1

Effective Learning Resources

This presentation is designed to act as introductory notes for week 4 of the ocTEL course (2013) but can also be viewed as a stand-alone resourcePeter Hartleyprofpeter@btinternet.com

Peter HartleyTo introduce myself …

First career as teaching academic, then moved into educational development (Sheffield Hallam and Bradford), now semi-retired and independent HE consultant.

Was one of the first cohort of National Teaching Fellows

Have led/initiated a number of national development projects. (JISC/HEA)

Have illustrated this presentation with some of those projects plus other UK examples.

2

This presentation: Part 1 offers a general argument about

learning technology and its potential Part 2 asks – so what? – and suggests that

our discussion of ‘effective learning resources’ should cover both materials/resources and new learning tools.

Parts 3, 4 and 5 cover a range of materials and tools to illustrate my main argument and which demonstrate effectiveness.

Part 6 briefly introduces main issues.

3

what can we Achievewith new technology?

Part 1

4

What can we achievewith new technology? #1

5

What can we achieve #2The ‘but’ clause …

6

So we can use new technology to transform student learning:

6 major opportunities:1. The availability of ‘stuff’/materials.2. New tools for staff and student learning.3. New models for curriculum

design/delivery.4. New methods for assessment and

feedback.5. New capabilities in student support.6. New learning spaces.

7

Reflections on Part 1:

Have I captured the most important uses of new technology?

Is there anything missing? How far have we travelled towards

‘transformation of learning’?

You may wish to comment on this approachin ocTEL forums (or drop me an email if you want a personal reply).

8

SO WHAT?Part 2

9

Effective learning resources can …

allow students to work at their own pace. give students different/alternative explanations (e.g.

where they struggle with explanations from lecturers). provide a richer learning experience by expanding the

range of expertise which students will confront. provide materials in different media formats to suit

different learning preferences. save staff time by resolving student questions and

queries. saving staff time and effort needed to produce their

own materials (and avoid reinventing the wheel)..

10Is this list complete/sufficient? Have I missed anything?

And we can use resources to change/improve our teaching

Effective learning resources (which can be accessed by all students) give us the opportunity to innovate in our approaches to teaching and student learning.

The next few slides offer an argument and a personal example.

11

The argument: traditional University teaching is based on…

Limited access to ‘stuff’ Resources limited by library budget Limited range of resources available

Focus on print/text materials Lecturer seen as ‘guru’/expert Lecturers see themselves as

‘responsible for my module’ (consider the psychological and emotional implications of ‘ownership’)

And so … Lecture is seen as the main vehicle for

introducing and ‘overviewing’ each topic or section of the module.

Workshops/labs/seminars follow lecture.

Lectures are ‘personally crafted’ and owned (and may take a lot of time).

Students depend on the lecture output: ‘we need good notes’.

And this process may not engage students

The process

Issues for teachers and students

Lecture Any preparation required by/from studentsWill students come with any agendas/issues to resolve?

leads to

reading Can everyone get hold of good sources/materials?Will everyone do it?

which takes you into

seminar discussion

Does everyone participate?Will everyone get something out of it?

But …

Unlimited resources?

Old teaching And now?

Library texts Library texts

Film and video/off-air

YouTube and BOB (in the UK)

Web searches (note C-Link later)

Wikipedia

iTunesU

Collections, e.g. TED

Specific University websites

Resource banks: JORUM, Merlot etc.

A personal example: Zimbardo’s prison expt

This is a classic study from 1971 where Philip Zimbardo set up a prison simulation which he had to curtail because of the impact on the participants (see the official website).

When I was teaching a course on Interpersonal Communication, this lecture on the study and its significance was one of my ‘best performances’.

This lecture is now completely redundant – I have been (and should be) replaced by ‘better’ online sources as you can see on the next slide.

17

Zimbardo’s prison expt:materials now available

Old teaching

And with OER?

Few Library texts

Library texts: books and journal articles – still may be limited by library budgets.

Film too costly; limited off-air

YouTube: original experiment with footage of participants, both now and then; commentaries; replications and simulations

Google videos: clips and documentaries; SlideShare: Yr 12 Psych example.

BOB – allows download and edits

Web searches (note C-Link later today): 75,000 results; you can quickly find both the Prison website and Zimbardo’s website, and the challenging BBC Prison Study

Wikipedia: dedicated page (where first year students will go first!)

iTunesU: e.g. OU Critical Social Psychology course – inc transcripts

Web Collections, e.g. TED has Zimbardo profile with links plus 2008 talk inc photos from Abu Ghraib (how people become monsters) plus links plus blog;

Specific University websites: MIT OpenCourseWare; OU OpenLearn;

And so …

Why should I lecture on Zimbardo when all students can see the man himself in action on TED (as nearly 2.5 million people have done already)?

How can I use the resources (e.g. original experimental footage on YouTube) to help students become critically engaged?

19

New flexibilities … one possibility

An old way A new possibility

Lecture Key question circulated online with weblinks

leads to points at

reading Resources (e.g. ‘watch the TED talk’)

which leadsinto

which (individually or collectively) take you into

online posting or discussion, which then leads into

seminar or large group discussion

class session (may be mix of lecture and seminar/workshop activity)

which generates

the next questions …Compare this outline with more recent discussion of the flipped classroom

Defining effective learning resources?

My personal definition would include: Resources and materials (e.g. OER)

which can improve student engagement and their critical thinking – some examples in Parts 3 and 5 of this presentation.

Tools which we can use to generate resources to enhance learning – some examples in Parts 4 and 5.

21

EXAMPLES of MATERIALSPart 3

22

Trends in the growth of OER (open educational resources)

Taking advantage of improved graphics and visual quality (e.g. new iPad)

Expansion of materials available. Repurposing of materials to add

educational value. Focus on involving staff and increasing

usage (e.g. work on impact – JISC/HEA).

23

3D textured model of an individual with leprosy

JISC funded project (PI: Dr. Andy Wilson) for the use of 3D laser scanning to digitise important pathological type specimens in Bradford and London

“informing clinical understanding of chronic conditions affecting the skeleton using archaeological and historical

exemplars”

An example of a research project generating resources

Digitised diseases: implications for OER

Quality of images which can be manipulated onscreen.

Can be made available anywhere on different devices.

Opportunities for use in teaching and assessment, e.g. identification and problem-solving/diagnosis.

25

Increasing availability of OER International initiatives

E.g. MIT (see the next slides) UK National initiatives

Storage/dissemination – JORUM Projects – SCORE Funded programmes – e.g. JISC on impact Higher Education Academy

Local, regional and institution initiatives Open University LearningSpace

26

OER: will we all go to MIT? Courseware

available for some time.

Now offering course plus assessment.

Plans for further development?

27

MITx aims: … it will offer the online teaching of MIT

courses to people around the world and the opportunity for able learners to gain certification of mastery of MIT material. Second, it will make freely available to educational institutions everywhere the open-source software infrastructure on which MITx is based.

Quoted from - http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/mitx-faq-1219.html

28

And the next generation?

The age of the MOOC? The OER University?

29

EXAMPLES OF TOOLSPart 4

30

Which e-tools are essential for most or all teaching staff?

I assume we all have:MS Office (or equiv) & emailVLE & plug-ins (e.g.Turnitin)

You may like to answer this question for yourself before you move on and consider my suggestions on the following slide

Which tools are essential? – my personal list ‘this week’

E-portfolio (PebblePad) Concept mapping (Cmap) Screen capture (Camtasia) Podcasting (e.g. feedback) Twitter Social networking (FaceBook) Search (Google/ C-Link) RLO tools (e.g. GloMaker) OER (e.g. TED, YouTube) Livescribe pen or equiv.

Mobile devices (e.g iPod, iPad) Camera (e.g.smartphone, ipod)

iTunes (and the U) Videoconference (Collaborate) Photo editing (Photoshop) Interactive multimedia Blogs & Wikis (e.g.Wikipedia) Speech recognition (Dragon) CAA (e.g. QM Perception) Cloud storage (e.g. DropBox)

How do you respond to my list?

Are these simply the ramblings of an elderly techy/geek?

What range of applications can we realistically expect most staff to become familiar with?

Which applications are really important (and in which disciplines)?

33

New tools:4 personal examples

The tools Making Groupwork Work Interviewer C-Link Using audio feedback

The rationale in each case Clarify the educational ‘problem’ Find/develop the appropriate technology Implement as cost-effectively as possible

34

Making Groupwork Work:Supporting student groupwork through multimedia and web …

University of BradfordUniversity of Leeds

Example 4.1

Freely available at this website

Sample screenshot

Making Groupwork Work

RationaleClarify the educational ‘problem’Find/develop the appropriate technologyImplement as cost-effectively as possible

CommentStudents do not work effectively in groupsNeed examples of how issues can be identified/resolved.Materials developed with small grant from CETL

37

Example 4.2

2nd edition on DVD still available from Gower.New online version available shortly.

provides: opportunity to respond to real interview

questions, and review your performance, as often as you like

‘non-threat’ arena to improve skills additional feedback and guidance flexibility

as a stand-alone resource or as part of a course on career planning; can support staff contact and guidance.

does not provide:

The ‘right answer’

Example of screen shot from the software:As soon as the interviewer finishes the question, your webcam switches on and you can respond and review your response. When you review, you can look at hints and tips and consider our suggestions on what the interviewer is looking for.

Activity and progress

Online version in preparation. Version now available for the Research

Viva for postgraduate students – see the next slide for an overview – now being adopted in UK Universities. Will also be available online.

Planning to extend the technology to other situations.

42

What users think?•‘saved my life’.•‘would not have known where to start without it’.•‘gave me a process to plan my preparation’.•‘boosted my confidence’.

Preparing students for their research viva: a new approach

Prof Peter Hartley, Centre for Educational Development

University of Bradford, p.hartley@bradford.ac.uk Prof Gina Wisker, Head of Centre for Learning and

Teaching University of Brighton, g.wisker@brighton.ac.uk

Why bother?•Postgrad students perceive the Viva process as a ‘black box’ – impact on anxiety and nerves.•Students do not know how to prepare.•Limited supervisor time and resources.•Students may not anticipate the broader ‘helicopter’ questions.

What Viva offers?•General over-arching questions •Flexible and unlimited practice.•Self and/or peer assessment.•Onscreen feedback.•A process for preparation.•Potential use with supervisors.

Interviewer and Viva

RationaleClarify the educational ‘problem’Find/develop the appropriate technologyImplement as cost-effectively as possible

CommentStudents do not perform to their best in interviews/vivas.Need system which supports interaction and reflection.Online solution will be minimum cost to HEI/ no cost to student.

44

Example 4.3Info Search into Cmap: C-Link

A new search approach to identify links and paths between concepts.

Can export into concept maps (Cmap). Currently set up for Wikipedia To explore and use C-Link:

Go to www.conceptlinkage.org/ To go straight into the tool:

www.conceptlinkage.org/clink/

Example map generated by C-Link

46

This map was chosen as it is very simple but does show how related terms can have very different origins and histories. Most searches deliver more complex maps.The maps can be exported so that students can do further work on them.

C-Link

RationaleClarify the educational ‘problem’Find/develop the appropriate technologyImplement as cost-effectively as possible

CommentStudents do not information search critically or effectivelySystem builds a map of relationships to stimulate enquirySystem developed in JISC project – now freely available.

47

Example 4.4: audio feedback

The ASEL project, led by Bradford uses of audio in different disciplines.

Providing audio feedback: Technology now easy and accessible,

e.g. MP3 recorder, or dictation device. Audio can be edited on the pc or Mac. Audio files can be sent to students

through email or the VLE.

Typical findings re audio feedback Can generate much more feedback (cf.

time used to make written comments). May save time in the long run. Positive student reactions. Different tutor styles and approaches. Serendipity – e.g. in the ASEL project,

use of feedback stimulated podcasts.

Growing number of related initiatives/investigations: e.g. ALT-Epigeum

Award (2011) for most effective use of video in an educational or training context 

Won by James McDowell, University of Huddersfield.

See at http://www.jamesmcdowell.com/Epigeum/

Some other interesting developments

Part 5

51

Project funded by

Dynamic Learning Maps

http://learning-maps.ncl.ac.uk

3 slides from Simon Cotterill

Curriculum maps for the Web generation

Example 5.1: the future of the VLE?

See the: Website, blog and demo.

Achieved: Navigable Curriculum Maps

Integrates withPortfolio (Leap2A)

Share, rate, discussExtend maps & connect topics

Maps as a Metaphor

Where have I been?

Where am I now?

Where am I going?

For other stakeholders• Teachers (incl. occasional teachers)• Curriculum Managers• Administrators• External regulators

ReflectionReflection

ContextualisationContextualisation

PreparationPreparation

What should the students already know?

What should the students already know?

Where is topic X taught in the curriculum ?

Where is topic X taught in the curriculum ?

Career choicesCareer choicesCurriculum choices

Curriculum choices

Where is my specialty covered in the curriculum ?

Where is my specialty covered in the curriculum ?

uk

Synthesis / Metacognition

Synthesis / Metacognition

PlanningPlanning

For the student:

Developments in Dynamic Learning Maps

Extending to other courses. Extending to other Universities. First public release. Adding services and facilities,

e.g. integrating careers information; assessment episodes.

55

Example 5.2: Problem-based learning with consequences

56Website

One you can try yourself:

Website

Example 5.3:The LearnHigher resources

58

And the full story

59Details at http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?pid=371507

And also: increasing range of DIY tools, including …

Xerte (from the University of Nottingham).

GloMaker (at www.glomaker.org ). Screencasting tools like Camtasia. Digital Storytelling like Photo

Story. Commercial tools like Articulate

60

MAJOR ISSUESPart 6

61

Major issues re effective learning resources

Among the main issues we hope to discuss in the forums are:

How do we find and manage resources? How do we know which ones are ‘good’? What must we know about copyright and licensing? What are the best ways of using others’ resources? What are the most effective ways of creating our

own resources? How do students perceive and respond to the use

of resources?

62

Final pause for breath

Lots of activity and initiatives. Enormous increase in the range

and quality of resources now available

BUT Does it mean we have transformed

learning and teaching?

63

Thank you for viewing this presentation

See you at the webinar. Please join in related forums. Please make contact if you want to

follow up any of the ideas/initiatives.

Peter Hartleyprofpeter@btinternet.com

April 2013

64