student perceptions of a cloud assessment learning environment

Student Perceptions of a Cloud Assessment Learning

EnvironmentDr Tony Rickards

Curtin University - Australia

Dr Aaron SteeleUniversal College Of Learning- New

Zealand

Australia New Zealand

Southern Surprises

Image sourced from: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Aurora_australis_20050911.jpg

Exists when collaborative sharing via a cloud computing tool are utilised for continuous assessment over a sustained period of time.

The Cloud Assessment Learning Environment

CloudAssessmentLearningEnvironment

Student perceptions of the cloud assessment learning environment.

Conceptual change in student understanding of the cloud assessment learning environment?

This Study

Teacher – Student Interpersonal Behaviour in the Cloud based Learning Environment.

Outcomes not linked exclusively to a particular technology, but a philosophy of teaching and supervision.

Secondary Focii

LIQ (Lecturer Interaction Questionnaire) CAQ (Cloud Assessment Questionnaire) Concept maps Class & focus group interviews Written lecturer descriptions Participant & virtual participant observations Online analytics & statistics from Moodle Attendance records (50 Students/ 1 Teacher) Achievement levels

Instruments and Data

  Alpha ReliabilityScale CAQ1 CAQ2Monitoring .85 .85Google Docs .72 .71Feedback .91 .97Cloud Storage .78 .83Preference .78 .77N = 48 CAQ 1, n = 40 CAQ2

Reliability of CAQ

Factors Examined

◦Monitoring◦Google Docs◦Cloud Storage◦Text Editor Preference◦Feedback

Positive and Negative Perceptions

What do you think about your lecturer being able to see your assignment for the duration of the assessment?

What do you think about using Google Docs for this assignment?

Example Items

Initial leniency with “Bugs”Feedback seen as highly valuable

Personal preferences shaped perceptions and expectations

“Docs” generally seen as valuable

Seamless link between in class and out of class work ◦ (Flipped Classroom facilitation effective)

Positive and Negative Perceptions

Pre and Post data collection

◦Students had curious excitement and an expectant conceptual view.

◦This evolved to be a clearly refined, detailed, and experience based understanding of the Cloud Assessment Environment.

Conceptual Change

Open SourceNot Institutionally constrainedAvailable after the study period has ended

Student retains control and accessTruly International / Global functionality

Other Advantages

But wait, there is more…..

This research was a PhD StudyThe Research paradigm was applied to the supervision

The study utilised Skype, Outlook, Google Docs and Word

The model is being applied to 40 new HDR projects now

What’s Not in the Paper

All students and their teacher, my student, begin with a Blank Document…..

….. that is shared immediately.

Professional learning goals are set immediately.

Day 1

Professional Learning Model

Thesis

Proposal

Cloud environment allows rapid prototyping multiple authors at a distance Internationally or locally.

Collaboration is synchronous or asynchronous to suit participants.

Single version drafts always current.

Easily transferred to “Institutionally compliant platforms”.

Finally: Sustained Outcomes

Dr Tony Rickards Science & Mathematics Education Centre Curtin University Western Australia t.rickards@curtin.edu.au   Aaron Steele School of Business & Computing Universal College of Learning New Zealand a.r.steele@ucol.ac.nz

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