Using Technology to Improve Student Engagement and Learning

1. Using Technology to Improve Student Engagement and Learning Anthony Rossiter Adrian Powell Paul Wigfield

2. Overview • The use of technology • Effective use of a VLE • Technology (VLE) and NSS • Using audio in a learning context • The Lecture and the Web

3. Please rate you level of experience in the use of Learning Technologies Results not available • Highly Competent • Competent • Average • Below Average • Poor Competency

4. Which of the following do you use with your students? Results not available • VLE • Portal • Website resources • Email • MS Office • Web 2.0 (Facebook, twitter etc) • Other

5. The Use of Technology “One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men.  No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man”.  Elbert Hubbard,  The Roycroft Dictionary and Book of Epigrams, 1923

6. Typical Issues • How do we engage students? • How do we promote effective learning? • How do we encourage independent learning and initiative in students? • How do we help students develop their learning skills? • How do we use technology for effective assessment and feedback?

7. Assumptions • Learning is improved where students are active • Learning can be improved by engaging more senses • Engagement can be improved by stimulating student interest or motivation

8. Intermediate Conclusions • Traditional didactic lecture delivery limits engagement • More effective teaching, and learning, can follow from deploying a wider range of activities and learning resources • Awareness of different possibilities allows the ‘teacher’ to utilise those most effective for their desired learning outcomes.

9. Challenges • Large classes • Detailed individual feedback • Timely feedback • Formative feedback • Collusion • Groupwork / Collaboration • Independent learning • Content creation

10. Technology as an Enabler The role of technology... • Assignment delivery mechanism • Feedback/feedforward mechanism • Student and group work support • Enhances the capability for variety • Assessment (automated marking / feedback) • Supports staff

11. And so... • Focus is on demonstrating what can be done with technology. • The motivation is that awareness of tools allows academics to decide when those tools may be useful in their own teaching. • Some evidence of how these tools have been used and student perceptions is given to validate any conclusions.

12. Effective use of a VLE Driving student engagement through the effective use of common VLE tools

13. How often do you use the VLE? Results not available • Daily • Weekly • 2 or 3 times a week • Once a month • Less than once a month

14. VLE Survey: Student usage

15. VLE Survey: How students are using the VLE

16. Case Study 1 Discussion Boards and Peer Assessment • Students submit a brief essay on the discussions board • Another student writes a critique within a week • Staff member comments on both and grades • Data automatically collated

17. Students often answer each other’s queries before staff member even sees them.

18. Example Grading Form

19. Case Study 2 Computer Aided Assessment • A well known model in mathematics community • Students attempt practice quizzes in preparation for a marked assignment with very similar questions • Students learn from mistakes and have an incentive to practise in order to get a good mark • Repeatedly popular with students • Instant feedback as computer marked

20. CAA on VLE • Students get immediate grades with feedback. • Not dependent on access to staff member. • Can be done repeatedly. • Students know what is being asked and can focus their preparation. • Encourages students to work. • Extends easily to larger numbers. • Grades automatically collated into excel. • Can randomise numbers/questions to minimise plagiarism and collusion. • Lots of question types to suit assessment needs.

21. CAA allows feed forward • Computer aided assessment is used for several modules to test learning of core competencies. • Students are allowed access to ‘practice assessments’ before the actual assessment. • Practice assessments give students feedback on their responses. • Students take actual assignment when ready (one chance only).

22. Saved answers Can include pictures and equations

23. Case study 3 VLE with group work • Students with a group assignment have a private discussions board. • Encouraged to share all work, drafts, minutes and communication through this. • Ensures no-one is left out and there is an evidence trail for staff. • Staff can comment in discussions board where required.

24. Groups and members

25. Case study 4 Plagiarism detection and education • TURNITIN is a well used tool for matching text strings in student assignments. • Within a VLE, students can generate their own TURNITIN reports and thus gain feedback on their writing. • Staff can reinforce this learning by discussing (anonymously) some reports during lectures. • Students can also be encouraged to discuss the reports during a lecture, again reinforcing their understanding. Allows a formative and summative and disciplinary role.

27. All reports for staff Select rectangle to get report in detail

28. Turnitin Features • VLE integration • Seamless upload of students to Turnitin • Passes mark back to VLE • Text matching tool • Paper assignment • Revision assignment • Peer review tool • Functionality for easier detection

29. Case study 5 Controlling access • Selective release • Release content based on criteria • Date and time • Membership • Group • Grade book

30. Available criteria

31. Case Study 5a Groups • Various means of assigning students to groups including self-select. • Can use groups as a registration procedure in a lab, so only attendees can do the assessment. Enter students into group as they arrive. • Very powerful when used in conjunction with Selective Release

32. Case study 6 Quality assurance • Keeping records of student work • Being clear on student submission dates • Reducing secretarial work load • Records of staff comments

33. Questions ?

34. How many core institutional systems would a typical VLE integrate with? Results not available • 1-2 • 3-4 • 5-6 • 7-8 • 9-10 • 10-11 • 12-13

35. Technology (VLE) and NSS Phil Race • “National Student Survey” • http://phil-race.co.uk/?page_id=1018 • adapted chapter from ‘Making Learning Happen’ due to be published by Sage in May 2010 • Web page/blog • http://phil-race.co.uk

36. Assessment and Feedback • Problem for both academics and students • Always top problem with Annual Review (AR) • Much talked and written about... • Good Practice, Best practice etc, etc, etc...

37. Assessment • Clear Marking Criteria • Get student to set criteria/assess and grade • Peer/self assessment The VLE can do this using Discussion forums and Peer Assessment combined with Grading Forms

38. Assessment • Assessment Arrangements and Fair Marking • Assessment behind the scenes (policies etc...) • Use peer or self assessment to identify problem areas for students The VLE can be set up for online self assessments and test as well as peer/self review

39. Understanding Feedback • Prompt and Timely Feedback • Tell the students “This is feedback” • Set smaller word limit assignments • “Assessment links to higher level thinking skills rather than routine writing skills” Phil Race The VLE assignment tool or Turnitin can help here. Very easy to set up multiple assignments

40. Feedback • Detailed Comments about Work Submitted • Difficult with large groups/class sizes • Give more generic feedback • Gives more time for specific • Use f2f/voice if possible Use the VLE blog too to give generic feedback and the journal tool for specific. Try adding voice comments to the Word comment tool then uploading to the VLE.

41. Feedback on Feedback • Has Feedback Helped the Student Understand • Ask them • Discuss feedback with them • Survey/poll them • You need feedback on your feedback Set up Discussion Forums especially for feedback. Use the VLE survey tool. But most of all DON’T FORGET TO TALK TO THEM

42. Questions ?

43. Use of Audio in Learning Using staff and student centred approaches

44. Do you use digital audio in your Learning and teaching? Results not available • Yes • No

45. Section Structure Evidence that audio is effective Giving ownership to the student Background Audience participation Activities Student evaluation Questions

46. Background • Substantial evidence of efficacy of podcasts/lecturer generated audio. [See paper] • Sheffield Hallam experimented with personalised (individual) audio feedback and found effective but time consuming. [See paper]

47. Working in Partnership Joint work with Sheffield Hallam • Anne Nortcliffe, Sheffield Hallam University • Anthony Rossiter, University of Sheffield • Alison Griffin, University of Sheffield • Andrew Middleton, Sheffield Hallam University

48. The Project • Project Hypothesis The student capturing of learning conversations; informal, formal and semi-formal learning is an accessible and valuable approach for all to promoting learner autonym. • Project Rationale • Recognising that reflection can be mediated by re-engagement with any form of notes • Preventing the loss and fading of learning conversations • Redefining academic note-taking and developing methodology that is accessible for all students

49. What we did • Encourage student buy in • Give Mp3 recorder to student • Record • Meetings • Lectures • Anything that would be considered useful

50. Group Task How many uses of audio in a learning context can you think of?