International Pockets of Innovation

Ground-Breaking Practices in Online Learning From Educators

The International Pockets of Innovation series showcases a broad range of examples of best practices in online learning from faculty and instructors in higher education around the world, including Ireland, Norway, France, Iceland, Spain, Italy, US, Israel, Costa Rica, Scotland, England, Sweden and Germany, with more added each month. These descriptions highlight models and resources that can be adapted in many educational settings to improve student success in online, blended, and technology-enhanced learning.

In this growing series, Contact North | Contact Nord features projects with three specific characteristics:

They represent a new approach.
They support students.
The developers are prepared to share their innovations, the challenges they encountered and what they learned with public colleges and universities in Ontario, as well as colleagues around the world.

This international series complements Contact North | Contact Nord’s Pockets of Innovation Series with 135 examples of how innovative educators in Ontario’s public colleges and public universities are using online learning to provide engaging learning experiences for students as well as the Cross Canada series with examples from Canada, outside of Ontario.

Tracking Student Responses to the Introduction of Mobile Learning at the Open University of Hong Kong
The Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK), established in 1989, has about 9,000 full-time, face-to-face students who are mainly recent secondary school graduates and about 8,000 part-time, distance students of whom the majority are working adults.
Providing Information Literacy Training Online for Master’s Degree Students at Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) in The Netherlands is a partnership between Wageningen University and Wageningen Research Foundation, which consists of 10 specialized research institutes. It serves 11,500 students in branches all over The Netherlands and abroad, with most lecturers,...
Developing a Gaming Toolbox for Increased Learner Engagement at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland
About four years ago, Jacqueline Gasser-Beck, Head of the Teaching Innovation Lab at University of St. Gallen in St. Gallen, Switzerland, was discussing trends in education and technology with university faculty. The topic of gamification sparked interest, especially from Professor Martin Eling in...
Learn STEM: Improving Learning and Teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics through Collaborative Development of Pedagogical Models, Tools and Teacher Training Led by the Open University of the Netherlands
In November 2017, Learn STEM launched with the goal of strengthening the capacity of secondary school students to develop skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through innovative and interactive pedagogical methods and approaches. A multi-national, multi-disciplinary...
Development and Implementation of Faculty Training Opportunities for Online Learning at FernUniversität, Germany
FernUniversität in Hagen, Germany is a public distance education university using quality-assured distance teaching to offer bachelor, master’s and doctoral degree programs, as well as numerous certificates and open access studies. Five faculties offer a wide range of subjects, from humanities and...
A Unique Television Series Becomes Three Online Learning Experiences from Erasmus University Rotterdam, Delft University of Technology and Leiden University in The Netherlands
In 2016, Dutch public broadcaster VPRO invited representatives from Erasmus University Rotterdam, Leiden University, Delft University of Technology, UNESCO and newspapers in The Netherlands to attend the launch of a unique television production. The series, The Mind of the Universe, features...
The Transformational Change Program at Open Polytechnic New Zealand
As described by Alan Cadwallader, Executive Director of Learning Delivery at Open Polytechnic New Zealand (OPNZ), it was essential for the Open Polytechnic to transition to the digital age as a natural extension of its extensive experience with correspondence education. OPNZ provides vocational...
Quality and Design for Open Education and Massive Open Online Courses: Collaborative Research Coordinated by the Open University of the Netherlands
Many educational institutions in Europe develop and offer open education and, in particular, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) as strategies for extending their reach, enticing students to enrol in the university, offering learning opportunities in their national languages to international...
Projects with Multiple Uses: Micro-Credentials for Undergraduate and Graduate Students and Support Courses for Online and On-Campus Graduate Students at the University of Leeds, England
The Digital Education Service (DES) at the University of Leeds in England is a core service for online education across the institution, adding value to blended learning for on-campus students and designing and delivering online courses for a wide range of external students and learners. In 2013,...
Improving Quality for Students and Faculty through Implementation of a New Learning Management System at the Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
The Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in the Netherlands recognized it needed a new learning management system (LMS) for its on-campus and online courses to replace the one it had been using since 1999. TU Delft is a campus-based university specializing in engineering, science and design...

International Pockets of Innovation

Ground-Breaking Practices in Online Learning From Educators

Tracking Student Responses to the Introduction of Mobile Learning at the Open University of Hong Kong

Providing Information Literacy Training Online for Master’s Degree Students at Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands

Developing a Gaming Toolbox for Increased Learner Engagement at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland

Learn STEM: Improving Learning and Teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics through Collaborative Development of Pedagogical Models, Tools and Teacher Training Led by the Open University of the Netherlands

Development and Implementation of Faculty Training Opportunities for Online Learning at FernUniversität, Germany

A Unique Television Series Becomes Three Online Learning Experiences from Erasmus University Rotterdam, Delft University of Technology and Leiden University in The Netherlands

The Transformational Change Program at Open Polytechnic New Zealand

Quality and Design for Open Education and Massive Open Online Courses: Collaborative Research Coordinated by the Open University of the Netherlands

Projects with Multiple Uses: Micro-Credentials for Undergraduate and Graduate Students and Support Courses for Online and On-Campus Graduate Students at the University of Leeds, England

Improving Quality for Students and Faculty through Implementation of a New Learning Management System at the Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands

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