Conference Programme 2011

University of Chichester Learning and Teaching Conference 2011 Tuesday 24th May

Adding VaLuE: From Surface to Deep Learning Using VLEs

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Welcome The aim of this swap-shop is to showcase examples of where VLEs have been used to enhance the quality of learning and teaching, and the wider student experience. The swap-shop is not specifically focused on e-learning, and it is the intention to highlight a broad range of examples of where VLEs and related technologies have supported and enhanced different approaches to learning and teaching.

Key Note Speaker Professor Peter Hartley Peter Hartley is a National Teaching Fellow (NTFS) and, most recently, Professor of Education Development

and Head of the Centre for Educational Development at Bradford University. In this role, he worked towards a more collaborative approach to the University Learning and Teaching Strategy, and played a major role in

successful external bids (including 5 JISC-funded projects, 2 collaborative HEFCE Centres for Excellence in

Teaching and Learning (CETLs), 2 TechDis projects, 2 NTFS group projects, and Higher Education Academy (HEA) initiatives such as Pathfinder and Inclusive Practice). He led three JISC projects which finished in 2009: ASEL (focusing on use of audio and Web 2.0 in areas such as assessment feedback), ELP2 (looking

at social networking with a wide range of student groups) and ITS4EA (establishing a facility and procedures for effective computer-aided assessment using Thin Client Technology). Peter’s career has included over

40 years’ teaching experience in Higher Education at all levels (from pre-degree through to postgraduate taught and research) and in many subject areas. During this time he has planned/delivered a wide range of innovative curricula, and been involved in related curriculum evaluation.

Session Abstract The keynote presentation will start by exploring the proposition that modern computer technologies provide

new opportunities to transform student learning. I will argue that developments in both hardware and software enable new methods of teaching and assessment which were either not possible or not practical only a few years ago. As a result, educational institutions must support their teaching staff to explore and pilot

new methods. We must also recognise that many (if not most) students are not ‘digital natives’ in terms of

educational applications – they may well use a rich variety of computing technologies in their social lives but they need support to ‘translate’ this fluency into sound educational practice. Of course, many students and staff now own or have access to mobile devices, offering further opportunities for more flexible learning. The intelligent use of new technology allows new flexibility in curriculum design and delivery, access to an ever-

increasing range of good educational resources, and more flexible assessment and feedback opportunities for learners. The technology can be relatively inexpensive or even ‘free’.

The potential of this technology depends upon appropriate institutional support and systems and we must also recognise and deal with problems of access and accessibility. But none of these examples depend upon a VLE. And so this raises the question - what is the function of the modern VLE? Is it an essential component

of the e-learning landscape or is it a historical stepping stone on the way to more open educational support?

I will conclude by arguing that a major obstacle to educational progress is the way that our institutions

conceptualise and manage their use of technology. If we build elaborate closed educational and administrative systems which effectively increase student dependence then we are doing those students a massive disservice. To prepare our students for the realities of an increasingly competitive global society, we must

use the technology to consciously develop and improve their creativity and independence. As presently conceptualized and implemented, the VLE may not be the best tool to achieve this.

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University of Chichester

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Programme Outline 9.15am

Coffee and Registration Venue: Cloisters

9.45am

Welcome and Introduction Venue: Mitre Lecture Theatre (MLT)

10.00am

Key Note Speaker

Supporting Student Learning with Your VLE: Part of the Solution or Part

of the Problem?

10.45am Session 1 Venues:

Strand 1 - Mitre Lecture Theatre (MLT)

Strand 2 - LO6

12.00pm Lunch

Venue: Cloisters 1.00pm Session 2 Venues:

Strand 1 - Mitre Lecture Theatre (MLT)

Strand 2 - LO6

2.15pm Refreshments

Venue: Cloisters

2.40pm Session 3 Venues:

Strand 1 - Mitre Lecture Theatre (MLT)

Strand 2 - LO6

3.40pm Moodle Research Update and Where Next

Venue: Mitre Lecture Theatre (MLT) 4.00pm

Close

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Session Itinerary Session 1: Time:

10.50am to 11.10am

Strand 1 (MLT):

Adding Value to Enterprise: From VLEs to Paper and Post-its and Back Again

Strand 2 (LO6):

Journey Through the Mist and Blog

Time:

11.15am to 11.35am

Strand 1 (MLT):

On Line Submission Using ‘Turn it In’: A Learning Tool, A New Way of Meeting Student Needs or Just a Way to Catch Cheats?

Strand 2 (LO6):

Exploring and Refining Uses of Moodle in Creative and Critical Courses

Time

11.40am to 12.00pm

Strand 1 (MLT):

Integrating Podcast Technology Effectively into Student Learning: A Role for a VLE in Supporting Social Constructivist Learning?

Strand 2 (LO6):

Online Employability Workshops: Local Or Global?

Session 2:

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Time:

1.05pm to 1.25pm

Strand 1 (MLT):

Innovative Applications of ePortfolio

Strand 2 (LO6):

Enter the Maze

Time:

1.30pm to 1.50pm

Strand 1 (MLT):

Using Multimedia to Communicate Marketing Principles to a Large Diverse Cohort

Strand 2 (LO6):

Bringing Learning To Life: E-learning, VLEs and the Therapeutic Conversation

Time:

1.55pm to 2.15pm

Strand 1 (MLT):

Prezi-Pedagogy!

Strand 2 (LO6):

Embedding Blended Learning into Mainstream Higher Education: Dilemmas and Developments

Strand 3 (E124):

Personal Learning Spaces for Work-Based Learners

University of Chichester

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Session 3: Time:

2.45pm to 3.05pm

Strand 1 (MLT):

Promoting Understanding Through Podcasts and Student Seminars

Strand 2 (LO6):

A Space for Autonomous and Constructivist Learning: Using Online Discussion Boards to Enhance Students’ Understanding of Global Climate Change

Time:

3.10pm to 3.30pm

Strand 1 (MLT):

VLEs – Hit or Myth

Strand 2 (LO6):

Incorporating Live Video Tutorials into an e-Learning Course

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Session 1: Strand 1 Venue:

Mitre Lecture Theatre

Time:

10.50am to 11.10am

Title:

Adding Value to Enterprise: From VLEs to Paper and Post-its and Back Again

Contributors:

Lyn Batchelor, Senior Lecturer in Enterprise, and Chris Dancer, Head of SEMAL

Institution:

School of Enterprise, Management and Leadership, University of Chichester

Contact: l.batchelor@chi.ac.uk / c.dancer@chi.ac.uk

Creating an accessible route for students to access enterprise education has been problematic, despite VLEs such as Second Life, which were posited as a low-risk environments for student start-ups. The focus on economic recovery through enterprise, and the rise of self-employment as a career option for graduates, has created a demand for more enterprise training but in turn creates challenges for educators seeking to use IT solutions for facilitating business planning.

This session outlines an enjoyable process that SEMAL has trialed in four contexts, i.e. with a multidisciplinary student group, business students, public authority managers, and small business owners. It will take you back to the fun of your early education experiences, using post-its and a large blank canvas to guide business thoughts and planning for businesses (or a department project or event).

Once all the pieces of a business are puzzled out and are put in place, students then move to the virtual environment of the Start-up Toolkit where thoughts and ideas can be stored, developed and accessed from wherever they happen to be thinking entrepreneurially.

Time:

11.15am to 11.35am

Title:

On Line Submission Using ‘Turn it In’: A Learning Tool, A New Way of Meeting Student Needs or Just a Way to Catch Cheats?

Contributor:

Ian Harris, Director of the School of Sport, Tourism and Languages

Institution:

Southampton Solent University

Contact: ian.harris@solent.ac.uk

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The concerns over the originality of student assessment submissions has grown over recent years resulting in a variety of methods to prevent this academic misconduct being developed. ‘Turn it in’ is increasingly being used across the sector and is considered by many to be valuable plagiarism software.

The session will share some experiences of using on line submission and on line marking at unit level by someone who is not a ‘techy’. The presentation will also consider where the tool fits into the teaching, learning and assessment strategy of a unit; review the student expectations related to assessment and the information provided by ‘turn it in’ to detect academic misconduct. Some views of colleagues will also be considered and the lessons learnt from implementing electronic submission across the faculty.

University of Chichester

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Session 1: Strand 1 Venue:

Mitre Lecture Theatre

Time:

11.40am to 12.00pm

Title:

Integrating Podcast Technology Effectively into Student Learning: A Role for a VLE in Supporting Social Constructivist Learning?

Contributors:

Dr Jennifer Hill and Dr Wendy Woodland, Department of Geography and Environmental Management, and Amanda Nelson, Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education

Institution:

University of the West of England

Contact: jennifer.hill@uwe.ac.uk / wendy3.woodland@uwe.ac.uk

This research, funded by the Higher Education Academy, examined undergraduate student perceptions of the learning utility of video podcasts, with particular reference to their understanding of exotic ecosystems.

The perceived and actual effectiveness of the technology was assessed by written questionnaire, focus groups and assessment results. The podcasts were perceived as effective in supporting learning and teaching, largely by offering a flexible and visual learning experience. They were also viewed as a valuable resource for revision and assessment, stimulating factual recall and highlighting knowledge gaps. There were no significant differences, however, between examination grades from cohorts prior to and post-adoption of podcasts. To integrate podcast technology effectively into student learning requires development of the existing pedagogic strategies employed by teachers and learners. There is a need to unite the technology with reflective discussion and critical application in a social constructivist framework.

So, what role can a VLE play in supporting collaborative learning from podcasts? This presentation will showcase the nature of the video podcasts and share good practice, but it will also seek to canvass ideas about how to unite podcast and VLE technologies in order to enhance student learning.

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Session 1: Strand 2 Venue:

LO6

Time:

10.50am to 11.10am

Title:

Journey Through The Mist and Blog

Contributor:

Vanessa Cornford, Course Leader Foundation Degree Acting / Physical Theatre

Institution:

Northbrook College

Contact: v.cornford@nbcol.ac.uk

This presentation considers a blog currently in use by first year foundation degree acting students. The blog has been a journey of discovery into how we might use other platforms to develop new audiences for an upcoming show, create an open discussion forum with other disciplines such as design and costume and further encourage research and reflection. As a sharing platform the blog has so far been partially successful. As a tool for finding and engaging new audiences it has not been used; we are aiming to invite audiences who see the show to then leave their feedback on it. As a tool for collaboration, it is having varied results engaging some but not others. The most interesting conversations about the process seem to still be happening on facebook. What then is the difference between the two, the pitfalls and opportunities as explored in this project?

Issues I would like to raise in the presentation include use of transmedia towards extending the community of learning, student technical skills and expectations, and our developing sense of authorship both in the work and as sampled in the blog. The blog is ongoing at the moment on http://memoryplay.blogspot. com/

Time:

11.15am to 11.35am

Title:

Exploring and Refining Uses of Moodle in Creative and Critical Courses

Contributors: Dr Jessica de Mellow, Senior Lecturer, and Dr Stephanie Norgate, Senior Lecturer, English and and Creative Writing Institution:

University of Chichester

Contact: j.demellow@chi.ac.uk / s.norgate@chi.ac.uk

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Our presentation will explore some of the learning and teaching challenges presented in the early days of using Moodle on both Creative and Critical modules in English and Creative Writing. From design and learning issues to expanding a basic platform to better engage with the core content and learning ethos of our modules, we’ll explore our own, ongoing ‘learning curve’ with Moodle, how we overcame initial challenges with student engagement with Moodle as tutors on Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses in both Critical and Creative courses. We’ll demonstrate some straightforward methods to create clearer and more engaging pages for students, and discuss our ongoing plans for working on the platforms we’ve created in the last year.

University of Chichester

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Session 1: Strand 2 Venue:

LO6

Time:

11.40am to 12.00pm

Title:

Online Employability Workshops: Local Or Global?

Contributor:

Kathleen Houston, Senior Fellow in Employability and Enterprise Futures

Institution:

The University of Central Lancashire

Contact: khouston@uclan.ac.uk

Student and graduate engagement with employability and career development provision, offered by universities, is regularly reported to be problematic by university career services and academic departments (UK HE Career Professionals 2010). While some career learning is enthusiastically opted for by the more motivated and ‘switched on’ students/graduates, many do not take up the opportunity and find themselves lamentably un-work ready or not ‘Future Fit’ (CBI 2009) by national or international employers. Intense competition within the graduate labour market notwithstanding, students and graduates are not responding in sufficient numbers to standard employability provision on offer.

This session will showcase a pilot online employability programme, undertaken by the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), designed to address this challenge. Online workshop or ‘webinar’ attendance figures have shown an increased student and graduate engagement through learning accessed from home or user preferred environments in real time. In addition through an on demand, ‘catch up’ facility this has been made available to any student at any time and in any place. Students and graduates on the main campus site and on associate campuses in China have benefited from this provision. There are also early indications of a richer and collaborative learning experience, evidenced by student and graduate feedback and a developing learner’s community who are opting for this mode of learning.

Initial indications from this pilot project will be disseminated and attendees will have the chance to test out and review the programme as offered, assessing its suitability for their own institutions.

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Session 2: Strand 1 Venue:

Mitre Lecture Theatre

Time:

1.05pm to 1.25pm

Title:

Innovative Applications of ePortfolio

Contributor:

Peter Robinson, Principal Lecturer and Head of Leisure Industries

Institution:

University of Wolverhampton

Contact:

p.robinson@wlv.ac.uk

This session will focus upon the use of the PebblePad e-Portfolio system at University of Wolverhampton as an assessment tool and as a delivery mechanism in place of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). The use of the platform as an assessment tool will be exemplified through the Level 4 Academic Skills module and the Employability Modules at Levels 4 and 5. In these modules students are using PebblePad to create webfolios and action plans for their assessments, where they are required to reflect on their skills and create personal development plans, providing evidence of a range of different skills through the completion of a number of tasks which help to assess their skills development needs. They are also assessed for their demonstration of creativity within the development processes.

The second example which will be given will discuss the use of PebblePad as a VLE for the delivery of an online Foundation Degree in travel Operations Management, where the e-portfolio was chosen as the most appropriate delivery mechanism for a group of geographically disparate travel professionals.

Evidence collected at the time points to the benefits and usefulness of e-Portfolio amongst mature learners.

Time:

1.30pm to 1.50pm

Title:

Using Multimedia to Communicate Marketing Principles to a Large Diverse Cohort

Contributor:

Jennie White, Senior Lecturer in Marketing

Institution:

University of Chichester

Contact: j.white@chi.ac.uk

The aim of this session is to share experiences of disseminating lecture and seminar material to cohorts in excess of 250 students whilst at Bournemouth University (BU). The output of this project was reported at the BMAF conference in 2008 and gained Jennie an Award for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning in 2009.

Business Studies at Bournemouth University is one of the largest courses on campus and presents challenges for lecturers in delivery and learning. At Level C, with 250+ students from various academic and cultural backgrounds, the commitment can monopolise staff time and impede areas, such as research and enterprise activity. As part of a quick wins initiative, £5,000 was granted to develop an innovative platform to enhance student learning and experience on the unit as the pilot stage of an iterative project.

Another aim of the project was to initiate students’ engagement with Self Managed Learning, interactive feedback and on-line assessment via a framework of seminar activities for students to video and post on the VLE, including individual attendance and contribution. This supports ‘eLearning will be most effective as part of a systematic approach involving classroom and experiential learning with appropriate support’ (Sloman, 2001). By introducing this early, students should acquire the skills to assist them later in their studies, specifically the dissertation which accounts for 20% of their degree classification. The adoption of multimedia in the learning process may have a motivational effect on the learner (Whitelegg et al 1997, cited in Cooper 2007). It is anticipated that attendees at this session will gain an idea of the challenges and student experience of implementing blended learning with a first year cohort.

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Session 2: Strand 1 Venue:

Mitre Lecture Theatre

Time:

1.55pm to 2.15pm

Title:

Prezi-Pedagogy!

Contributor:

Debra Wale, Senior Lecturer, Leisure Industries Department

Institution:

University of Wolverhampton

Contact: d.wale@wlv.ac.uk

The conference presentation will demonstrate and discuss the use of Prezi software for learning, teaching, assessment and feedback purposes on Undergraduate Courses within the Leisure Industries Department at the University of Wolverhampton (UoW). Prezi-Pedagogy offers an addition to the expanding field of technology enhanced teaching and learning.

UoW have undergone a refocusing exercise (2010) and redeveloped courses and their modules to include the embedding of three Graduate Attributes in the new undergraduate curriculum. The module 5LI008 Consumers and Communications embeds the two graduate attributes: Digitally Literate: A digital seminar assessment and Knowledgeable and Enterprising by using an industry recognised software Prezi to solve an industry appropriate challenge: students presented a future marketing communications strategy for an organisation in the Leisure sector. Furthermore, the fulfilment of this graduate attribute delivered a rich learning experience in that employers and the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) require Leisure Management degrees to prepare students for the world of work (Reedy and Mordaunt, 2010).

To keep students interested and on task with this module, they learnt how to use Prezi presentation software in seminar sessions and then constructed their digital assessment using marketing content from lectures. To keep the module digital, the module team recorded video feedback which students reviewed at the module feedback session. Employing Prezi-Pedagogy enabled greater understanding of marketing concepts and therefore encouraged a deep approach to learning and teaching through engaging students dynamically with the subject matter (Ramsden, 2003).

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Session 2: Strand 2 Venue:

LO6

Time:

1.05pm to 1.25pm

Title:

Enter the Maze

Contributor:

Dr Alison James, Head of Learning and Teaching

Institution:

London College of Fashion

Contact:

a.james@fashion.arts.ac.uk

The University of the Arts London is currently in the process of reviewing its VLE provision and whether or not to move away from Blackboard to another model of VLE, a student-led personal learning environment or customised e-portfolio. Whichever solution is adopted staff and students alike will still want to be able to use a variety of web tools in order to meet the needs of specific disciplines, tasks and learning preferences. And not only tools for specific ends, but tools which can travel across disciplines and interpreted and applied different according to local need. One such tool is PPD Coach, which is freely available to all and which will be demonstrated in this session. It’s a visual online learning resource aimed at encouraging creative arts students of all kinds to move from a surface to deep approach in relation to their reflective practice and personal/professional development. It differs from, but complements, more traditional resources on future building and employability by its design and also by its focus on activities around all aspects of identity, motivation, and values in relation to learning in all its forms and domains.

Within UAL its users are diverse - from business managers to fashion and shoe designers, by way of cosmetic scientists, while outside UAL its users have included students of law, architecture, sport and media. Participants in this workshop will have the chance to explore how PPD Coach can be used within a broad range of discipline contexts and discuss how it might support the deepening of learning engagement in their own courses - or for their own use.

Time:

1.30pm to 1.50pm

Title:

Bringing Learning To Life: e-Learning, VLEs and the Therapeutic Conversation

Contributor:

Ian Townsend, Senior Lecturer, Division of Continuing and Long-Term Care, School of Health

Institution:

University of Central Lancashire

Contact: ian.townsend@yahoo.co.uk

How does one take a group of international students (based in their own countries) who have never met in person (and will likely not meet in the course of their 3 years of Masters’-level study) and encourage real learning, especially in an area which has, conventionally, relied greatly on face:face experiential learning to deepen students’ grasp of it ?

The session tracks the developing use of UCLan’s VLE over a period of ten years, showing how four 12week modules attempting to teach the theory (and practice) of therapeutic conversation with different cohorts of undergraduate and postgraduate learners have finally evolved into a product which appears to be doing what it says on the tin.

What were the mistakes that were made? What worked? Did anything work? Ian will bluntly address institutional, practical, and organizational elements that haven’t supported student learning, pinpoint factors that seem to have facilitated it, and offer 8 very simple solutions which student feedback suggests resulted in transformative learning.

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University of Chichester

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Session 2: Strand 2 Venue:

LO6

Time:

1.55pm to 2.15pm

Title:

Embedding Blended Learning into Mainstream Higher Education. Dilemmas and Developments

Contributor:

Debbie Reynolds, Senior Lecturer, FBSE and Clare Denholm L.I.S

Institution:

Southampton Solent University

Contact: debbie.reynolds@solent.ac.uk

This study is about the development and implementation of a blended learning model for a large cohort of undergraduate students who are studying management degrees across a range of specialisms including tourism, sports studies, outdoor adventure, extreme sports, watersports management, events management and cruise industry management.

Within mainstream higher education, innovating blended learning pedagogy and exploring the diverse functionality available in virtual learning environments (VLE) presents challenges from both technical and pedagogic perspectives. Traditionally, and in our experience, the use of VLE’s by academics has often been limited to “functional dissemination” of information (lecture notes etc.), in particular at Solent University.

Our work and research concerns the development, implementation and monitoring of a blended learning model, to inform future developments. The model was delivered to two Level 4 cohorts comprising 800+ undergraduate students in total. The traditional lecture was replaced by asynchronous learning media, supplemented with a “blend” of face to face workshops, crossing boundaries within our own institutional setting.

Our research analysis is informed by student and academic perspectives using data from the following sources.

•

Student responses to two on line questionnaires between 2010 and 2011

•

Staff perspectives

Contributing to the informed and continued development of a blended model, our session will be an ‘honest’ review of good and bad exploring the implications of our findings, and the ways in which these may inform our future developments and teaching practice.

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Session 2: Strand 3 Venue:

E124

Time:

1.55pm to 2.15pm

Title:

Personal Learning Spaces for Work-Based Learners

Contributors:

Beverly Leeds, Principal Lecturer in Marketing, Lancashire Business School

Institution:

University of Central Lancashire

Contact: bleeds@uclan.ac.uk

Today’s work activities are rarely constant and the vocationally successful people will need to replace the idea of task related skill with the “meta-competence of learning to learn”, Raelin (2008, pg13).

Work-based learners will therefore need to undertake flexible degree programmes that allow them to learn in the context of their environment in a flexible way that also meets their employers objectives.

The impact of higher fees for undergraduate degrees and availability of loans for part time learners is likely to have a significant impact on the number of work based learners taking undergraduate degrees.

Institutions will need to have robust systems in place supported by technology if they are to deal with increased numbers. Institutions will need to become more flexible looking into the future offering modular programmes, bespoke training, individualised learning, assessment on demand, continuous enrolment and flexible delivery methods (Field, 1993).

The session will provide an overview of how the JISC funded TELSTAR project has utilised a personal learning space to deliver a technology supported learning framework for work-based learners. It will outline how PebblePad has been used to deliver flexible work-based undergraduate programmes designed to offer learners the opportunity to gain academic qualifications based on learning in the work place. The online programme is being delivered without the use of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and is using PebblePad for delivery of learning content, assessment, accreditation of prior learning, negotiation of future learning as well as a community of practice. The presentation will include demonstrations of the resources and the use of PebblePad used to support the work-based learners.

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University of Chichester

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Session 3: Strand 1 Venue:

Mitre Lecture Theatre

Time:

2.45pm to 3.05pm

Title:

Promoting Understanding Through Podcasts and Student Seminars

Contributor:

Dr Philip Kearney, Senior Lecturer, Sport and Exercise Psychology

Institution:

University of Chichester

Contact:

p.kearney@chi.ac.uk

VLEs offer an increased potential to support technology-based teaching and learning activities. The dissemination of information as an audio file, known as podcasting, is becoming increasingly popular in higher education (Panday, 2009). Research is now beginning to explore the optimal use of podcasting within higher education (Tynan & Colbran, 2006). The present study begins with a reflection on why students struggled to review research effectively within a level five sport psychology module. While students could reproduce considerable detail, the majority were limited in the capacity to synthesize and evaluate information, and to draw a coherent conclusion from the reviewed material. Guided by Biggs & Collis’ (1982) SOLO taxonomy, a teaching and learning activity combining podcasting with a student-led research review seminar was developed. Each week focused on a single topic within sport psychology.

Five papers were divided out among the students to read in preparation for the seminar. During the seminar, students had to present the paper they had read, while obtaining the key information about the four papers that other students within the group had read. As a group, students then had to combine this information to create a basic review of the topic. A dictaphone was used to record the discussion, and posted unedited onto the module VLE page as a resource for revision. This presentation will focus on the evolution of the teaching and learning activity over the five sessions, the evolution of students’ perceptions of the activity, and areas for future development of the activity.

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Session 3: Strand 1 Venue:

Mitre Lecture Theatre

Time:

3.10pm to 3.30pm

Title:

VLEs – Hit or Myth

Contributor:

Dr Tugrul Essendal, Lecturer, Department of Computing Technology

Institution:

De Montfort University, Leicester

Contact: the@dmu.ac.uk

I am currently running a project to monitor the use of the university’s VLE by 2nd-year computing students.

I am collecting electronic data and observing students in laboratories. I would like to offer the 2011 swapshop my initial findings from this project.

I am a user and promoter of VLEs. For example, I used VLE-support extensively in an interactive finalyear module, where experiential learning was a core ethos. Currently, I am delivering a 2nd-year software development module, where the VLE plays an equally pivotal role.

However, my current stance is that VLEs do not have the generally-expected positive impact on all students. While they do offer tangible benefits, they are not the answer to our teaching-and-learning prayers. If we are to benefit realistically from their added-value, then we must recognise their downside.

With these thoughts in mind, my proposal is to run a semi-interactive session, as follows, in three parts: •

Start: with my framework definitions of “good” and “bad” students, outlining the implications on individual learning;

•

Continue: with a brief introduction to the VLE support in the two modules mentioned above, analysing the resulting gains and losses, the observation being that good students do use VLEs effectively, as intended, but bad students derive little or no benefit, without a lot of directed and almost one-to-one encouragement, which, to my mind, defeats the purpose;

•

End: with the thought that while VLEs are a useful tool in our armoury of teaching tools, over-reliance on them is counter-productive.

The overall aim of the session is not to discourage VLE use but to plant thoughts of caution, to be discussed subsequently, if necessary.

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University of Chichester

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Session 3: Strand 2 Venue:

LO6

Time:

2.45pm to 3.05pm

Title:

A Space for Autonomous and Constructivist Learning: Using Online Discussion Boards to Enhance Students’ Understanding of Global Climate Change

Contributors: Dr Wendy Woodland and Dr Jennifer Hill, Department of Geography and Environmental Management Institution:

University of the West of England

Contact:

wendy3.woodland@uwe.ac.uk / jennifer.hill@uwe.ac.uk

As an area of troublesome knowledge containing threshold concepts, climate change requires students to practice higher-order cognitive skills. The research presented here shows that higher order cognition is strongly facilitated by progression along the affective and interpersonal learning domains and that this may be supported by the use of asynchronous discussion boards. The content of the discussion boards, students’ written coursework, and questionnaire responses are used to evaluate learning in the different domains and to identify the extent of autonomous and peer learning. Results show that electronic space impacts positively on student motivation and confidence, helping them to sustain the effort required for deep learning. It supports autonomous learning in addition to discourse and knowledge construction within small online groups, helping many students to cross knowledge thresholds, and to become more active contributors and negotiators. The presentation highlights that a comprehensive understanding of the pedagogic utility of online discussion boards requires a holistic examination and understanding of the cognitive, affective and inter-personal learning domains.

Time:

3.10pm to 3.30pm

Title:

Incorporating Live Video Tutorials into an e-Learning Course

Contributor:

Dr Peter Clare, Lancashire Business School

Institution:

University of Central Lancashire

Contact:

pclare@uclan.ac.uk

This presentation outlines the developing use of regular “live” web based video-conferencing sessions in UCLAN’s BA (Hons) Business Management top up degree by e-learning. The programme has 80+ students including 15 or so who are based outside the UK. The first group graduated from the degree in January 2011.

Technical, training and support issues for both students and staff are explored along with some initial feedback from those involved. The presentation will seek to: •

Demonstrate the use of weekly, live video sessions in each of our course modules

•

Demonstrate the incorporation of the recording of live video sessions into modules

•

Discuss the training needs for students taking part in these sessions

•

Discuss the support requirements for staff delivering these sessions

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Tel: 01243 816000 www.chiuni.ac.uk Bishop Otter Campus, College Lane, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 6PE Bognor Regis Campus, Upper Bognor Road, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, PO21 1HR