Return to Examples of technology-enhanced learning at AU

The learning and teaching conference on 13th April 2010 displayed some really interesting and innovative practice that is taking place within Aberystwyth University.  A number of the presenters described some very exciting e-learning techniques that they are introducing to their modules.

• Molecular Biology on YouTube - Dr Joel Allainguillaume (IBERS)
• Reflective Learners: Can reflection improve information skills? - Juanita Foster Jones (DIS)
• An Audio Visual Database - Andrew Baldwin (School of Art)
• Multiple learning resources for student understanding - Stuart Flint (SES)
• Peer support in preparing masters students for assessment -  Heike Roms (TFTV)
• Using blogs to support group assignments - Nicole Schulz (DIS)
• Product vs Process – giving group feedback on creative practice - John Burgan  (TFTV)
• Introduction of online formative assessment programme in SES - Les Tumilty (SES)

Molecular Biology on YouTube - Dr Joel Allainguillaume (IBERS)

Joel has been looking at ways of explaining some abstract molecular biology concepts to his 2nd year undergraduate students.  The concepts need to be fully understood by the students before they are able to move onto applied biology.  He has introduced YouTube videos to his lectures to help students understand and visualise these concepts.

The videos  are sourced from a number of places including the Open University and describe specific stages in the processes of DNA replication etc.  Each video is very short and specific.  The videos played during the lecture but are also available for the students to watch in their own time, enabling Joel to reflect and concentrate and other areas in his teaching sessions.
Overall feedback from the students has been very positive, and assessment has shown an improvement in understanding of these key concepts.

Reflective Learners: Can reflection improve information skills? - Juanita Foster Jones (DIS)

Juanita has introduced reflective learning to her 1st year undergraduates who are learning and exploring different searching techniques.  Online searching is “messy” and information professionals need to work out their own strategies for searching through the online content that is available.  Reflective practice was introduced to encourage the students to reflect, evaluate and hopefully improve their searching strategies.  

Juanita helped students to develop reflective behaviour in a number of ways:
•    Class based activities
•    Leading reflective discussions in the classroom based on searching techniques and results.
•    Handouts with reflective questions
•    Tackling assignment session

Results of the assignment showed that while some students were able to reflect critically, others were still struggling.  Some assignments showed a mismatch between what the students had said and what their results showed.  

To help improve on this, Juanita will present the students with more scaffolding encourage peer to peer feedback on searches as a means of identifying successful strategies.

An Audio Visual Database - Andrew Baldwin (School of Art)

Andrew teaches printmaking and photography in the School of Art, where the staff/student ratio had changed dramatically over the years:

10:1 in 1986
30-1 in 2009

This has made it harder to demonstrate techniques to a group of students, as there are too many for them all to see close up.

Andrew has developed an audio visual database containing recordings of him carrying out different printmaking techniques.  The recordings available to students via a touch screen machine located in their teaching room.

The recording of techniques has a number of advantages:
•    They allow detailed close up of the different techniques.
•    If there is a long period between the demonstration in class and using the techniques students can refresh their memory.  
•    Students can play back the videos over and over without needing to ask for help from the tutor.
•    Freeing up the tutor from repeating demonstrations to individual students allows them to concentrate on other areas of teachings.

The project has proved to be a success with the students and Andrew hopes to introduce a similar system for photography techniques.

Please see the video clip for this case study.

Multiple learning resources for student understanding - Stuart Flint (SES)

Stuart teaches sports psychology to students in the Sports and Exercise department.  He found that student understanding is often limited and dominant students lead classroom discussions.
He introduced a number of different learning resources to tackle a new topic with his students.  In the first 2 hour seminar he showed a video, followed by Quizdom to gauge understanding after the video, and a worksheet that could be completed during and after the video and after the quiz but had to be submitted in the session.
During the week he ran a lecture on the topic covered in the original seminar and marked the worksheet ready for the next session.  The second seminar was used to encourage group discussion, followed by a presentation by the students and a feedback sheet to assess how the sessions had been perceived.
Feedback was positive, students showed that they understood the topic and felt that the learning resources compliment the topic.

Peer support in preparing masters students for assessment -  Heike Roms (TFTV)

Heike worked with a small group of Masters students in the Theatre, Film and Television department.  These students often struggled with their first assignment as they have often been out of the education system for a while, or come from a subject where they have not had to write many essays.
As a result, she was looking for a way to provide more support for the students as they prepared this first assignment.  She felt that using peer-support to supplement what the help offered by the tutor could provide the following benefits:
•    Encourage student achievement
•    Enhance positive attitudes towards learning
•    Wider range of discussions within the group

As the students all had different levels of experience, she felt that they would be able to help and support each other in different ways.
Heike sat in on the peer-support sessions, so that she was available if the students had any questions.

To gauge feedback from students, Heike ran a feedback session with the students and recorded their thoughts on how the peer-support had helped them.  Their comments were positive, including:
•    It had helped with their particular learning style of discussing an assignment
•    Allowed them to share and voice opinions
•    Students felt better prepared

As a result of the sessions, they went on to form learning cells and supported each other throughout the course.

Using blogs to support group assignments - Nicole Schulz (DIS)

Nicole teaches on a module where group work is used to assess if students can put theory from lectures into practice.  She wanted to find a way to provide more support to students, as in previous years students had started the assignment too late, and there were long gaps between her lecture and the students applying the theory.  There was also no feedback from the teacher during the course on how the students were performing.

To try and encourage more collaboration and help students to organise their work Nicole set up group blogs for the students and asked them to reflect on their work.  The blogs were checked every 2 weeks and leave feedback left by the tutor.

Feedback from the students showed that using the blogs had helped them to collaborate and structure their work in the group but felt that they would prefer to do individual assignments rather than a group project for the assessment.

Product vs Process – giving group feedback on creative practice - John Burgan  (TFTV)

John is teaching on a new module where students are required to edit 7 films over a period of 7 weeks and students were also asked to keep blogs during these 7 weeks.

Each week, the films would be shown in the lecture slot and John along with another tutor provided initial feedback on the student’s work.  The feedback process was then gradually transferred to the students and enabling them to discuss and critique each other’s work.

The feedback from the students showed that they enjoyed the process and felt confident to stand up and speak about each other’s work.

Introduction of online formative assessment programme in SES - Les Tumilty (SES)

Les decided to introduce an online formative assessment for his undergraduate students after a thin module was changed to a thick module and the assessment altered from coursework and exam to 100% exam at the end of semester 2.  

The online formative assessment was introduced to allow the students to receive feedback from the tutor and to test themselves as they progressed through the course.  It also allowed the tutor to see that the students understood what was being taught and follow up on any potential problems the students were experiencing in the lecture material.

The questions were based on the style used in final exam and students that completed the assessment would receive feedback on their work, a marking scheme and model answers to help them prepare for the final exam.  The online assessment was made available on Blackboard leading up to the end of semester 1 exams.

Les was disappointed by the number of students who completed the assessment as it was provided to help them prepare for their exams.  Those that did not complete it said it was due to it being made available at the wrong time, as they were busy revising for other exams.  Some students said that they would prefer to see it as a compulsory assessment.  The students that did complete the assessment were very complimentary and felt it was at the right time and was very beneficial to their studies.

He is now looking at building some learning objects to help support the students throughout the year along with the online assessment.

Please see the video clip for this case study