Institute for Research on Learning Technologies

Special Interest Group (SIG)

Digital Culture and the Arts

Congratulations to IRLT's first SIG, Digital Culture and the Arts, which received a $7,500 York Seminar for Advanced Research funding award for 2007-2008. The seminar focus is Digital Dimensions: The Arts and Virtual Culture.

The seminar, co-proposed by Mary Leigh Morbey, Faculty of Education and Caitlin Fisher, Department of Film in the Faculty of Fine Arts, will bring together ten distinguished scholars from southern Ontario and Montreal universities. The scholars' research focuses on the arts and virtual culture to explore both emerging digital arts practices and the social and digital environments enabled by them. You can see an example of the SIG's work by viewing Natalia Sinitskaya's presentation on Wireless in Cyberia

Research Projects

Future Campus Future Campus is a portal for leaders in higher education who are re-thinking or re-designing teaching and learning in the 21st century. The portal has links to technology solutions from around the world, as well as teaching, learning and technology roundtables, planning resources, standards, and an extensive list of EdTech Centres.
Open VULab Open VULab is an open source software tool that researchers can use to conduct remote usability testing. What is unique about Open VULab is that researchers can record video and audio of remote users’ interactions with their computer without the need to install an application on the users’ computer. Open VULab stores the data, including audio and video, in a relational database that the researcher can query for later analysis.
Advanced Broadband Enabled Learning York University is the lead contractor of the ABEL Program, and IRLT will lead in research on the application of technology to teaching. Research on the ABEL project is aimed at transforming teaching and learning in schools. Partners include York Region District School Board and Toronto District School Board as well as many public and private sector partners.
Blended Learning for Soft Skills Development Interest in delivering blended programs is growing with the increasing desire of Canadian organizations to empower workplace learning. The focus of this project is to compare the learning impact/outcomes of four different blended learning strategies for soft-skills development. It will involve York University's Institute for Research on Learning Technologies, Schulich School of Business, and hundreds of Scotiabank employees who will be randomly assigned to parallel course offerings using different blending strategies: self-directed e-learning, a blend of classes and e-learning, a blend of coaching and e-learning, and a blend of stretch action-learning projects and e-learning. Learning impact/outcomes will be evaluated and compared using a multi-method research approach.
The COHERE Network The COHERE Network supported research by IRLT members on the evaluation of blended learning courses in eight Canadian universities. The purpose of the project is to help improve the design of this type of course. The case studies include data from Simon Fraser University, University of Calgary, University of Alberta, University of Saskatchewan, University of Manitoba, University of Waterloo, University of Guelph, York University, and Dalhousie University.
FLUID York University is a core institution in the FLUID project, which is funded by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. This ambitious international project is attempting to boost the user experience by creating a user interface architecture that is consistent, modular, re-usable, and built with inter-changeable components. top ↑
Inclusive Research Design Centre As of August 1, 2010, the Adaptive Technology Resource Centre (ATRC) has a new identity and a new home. The ATRC was renamed the Inclusive Research Design Centre (IRDC), and moved to the Ontario College of Art & Design ⇒ (OCAD). IRDC's mission is to design comprehensive tools and practices so that everyone has access to emerging information and communication systems.
Learning Connections IRLT is evaluating the implementation of the Learning Connections Program, which seeks to improve student achievement in literacy and numeracy by transforming teacher professional practice. The program will enhance and support junior lead teacher training in literacy and numeracy and will enable participants to develop their skills in collaborative professional learning while utilizing technology for communications and program implementation.
Mosaica Project Mosaica is affiliated with IRLT, and presents contemporary Jewish culture in its current form on the World Wide Web. The project examines Jewish culture in the arts, and uses the Web in particular as an interactive cultural environment. Jews have always lived in diasporas--scattered and dispersed--and this project is devoted to exploring the positive aspects of diaspora's creative and cultural promise in modern Jewish life.
Simulation and Advanced Gaming Environments Many IRLT members participate in the Simulation and Advanced Gaming Environments (SAGE) national collaborative research network, based at Simon Fraser University; Ron Owston is a domain leader for methodologies and tools research questions. SAGE researchers are exploring the potential of games, simulations, and simulation games to support learning. Other partners include Télé Université (Quebec), Dalhousie University, as well as several public and private sector organizations. top ↑