with students in a lesson for a particular unit(National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers...,2002). ==

==This e-portfolio argues and demonstrates theoretical assumptions of using a prototype webquest, Using webquests in History education  as an intervention and focus to student learning, improving lecturer-student interaction and also limiting the time needed for carrying out an internet search. ==

=Overview of my e-portfolio = ==The structure of my e-portfolio is arranged according to the Integrative Learning Design Framework(ILDF) with three systematic phases:Exploration,Enactment and Evaluation(Dabbagh and Bannan-Ritland model;2005:114).The e-portfolio is iterative and interactive in nature with links,texts and tables explaining the use of the prototype webquest online intervention. This e-portfolio includes; == ==<span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">The Exploration phase, this provides an illustration of different sections: context of the learning activity,content covered, and lecturers. These provide background information on the training setting in the history education unit,SOE,MUK which informed the design process of the prototype webquest.The activities in the exploration stage then determine and inform what happens in the enactment phase. == ==<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">The Enactment phase, provides an illustration of the pedagogical strategies adopted, affordances of selected ICT tools and the adoption of a webquest as an ICT tool. This phase then provides a base for an evaluation of the prototype webquest. == ==<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">The Evaluation phase, demonstrates the worth of carrying out the prototype webquest activity highlighting the strengths, weaknesses and possible solutions to the weaknesses. This phase includes a section on the evaluation plan,Data collection and Analysis and also a section on the ==

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;"> conclusion.
==<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">I also found it worth including a <span style="font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Reflection phase where i would provide the reader with my experience of developing an e-portfolio and a webquest prototype online activity.This phase includes a section on the opportunities/ lessons learnt, challenges and also provides possible suggestions to improve the webquest prototype design. ==

==<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Segers, E & Verhoeven, L(2009) Learning in a sheltered internet environment: The use of WebQuests, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University ==

<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Makerere University Education Technology strategy,2010.
==<span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers -preparing to use Technology,(2002) International Society for Technology in Education,ISTE. ==