Assessing the use of Technology Enhanced Learning in Higher Education: the case of trading simulation software at the ICMA Centre

By edwardwhite Comment Closed

Dr Ioannis Oikonomou, ICMA Centre
i.oikonomou@icmacentre.ac.uk
Year(s) of activity: 2013-14

Overview

8948This project reviewed the effectiveness of the ICMA Centre’s use of trading simulation software, a unique combination of problem-based learning and role-playing which uses modern technology.  While it was found that students enjoyed having access to trading simulation software for their learning, a number of areas in which improvements could be made were identified, and recommendations were made to effect these.

Objectives

  • To assess the effectiveness of the ICMA Centre’s use of trading simulations software.
  • Highlight areas for improvement and make suggestions about the possible restructuring of the content of the offered trading simulation modules and ways of further enhancing their academic and practical usefulness for students.

Context

The ICMA Centre has three dealing rooms, which are used for conducting small group seminars, workshops and trading simulation sessions for modules at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, as well as being a valuable tool for outreach purposes.

Although the ICMA Centre has been subject to periodic and contextual review, there has been no formal investigation that specifically targets the teaching and learning issues and transferable skills of the trading simulation software.

Implementation

To assess the effectiveness of the use of these facilities, historic feedback was analysed. The ICMA Centre had regularly undergone periodic and contextual reviews as according to University of Reading policy, with these reviews evaluating all aspects of the ICMA Centre’s programmes. This was therefore a valuable resource for understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the use of trading simulation software for teaching and learning within the wider context of the ICMA Centre’s delivery of programmes.

Also analysed were evaluation forms connected to trading sessions at both the undergraduate and postgraduate level for three academic years. The great benefit of these data were that it allowed quantitative analysis of trading simulation software, as students gave numerical scores to indicate their satisfaction. Qualitative data were also available, with students providing free text comments, which give specific details about what had worked well and what might need improving.

Interviews were conducted with module convenors and teaching assistants. This allowed greater detailed information to be generated on the strengths and weaknesses of trading simulation sessions, and offered the chance to discuss module convenors’ and teaching assistants’ perspective on trading simulation sessions. Additionally, interviews with staff were valuable for capturing some of the informal opinions and attitudes of students, which may not have expressed in formal evaluations.

The guidance offered by these analyses was used to formulate an online questionnaire in order to generate quantifiable data.  Finally, two student focus groups, one of undergraduate students and one of postgraduate students, were interviewed in order to expand upon the findings of the questionnaire. Effort was made to accurately represent the diversity of student backgrounds on ICMA programmes in the focus groups.

Reflections

Historic evaluation forms, interviews with module convenors and teaching assistants, the online questionnaire, and the focus groups had comparable findings.  Overall, students very much enjoyed the use of trading simulation software, and generally found it to be user-friendly, reasonable and realistic.  The realism and ‘hands-on’ nature of the platform are particularly beneficial characteristics, as adult learners tend to focus on tasks, especially when they believe they may encounter these in their lives.  The trading simulations were highlighted as being effective tools for the development of employable skills, and helped students to internalise complex financial concepts.

The principal negative aspects of users experiences of trading simulation software that were raised at multiple points during the study, were that students wanted more time using the trading simulation software, and better connection between lectures and use of the trading simulation software.  This was most keenly felt by undergraduate students, who receive significantly fewer trading hours than postgraduates, and who felt that the sessions could be better embedded into their teaching and learning portfolios. As a result of these findings, a number of recommendations were made for improving the delivery of teaching and learning with the use of trading simulation sessions.

Follow up

Progress has been made on fulfilling the recommendations of the report: Trading Simulation II has been moved from the Financial Modelling module to the more suitable Debt Markets and Instruments; module convenors have instructions to be mindful of the link between their lectures and trading simulation sessions, and for how performance in trading simulations sessions is to be benchmarked; alterations and additions have been made to the simulation software’s scenarios so that it can be utilised for different learning outcomes; availability of trading simulation sessions has been increased, and trading hours for students have been increased; students are given firm guidance and information on the interpretation of and access to their feedback; and an experienced trader has been employed as a sessional lecturer for the undergraduate training sessions.

With these alterations having been made, feedback on trading simulation sessions has improved, and students demonstrate deep and broad levels of learning on concepts they are able to explore through the use of trading simulation sessions.

Teaching in a divided classroom: the impact of internationalisation and marketisation on business education

By edwardwhite Comment Closed

Dr John Latsis, Henley Business School
j.s.latsis@henley.ac.uk
Year(s) of activity: 2013-14

Overview

9337In the postgraduate module Managing People and Organisations (MMM048), provided by the School of Leadership, Organisations and Behaviour, assessment methods were altered in a manner that was mindful of the increased internationalisation and marketisation of UK Higher Education, in order to assist the transition of international students.

Objectives

  • To provide a method of assessment that fit the needs of international students less acculturated to UK Higher Education
  • To design this method of assessment so that it does not disadvantage more culturally expert students.
  • To have the first assessment of the module prepare students for essay-writing for further assessments.

Context

Results from previous years of MMM048 revealed that students on the module struggled with the first assessed essay, but showed significant improvement for their second assessed essay. In particular, the results suggested a difficulty for international students, who constituted over 80% of module students, to acculturate themselves to the expectations of UK Higher Education. Specifically, linguistic competence in written coursework, understanding of the requirements of critical engagement and argumentation in essay writing, and the needs of some students for individual follow-up meetings to discuss module content, were issues that needed to be addressed.

Implementation

Potential solutions, such as engaging in targeted small group tutoring, or simplifying the content of the module, were unacceptable. Engaging in targeted small group tutoring would negatively impact the workload of teaching staff, to the detriment of other duties, and would result in those groups that received said teaching having an unfair advantage. Simplifying the intellectual content of the module was undesirable, as the content of the module consistently received good feedback, and to do so would give a false impression of what was expected of students in their postgraduate study. Additionally, as students in the bottom quartile of the mark distribution generally showed evidence of improvement over the course of the module, this suggested that the content was not itself too difficult.

What was developed was an extended essay plan as a form of assessment, a hybrid solution that maintained the essay-writing element of the first part of the module, but allowed students to gain a hands-on insight into the expectations of UK postgraduate Higher Education. Students were provided with an essay plan handbook, explaining the expectations of how an essay would be written, providing a ready-made generic structure, with subheadings, approximate word counts for each section, and the usual guidelines with which students are provided. The essay plan is shorter than the full essay which previously formed the first assessment of the module (1000 words rather than 2500 words), and is worth less (15% rather than 30%). Additionally, the requirement for students to write in continuous English prose, which students might initially find difficult, is softened, as students are allowed to develop their ideas in bullet points in order to save space. The development of the extended essay plan format was carried out in consultation with the In-Sessional English Support team, in order to assure that the template was worded as clearly as possible.

Impact

The net effect of the change was significant. The failure rate for the first assessment dropped to 0%, and there was a reduced failure rate in the module as a whole. Student satisfaction surveys for the module achieved higher scores than previously, and students reported in casual conversation that they would continue to use the template and accompanying handbook to help them write their essays for other modules, as they found it a very useful tool to organise their thoughts and keep their arguments on track.

Reflections

The essay plan format is beneficial for the following reasons:

  1. It replaced the need for coaching to be provided in the context of a large class size with a variety of individual needs.
  2. It makes explicit the cultural clues that students with experience of the UK Higher Education system understand through verbal communication, but that have proved difficult to communicate verbally to students without this experience.
  3. It provides an explicit performance standard with instructions and mark-breakdowns that makes assessment clear and maintains standards of fairness across all levels of ability.
  4. As a result of the format including multiples questions, one of which is more difficult than the others, there is still the possibility for the most able students to demonstrate their ability by effectively addressing a difficult topic.
  5. It draws the markers’ attention away from linguistic ability and puts the emphasis on clarity of argument and quality of ideas, re-uniting a divided classroom.

While the new approach does reduce the flexibility that students have to express themselves within the constraints of the template, and benefits non-native English users more than it does native English users, the format allows students to be assessed on their understanding of the module content, and their ability to reflect critically upon it and construct a coherent argument.

Follow up

The essay plan assessment format has continued to be utilised within MMM048. There have been some minor changes to the wording of the essay plan and associated guidance as a result of input from the University Study Advice team. While comparisons between cohorts are difficult to perform, it is encouraging that marks on MMM048 improved last academic year.

Incorporating digital modelling into teaching and learning: Digital Silchester

By edwardwhite Comment Closed

Dr Matthew Nicholls, School of Humanities
m.c.nicholls@reading.ac.uk
Year(s) of activity: 2012-3

Overview

Digital SilchesterFollowing on from the success of the Virtual Rome project, a Classics module was constructed to teach Part Three undergraduate students 3D digital modelling for the purposes of historical reconstruction. Student satisfaction with the module has been high, and students have benefited from developing skills other than those developed in traditional modules.  The module has received widespread public recognition, and in 2014 won a Guardian University Award for teaching excellence.

Objectives

  • Provide students with digital skills.
  • Provide students with a different way of learning and representing what they have learned.
  • Extend students’ knowledge of the ancient world.
  • Create a digital model of the Roman town at Silchester for possible future use.

Context

Dr Nicholls has been conducting the Virtual Rome project to digitally reconstruct the city of Rome as it appeared c. AD 315, which he has used in his teaching. Students had expressed interest in attempting 3D digital modelling for themselves, and as part of an Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme project students had been taught digital modelling, suggesting it would be straightforward to adapt this approach to a taught module. Owing to the University of Reading’s investigation of the Roman town at Silchester since 1974, there is a wealth of information relating to this area of the ancient world, presenting an excellent opportunity for developing a module.

Implementation

Students received technical instruction in the techniques of 3D digital modelling, so that students can familiarise themselves with the software and learn the necessary skills to conduct effective modelling. These sessions are conducted within computer labs, in which the module convener can demonstrate the use of 3D digital modelling software though projection while students follow on the lab’s computers. Students use the 3D digital modelling software SketchUp Make, which is able to be downloaded for free, allowing greater access to independent learning. There are numerous tutorials available to help students learn to use SketchUp Make, and Students also have access to screencast guidance videos on the Blackboard Learn virtual learning environment.

Students also learn the conduct of reconstruction. Students engage with how reconstruction is used in historical research to deepen understanding, and consider the debates which are central to the topic. Additionally, students develop the skills necessary to conduct research, so that they can access materials to justify decisions they make in reconstruction.

The module has two assessments. The first, constituting 20% of the final mark, sees students assigned a building, of which they construct a digital model, alongside a written commentary of 1500 words justifying the decisions they have made. This assignment presents students with a formal means through which to obtain feedback on their use of 3D modelling software and their report writing. In the second assessed piece of work, constituting the remaining 80% of the final mark, students freely select a building from the Roman town at Silchester, and create a large digital model and detailed written commentary, for which there is no word limit. To allow construction of an effective model students must research the available resources, such as archaeological plans, secondary texts and comparative materials.

The marking criteria for the module are adapted from the Department of Classics’ internal marking criteria, and so students are easily able understand how to fulfil the criteria.

Students receive video feedback on their assessments. Through use of video capture software, students can see the module convener manipulating their 3D model while providing verbal feedback on how well it and the commentary meet the marking criteria.

Impact

Feedback from students is overwhelmingly positive, as students enjoy the opportunity to try something different to other modules. Students who find other areas of academic study challenging may excel in the module, as they are provided with an opportunity for visual learning and use different skills to conduct 3D digital modelling. The module has received widespread public recognition, and in 2014 won a Guardian University Award for teaching excellence. The module was also a contributing factor for Dr Nicholls being an inaugural winner of the British Academy Rising Star Engagement scheme.

Reflections

Seemingly one of the greatest challenges for the module was teaching the techniques of 3D digital modelling, as the module convener did not have formal experience of this, and the students did not have prior knowledge upon which to draw. The methods used in the first year of the module, which have since been refined, proved effective, and despite the steep learning curve all students were able to become suitably proficient in order to conduct the assessments. Some students do, however, require a large amount of support to reach this level of aptitude, which they may not require in a traditional module. The use of Blackboard Learn to provide access to learning resources was an important factor in helping students adapt to the module.

With regards marking of assessments, one challenge was to explain the module to external examiners, as this module is unique within Classics in Higher Education in the United Kingdom. This did not represent a major obstacle, but more coordination than normal was required with the external examiners.

Teaching 3D digital modelling is valuable, as many careers in which the University of Reading’s Classics graduates find employment make use of digital modelling. Beyond careers that actually perform digital modelling, many employers value the digital visualisation skills that students develop on this module, and students find that it provides an interesting topic of discussion in interviews.

Follow up

The module has continued with some amendments since its first year. The submission dates for assessments has been altered so that students submit following the Autumn and Spring terms. This has been done to allow them to benefit from a full term of instruction before creating their models.

In order to support the teaching of the module, the process of capturing lectures and workshops, so that students can refer to these videos for their independent learning, is underway.

In December 2015 Dr Nicholls will be holding a workshop for beginners to learn SketchUp modelling at the University of Reading. Interested academics or researchers are invited to contact Dr Nicholls for further details.

The Language Learning Advisor scheme

By edwardwhite Comment Closed

Alison Fenner, International Study and Language Institute
j.a.fenner@reading.ac.uk
Year(s) of case study activity: 2012-13

Overview

11683 (1)The scheme provided training for students to act as Language Learning Advisors (LLAs) to Institution-Wide Language Programme (IWLP) and Modern Languages and European Studies (MLES) students, providing peer support for developing language learning strategies.  The scheme is popular, and has benefited students receiving advice, the Language Learning Advisors, and tutors within the IWLP and MLES.

Objectives

  • Provide students with strategies for ‘learning how to learn’ a language.
  • Provide a supportive peer environment in which advice can be given which corresponds to the individual’s academic and cultural needs.
  • Encourage the acquisition of independent language-learning strategies and the development of specific skills.
  • Foster transferable skills such as self-evaluation, time management and goal setting.
  • Allow students within MLES and higher levels of the IWLP to develop coaching skills, enhancing their employability.
  • Provide a service to support tutors within the IWLP and MLES.

Context

The IWLP has about 850 students enrolled on its modules, with 24 tutors. The students are drawn from all schools and nationalities represented within the University of Reading.

It became clear to IWLP tutors that students needed to ‘learn how to learn’ a language, since many students have little experience of formal language learning and have therefore developed few language learning strategies. There are many simple techniques which can be taught and be of real benefit to the student. As most IWLP tutors are part-time, they often do not have the time or place to offer this level of support to students on an individual basis.

Implementation

The project followed the stages as detailed:

  1. The scheme was discussed with colleagues in MLES in order to explain the benefits of their students becoming LLAs.
  2. Applications from MLES undergraduates to become LLAs were invited. A further incentive was provided for participation, as students who did so would be eligible for the Reading Experience and Development (RED) Award.
  3. As the personal approach of the LLAs was essential, applicants’ tutors were asked to give a reference before their appointment was confirmed.
  4. A training session was held in which the LLAs were provided with materials to help their guidance. These included a questionnaire for LLAs to send to students before their first appointment to encourage reflection upon their learning and goals.
  5. An appointment system was set up to allow students to schedule meetings with their LLA.
  6. The scheme was presented to IWLP tutors so that they were aware of its advantages and could encourage their students to attend sessions.
  7. Throughout the year the LLAs were in constant contact with the Project Leader so their activity could be monitored, and any issues could be addressed.

Impact

Students who received advice from the LLAs gained confidence in their abilities, and developed strategies to help themselves acquire language skills more effectively. Additional benefits were that students with access to an LLA were motivated to seek additional resources in the Self-Access Centre for Language Learning (SACLL) or elsewhere, and that having regular appointments with their LLA encouraged students to build in extra time for additional language learning activities.

LLAs found the experience of providing advice to students on IWLP courses rewarding, and they enjoyed the interpersonal nature of the work. LLAs reported that their own language learning techniques had improved as a result of the increased awareness they obtained through the work.

The scheme has provided a useful academic support service for tutors within the IWLP and MLES. As a result, tutors have been appreciative of the scheme.

Reflections

In its first year, it became clear that the scheme was of great value to both students on IWLP courses, and those who became LLAs. The success of the scheme was reflected in student feedback.  Some feedback obtained identified ways in which the scheme could be improved. In the first year there had been less emphasis on matching students to LLAs specialised in the language they were learning.  While sessions with LLAs were intended to focus on general language learning strategies rather than language-specific advice, some students expected to have an LLA specialising in the language they were learning, and were disappointed as a result, although most still found the sessions useful. Consideration was given to this, and the scheme was subsequently adapted.

Follow up

The LLA scheme has been expanded beyond its original remit in terms of the numbers of students who benefit from sessions with an adviser. A greater number of LLAs have been recruited from across MLES, as well as students on high level IWLP courses by recommendation of their tutor. The increased use of LLAs has been enhanced by having LLAs attend initial IWLP sessions in order to introduce themselves to students.

Since the pilot scheme was run, there has been closer liaison between tutors and LLAs so that advisers can be more aware of what advice their students require.

Where possible, students are now matched with LLAs who are specialists in the language they are studying, although the emphasis remains on the acquisition of generic, rather than language-specific, learning strategies and on providing students with a supportive peer environment in which they can develop effective autonomous language learning skills.

Campus Wildlife Champions

By edwardwhite Comment Closed

Dr Graham J. Holloway, School of Biological Sciences
g.j.holloway@reading.ac.uk
Year(s) of activity: 2014-15

Overview

8750Students (mostly BSc Ecology and Wildlife Conservation students) carried out species identification activities in The Centre for Wildlife Assessment and Conservation on Wednesday afternoons. Students were encouraged to ‘adopt’ and focus on a taxonomic group (or community) to acquire deep learning. As a result of this and other activities, we have increased the campus species list to nearly 1700 species, an impressive statistic that we use during Information Days.

Objectives

  • To develop a sense of community amongst the BSc Ecology and Wildlife Conservation students.
  • To increase appreciation of the importance of extra-curricular learning.
  • To develop skills valued by many potential employers of these students.

Context

There is often a mismatch between what students value from their time at universities and what employers value. Employers in the conservation sector frequently value extracurricular skills in addition to modular learning. A skill that is acutely lacking in graduates is an ability to identify species and, therefore, to carry out surveys under field conditions. The Campus Wildlife Champions project offered a way for undergraduate students to develop their CVs.

Implementation

The Ecology and Wildlife Conservation programme adviser meets with the students on a regular basis. During these meetings the importance of a strong CV that provides evidence of understanding, interest and learning, vital for career development in the conservation sector, is impressed on the students. Funding provided by the Teaching and Learning Development Fund was used to provide resources to facilitate engagement of students with species identification. Every Wednesday afternoon the project leader, along with Mr. Chris Foster (a Teaching Associate of the School of Biological Sciences), worked with the students in labs to help them to get to grips with specialised identification keys.

Impact

One of the main objectives was to encourage students to appreciate that on completing their degree programme their CV becomes the most important element in their armoury. Students need to take charge of their own learning to develop their skills so that their CVs showcase who they are and what they can deliver to a potential employer. Relying entirely on learning through modular teaching is unlikely to make them special. For this reason I was not happy to make this activity compulsory; students had to choose for themselves whether they were interested and how far they would like to take the activity. Seventeen students engaged with the project but this number dropped off as the academic year progressed, in particular as the examination period approached. Several students though remain active and it is hoped that they will continue a second year.

Reflections

This type of activity had not been attempted before so we were unsure how it would unfold. To have several students still interested in the activity is great and I will be encouraging these students to resume engagement during the coming academic year and to interact with the new cohort of students starting in September 2015. Continuity was a major aspiration so to have a real prospect that Part Two students could become mentors for Part One students is excellent. It is not obvious how we could have done things differently or better while operating within the constraints.

Links

The Campus champion project has appeared as a university news item:
http://www.reading.ac.uk/news-and-events/releases/PR618137.aspx

Data from the project are contributed to the Whiteknights Biodiversity website:
http://blogs.reading.ac.uk/whiteknightsbiodiversity/

Politics Show on Junction11 Radio

By edwardwhite Comment Closed

Dr Alan Renwick, School of Politics, Economics and International Relations
Year of activity: 2014/15

Overview

DSC_0289 - CopyOur Teaching and Learning Development Fund (TLDF) award was used to fund the purchase of a laptop and recording equipment to help students in preparing materials for broadcast in the Politics Show on Junction11 Radio, the Reading University Students’ Union radio station. This facilitated learning activities that greatly boosted students’ self-confidence, engagement with politics, and transferable skills.

Objectives

  • Deepen students’ engagement with politics by creating a forum for them to discuss it on live radio.
  • Deepen students’ understanding of the role of media in politics through practice as well as academic learning.
  • Foster students’ self-confidence and their skills of research, communication, presentation, and audio editing.

Context

The hardest part in studying politics is often connecting what we learn through academic study with what is happening around the world today. The Politics Show and allied Media and Politics module are designed to facilitate that, as well as to foster a range of crucial transferable skills. The ability to record and edit material ahead of broadcast is essential, and our TLDF funding allows that.

Implementation

The Politics Show was broadcast every Tuesday evening during term throughout the year, between 7 and 8pm. Much of the show involves live studio conversation, but pre-recording some content allows us greatly to open up the range of material that we can include, and most shows have therefore involved at least some such content. We have, for example, included vox pops hearing the views of students around campus, recorded interviews with notable visitors to campus, recorded interviews away from campus with a range of political figures, and recorded material on location, including reviews of exhibitions at the British Museum and British Library. While most such material can now be recorded with a good quality smart phone, the equipment we were able to purchase through the TLDF gives the highest quality of recorded sound and ensures that all students have access to the means of recording and editing, even if they do not own the requisite equipment themselves.

Impact

The Politics Show has been a tremendous success: students who take part visibly grow in confidence and ability to communicate and in engagement with politics. In addition, anyone with access to a computer can listen to the show live or through our podcast edition, and many people do so, ensuring that the show helps advertise the University of Reading and the Department of Politics and International Relations – and the achievements and professionalism of our students – to the wider world. The show is a core element in the package that we promote to applicants during open days and visit days. Again, these opportunities require that the show’s quality be high, and our TLDF funding has helped ensure that.

Reflections

We regard the Politics Show and the associated Media and Politics module as a very clear success, which is due in large part to the energy that this activity has unleashed among our students. We plan some tweaks to aspects of the module that are not related to our TLDF funding in response to lessons learnt over the past year. But we see no reason for substantial changes to the Politics Show itself or the role of pre-recorded material in it. Our one frustration this year was that, for administrative reasons, we could not purchase our new equipment until late in the year, but we will be able to integrate it more fully into the show more continuously in 2015/16.

The show’s original host, Dr Alan Renwick, has now moved on from the University of Reading, and two new hosts – Dr Dawn Clarke and Dr Mark Shanahan – will therefore be taking over. Given that they will be new to this kind of activity, we do not plan to experiment much with innovations over the coming year, but further refinement and evolution of the format may take place thereafter.

Links

The archive of podcasts from the show is available here: http://www.reading.ac.uk/spirs/about/spirs-PoliticsShowPodcasts.aspx

Active learning methods for week intensive MSc modules

By edwardwhite Comment Closed

Dr Stefán Thór Smith, School of the Built Environment
s.t.smith@reading.ac.uk
Year(s) of case study activity: 2014-15

Overview

8977Active learning methods were explored, and the Environmental Quality and Well-being module (CEM236EQW), a week intensive module offered by the School of the Built Environment, was amended to incorporate suitable active learning methods, improving student satisfaction and engagement.
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Using screencasts to deliver skills training: a Part One English Literature module

By edwardwhite Comment Closed

Dr Nicola Abram, Literature and Languages
n.l.abram@reading.ac.uk

Year of activity: 2014/15

Overview

This entry describes the use of screencasts to deliver skills training on a compulsory Part One English Literature module. As a result of the changes outlined here, every student taking English Literature at the University of Reading will have access throughout their degree to a bank of online resources teaching key skills.

Objectives

  • To train students in the practical skills needed to succeed in an English Literature degree. To induct students into the independent learning required for an English Literature degree.
  • To increase students’ engagement in skills training.
  • To improve students’ understanding of and adherence to academic conventions.
  • To make best use of the contact time (lectures and seminars) on the module.

Context

Over 200 students enter English Literature programmes at the University of Reading each year, from a range of educational backgrounds. To ensure they all have the key skills and theoretical understanding needed to succeed throughout their degrees, we run a compulsory module in Part One , Research & Criticism (EN1RC).

In the previous incarnation of the module, the Autumn Term had been used for a series of 50 minute lectures on research methods, such as ‘Using online sources’, ‘Using published sources’, ‘Citations and referencing’, and ‘Academic writing’. Students also attended a 50 minute seminar each week, the content of which was determined by the seminar tutor. The Spring Term lectures and seminars then inducted students into foundational critical ideas like ‘narrative’, ‘reader’ and ‘author’, as well as issues such as ‘gender and sexuality and ‘race and empire’, via a series of set texts.

I was tasked with convening this module from 2014/15. On my appointment I sought to engage students as more active participants in the skills training component.

Implementation

The process for developing this module began with an informal conversation with another tutor. We identified a disparity between the module content and the mode of delivery: the traditional lecture format did not seem to be the best vehicle for delivering skills training.

Believing that skills training is most effectively conducted through practical and interactive activities, I set about constructing a series of short formative tasks that would enable students to learn by doing. These were designed to break down the process of research and writing into its component parts, so that students could amass the necessary skills bit by bit. Feedback would be given quickly – usually the following week – by their seminar tutor, meaning changes could be implemented prior to attempting a summative (assessed) essay. The specific formative tasks set were: assembling a bibliography, integrating quotation into a short critical commentary, preparing an essay plan, summarising a fiction text, précising a critical text, and drafting an essay introduction.

Students were supported to undertake each task by a screencast: a short (3-5 minute) animation giving the key information about a particular skill and signposting further resources, which students could watch at their own pace and return to at leisure. Screencasts were released to students on a controlled basis via a dedicated area on the module’s Blackboard pages, accompanying the instructions for each formative task. Upon completion of the module, students had therefore engaged with a bank of ten different screencasts. They retain access to this throughout their degrees, via Blackboard.

Most of the screencasts were prepared using the screen capture programme, Camtasia, for which we have multiple departmental licenses. Colleagues who had previously delivered the skills lectures were given the technical support (where necessary) to repurpose that material into a screencast, and others were invited to volunteer new material. A colleague in Study Advice also
contributed a screencast tailored to the needs of English Literature students. This collaborative approach produced a welcome range of different outcomes. Some colleagues used PowerPoint to present written and visual content, while others used Prezi, which better represents the spatial arrangement of the material. Some recorded a voiceover, which provided a welcome sense of connection with an individual tutor, while others chose to use a musical soundtrack downloaded from a royalty-free website such as incompetech. A few colleagues used the animation tools PowToon and VideoScribe, rather than simply recording a presentation onscreen.

A meeting with staff teaching on the module was held at the end of its first term and after its first full year. Their reflections on students’ submitted tasks and classroom engagement proved invaluable for the module’s iterative design.

Impact

As a result of this module, students are evidently more alert to the many components of professional writing and are better equipped to perform good academic practice. Selected comments from qualitative module evaluations affirmed the usefulness of this immersive model of skills training: “The first [formative] tasks such as the bibliography were very useful to bridge the gap into HE”, “All the feedback I received was very helpful and helped me improve my work”, and “The screencasts were also a fantastic idea”.

The screencasts have been watched multiple times by students, suggesting that they are a useful resource that can be returned to and referred to repeatedly. The current most-watched is ‘Incorporating quotations’, which has had 969 views since it was uploaded in January 2015.

Using screencasts as a teaching delivery tool has also provided the opportunity to develop the content of the course. Removing the skills content from lectures freed up contact time to be given to important theoretical material and set texts.

Reflections

The model of interactive skills training harnesses the power of constructive alignment (Biggs, 1996, 1999), where teaching process and assessment method are calculated to maximise students’ engagement with the subject and/or skills being taught. Even for a discursive discipline like English, the QAA Subject Benchmark Statement encourages assessments “aimed at the development
of specific skills (including IT and bibliographical exercises) (2015, p.5).

Although I did not have a particular student demographic in mind when making these changes, the staged development of writing skills seems to offer specific support to international students and EAL learners, who may be unfamiliar with UK academic conventions and benefit from an atomised approach to writing with regular formative feedback. However, all students benefit from this formal induction to academic literacy. Running a core skills module has an equalising effect on the cohort, compensating for disparities in prior educational contexts and attainment.

Embedding the screencasts to view on Blackboard was awkward since it measures dimensions in pixels, and they could not be watched inline by users whose devices did not support a specific plugin. Screencasts were therefore hosted on www.screencast.com, with stable links provided in Blackboard. Both uploading and viewing via the Screencast website are easy and effective, but the cap on bandwidth (2GB per month) meant a need to upgrade to a paid-for subscription (currently £8.36 per month) in months where traffic was particularly high. In future I will consider using YouTube with appropriate privacy settings, to continue the period release of screencasts through link-only access.

Follow up

As at 2016/17, the module continues to run using screencasts as a key teaching method. Additional screencasts have been added to the suite as need arose, for instance to support students’ use of Turnitin as a formative tool, in line with University of Reading strategy. Some screencasts have been replaced as a result of staff turnover. But most remain in use, meaning that the initial work to prepare the content and conduct the screen capture continues to pay off.

Various colleagues in the Department of English Literature have found screencasts to be a useful method for wider skills training. We are now preparing a suite of screencasts to support prospective students and new entrants with the transition into higher education, on topics like ‘What is a lecture?’ and ‘How should I communicate with my tutors?’. We also use screencasts more widely, including as a student assessment method: some of these, along with our public-facing promotional videos, have been given British Sign Language interpretation (contact Dr Cindy Becker for details).

Work is now being undertaken to enhance the training component of the module further through Technology Enhanced Learning, by using Blackboard quizzes to provide students with immediate feedback on their understanding of skills like proper referencing practice.

Links

Example screencasts from ‘Research and Criticism’:

English Literature at the University of Reading YouTube Channel

Coursework redesign for an integrated multidisciplinary module

By edwardwhite Comment Closed

Dr Mark Dallas, School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy
m.dallas@reading.ac.uk

Overview

9239Within the School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy, coursework on a Part Two Pharmacy module, Therapeutics and Medicines Optimisation B (PM2B), was redesigned to reflect the multidisciplinary nature of the new module. In their assessed work, students demonstrated a better appreciation of the interconnectivity of the disciplines of Pharmacy, and students also expressed their enjoyment of the redesigned assessment.

Objectives

  • Redesign coursework to reflect the multidisciplinary nature of PM2B.
  • Implement and assess a learning exercise that allows Pharmacy students to integrate their understanding of different Pharmacy disciplines.

Context

In 2011 the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), the regulating body for the pharmacy profession within England, Scotland and Wales and the body responsible for accreditation of the Masters of Pharmacy degree course at the University of Reading, adopted a new set of standards for the initial education and training of pharmacists. The first criteria of Standard 5 stressed the need for integrated curricula. With modules within Pharmacy at the University of Reading being altered to reflect these standards, the existing coursework structures were not suited, as they would not have aligned to the joint nature of the new modules.

Implementation

The aims, delivery and assessment of the module’s coursework were completely redesigned. Previously, students had been assessed solely by a written report, and the datasets used only reflected one discipline of pharmacy.

The new coursework that was devised was aligned with a modern day multidisciplinary drug discovery programme, with the intention being that this would allow students to appreciate the integrative nature of pharmacy as a science, and the multidisciplinary nature of their subject.

There were four assessed components that comprised the module’s coursework. A project report contributed 50% of the coursework final mark; a poster presentation 20%; reflective diaries 15%; and engagement 15%. By having multiple types of assessment it was hoped that students would engage with the topics, and that it would promote deep learning, while allowing students an opportunity to demonstrate a variety of skill sets. The poster presentation and project reports saw students assessed as groups. To assess engagement, a rubric was created, rating students on their academic engagement and their group engagement based on clearly defined criteria.

Impact

The redesigned assessment was enjoyed by students, and in their assessed work students consistently demonstrated a sufficient understanding of the interconnectivity of the disciplines of Pharmacy. Marks on the written report, however, were lower than had been hoped, and suggested that some adjustment to this aspect of assessment were necessary.

Reflection

Having the coursework comprise different assessment types was valuable as it allowed staff to gain an insight into student knowledge retention, critical thinking, and their ability to work in a wider context.

The written report represented an assessment format with which students would be familiar, given the format of assessments at Part One. The value of having students produce a written report was that it allowed students to be tested on their application, rather than simple obtainment, of knowledge to address a problem.

Having students produce a poster presentation as part of their assessment on the module encouraged students to utilise different skills in their work. Communication skills, which had previously not been assessed in the module, but are an important skill that the University of Reading seeks to develop in its graduates, became a central element of assessment. By having to produce a poster that would then be presented to their peers, students were encouraged to engage deeply with the topic, and to take pride in what they created, and created an opportunity for peer learning.

Having group work as an assessed element was of great value in a multidisciplinary module. With group members having different strengths within the group, they are able to make a valuable contribution, and benefit from learning from others’ strengths in turn. While group work does introduce the possibility for ‘free-riding’, whereby students do not engage and instead rely on the rest of the group to deliver a good final mark, and this was something that students commented on in their feedback, the strength of group assessment is the key communication and collaborative skills it demands.

The creation of reflective diaries is especially pertinent to students in healthcare professions, as reflective writing is a central element of their continuing professional development. An additional and unforeseen benefit of this assessment was the insight it provided into students’ thought processes, which was valuable for making adjustments to the module.

Assessing student engagement was one of the challenging aspects of the redesigned assessment. Having a clear rubric made marking a more objective process.

Follow up

To address the issues that were introduced by having group work assessed, a session on group dynamics has been introduced to the module in order to better set expectations. The skills addressed in this session will be valuable to students not only in this module, but can also be applied across their academic and professional experience.

A further innovation has been the use of online project management tools. This has both allowed students to better manage their work and engagement, and also allows assessors access to evidence to help with marking, and allows group work to be better monitored.