Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit

e-Support for Study Skills at Transition to HE

•What is e-support for study skills?

•How are resources used and delivered?

•What we provided for the PLPP project

•What have we learnt?

Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit

What is already out there?

http://www.bbc.co.uk http://palgrave.com http://www.rowmaneducation.com/hmL

earning/components.shtml And most HE institutions here and

abroad

Most use the same approach.

• Is this the way students learn?

Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit

What is required?• Online Learning resources need• “to be sufficiently attractive and sufficiently

interesting to whet students' appetites for learning;” to look professional to be taken seriously

• to “provide students with carefully-chosen tasks and exercises which will give them the sort of practice that will help their learning to be successful.”

• To provide feedback on how their independent learning is going.

• provide “opportunities to make sense of what they have learned”

• provide “opportunity and encouragement to work with fellow students”. (Race 1996)

Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit

How might central resources be used?

Model 1:• Staff use resources to support their teaching,

provide opportunity for peer support and feedbackModel 2• Staff direct students to materials and provide

feedback on progressModel 3• Materials are provided for students to access at their

own discretion.

The last reflects the deficit model traditionally found in HE.

Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit

What was provided in the PLPP?

•Self-audits in a number of areas with printable feedback which directed users to additional resources.•Organised under 4 areas, not 6 as in Key Skills, to reflect the different range of skills required while studying in HE•Areas reflected in the e-portfolio system used in the PLPP project.

Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit

Advantages of central resources

• Available 24/7• Can provide a bank from which tutors

can draw relevant material• Can be targeted at/by individuals and

help support active learning• Through their use, students can

improve ICT and information literacy• Can provide opportunities for feedback

and structured study

Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit

Disadvantages

• Expensive to produce and maintain

• Require an initial level of ICT capability and comfort

• Can be difficult to find what is required

• Do not in themselves provide opportunities for effective learning

Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit

How do students find what they want?

Do you use any online support web sites

010

203040

5060

7080

Yes No

Series1

Survey of Year 13 Pupils February 2006

Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit

How students find study information

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Search engine Generic Site Subject specific site

Series1

How do students find what they want?

Survey of Year 13 Pupils February 2006

Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit

Student Results 1

V confConfident

Q confN V conf

Not conf

Nov

Dec0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Finding resources avail on website - November and December

Nov

Dec

Finding resources available on website

Students demonstrate a growth in confidence in finding materials over a month of supported use.

From PLPP Evaluation of HE Access students December 2005

Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit

Student Results 2

V conf ConfidentQ conf

N V confNot conf

Nov

Dec0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Reflecting on my progress during my course - November and December

Nov

Dec

Students demonstrate a growth in confidence in reflecting on their progress over a month of supported use.

From PLPP Evaluation of HE Access students December 2005

Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit

The Challenge is …?

to use central resources in a supported, contexualised way to enable students to learn effectively and to gain the confidence they need