Technology Options and Affordances for Learning and Teaching Online

The following table comprises technology options and their affordances for learning and teaching online. It includes a brief introductory statement and highlights the particular educational application of the tool according to the following legend:

L-C: Learner-content engagement
L-T: Learner-teacher engagement
L-L: Learner-learner engagement
L-E: Learner engagement with the learning environment
L-A: Learner engagement with assessment activities
L-F: Learner engagement with feedback
L-I: Learner engagement with the institution

TOOL	DESCRIPTION	EDUCATIONAL APPLICATIONS
TOOL	DESCRIPTION	L-C	L-T	L-L	L-E	L-F	L-A	L-I
Moodle	Serves as the University’s learning management system - all USP courses have a Moodle presence. Academic staff moderate each Moodle course by uploading course material and creating discussion forums around these and setting various assessment activities like online quizzes, tests etc. Students interact with the material and academic staff by logging into Moodle and completing the prescribed learning activities.	√	√	√	√	√	√	√
Mahara	USP’s e-portfolio tool where a digital record of a student’s progression through online learning – such as essays, artwork or other such things students produce are stored digitally and evaluated by teachers for the assessment of learning outcomes.	√	√			√	√	√
Turnitin	This is the text matching technology that has been integrated into Moodle and used to detect cases of potential breaches of academic integrity in student submissions.				√	√	√	√
Lecture Capture	Is the system that automatically records face to face lectures from designated USP lecture theatres and makes these available for student review through Moodle. USP Lecture Capture is made up of 2 complementary technologies: Opencast – is the free, open-source software for automated video capture, processing, managing, and distribution. Extronn – is the audio-visual technology used in the lecture rooms to capture the lecture theatre interaction. There are several other technologies, like BBB and Zoom that are being investigated, that will also allow recording from offsite locations.	√	√		√			√
Big Blue Button	This is an open-source web-conferencing system that enables students to connect and communicate with staff and student peers from various locations. BBB is integrated into Moodle and has been trialled over a few semesters as a tutoring support tool for certain courses. BBB is also being trialled currently to allow lecturers to record lectures from off-campus locations.	√	√	√	√	√		√
Zoom	Currently USP’s premium video-conferencing system for USP administration meetings with parties participating both from within the USP network and essentially anywhere else on the internet. Zoom has also been trialled over a few semesters by IT Services as a supplementary video-conferencing tool for certain courses. Research is being conducted into the Zoom webinar tool for mass online lectures and also its possible integration into Opencast and Moodle.	√	√	√	√	√		√
REACT	Is USP’s current primary videoconferencing tool for the live delivery of USP lectures to USP regional campuses. REACT’s particular advantage is its bandwidth efficiency across USP’s satellite network compared to other technologies – which increases as the number of participants increases.	√	√	√	√	√		√
Alfresco	Open source, modern and secure system that intelligently activates process and content to accelerate the flow of business particularly around document management.
Edu-sharing	Drives a growing OER repository for the Pacific region.

Readiness Summary

Technology	Educational Function	Implementation Considerations
USP Institution-Wide Tools currently in use
Moodle	Core online learning platform	Primary focus of all USP ICT Online Learning & Teaching Strategy. Projected increased loading on core systems infrastructure – this is mitigated by scalable resource allocation and available capacity for expansion.
Mahara	E-portfolio platform	As above.
Turnitin	Text matching/Plagiarism Tool	As above.
Lecture Capture	Live lecture recording, storage and publication through Moodle	Currently lectures recorded from selected venues equipped with AV technology. Extension of recording through BBB is currently being developed.
REACT	Regional satellite tutorial recording system	Currently available mainly to regional campuses. Further extension to other locations/uses requires installation of a software client.
Zoom	Video-conferencing for USP administration meetings	Licensing constraints – mitigated through prior procurement and budgeting. Extension to be used for use Lecture recording, Web-Conferencing/Webinar functionality – under research & development.
Tools currently under Trials with selected Courses/Audiences
BigBlueButton	Web-conferencing system Video recording lectures	Successfully trialed as a tutorial support tool and being investigated as a possible lecture Video-Recording technology. User manuals and workshops being prepared and conducted through CFL. Technical integration issues being addressed by ITS/CFL development teams.
Tools currently under R&D – being used sporadically in USP ICT environment for L&T purposes
Edu-sharing (OER)	OER repository for the Pacific region	None
DMS (Alfresco)	Document management	Internal only
Google - YouTube	Video management and hosting	Bandwidth
Google Drive & Docs	Document management	IP & backup. Storage of Google Docs for collaboration or resource provision won’t be accessible.
Dropbox	Document management	IP & backup. Storage of Dropbox for collaboration or resource provision won’t be accessible.
Perusall	Collaborative online reading application	None
Tools Available – but not currently researched for deployment within USP’s ICT environment
Facebook Suite (includes Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger)		Support & possible integration
Twitter		Support & possible integration
Other Social Media:	Snapchat, Reddit, Tumblr, Pinterest, Slack, Twitch, Discord.	Support & possible integration


Centre for Flexible Learning (CFL)