What are we up to now on studentcentral?

Sharing experience of use in, out and instead of the classroom

10th May 2006BeL research group

How are VLEs being used in HE?

• Britain and Liber (2004) suggest that this is mainly for e-administration and e-content management ie information transmission

• They speak of types of delivery which get squeezed out by HE resource constraints such as collaborative, discussion-led, student-centred and resource-based learning and propose a role for VLEs in re-balancing delivery to cater for an increasingly diverse range of students and student needs

This workshop

• Is about showcasing current examples of using studentcentral for learning purposes – see if there’s something you don’t currently do that might work for you

• We can talk about what, why and/or how

• We welcome your examples of use to add to ours on this slide set.

Currently in the business school 1

• Using studentcentral live at induction– Introduces the student immediately to

resources available– Acts as taster to encourage personal trial– Important to show students what can be seen

and tracked on studentcentral by instructors– Reinforced by paper handout and subsequent

hands-on session– E.g. PMPPD

2

• Starting a session at the module announcements page– Ensures students are up to date with latest

news– Reinforces role of studentcentral within the

module– Reminds students of the range of resources

available for the module– E.g. HRM51

3• Using poolrooms for an early or mid-

module session– Real time exercise or activity, possibly involving module

tour, research and posting in group discussion boards– Allows support in early sessions to ensure all students

can and do access all appropriate areas, gets over the problem of someone who tells you half way through term they still can’t get in

– Initial quizzes can capture information on students’ level of familiarity with topics, positively contributing to learning and teaching approach in subsequent classes

– Mid-module poolroom sessions can stimulate different kinds of interaction, ensuring all produce some work for formative feedback

– EG PMPPD

4

• Simple projection of PowerPoint files direct from studentcentral– Removes need for fragile disks in and out of

classroom laptops or desktops– File is always web-accessible for hotlinks– Doesn’t have to be tutor-written PowerPoints

– can be shared examples of student work forming a reference resource within the learning group

– E.g. HRM55

5• Simple navigation of module or course area in

class to show as well as tell students about resources available– As studentcentral areas grow, so it becomes more

difficult for students and teachers to remember the range of resources available, reinforcement in the classroom encourages better take-up

– Quick reference enabled to tutor lists, handbook, Green Pages (generic Professional Programmes information), plagiarism pack etc

– Links to e.g. BBC business news site to check current news stories and add currency to class discussion

– E.g HR391-2

6

• Use of web search tools in the classroom– Supports students still unused to searching

effectively– Encourages students to find and suggest

useful sites– Develops equality of learners and teacher –

possible to say “let’s look”– Opportunities for serendipity– E.g HRM53

7

• Using discussion boards to capture brainstorm output or group presentation summaries– Longer-term capture than flip chart output– Easy to see listing of points as they are typed

in– Possible for students to access such outputs

after session – using them for further work– E.g HRM55

8

• Using weblinks for live case studies– Visual material to provide richness for

problem based learning where there is more visual material than can reasonably be reproduced for the student on paper

– Access to broad range of corporate material on websites to support modern case studies – including video streaming eg Parliamentary speeches

– E.g HR391-2

9

• Accessing online journal articles– Counter student resistance to searching for this kind

of information – show them in class– Encourages students to suggest search terms and

see scale of results– Explore relevant journal databases through the Online

Library linked to module areas– Using dedicated discussion board to summarise and

critique journal articles and share these with other learners (This input now being assessed)

– E.g HRM51/HRM55

10

• DVD streaming– Opportunities to provide examples of expertise,

demonstration, situations for critique in the classroom, window into organisations via interview

– Wins over plain video and invited guest speakers etc by being seamless with VLE and downloadable by students after the event for review or further work

– Maintains copyright – files not released to downloading user

– Simultaneous instead of time-wasting sequential download

– Eg HR391-2

11

• Wikis (team sites)– Student pages on which to park useful

references for themselves but available to others

– Putting up a regularly changing relevant news story, so students can comment

– Group work – instant sharing and commenting without having to follow threaded discussion

– Theory parks – building through a module– E.g. HRM55, HR391-2, HRM53

12• “Blended” delivery mode

– In this case substituting some class sessions for online sessions

– Using online sessions to have tutor available for individual questions (online and in BBS) but giving this time to guided study

– Discussion board as basis for topic discussions of guided reading

– Discussion boards also used here to share professional experience relevant to topic – building example database

– E.G. HRM51

13

– Sharing teaching (multiple schools)• Students on different courses

– Different sites– Even different cities (Brighton & Hastings)

• Accessing the same materials• Sharing in the discussion• Answering each others questions• E.G. IT380

14

• Building a portfolio online– A year through module with only coursework– Near to work based (but for full time UG

students)– Testing ideas as they are encountered– Using feedback to improve– Developing ideas through dialogue

15

• Self review and peer review– All activities have a ‘self review’ grid– Students asked to reflect on their activity– Best activities published anonymously so

students can learn from good example– Some activities reviewed by fellow students

(such as presentations)– Some activities critiqued by fellow students

(such as postings to a structured discussion)

a ‘self review’ grid

activities reviewed by fellow students