Small scale project workshop

September 2008

Ivan Moore

Director CPLA

Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning(Promoting Learner Autonomy)

Format for the session

• Lunch• Review of last meeting (the launch)• Action learning set• Workshop

– evaluation

A definition of learner autonomy

• An autonomous learner takes responsibility for his/her own learning

• They can identify:– their learning goals (what they need to learn)– their learning processes (how they will learn it)– how they will evaluate and use their learning

Characteristics of ‘effective’ autonomous learners

• they have well-founded conceptions of learning• they have a range of learning approaches and skills• they can organize their learning• they have good information processing skills• they are well motivated to learn

WILLINGNESS TO LEARN Balance of vocational, academic,

personal and social motivations to learnIntrinsic motivationExtrinsic motivation

GoalsShort - Medium - Long

Confidence

MANAGEMENTStudy Skills

Planning and problem solvingEvaluation & Metacognition

Self-assessmentFocus & ‘stickability’

Time and project managementBalancing social, work and learning

needsAssessment

INFORMATIONInformation handlingAccess to resources:

On line and Paper-basedRole models (people, exemplars,

designs)Equipment

Other learnersContexts

STANCE TOWARDS LEARNING

Orientation to learningAppropriate conceptions of learning

Deep approach to learningA range of appropriate learning

strategies

WILLINGNESS TO LEARN Balance of vocational, academic,

personal and social motivations to learnIntrinsic motivationExtrinsic motivation

GoalsShort - Medium - Long

Confidence

MANAGEMENTStudy Skills

Planning and problem solvingEvaluation & Metacognition

Self-assessmentFocus & ‘stickability’

Time and project managementBalancing social, work and learning

needsAssessment

INFORMATIONInformation handlingAccess to resources:

On line and Paper-basedRole models (people, exemplars,

designs)Equipment

Other learnersContexts

STANCE TOWARDS LEARNING

Orientation to learningAppropriate conceptions of learning

Deep approach to learningA range of appropriate learning

strategies

Review

• The questionnaire

• Ethics

The action learning set

• Is my work on track, in general?

• Since the last meeting:

- What have I accomplished?

- What’s going well?

- What’s not going well?

- What have been the barriers to my progress?

• What support could I get?

• What I am going to do next.

Evaluation

• Why evaluate?• Minimise risk• Partnership with students

– control, autonomy• Professional practice

Theory

Developing teaching practice

Theory

Developing teaching practice

scholarship

Previous experienceTheory

Developing teaching practice

scholarship

Previous experienceTheory

Different

contexts

Developing teaching practice

scholarship

Previous experienceTheory

Different

contexts

Teaching in practice

Developing teaching practice

scholarship

Previous experienceTheory

Different

contexts

Teaching in practice

Outcome

Developing teaching practice

scholarship

Previous experienceTheory

Different

contexts

Teaching in practice

Outcome

Reflection, feedback

Developing teaching practice

scholarship

Furtherscholarship

Principles of evaluation

• An integral part of our teaching practice• An ongoing process, so that we learn from systematic

reflection• Should be participatory• Should enable us to make appropriate modifications along the

way• Should enable us to make judgments on specific sessions,

but also to draw out wider implications

Purposes of evaluation

• Mike Prosser• Quality Assurance

– student satisfaction– the mean score is important as a measure of quality

• Quality Enhancement– Student conceptions/how they experience the course– The deviation is important: more focused view

Purposes of evaluation

• Mike Prosser• Is the learning environment/teaching approach having any

influence on student conceptions/approaches?

• A student experience survey is more important than a student satisfaction survey

Evaluating your development

• Three approaches– Goal-oriented evaluation– Goal-free evaluation– Context-based evaluation

• Several methods– Questionnaire

– Focus groups

– Structured interviews

frequent, large student numbers, superficial

summative, representative sample, rich information

But first - autonomy

• The potential for autonomy in learning (Fazey and Fazey, 2001)– Autonomous people are intrinsically-motivated,

perceive themselves to be in control of their decision making, take responsibility for the outcomes of their actions and have confidence in themselves

Three factors

motivation perceived control perceived competence

Intrinsicinterest in the subject, topic or activity (task)

Extrinsic1 identified - inherently valued, but not self-initiated2 introjected - values the activity because of the goal it achieves (success or failure)3 external - job, qualification

outcome, success (learning) is dependent on themselves. They have control over the task, learning, outcomes

outcome is dependent on others (in power)

the task or learning is controlled by others

…or confidence

'sufficiently high self-perception of competence to be prepared to risk short-term failure at a task which they feel is important.'

Motivation

• interest in the subject/task• clear goals, tasks and standards• support• feedback• sense of belonging and sharing• success - improvement

The Course experience questionnaire(P. Ramsden)

• Designed as a performance indicator• 24 statements relating to 5 aspects• 1 overall satisfaction statement• Research-based• Drawn from statements made by students in interviews• Students with positive responses take a deep approach

The five sub-scales

• Good teaching• Clear goals and standards• Appropriate assessment• Appropriate workload• Generic skills

The five sub-scales

• Good teaching 3, 7, 15, 17, 18, 20• Clear goals and standards 1, 6, 13, 24• Appropriate assessment 8, 12, 16, 19• Appropriate workload 4, 14, 21, 23• Generic skills 2, 5, 9, 10, 11, 22

From Ramsden CEQ

• The module has helped me develop my ability to work as part of a group

• I have usually had a clear idea of where I was going and what was expected of me

• I have found this module interesting• The tutor motivated me to do my best work• Learning this way has helped sharpen my analytical skills• There has been more assessment of what I have memorised

than of what I have understood • This module has helped me to develop the ability to plan my

own work

Designing an evaluation questionnaire

• On your own• Write down the kind of learning experience(s) and outcomes

you would like for your students• In groups• Outcomes based design

• For each factor (Fazey), design 4 statements that will help to determine if the goal is being achieved

• Record the goals and statements on a flip chart• Identify any further common goals or outcomes

• design and record 4 statements that will help to determine if that goal is being achieved

Goal – free evaluation (Scriven)

• The module has helped me develop my ability to work as part of a group– Presupposes and leads the student

• What parts of the module motivated you most?– (ok so it presupposes motivation, but not autonomy)

• Why?– Illuminative evaluation

Goal-free evaluation

• In groups• Choose another group on which to focus• Devise up to 5 questions that you might ask students to

answer that might provide information on what they are experiencing

• Record your questions• Compare them with the other group• Discuss what information you might receive from these

questions• Draw up your conclusions for feedback

Context-oriented evaluation

• Since the beginning of the year:

• What skills, if any, have you developed?• What helped you to develop these skills?• How have you changed the way you study?• What prompted you to make these changes?

Other methods

• Focus groups• Structured interviews• Continuous feedback

– What did you find most difficult/confusing today?– What things did you find helped you learn last week?– What should I:

• Start/stop/continue?

The three minute paper

• What was the most useful of meaningful thing you learned during this session?

• What question(s) remain uppermost in your mind as we end this session?

• What was the ‘muddiest’ point in this session?

• What would you like me to stop doing?• What would you like me to start doing?• What would you like me to continue doing?

Other instruments

• Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory (LSI)• Honey and Mumford’s LSQ• Sternberg’s thinking styles• Felder’s Index of Learning Styles• Weinstein’s Learning and Study Strategies Inventory

(LASSI)• Entwistle’s Approaches to Study Inventory