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"First portal in a storm": A virtual space for transition students

Nelson, Karen J. and Kift, Sally M. and Harper, Wendy E. (2005) "First portal in a storm": A virtual space for transition students. In Proceedings ASCILITE 2005, pages pp. 509-517, QUT, Brisbane, Queensland.

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Abstract

The lives of millennial students are epitomised by ubiquitous information, merged technologies, blurred social-study-work boundaries, multitasking and hyperlinked online interactions (Oblinger & Oblinger, 2005). These characteristics have implications for the design of online spaces that aim to provide virtual access to course materials, administrative processes and support information, all of which is required by students to steer a course through the storm of their transition university experience. Previously we summarised the challenges facing first year students (Kift & Nelson, 2005) and investigated their current online engagement patterns, which revealed three issues for consideration when designing virtual spaces (Nelson, Kift & Harper, 2005). In this paper we continue our examination of students’ interactions with online spaces by considering the perceptions and use of technology by millennial students as well as projections for managing the virtual learning environments of the future. The findings from this analysis are informed by our previous work to conceptualise and describe the architecture of a transition portal.

Item Type:Conference Paper
RM Number:2006002919
Status:Published
Keywords:Virtual learning environment; Transition; Online engagement patterns; Transition portal; Millennial students; Enhancing Transition; Communication preferences
Subjects:Subjects UNSPECIFIED
ID Code:3943
Deposited By:Creagh, Tracy
Deposited On:21 April 2006
Alternative Locations:http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/brisbane05/proceedings.shtml
Copyright Owner:Copyright 2005 (please consult author)
Copyright Statement:The contents of this conference can be freely accessed online via the organisation's web page (see link).