post blog analysis: a look into student content and participation
TRANSCRIPT
Ms. Kiran Budhrani Enderun Colleges
Philippines
As teachers, we aim for our students to achieve
deeper learning in our classes.
Deep Learning
Can explain what they learned / understood
Relate lessons to other topics or situations
Apply what they learned Reflect / relate topics to their own experiences
These are students that intend to understand lessons and
topics WELL.
Surface Learning
Focused on the amount of content to learn
Learns by memorization Passively accept information Less processing or reflection Aims to complete only the minimum
These are students who study to PASS the exam.
How a student learns is not entirely dependent on the
student alone.
Students perform depending on what is expected of them by
the teacher.
Major influence on a student’s approach to learning
are the assessment methods we define in class.
Aiming for deep learning requires teachers to move beyond traditional forms of
assessment.
Assessment in the form of factual recall or single-‐response
exams encourages surface learning.
Student assessment must come in multiple forms appropriate to achieving desired learning
outcomes.
Use of blogs to surface evidence of deeper learning
among undergraduate students.
(Barle'-‐Bragg, 2003)
Areas to explore
1. Would they blog? (PARTICIPATION)
2. What would they write about? (CONTENT)
3. How would they convey their information? (WRITING STYLE)
Areas to explore
4. How would varying blog assignment designs affect participation, content and writing style?
38
Varying blog designs
58 students 38 students
STRUCTURED GROUP
UNSTRUCTURED GROUP
38
Blog Assignment 6 blog posts on
6 pre-‐selected topics on designated weeks
58 students
STRUCTURED GROUP
Blog Assignment 6 blog posts on any topic, anytime
within the trimester
38 students
UNSTRUCTURED GROUP
Findings on Participation
A lot of blog posts were generated from the two groups
STRUCTURED GROUP
58 students 241 blog posts 4 posts/student
UNSTRUCTURED GROUP
38 students 203 blog posts 5 posts/student
A lot of blog posts were generated from the two groups
STRUCTURED GROUP
UNSTRUCTURED GROUP
58 students 241 blog posts 4 posts/student
38 students 203 blog posts 5 posts/student <
When designing blog assignments…
Adding time pressure or pre-‐assigning topics to students did not influence them to participate more.
When did students start writing ?
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
1/4 Term Mid Term 3/4 Term End Term
SG UG
Quick start
Slow start
When did students start writing ?
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
1/4 Term Mid Term 3/4 Term End Term
SG UG
When did students start writing ?
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%
1/4 Term Mid Term 3/4 Term End Term
SG UG
Observations
UG had had greater participation overall.
Blog design with less restrictions, students would participate more towards the end of the term.
Findings on Content
The blog post was about something directly discussed in a class lecture
or student report
DEEPER LEARNING
The blog post contained something “new”, not discussed in class, but sNll
related to class topics
Observations “New” related content came from: 1. Web articles 2. Other blogs 3. Videos (from YouTube) 4. Comics or jokes 5. News articles 6. Research studies 7. Personal surveys / interviews /
experiments 8. Personal experiences
Observations
Students who posted something “new” READ more on their own time RESEARCHED more on their own time ACCESSING various information sources
Observations
Students related class discussions to other areas Business Marketing Education Games Politics
Observations
Students did not write a diary of events, nor did they use their blogs for note taking
Findings on Writing Style
Student writes in a more formal, instrucNonal, or explanatory tone.
Students provide enumeraNons, definiNons, descripNons, summaries, or explanaNons
DEEPER LEARNING
Student writes in a personal tone with reference to self.
Student experiences, personal stories, opinions, viewpoints, realizaNons, feelings, preferences, observaNons, or reacNons.
Observations
Reflective nature of blogs is still present even if they are not maintaining a “personal blog” but a “course blog”
Students write in a more personal tone, with more reference to self
Cross Analysis of Content + Writing Style
Before attempting to initiate a blog assignment…
Tips
Know why you need to have a blog assignment
Choose a good blog tool Think of your blog assignment design Guide students how to write well for the web
Tips
Determine the “value” of the blog assignment to your course
Determine how much “credit” will be allotted to blogging
As teachers, we must carefully select and design assessment
in our classes.
Take initiative to learn how ICT can further aid
assessment and surface deeper learning
