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PTI302 Creative use of Learning Platforms
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CONTENTS Page
WELCOME TO THE LEARNING PLATFORMS MODULE 3 MODULE OBJECTIVES 3 EXPECTED OUTCOMES 3 TEACHING AND LEARNING 4 ONLINE LEARNING AT THE UNIVERSITY 4 MOODLE AND COURSE SCHEDULE 5 ONLINE CODES OF CONDUCT 6
How should you contribute to message board discussions 6 Equal Opportunities 6 Expectations of online presence 6
Consequences of non-participation 7
MAKING CONTACT 7 MODULE EVALUATION 8 ON-GOING FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT 8
Role of the Online Tutor 8
Learning Sets 8 GUIDANCE FOR ASSESSMENT 9
Report Assignment 9
Cheating, Plagiarism and Collusion 9 Reassessment 9 Assessment Criteria 10
APPENDIX A 11
Module Descriptor
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WELCOME TO CREATIVE USE OF LEARNING PLATFORMS This handbook is designed to be an introduction to this online half module; the objectives, structure and the assessment format. There are no face-to-face sessions as all the workshops are conducted online via Moodle. You are expected to set aside at least three 30/40 minute sessions per week to make contributions to the message board and block these times into your weekly schedule. There will also be times when you will be conducting work for this module away from Moodle e.g. reading, researching, developing material etc. Every time you log into the Moodle course you should read the messages of others in your set and post up your own contributions to discussions, moving discussions forward. In this way you will keep up with the discussions and tasks required. It is not acceptable just to write “I agree with everyone else” without saying why and adding something new to the discussion. A copy of the formal descriptor is included as Appendix A. This descriptor is the document that has been formally approved by the various academic boards of the University, agreeing that its content and assessment approach is valid for this level of the degree. The details about the content and tasks required for each workshop are available from Moodle
MODULE OBJECTIVES
This module will enable you to find out more about learning platforms, how schools are using them and support you to develop creative ideas to use in online learning and teaching. You will work collaboratively and co-operatively, communicating online, to design criteria that can measure effective online activities, create an activity and evaluate one, reflecting upon your own learning. EXPECTED OUTCOMES On successful completion of this half module you will be able to:
be able to select, adapt, develop and critically evaluate effective flexible learning activities;
critically evaluate multimedia in flexible learning;
gain theoretical and practical knowledge about the concepts of developing flexible and collaborative learning activities;
participate in online debates at first hand, support arguments with literature and be aware of the on-line support and resources required by the collaborative learner;
develop the transferable skills of the online learning process, synthesis, collaboration, reflective learning and self-motivation.
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TEACHING AND LEARNING The same high quality of participation is required from all our students, whether studying online, face to face or a combination of both of these. As a tutor I want to encourage you to learn from each other and support each other so online workshops are set up to allow for these opportunities.
As Final Year undergraduate students, you will be expected to: play a more significant role in this module, as participator, leader, and co-
learner during the workshops, so that everyone can benefit; take greater responsibility for your own learning and be an independent
learner that shows initiative and enthusiasm for the subject area; make this module a successful learning experience for yourself and other
members of the group, by becoming an active learner and fully preparing to contribute to workshops by carrying out any preparatory tasks required;
develop your ability to employ techniques of enquiry and analysis, devise
and sustain arguments by evaluating evidence, arguments and assumptions to reach sound judgements and to communicate these effectively;
identify and justify a range of possible solutions to a problem be able to
verbalise your thoughts clearly, developing your ability to be critical.
ONLINE LEARNING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICHESTER It is quite likely that you have not studied completely online before, using co-operative (discuss individual work with group – individual product) and collaborative (discuss group work – group product) styles of working through online communication. In these forms of learning you will be working closely with other individuals in reciprocal learning relationships, helping them with their studies and being helped by them. This form of learning is both exciting and challenging. Working with others in groups has great learning potential but may also sometimes cause anxiety or conflict. As a member of this online community we ask you to be supportive of your co-learners, remembering that they too are likely to be new to this. Each participant is likely to have different educational and professional backgrounds and experiences to your own: this richness of difference is the basis for an exciting and rewarding module. This type of study is not an easy option for tutors or students. Working in this type of forum is very demanding and it is difficult to perform
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consistently well, mainly due to the ‘ongoing’ nature of each workshop. Everyone involved must participate fully to support their own learning and the learning of others. The role of the tutor is to act as a facilitator and monitor discussions. The tutor can make contributions to message boards and will typically maintain a higher online presence at the start of the module. MOODLE Moodle is our learning platform. You can access the Moodle area via the Portia Homepage. We will use Moodle as an online communication tool and as a Learning Platform (LP) or Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). SCHEDULE
WEEK START DATE WORKSHOPS
WORKSHOP 1 – WORKING IN ONE ONLINE GROUP
1 WEEK BEG MONDAY 28/11/11
ACTIVITY 1: INTRODUCTION TO LEARNING PLATFORMS. DISCUSSION ABOUT GOOD PRACTICE EXAMPLES USING MODULE RESOURCES AND SHARING OTHER USEFUL RESOURCES YOU HAVE FOUND. ACTIVITY 2: DEVELOP CRITERIA, FROM CORE READING TO CREATE AND APPLY TO ASSESS HOW EFFECTIVE AN ONLINE ACTIVITY IS. PRESENT ON MOODLE BY MONDAY 5TH DEC
WORKSHOP 2 – WORKING IN PAIRS, USING WIKISPACES
2 WEEK BEG MONDAY 05/12/11
ACTIVITY 3: SET UP A WIKISPACE. CREATE TEMPLATE TO PRESENT IDEAS. IN YOUR PAIR, PLAN AND DEVELOP AN ACTIVITY, ADPATING IDEAS FROM RESOURCES ETC. ACTIVITY 4: RECORD A QUESTION AND ANSWER INTERVIEW (5 MINUTES MAX) ABOUT YOUR ONLINE ACTIVITY AND SAVE AS AN MP3 TO DEMONSTRATE HOW YOU HAVE ANSWERED CRITERIA FROM WORKSHOP 1.
WORKSHOP 3 – CRITICALLY EVALUATE ACTIVITY IN ROUND ROBIN (PEER ASSESSMENT)
3 WEEK BEG MONDAY 12/12/11
ACTIVITY 5: PRESENT AND SHARE LINKS FOR EACH WIKI, ACTIVITY TEMPLATE AND MP3 DISCUSSION WITH THE GROUP. ACTIVITY 6: IN PAIRS CRITICALLY EVALUATE ANOTHER PAIR‟S ACTIVITY BASED ON GROUP CRITERIA CREATED IN WORKSHOP 1. POST UP TO MOODLE.
BEFORE FINAL SUBMISSION
ACTIVITY 7: INDIVIDUALLY REFLECT UPON ONLINE LEARNING EXPERIENCE (600 WORDS) ACTIVITY 8: COMPLETE MODULE EVALUATION
SUBMIT BEFORE IPM ON TUESDAY 03/01/12
SUBMIT ONLINE RELECTION AND PAIRED TASK, MP3 AND PEER FEEDBACK TO MOODLE NO HARD COPY REQUIRED
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ONLINE CODES OF CONDUCT How should you contribute to the Moodle Message Board Discussions? In working with others we invite you to work in a critically supportive way. Since textual language is the central method of communication on the module, we ask you to use non-sexist language and to remember that participants may come from a culture which is different to your own and that you should respect and support all such differences. You should follow the Computer Code of Conduct at all times, which you agreed to when enrolling onto Portia for the first time. Try to use mixed case when writing messages online. UPPER CASE LOOKS AS IF YOU ARE SHOUTING! Remember that others may have a culture, language or humour that is different from yours so jokes and sarcasm rarely work online. If you wish to make it obvious that you are telling a joke, it is best to use the or :) symbols at the end of your message but this does not give you an open licence to share any joke and should only be used if you feel very confident that it will not offend anyone. Equal Opportunities
As a Church University, the University of Chichester is committed to building and maintaining an inclusive community which recognises and values the inherent worth and dignity of every person; fosters mutual respect, sensitivity and understanding among its members; and encourages each individual to strive to reach his or her own potential. In pursuit of its goal of academic excellence, the University seeks to develop and nurture its diversity. The University believes that diversity among its many members strengthens the institution, stimulates creativity, promotes the exchange of ideas and enriches campus life. The University strives to:
eliminate unlawful discrimination in its employment, education, research and learning environment
promote equality of opportunity to enable staff and students to reach their full potential
promote good relations between all persons
acknowledge and celebrate the breadth of experience and intellectual resources that people from diverse backgrounds bring to the life of the University.
Expectations of online presence The online style of learning works slightly differently to face-to-face sessions. This online module is „on-going‟ so there is no set meeting time each week. Therefore, to some extent, you can log into this module at times that suit you and your life style. It may be that you prefer to log in early in the morning, during the day or in the evening and weekends. The flexibility of this medium and form of learning should allow each participant to manage their own learning in ways that suit their professional and personal life, as well as
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allowing them to participate fully with the online activities set. When you do log in, it is important that you try to post some contributions to add value to the group discussions etc. The key thing to remember is that as the workshops are fairly short (each is1 week in length) you need to log in and contribute frequently (at least 3 x 30/40 minute sessions per week) and in some ways, it is better to start contributing early in the workshop than leaving it till the end of the week or the weekend. If you do this you will find numerous messages to absorb and respond to which could be over whelming. You should also make time to read core readings early in the workshop or ideally before the workshops start. When offline, you should be reading and preparing/ completing tasks set etc to bring a good quality contribution to the online discussion forum next time you log in. To achieve this successfully, it is vital that you are prepared to participate, having fully undertaken tasks as requested. As a rough guide, participants should aim to read and contribute to the online forum at least 3 times per week, aiming for high quality (not necessarily lengthy!) contributions in the main focussed discussion. You will not be assessed upon trying to post the most messages but you will be formatively assessed upon frequent responses and good quality inputs to the course, responding to the comments of others, moving discussions forwards as well as sharing your own comments. In general, you should plan for at least 3 hours study time per week. Some of you will be meeting face-to-face in other modules. It is important to remember that although you may discuss this module outside of the online forum, all participants of the module should use the online forum as the main form of communication. This is to ensure that part time students off campus have the same opportunities to participate as full time students. Consequences of non-participation Attendance online is compulsory. If you are ill and unable to participate in an online discussion forum, you should inform the tutors as soon as possible, by email or telephone. For sustained absence from a workshop (one week), you should contact Viv Palmer (tel: 01243-812021 or email: [email protected]). If the tutor monitoring your attendance in workshops sees that you are not contributing enough, you will be contacted by email and be provided with an opportunity to improve your participation. You will be expected to make up the work missed. If there are still no changes, you will be given a warning letter „Cause for Concern‟ and will be in danger of becoming deregistered from the module. MAKING CONTACT It is your responsibility to contact us when you need to and the tutor will respond to your queries as promptly as possible. Please pay particular attention to the Moodle Course page for important information about the
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course. It is very important that you ensure that your personal contact details on our Sonar database are updated so we can contact you if necessary. You can check this yourself by logging into Portia and checking/ updating your details in Sonar.
If at any time you do not understand content, questions etc. even after trying to work through it by reference to text or discussing it with your peers or you wish to discuss further your tasks or assessment, please get in touch with ume via email, the online message board, or telephone. My contact details are:
E-mail: [email protected] Room: IT Centre (ITC) G11 Tel: 01243 812021
MODULE EVALUATION At the end of the half module you will be asked to complete a module evaluation form. This information is collected and then collated and presented at a Programme Board and to the External Examiner as a vehicle to provide feedback to the programme about your learning within this module. Any major issues raised will help to inform the planning for the module in the following year. ON-GOING FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT Role of the Online Tutor The online tutor will facilitate the learning that takes place within workshops and will formatively assess each participant‟s online contributions during the module. Learning Sets During the introduction to the module, you will be working a class group. If the class is large, the consequence of this is that you may find that there are many messages to read through and respond to but it will be important to meet everyone in this way at the start of the module. If there are large numbers of students, the later workshops will use smaller Learning Sets which will make the managing of messages in terms of responses required much more effective.
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GUIDANCE FOR ASSESSMENT Report Assignment Formative Assessment: Students will be required to contribute to the module through online discussion tasks Summative Assessment (1750 words equivalent): In pairs, students are required to design an online activity that applies to primary education. They will complete an online peer evaluation of each others‟ activities (as a round robin) and reflect about their online learning experiences.
Cheating, Plagiarism and Collusion
In light of increasing incidences of academic malpractice, the University of Chichester has joined other universities in using electronic plagiarism and detection services. All work will be submitted electronically. No hard copies are required.
Reassessment Reassessment for this module will be the same assignment, but may require you to work individually to create an activity, if there is only one student being reassessed. In line with the University‟s new Academic Regulations, any non-submission will not be offered a re-sit in this module.
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Assessment Criteria
Assessment Criteria Weighting (%)
1 Through the message board evidence and personal reflection - Understand multimedia in flexible learning and show an
understanding of theoretical concepts of developing flexible learning activities
- Engage in critical debate about online learning approaches
- Critically reflect upon the experience of working on-line at first hand and the on-line support and resources required by the learner (600 words)
- To be able to write appropriately in Standard English
35%
15%
2 Through designing the online activity (Peer Assess) - Be able to select, adapt, develop and critically evaluate
effective flexible online learning activities - The activity designed should be carefully structured and
be progressive
50%
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APPENDIX A MODULE DESCRIPTOR
Module Title: Creative use of Learning Platforms
Module Code:
Credits: 8
Level: Three
Home school and subject area: School of Teacher Education
Programmes to which the module contributes: BA (Hons) Primary Education and Teaching Tutor responsible: Vivienne Palmer
Entry requirements: Successful completion of Level Two
Aims: The Government states that every school should have integrated learning and management systems (a comprehensive suite of learning platform technologies) by 2010. This module aims to explore learning platform technology and consider its creative use in learning and teaching.
Learning Outcomes: On completion of this module students should:
be able to select, adapt, develop and critically evaluate effective flexible learning activities;
critically evaluate multimedia in flexible learning;
gain theoretical and practical knowledge about the concepts of developing flexible and collaborative learning activities;
participate in online debates at first hand, support arguments with literature and be aware of the on-line support and resources required by the collaborative learner;
develop the transferable skills of the online learning process, synthesis, collaboration, reflective learning and self-motivation.
Indicative Curriculum content: Students will gain confidence in using an online learning platform and experience at first hand, collaborative workshop activities. They will also be able to discuss the current initiatives in relation to Learning Platforms in schools.
Learning strategy: This module will be totally online and students will be expected to participate collaboratively, through workshop activities. Students will also be required to reflect upon their online responses.
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Mode of assessment: Formative Assessment: Students will be required to contribute to the module through online discussion tasks. Summative Assessment (1750 words equivalent): Students are required to design an online activity that applies to primary education. They will complete an online peer evaluation of each others‟ tasks (as a round robin) and reflect about their online learning experiences through the use of an online communication tool e.g. Blog. Assessment Criteria
Understand multimedia in flexible learning and show an understanding of theoretical concepts of developing flexible learning activities
Be able to select, adapt, develop and critically evaluate effective flexible online learning activities
Engage in critical debate about online learning approaches
Critically reflect upon the experience of working on-line at first hand and the on-line support and resources required by the learner
The activity designed should be carefully structured and be progressive
To be able to write appropriately in Standard English
Indicative Reading: See Moodle Course page
Books:
Gillespie, H et al
2007 Learning and Teaching with Virtual Learning Environments
Learning Matters
Rice, W. 2007 Moodle E-Learning Course Development. London
Packet Publishing.
Weller M 2007 Virtual Learning Environments: Using, Choosing and Developing Your VLE
Routledge
Journals
British Journal of Educational Technology
Blackwell Publishing
Journal of Computer Assisted Learning
Wiley
Technology, Pedagogy and Education Triangle
Websites:
Becta (2004), What the Research says about VLEs. Available at: http://www.mmiweb.org.uk/publications/ict/Research_VLEs.pdf Accessed November 2011
Becta (2007), What is a Learning platform. Available at: http://www.teachfind.com/becta/becta-local-authorities-personalising-learning-learning-platforms-what-learning-platform Accessed November 2011
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Becta (2007), What are the main benefits of a Learning platform. Available at: http://www.teachfind.com/becta/becta-schools-extending-opportunities-learning-platforms Accessed November 2011
Becta (2007), Learning platform Case Studies. Available at: http://www.teachfind.com/becta/becta-schools-resources-introduction-learning-platform-case-studies Accessed November 2011
Britain, S. and Liber,O., (2000), A framework for pedagogical evaluation of virtual learning environments.Report 41, JISC Technologies Application (JTAP) Programme. Available at: www.jisc.ac.uk/uploaded_documents/jtap-041.doc Accessed November 2011
Cumbria County Council (2011), Castlerock Primary School Moodle VLE. Available at: http://vle.castlecarrock.cumbria.sch.uk/ Accessed November 2011
Moodle (2011), Moodle. Available at: www.moodle.org Accessed November 2011
Mynard, J. et al (2002), Making Chat Activities with Native Speakers Meaningful for EFL Learners, The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. VIII, No. 3. Available at: http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Mynard-Chat2/. Accessed November 2011
Pilkington, R., Bennett, C. and Vaughan, S. (2000), An evaluation of computer mediated communication to support group discussion in continuing education. Educational Technology & Society, 3 (3). Available at: http://www.ebiblioteka.lt/resursai/Uzsienio%20leidiniai/IEEE/English/2006/Volume%203/Issue%203/Jets_v3i3_35.pdf Accessed November 2011
West Sussex Grid for Learning (2011), Moodle. Available at: http://wsgfl.westsussex.gov.uk/ccm/navigation/school-office/ict-strategy-initiatives/e-learning/moodle/;jsessionid=a1UMMv4CWx-8 Accessed November 2011
