student tool choice in enquiry-based learning

Student tool choice in enquiry-based learning:

an activity theory analysis of a pilot project using

an online social bookmarking tool

Mon 25th October 2010, Session 2e, 2-3.30pmPRHE 2010

Peter DangerfieldTünde Varga-Atkins

Ian EllisLouis Vitone

Acknowledgements to CEDP (CETL in Developing Professionalism)

Social bookmarking

?

STUDENT TOOL CHOICE IN ENQUIRY-BASED LEARNING DANGERFIELD & VARGA-ATKINS ET AL PRHE 2010 /35

Browse others’ searches

Snowballing Common interests

Social bookmarking

Portable ‘favourites’ Toolbar – saving

weblinks quickly


Social bookmarking


Diigo – tag cloud


Context: the reflective professional EBL (PBL) & social bookmarking Aims: what influences student tool choice? Methods Findings Discussion

Session outline


EBL - PBL

1. Clarify terms from scenario

2. Define problem

3. Identify prior knowledge

4. Review steps 2 and 3

5. Form learning objectives

6. Individual study

7. Group sharing of private study

Wood, D (2003)

Scenario


PBL group – which step?


Analysis of problem: mind map

Mr Bridge56 Married

Stomach juices etc

Reluctant to change

Bad teeth

Clinical iceberg

OTC

Primary secondary tertiary

Life style advice

Stats for men women going to doctor

OTC

Chronic

Reluctant to go to doctor

History NHS 1948

Triggers to consultation

Roles staff (primary care team)

Acid reflex

Autonomy

Smokes and overweight (bad

life style)

Wife has ulcer

GIT tract

Endoscopy Biopsy Liver Gallbladder

Normal results

Sick role Standard deviation Normal

distribution

Blames beer curry

Vomiting

Symptoms associated with indigestion

Inflammatory response

Production of saliva

PeristalsisName teeth

Self medication


Skills needed for developing reflective professional: Independent learning skills; Need to be adept at information skills (search, retrieve,

store, evaluate and synthesise information) (McGee and Bee 2008);

Student characteristics: Diverse ICT skills; Most students use web2 for social life but not realise

potential for education (JISC/Ipsos Mori 2008, Trinder et al 2008, Boulous et al

2006);

Context


Rationale: activity frameworkPeopleTechniquesResources

Research PBL objectives

Student

Tools

Refle

ctive

pr

ofes

siona

lInform

ation

skills

Lifelong learning


What tools (people, techniques, resources) do students use to research their PBL?

Introduce an online social bookmarking tool. How do students engage with the social

bookmarking tool? How do they value such a tool for their PBL

enquiry?

Aims: can students’ PBL learning be enhanced?


Small scale study, pilot with first-year medics. Focus groups & interviews. Piloted ‘walkthrough interview’.

Online engagement and statistics. Email feedback. Used activity theory to help interpret and

organise findings.

Methods


What tools (people, techniques, resources) do students use to research their PBL?

How do students engage with the social bookmarking tool?

How do they value such a tool for their PBL enquiry?

Findings


What tools: individual resourcesFirst years

books

internet

library search

VLE resources

Anatomy booklets

lectures

Anatomy hands-on


What tools : talking to peopleFirst years

Senior peers

Friends,ex-school friends

PBL group

Anatomy staffLecturers

Family, relatives

PBL facilitator


What tools: learning techniques?

mnemonics

Note-takingdiagrams

drawings

mind maps cue-cards

quizzes

copying

reflecting


How students used Diigo: As bookmarking weblinks for themselves; As sharing tool;

Social bookmarking tool: Diigo

“Agile learners” Initially interested fail to see benefit of tool?[IT skill issues?/avoiders?]


Social bookmarking


Diigo – a group’s bookmarks


Use / no use

Difficult at first but got easier with use

I felt I had to get used to so many

things

Very complicated at start; easy once sorted but not

enough comments were made

Ineffective and cumbersome

We had our own system of sharing

information

Useful at first


Continuance theory (e.g. Chiu and Wang 2008, Lee 2010) What factors influence students’ continuing to use

technology? And what factors influence discontinuance ...?

Value of social bookmarking tool

Viewing technologies as ‘tools’ - metaphor is useful: it places control in students’ hands (Stevenson 2007)


In practice weblinks were: Shared via face to face discussions

instead or via email. Share in Facebook©

Stored in favourites on PC or in their hand-written PBL notebooks.

“We had our own way of sharing information“

Sharing weblinks: Diigo vs others


Tool choice: continuance

“We had our own way of sharing information“

Results of study: • first satisfaction with technology, • then perceived usefulness, • attitude, • concentration, and • perceived behavioural control

(necessary skills using technology) (Lee 2010)

“Useful at first“


“I felt I had to get used to so many

new things “


Results of study: • first satisfaction with technology, • then perceived usefulness, • attitude, • concentration, and • perceived behavioural control (necessary

skills using technology) (Lee 2010)

Ineffective and cumbersome


“Very complicated at start; easy once

sorted but not enough comments

were made“


Social influence: • Have people around adopted

technology?• They have an influence on continuance

and adoption. (contradicting Chiu and Wang 2008 and confirming Lee 2010).• Medical students: see importance of

(senior and current) peers.


Importance of Utility (and here not much web links to share); Social influence;

Diverse ICT experiences -> large influence on uptake Majority students show more conservative pattern of

adoption/continuance of technologies; But: some agile learners!

Lack of technology use for learning (vs social); Confirms studies such as Beetham et al 2009

Findings suggest:


Social bookmarking seems to be the least adopted web 2 technology (versus wikis and blogs) – why? Bookmarking about how individuals manage their notes,

resources ‘at home’? More difficult to shift?

Discussion 1

Battelemedia.com


Bookmarking has potential to enhance learning – but potential is not valued by students (at least in this stage in which they use books more than the web)

More appropriate in later in career? And will this change as technologies converge/advance?

Discussion 2

>


Students do share e.g. Facebook. Sharing is an informal activity and not just the act of

posting/storing a link; Not seen as being a controlled environment.

Discussion 3


Acknowledgements to CEDP (CETL)

The Road to the future?

Conclusions


QUESTIONS

Contact: [email protected]


Publications – previous project

• Developing professionalism through the use of wikis: a study with first-year undergraduate medical students. Medical Teacher 32(10), October. 2010

• HEA MEDEV subject centre newsletter. Spring 2010. (Issue 21) Using wikis to promote the personal and professional development of undergraduate medical students: a report for the CETL in Developing Professionalism

student tool choice in enquiry-based learning

Education

student tool choice

tool social bookmarking

pbl enquiry

benefit of tool

students pbl learning

online social bookmarking

student characteristics

trinder et