For the first time, we offered three ways to learn more about the pedagogical benefits of technology enhanced learning, in the space of one week: –
TELTALKS19 – a programme of live online talks, using Blackboard Collaborate Ultra
TEL Tools and Types of Learning Padlet – a digital bulletin board of links to a wide range of TEL Tools, aligned to Diana Laurillard’s six learning types, which lie at the heart of UCL’s ABC approach to learning design
7 Characteristics of Good University Teaching’ Seminar, a face to face session delivered by Dr Nigel Francis, Swansea University School of Medicine. Becoming a Better Teacher: A Flipped Approach’
Here’s a bit more information about each of the above and how you can still be involved. Lots of resources were generated that you can still engage with. Or, you can sign up for related CPD from SALT – see the links at the end of this blog!
TELTALKS19
Our online talks attracted lots of staff keen to learn more about webinar-type technology, who found the morning ‘Taster’ sessions a helpful introduction to the basics. Many staff then built upon that experience by attending afternoon talks, which were on the following topics.
Polling as a Way of Engaging Large Groups
Padlet
Blended and Flipped Learning
Inclusivity and Technology Enhanced Learning
The afternoon talks enabled staff from around the university to come together and learn from one another’s knowledge, expertise and experience. There were lots of probing questions and comments to reflect on, simultaneously encouraging the development of skills in using an online, synchronous communication tool.
We thoroughly enjoyed connecting with Swansea University staff in this way. Sessions were lively, rich in content and varied in nature.
In feedback, our participants were enthusiastic about the possibility of using tools such as Blackboard Collaborate in their own teaching, learning, student and staff communication.
To the question…
‘Would you use webinar technology like this in the future?’
85% of participants said ‘YES’
15% said ‘MAYBE’
This word cloud represents how participants thought they could use it.
If you would like to learn more about using Blackboard Collaborate, accessing our recordings or would like to express interest in taking part in future TELTALKS, please contact SALT Senior Academic Developer & Blackboard Collaborate Pilot Lead Debbie Baff .
This is still available to engage with. Scroll down each column to learn more about the types of learning and the digital technology tools that can be used alongside or instead of more conventional methods of learning. Contribute by adding comments or posts of your own.
Roedd Mai 13eg – 17eg 2019 yn wythnos TEL DPP yma yn SALT. Am y tro cyntaf, fe wnaethon ni cynnig tair ffordd i ddysgu rhagor am fuddion pedagogeg dysgu trwy dechnoleg, i gyd mewn un wythnos:-
TRAFODAETHAUTEL19 – Rhaglen o drafodaethau byw ar-lein yn defnyddio Blackboard Collaborate Ultra.
Padlet TACLAU TEL a Mathau o Ddysgu – bwrdd bwletin digidol gyda dolenni i amrywiaeth eang o Daclau TEL, wedi alinio i chwe math o ddysgu Diana Laurillard, sydd wrth wraidd ymagwedd ABC UCL at ddylunio dysgu.
Seminar 7 Nodwedd o Athro Brifysgol Dda, sesiwn wyneb yn wyneb gan Dr Nigel Francis, Ysgol Feddygaeth Prifysgol Abertawe. ‘Dod yn Athro Gwell: Trosi’r Dosbarth’
Dyma damaid o wybodaeth am bob un o’r uchod a sut gallwch o hyd cymryd rhan. Crëwyd lawer o adnoddau gallwch o hyd defnyddio neu cofrestrwch am DPP perthnasol o SALT – gwelir y dolenni ar ddiwedd y blog yma.
TRAFODAETHAUTEL19
Mae ein trafodaethau ar-lein wedi denu lawer o staff sydd yn awyddus i ddysgu rhagor am dechnoleg math-webinar, fe wnaethon nhw ffeindio’r sesiynau bore ‘blasu’ yn gyflwyniad defnyddiol i’r hanfodion. Fe wnaeth lawer o staff yna adeiladu ar y profiad yna gan fynychu trafodaethau’r prynhawn oedd ar y testunau canlynol.
Polau fel ffordd i Atynnu Grwpiau Mawr
Padlet
Dysgu Cyfunol a Dysgu wedi Trosi
Cynwysoldeb a Dysgu a Gyfoethogir gan Dechnoleg
Fe wnaeth y trafodaethau prynhawn galluogi staff ledled y brifysgol dysgu o wybodaeth, arbenigedd a phrofiad o’i gilydd; roedd yna lawer o gwestiynau a sylwadau i adlewyrchu arno, gan ddatblygu sgiliau yn defnyddio teclyn cyfathrebu ar-lein cydamserol.
Fe wnaethon ni fwynhau cysylltu â staff Prifysgol Abertawe yn y modd yma. Roedd y sesiynau yn fywiog, cynnwys cyfoethog ac yn amrywiol.
Yn yr adborth, roedd ein cyfranogwyr yn frwdfrydig am y posibilrwydd o ddefnyddio taclau megis Blackboard Collaborate yn eu dysgu, addysgu a chyfathrebiad rhwng myfyrwyr a staff.
Wrth ymateb i’r cwestiwn…
‘A fyddech yn defnyddio technoleg webinar fel hyn yn y dyfodol?’
Fe wnaeth 85% o gyfranogwyr dweud ‘BYDDEN’
Dywed 15% ‘EFALLAI’
Mae’r cwmwl geiriau yma yn portreadu’r ffyrdd dywedodd cyfranogwyr gallent ragweld eu defnyddio.
Os hoffech ddysgu rhagor am ddefnyddio Blackboard Collaborate, cael mynediad i’r recordiau neu eisiau dangos diddordeb mewn cymryd rhan mewn TRAFODAETHAUTEL y dyfodol, cysylltwch ag Uwch Ddatblygydd Academaidd SALT ac Arweinydd Peilot Blackboard Collaborate, Debbie Baff
Mae hwn o hyd ar gael i weithio gyda. Sgroliwch i lawr ar bob colofn i ddysgu rhagor am y mathau o ddysgu a’r dechnoleg ddigidol gellir defnyddio ochr yn ochr neu yn lle’r dulliau confensiynol o ddysgu. Cyfrannwch gan ychwanegu sylwadau neu gofnodion eich hun.
This blog is about active learning and its growing importance in Higher Education.
It’s also a great opportunity to offer my insight from the SALT ‘7Cs’ January workshop led by Dr. Patricia Xavier from Swansea University’s College of Engineering, ‘Dynamism, conversation and challenge: using active learning and assessment to engage passive learners’.
What is active learning?
‘‘Learning is not a spectator sport. Students do not learn much just by sitting in classes listening to teachers, memorizing pre-packaged assignments and spitting out answers. They must talk about what they are learning, write about it, relate it to past experiences, and apply it to their daily lives. They must make what they learn part of themselves’’ (Chickering & Gamson 1987).
‘Uses active learning techniques’ is one among the ‘Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education’ originally published in 1987 by Chickering and Gamson.
Here are all seven in the original order presented…
Encourages contact between students and faculty
Develops reciprocity and cooperation among students
Uses active learning techniques
Gives prompt feedback
Emphasises time on task
Communicates high expectations
Respects diverse talents and ways of doing things
Excellent learning and teaching often combines several or all of the principles in a certain approach.
Some good examples from Swansea University can be found on this link to the ‘Seven Characteristics of a Good University Teacher’ seminar and workshop programme, inspired by a combination of Chickering and Gamson’s work and Swansea University qualitative module feedback, where you can find videos and blogs on past events and reservation links to upcoming ones.
Chickering and Gamson’s examples of active learning techniques include:-
Structured exercises
Challenging discussions
Team projects
Peer critiques
Outside the classroom e.g. internships
Independent study
Cooperative job programmes
Students co-designing and co-teaching
All of the above remain crucial areas of academic development in HE today, along with newer concepts such as ‘the flipped classroom’ and ‘blended learning’, which often incorporate learning technologies not imagined in 1989.
Active Spaces and Active Minds
In the HE context, the term ‘active learning’ is now synonymous with the spaces and environments within which active learning takes place, as traditional lecture theatres with large cohorts of students pose challenges in being able to adopt a more active approach. Solutions are sought in using space in innovative ways conducive to active learning, and technology has also enhanced active learning opportunities for larger groups, e.g. A019 at The Bay Campus at Swansea University.
However, it’s important to remember that the concept of active learning is an umbrella term for learning through all sorts of meaningful activities. It’s about the cognitive processes experienced by the learner, rather than the learning environments they are in, per se. By thinking creatively, we can create opportunities for active learning in many areas of ‘traditional’ teaching and learning (such as in the example below).
Active learning techniques are also favoured by employers, offering ‘more opportunity to embed skill enhancement’ such as problem solving, teamwork, communication and enthusiasm…’ (Power 2012).
January’s 7Cs Workshop:
‘Dynamism, conversation and challenge: using active learning and assessment to engage passive learners’
In this session held at A019 The Bay Campus, Dr Patricia Xavier from Swansea University’s College of Engineering shared and reflected upon her experience of introducing active learning and assessment techniques to groups of over 160 students. The session included the chance to participate in one of her active learning exercises.
Why Change?
Patricia began the session by asking us to think about terms such as ‘active’, ‘problem-based’ and ‘experience-based’ learning….what do these pedagogies have in common? They involve students being more ACTIVE rather than in their learning. Patricia quoted Dr Ben Brabon, Senior Advisor at Advance HE, who recently argued that people learn best
‘through doing, asking questions and self-constructing their knowledge. What we discover we are more likely to retain’ (Dr Ben Brabon, 2019)
Patricia explained that her motivation for introducing more active techniques to a construction management module was motivated by many factors – awareness of the pedagogical evidence, learning from peers at SALT conferences, but also first- hand experience of deteriorating attendance and absence of questions asked by and of students in large lectures. Speaking to students revealed an acceptance of the idea that a minimal amount of learning taking place in large lectures, of not retaining much knowledge from them, but simply seeing them as places to be signposted to learn in their own time.
What changed?
With careful planning, Patricia revised her approach to include:-
timetabled group learning sessions
examination of case studies and project data
exploration of interactive tasks
peer interaction and instruction
structured ‘paired’ weeks
formative assessed tasks with feedback, to precede summative ones
Tasks were designed to meet learning outcomes through students:-
spending more time together
discovering things for themselves
problem-solving, and
engaging in discussion
Patricia wanted to avoid micro-managing tasks but was available throughout the sessions to answer questions and facilitate the group work, at times having some assistance from a very small number of Demonstrators.
166 students were assigned to four-hour sessions of the above nature. There was an element of self-selection into groups of 3, then groups were groups paired, with some consideration of ability level. It’s important to stress at this stage that her formative assessment sessions were not compulsory, yet students attended.
Getting on with it!
We were asked to ‘get active’. Putting ourselves in the role of students in groups of four, we attempted one of the activities she had actually used in one of her sessions. I thought this was an interesting and revealing workshop strategy, as we found ourselves experiencing similar emotions to that of Patricia’s students i.e. initial confusion giving way to satisfaction and a sense of achievement as the task progressed. We were asked to capture these emotions on post-it notes – very useful to draw on in risk management.
The ‘7C’s’ session was held in room A019, Engineering Central, which is one of Swansea University’s new bespoke active learning spaces, but Patricia explained that she had introduced her active methods in general teaching rooms big enough to accommodate her students, without any special equipment or software.
Was it worth the change?
Patricia invited feedback from her students, which initially included some opposition – they certainly felt they were being challenged and doing something different to the norm. However, Patricia found that the feedback and reassurance she offered back, combined with the benefits of the approach soon speaking for itself in terms of students’ learning, feedback quickly became very positive, quoting the fun, high level of engagement and staff-student interaction among the things they liked best. Feedback started to include the comment ‘thank-you’.
Were there lessons learned?
Yes. Patricia identified several, which should feature in the risk management of anyone thinking of adopting a similar approach.
Managing anxiety levels
Facilitation of large groups
Mitigation of language difficulties
These could all be addressed in the pre-session information given to prepare students e.g. glossaries, management of expectations, clear explanation of the advantages of active learning.
At the end of the session, I left thinking that Patricia’s new approach echoes many of the ‘Seven Principles of Good Undergraduate Practice’, and was both inspirational and practically helpful to colleagues thinking to make changes in their own teaching and learning.
If you have an example of active learning, especially in the context of a large group/cohort, we would love to hear about it at SALT. Please feel free to comment on the blog or message Rhian at SALT on r.e.ellis@swansea.ac.uk, tweet @rhianellis #susaltcpd.
Additional Resources
(1) Image provided by Stephanie Groshell and Zach Groshell, Education Rickshaw.com:
Research findings on the seven principles. In A.W. Chickering & Z.F. Gamson (Eds.) Applying the seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education (pp. 13-25). New Directions for Teaching and Learning, No. 47. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tl.v1991:47/issuetoc
Power, Jess (2012) Promoting Employability Skills through Active Learning. In: The Second Employability, Enterprise, & Citizenship in Higher Education Conference, Tuesday 27th March 2012, Manchester, UK.
Mae’r blog hwn yn trafod DYSGU GWEITHREDOL a’i bwysigrwydd cynyddol ym maes Addysg Uwch.Mae hefyd yn gyfle gwych i mi gynnig cipolwg i chi ar weithdy ‘7C’ adlewyrchol iawn Academi Dysgu ac Addysgu Abertawe dan arweiniad Dr Patricia Xavier o Goleg Peirianneg Prifysgol Abertawe, a’r teitl difyr iawn oedd:‘Dynamism, conversation and challenge: using active learning and assessment to engage passive learners’.
Beth yw dysgu gweithgar?
‘‘Learning is not a spectator sport. Students do not learn much just by sitting in classes listening to teachers, memorizing pre-packaged assignments and spitting out answers. They must talk about what they are learning, write about it, relate it to past experiences, and apply it to their daily lives. They must make what they learn part of themselves’’ (Chickering & Gamson 1987).
Mae’r ‘defnydd o ddulliau dysgu gweithredol’ yn un o’r ‘Saith Egwyddor Arfer Da mewn Addysg Israddedig’ a gyhoeddwyd yn wreiddiol ym 1987 gan Chickering a Gamson.
Dyma bob un o’r saith yn y drefn wreiddiol a gyflwynwyd…
Yn annog cyswllt rhwng myfyrwyr â chyfadrannau
Yn datblygu dwyochredd a chydweithrediad ymhlith myfyrwyr
Yn defnyddio dulliau dysgu gweithredol
Yn rhoi adborth prydlon
Yn pwysleisio amser ar dasg
Yn cyfleu disgwyliadau uchel
Yn parchu amrywiaeth o ddoniau a ffyrdd o wneud pethau.
Mae dysgu ac addysgu ardderchog yn aml yn cyfuno pob un o’r saith egwyddor mewn dull penodol – gellir disgrifio llawer o’r rhain yn ‘weithredol.’ Gellir dod o hyd i enghreifftiau da o Brifysgol Abertawe ar y ddolen hon i’r rhaglen o seminarau a gweithdai Saith Nodwedd sy’n gwneud Athro Da yn y Brifysgol,’ lle gallwch weld fideos a blogiau ar ddigwyddiadau blaenorol yn ogystal â dolenni i gofrestru ar gyfer rhai yn y dyfodol.
Mae eu henghreifftiau nhw o ddulliau dysgu gweithredol yn cynnwys:-
Ymarferion strwythuredig
Trafodaethau heriol
Prosiectau tîm
Beirniadaethau gan gymheiriaid
Y tu hwnt i’r ystafell ddosbarth e.e. interniaethau
Astudio annibynnol
Rhaglenni gwaith cydweithredol
Myfyrwyr yn dylunio ac yn addysgu ar y cyd
Mae pob un o’r uchod yn parhau’n feysydd hanfodol o ran datblygiad academaidd ym maes Addysg Uwch heddiw, yn ogystal â chysyniadau mwy newydd megis ‘yr ystafell ddosbarth wrthdro’ a ‘dysgu cyfunol’ sy’n aml yn cynnwys technolegau dysgu na feddyliwyd amdanynt ym 1989.
Mannau Gweithredol a Meddyliau Gweithredol
Yng nghyd-destun addysg uwch, mae’r term ‘dysgu gweithredol’ bellach yn gyfystyr â’r mannau a’r amgylcheddau y cynhelir dysgu gweithredol ynddynt, oherwydd bod heriau’n gysylltiedig â darlithfeydd traddodiadol gyda charfannau mawr o fyfyrwyr o ran y gallu i fabwysiadu dull mwy gweithredol ynddynt. Gellir ceisio atebion o ran defnyddio mannau mewn ffyrdd arloesol sy’n addas ar gyfer dysgu gweithredol, ac mae technoleg hefyd wedi gwella’r cyfleoedd dysgu gweithredol ar gyfer grwpiau mwy e.e. A019 ar Gampws y Bae ym Mhrifysgol Abertawe.
Fodd bynnag, mae’n bwysig cofio mae term ambarél yw dysgu gweithredol ar gyfer dysgu drwy bob math o weithgareddau ystyrlon. Mae’n ymwneud â’r prosesau gwybyddol y mae’r dysgwr yn eu profi yn hytrach na’r amgylcheddau dysgu y maen nhw ynddynt fel y cyfryw. Trwy feddwl yn greadigol, gallwn greu cyfleoedd ar gyfer dysgu gweithredol mewn sawl maes o ‘ddysgu ac addysgu traddodiadol.’Mae cyflogwyr hefyd yn cefnogi dulliau dysgu gweithredol am eu bod yn cynnig ‘mwy o gyfleoedd i ymgorffori’r broses o wella sgiliau ynddynt, megis datrys problemau, gweithio mewn tîm, cyfathrebu a brwdfrydedd…’ (Power 2012).
Gweithdy 7C Ionawr
Dynamism, conversation and challenge: using active learning and assessment to engage passive learners’
Yn y sesiwn hon yn A019 ar Gampws y Bae, bu Dr Patricia Xavier yn rhannu ac yn myfyrio ynghylch ei phrofiadau o gyflwyno dulliau dysgu ac asesu gweithredol i grwpiau o dros 160 o fyfyrwyr, ac roedd y gweithdy’n cynnwys y cyfle i gymryd rhan mewn un o’i hymarferion dysgu gweithredol.
Pam newid?
Dechreuodd Patricia y sesiwn drwy ofyn i ni feddwl am dermau megis dysgu ‘gweithredol,’ ‘seiliedig ar broblem’ a ‘seiliedig ar brofiad’…beth sy’n debyg rhwng y dulliau addysgu hyn?Maen nhw’n golygu bod myfyrwyr yn fwy GWEITHREDOL yn hytrach na GODDEFOL yn eu dysgu.Dyfynnodd Patricia Dr Ben Branon, Uwch-ymgynghorydd yn Advance HE, a fu’n dadlau’n ddiweddar bod pobl yn dysgu’n well ‘drwy wneud, gofyn cwestiynau ac adeiladu eu gwybodaeth eu hunain. Rydym yn fwy tebygol o ddal gafael ar yr hyn rydym ni’n ei ddarganfod.’
Esboniodd Patricia fod nifer o ffactorau wedi ei chymell i gyflwyno mwy o ddulliau gweithredol i fodiwl rheoli adeiladu – ymwybyddiaeth o’r dystiolaeth addysgu, dysgu gan gymheiriaid mewn cynadleddau Academaidd Dysgu ac Addysgu Abertawe, yn ogystal â phrofiad ymarferol o bresenoldeb sy’n gwaethygu, a diffyg cwestiynau a ofynnir gan fyfyrwyr mewn darlithoedd mawr.Wrth siarad â myfyrwyr, derbyniodd y syniad mai prin yw’r dysgu sy’n digwydd mewn darlithoedd mawr, nid yw’r myfyrwyr yn dal gafael ar lawer o wybodaeth. Yn syml, maen nhw’n eu gweld fel mannau i’w cyfeirio at ddysgu yn eu hamser eu hunain.
Beth sydd wedi newid?
Felly, er iddi boeni, diwygiodd Patricia ei dull i gynnwys y canlynol:
sesiynau dysgu grŵp a amserlennwyd
astudio astudiaethau achos a data prosiectau
archwilio tasgau rhyngweithiol
rhyngweithio a chael cyfarwyddiadau gan gymheiriaid
wythnosau ‘paru’ strwythuredig
tasgau a aseswyd yn ffurfiannol gydag adborth cyn rhai crynodol
Dyluniwyd tasgau’n ofalus i ddiwallu deilliannau dysgu, drwy sicrhau bod y myfyrwyr yn:-
treulio mwy o amser gyda’i gilydd
darganfod pethau drostynt eu hunain
datrys problemau, a
chymryd rhan mewn trafodaethau.
Roedd Patricia am osgoi micro-reoli tasgau, ond roedd hi ar gael drwy gydol y sesiynau i ateb cwestiynau a hwyluso gwaith grŵp. Roedd hi’n cael cefnogaeth gan nifer fach iawn o ddangoswyr ar adegau.
Cafodd 166 o fyfyrwyr eu neilltuo i sesiynau pedair awr tebyg i’r uchod. Roedd elfen o hunan ddewis i grwpiau o 3, yna roedd grwpiau’n cael eu paru. Rhoddwyd rhywfaint o ystyriaeth i lefelau gallu. Mae’n bwysig pwysleisio ar yr adeg hon nad oedd eu sesiynau asesu ffurfiannol yn orfodol ond eto, roedd myfyrwyr yn mynd iddynt.
Mynd ati!
Gofynnwyd i ni ‘fod yn weithredol.’Drwy chwarae rôl myfyrwyr mewn grwpiau o bedwar, gwnaethom roi cynnig ar un o’r gweithgareddau roedd hi wedi’i ddefnyddio go iawn yn un o’i sesiynau.Yn fy marn i, dyma strategaeth weithdy diddorol a dadlennol, oherwydd ein bod ni’n canfod ein bod yn profi emosiynau tebyg i fyfyrwyr Patricia h.y. teimlo’n ddryslyd i gychwyn yna boddhad ac ymdeimlad o gyflawniad wrth i’r dasg fynd rhagddi. Gofynnwyd i ni nodi’r emosiynau hyn ar ddarnau o bapur – defnyddiol iawn i gyfeirio atynt wrth reoli risgiau.
Cynhaliwyd y sesiwn ‘7C’ yn ystafell A019, Adeilad Canolog Peirianneg, sef un o fannau dysgu gweithredol pwrpasol newydd Prifysgol Abertawe, ond, esboniodd Patricia ei bod hi wedi cyflwyno ei dulliau gweithredol mewn ystafelloedd addysgu cyffredinol a oedd yn ddigon mawr ar gyfer ei myfyrwyr, heb unrhyw offer neu feddalwedd arbenigol.
A oedd hi’n werth y newid?
Gofynnodd Patricia am adborth gan ei myfyrwyr, ac i gychwyn roedd rhai’n gwrthwynebu – roeddent yn amlwg yn teimlo eu bod yn cael eu herio ac yn gwneud rhywbeth a oedd yn wahanol i’r arfer. Fodd bynnag, canfu Patricia fod yr adborth a’r sicrwydd roedd hi’n eu cynnig yn gyfnewid, ar y cyd â manteision y dull yn dweud cyfrolau am ddysgu myfyrwyr. Yn fuan daeth yr adborth yn gadarnhaol iawn, ac roeddent yn dyfynnu’r hwyl, y lefel uchel o ymgysylltiad a’r rhyngweithio rhwng staff a myfyrwyr ymysg y pethau yr oeddent yn eu hoffi orau.Dechreuodd yr adborth gynnwys y sylw ‘diolch yn fawr.’
A oedd anawsterau?
Oedd. Nododd Patricia lawer, a ddylai fod yn amlwg yn nogfennau rheoli risgiau unrhyw un sy’n ystyried mabwysiadau dull tebyg.
Rheoli lefelau gorbryder
Hwyluso grwpiau mwy
Lliniaru anawsterau o ran iaith
Gellid mynd i’r afael â phob un o’r rhain yn yr wybodaeth cyn-sesiynol a roddir i baratoi myfyrwyr e.e. rhestrau termau, rheoli disgwyliadau, esboniad eglur o fanteision dysgu gweithredol.
Ar ddiwedd y sesiwn, gadawais yn meddwl bod dull newydd Patricia yn adleisio sawl un o’r ‘Saith Egwyddor Arfer Da mewn Addysg Israddedig,’ ac roedd yn ysbrydoledig ac o gymorth yn ymarferol i gydweithwyr sy’n ystyried gwneud eu newidiadau i’w dysgu ac addysgu eu hunain.
Research findings on the seven principles. Yn A.W. Chickering & Z.F. Gamson (Eds.) Applying the seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education (pp. 13-25). New Directions for Teaching and Learning, No. 47. San Ffrancisco: Jossey-Bass. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tl.v1991:47/issuetoc
Power, Jess (2012) Promoting Employability Skills through Active Learning. Yn: The Second Employability, Enterprise, & Citizenship in Higher Education Conference, Dydd Mawrth 27 Mawrth 2012, Manceinion, DU.
[:en]In case you are unaware, SALT and the School of Management have arranged a Teaching Enhancement Seminar. The seminar entitled Interventions in Summative Examinations is lead by Dr. Geertje van Keulen.
Dr van Keulen is an Associate Professor in Swansea University Medical School and the Lead-Organiser of Soapbox Science Swansea.
Dr. van Keulen will be coming to the Bay campus on March 15th, to talk about interventions in summative examinations that improve the student and staff experience, namely MCQs and seen exams.
The seminar will cover some of the advantages and disadvantages of MCQs as well as some more recent work undertaken by Geertje and colleagues in Medicine looking at seen examination questions. Their work on MCQs was published in the PLOS One ‘Negatively-Marked MCQ Assessments That Reward Partial Knowledge Do Not Introduce Gender Bias Yet Increase Student Performance and Satisfaction and Reduce Anxiety’ http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0055956
If you are looking at diversifying your assessments, enhancing student performance or developing their pedagogic research then this is a seminar for you. For more information and to book a place click on the Eventbright button below.
The session on 15th March will commence at 14:00 where teas and coffee will be served on arrival. We look forward to seeing you there![:]
Having spent most of the previous week fretting and being unreasonable to friends and family due to nerves at the prospect of being streamed live to the Universe University (it just felt like the Universe), this was actually OK !
I forgot a few things, I said a few things wrong and had to correct a few other things. The order was a bit messed up and I’d neglected to set up a nice clean, empty module to use for the demo. Still … hopefully no-one noticed and as long as no-one ever reads this, I should be able to get away with it !
It is all just a case of finding the spots in the room where the roaming eye of the camera cannot see you. Suddenly, security returns.
This does raise interesting possibilities for delivering sessions over the two campuses, as providing equal provision is on our minds at the moment. It seemed to go alright from my end and it would be interesting to hear how it was from the viewers end, either streamed at the time or just watching the recording. Let us know what you think if you view any of them. If you don’t we might just assume you loved them and keep doing it.
[:en]Every year Jane Hart (http://janehart.com ), founder of the Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies, compiles the Top 100 Tools for Learning. The 2014 Annual Learning Tools Survey comprised votes from 1038 learning professionals across 61 countries. (2015 survey closes on 18th September 2015 http://c4lpt.co.uk/top100tools/voting/). So to kick off our technology for teaching month each member of SALT was asked to look at the 2014 list and indicated the tools that they use and would recommend to others for use both in learning and teaching capacity and within their daily working life. After tallying the scores these tools came out on top (they are in no particular order):
Audacity: A free, open source cross platform software for recording and editing sounds
Audacity is a very easy to use tool that can be used by teachers in many ways such as podcasting, module introductions, recording of speeches, development of language learning, record comments/opinions/discussions; its use is limited only by your imagination. The links below provide further information and ideas:
PowerPoint was launched 25 years ago and it is estimated to have been installed on over 1 billion computers. Most people have been subjected to death by PowerPoint at some point in their lives, but it is the go-to software package that most of us use to deliver a presentation of some degree. Everyone can improve some areas of their presentation here are some links that will help:
Google Docs/Drive: A free web based application which allows documents, spreadsheets, presentations and forms to be created, edited, stored and shared online. Google Drive is a cloud based file storage service
In SALT we use Google docs for our weekly team meeting agenda which allows all of the team to add/amend the agenda and action points. During the meeting the main action points are added in real time and thus no requirement for editing and circulating them after the meeting. Google docs also facilitate synchronous and asynchronous collaboration across the team when working with documents/spread sheets etc. Existing in the cloud allows for anytime anywhere access across all devices, with inbuilt revision history it is easy to view and revert to earlier versions of the file and see who made specific changes. The links below provide more information:
If you want to hear more about the way Google Docs and Google Drive has been used at Swansea Chris Jobling will sharing his experience of using Google applications to support group work. Click here for more info: https://salt.swan.ac.uk/event/google-drive/
Wikipedia: A collaboratively written encyclopaedia freely available online
Many academics and universities distrust the service with warnings of ‘never cite wikipedia’. The beauty of Wikipedia lies within the references which can lead the reader to some excellent (and some not so excellent) further readings. The fundamental point to student use of Wikipedia is that they should use it as an information source and be aware that their academic work needs to be supported with references to acceptable scholarly sources.
Many UK Universities are working wiki Wikipedia through the Wikipedia Education Program to contribute to Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects in an academic setting.
Skype: A software application that enables video and audio calls over the internet
Skype has evolved into much more than just internet video calls. The latest incarnation supports video calls, instant messaging, group video calls, voice calls, screen sharing and file sharing. The range of tools enable some powerful uses in an Education setting such as distance learner support, bringing experts into the classroom from anywhere in the world, online tutorials, remote student interviews. The link below suggests 50 ways to using Skype: http://www.teachingdegree.org/2009/06/30/50-awesome-ways-to-use-skype-in-the-classroom/
Google Chrome: A free software web browser developed by Google
Google Chrome is the most popular internet browser with 52.82% of internet traffic as of Aug 2015 (http://gs.statcounter.com). I’ve not been able to find any definitive article explaining for the meteoric rise in recent years but it could be a combination of the ubiquitous Google usage (Google Docs, Drive, Google Search, Chrome on Android devices). As a team we use Google docs to collaborate on documents, plus members of the team have Android devices and thus familiarity of Chrome and integration with Google docs and drive is one of the drivers why we use Chrome as our browser of choice. It is also easy to customise Chrome to make it our own using extensions, themes and apps.
Dropbox: A place to store any files in the cloud which can be accessed anywhere and shared with anyone
Everybody has been in the situation where your USB stick is not in your pocket with your lecture notes and presentation just as you enter the lecture theatre. This is where Dropbox comes in; store all your files in the cloud and access them via tablet, mobile device, PC or laptop easily without the need to remember carrying those USB sticks etc. Files in your Dropbox account can be shared with others easily (including non-Dropbox users). You can set Dropbox to sync files between computers, which is really handy if you work on multiple PC’s (Home and Office).
Wordle: A word cloud generator, where words that appear more frequently in the source text appear more prominently
I have used Wordle when analysing surveys and questionnaires to create data visualisations so that I can pick out key themes that are being mentioned within the freetext comments before deeper analysis of the results. Below are further links that provide hints, tips and uses for Wordle:
YouTube’s USP is the amount of content it holds; 300 hours of video are uploaded every minute! There is a huge breadth of knowledge (and rubbish) on YouTube, if I ever get stuck using a software package I first use Google to find some help this inevitable ends up in viewing a YouTube video which shows me the error of my ways (or the error in the GUI design). There are a lot of thought provoking videos as well as Educational based videos. Many universities have YouTube channels used for marketing the university and the courses it offers. These videos along with a whole host of the “good stuff” can be used in learning and teaching, many can be embedded into Blackboard modules which further opens up the use of different learning scenarios and methods such as discussion thread baseds around the content of a video, flipped learning, demonstrate experiments or laboratory techniques prior to lab work.
(Thanks to Philippa Price and Sam Oakley for the Google Search links)
We will be circulating our own Swansea University Top 10 tools for learning survey at the end of the month, keep your eyes peeled and inbox ready for the link. Also if you have any comments about any of the tools listed or wish to share ways that you may have used them effectively please leave them in the comments box below, or tweet us @susalt #susaltit[:]
