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Digital Event

Institutional Action #altc2011

Gordon Jayes et al ‘learning the large scale e-portfolio implementations – introducing the ePI search study’

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Tied into http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/elearning/epi.aspx

Wanted whole course, whole institution and extra curricular as well as within courses.

Found experiences pretty similar across different institutions. To complete stage 4 (sustaining) needs to be thought about at the early stages.

Drivers for using eportfolios are even stronger than ever – employability and widening participation. Wide range of tools to use and still grown.

Range of approaches – top down, middle out or bottom-up.

  • Be clear about purpose/align with the type of course to maximise benefits.
  • Learning activity needs to be designed to suit the purpose – share practice
  • Processes need to be supported technologically & pedagogically
  • Ownership needs to be student centred
  • Transformation – expect that using eportfolios will disrupt academic cultures & practices

Ensure that the role of those embedding is understood/valued especially by senior managers.

How does this align with what already takes place? Understand the benefits/sell them … Acknowledge that disruption is coming.

Of value – ties in with how students view themselves as ‘learners’. What’s most important is what’s learnt through the process rather than the product!

Carol Shergold – University of Sussex ‘Students autonomous use of Turnitin – evaluating an institutional deployment’

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New use of software for 2010/11. Not tied into specific assessment events/policing, but more as a help understand tool.

Within Moodle – clear instructions for using the software. Can only submit own work. 30% of eligible students uploaded at least one document (over 3000 files).

Repeated use indicated found it useful, but also surveyed students as to how they found it useful. 6.4 (200) responded to the survey, including 60 who hadn’t used it and responded as to why they hadn’t used it.

55% found useful, 24% said didn’t find it useful — questions of the sample.

How successful was the autonomous approach? (support was there, but they had to go ask).

  • Certain phrases picks up for paraphrasing, not possible
  • Picking up examples which are properly referenced.
  • Student read as ‘my essay came up as 32% plagiarised’ – actually showing 32% matches, not plagiarism – part of the fact that it was autonomous?
  • Students wanted to know what the ‘acceptable score’ was – can be no such thing, all contextual, but student perceptions…!

48% took some action, spotted need to paraphrase, missed reference, and also gave students confidence in submitting their work (ESP English as second language students).

Ultimate aim is not to have an essay submission room, but to submit everything electronically. Working with tweaking settings on Turnitin to make it less scary – also make it more visual/less texty.

Look at York/peer support.

Simon Davies, University of York, ‘SET for success: socialisation and e-learning technology to facilitate first year transition’

For many over a summer break they hadn’t changed, but were expected to think/behave like an undergraduate from the word ‘go’.

2010 had 22 transition sites across 13 depts – driven by mix of academics/admin/students

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(photo: information overload etc, expectations for academic skills)

Given ‘need to know ‘ info, opportunities to socilalise, depts tried to give a flavour of departmental culture (eg quick interviews with staff/students)’ subject prep (eg reading lists), academic preparation, orientation/welfare.

{see Yorkshare: VLE}

End of 2010 studied the access stats, provided drivers to continue as over 70% of courses had 75% + access… Not a White elephant.

Carried out surveys/focus groups – surprise to many academics that these sites wasn’t the only site that students used .. Students wanted the inside track on what to really expect…

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Social networks were widely used – but worries about blurring.

2011 – looking to refine content, facilitate blogs etc more robustly.
Seeing that these are also being used at the applicant stage… Applicants portal coming…

Finally

A paper presented by Dr Bex Lewis, on behalf of Dr Andy Wilson (Loughborough) and Marina Janetsky (Middlesex), ‘D-ICE for Change: Applying Organisational Development Guidance to IT Projects‘.

This blog entry was written live in session, with photos/headings added afterwards.

By Digital Fingerprint

Digiexplorer (not guru), Senior Lecturer in Digital Marketing @ Manchester Metropolitan University. Interested in digital literacy and digital culture  in the third sector (especially faith). Author of 'Raising Children in a Digital Age', regularly checks hashtag #DigitalParenting.

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