Enhancing the Student Learning Experience:Developing a PBL resource for Foundation History

students working with local museums

Engaging With Our Past Project

R. L. Dunn & E. J. Bowey – Foundation CentreTeaching Fellow Network Meeting - 19th September 2014

C. Barclay & S. Price – Durham University MuseumsC. Blenkinsopp – Foundation Centre

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Engaging With Our Past Project overview

• The project is a collaborative venture between Durham University’s Foundation Centre and Durham University Museums.

• The project is funded by a Durham University Enhancing the Student Learning Experience grant (R. Dunn, C. Blenkinsopp, C. Barclay & S. Price, 2013-15).

• This project aims to promote student learning and develop specific research and presentation skills useful for transition from Level 0 to Level 1.

• The project intends to enhance Foundation student learning through the development of a Problem Based Learning (PBL) resource focussed on public dissemination of student research in Ancient History.

• The initial iteration involves students studying the Level 0 module, ‘Introduction to Ancient History’ but will be rolled out to additional History modules in 2014/15.

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What is Problem Based Learning?

• Problem Based Learning (PBL) is a method of teaching subjects in which students are encouraged to think about a particular problem or scenario that is set in a real world framework.

• Through a staged sequence of problems or tasks, students acquire relevant subject-specific and key transferable skills.

• The main components of PBL are group work, problem solving and discovering new knowledge.

• The aim is to encourage students to start thinking like active researchers early on in their careers, thereby easing the transition from Foundation to Undergraduate studies. Through their Ancient History research students develop skills that are central to their undergraduate studies: critically examining information, synthesising it into a public presentation and evaluating their own knowledge across history, language and communication.

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Ancient History Assessment

The course is assessed by the following tasks:

Assignment – 40%End of Module test – 60%

Coursework – 40% is broken down into:

Essay – 70%Poster presentation – 30%

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What did students have to do?

• Conduct their own research – this helps them to develop their skills (useful for extended essay) and become part of our research community.– Use a primary source and/or artefact as a starting point.– Generate a research question that will help to guide their

research and presentation/essay.

• Produce a poster presentation that summarises their findings/essay.

• Write a 2,000 word essay that answers their own question.

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Using PBL in Ancient History

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Teaching strategiesCombination of face-to-face and interactive/online teaching.

Face-to-face:• Lectures/Seminars.

• Ability to use DU Museums as a teaching resource and make curriculum more interactive.

• DU Museum staff teach sessions (based around the DU Collections) to Foundation History students – an innovation in teaching and collaboration.

• Field trips to Durham University Museums to interact with artefacts.• Promoted a ‘hands on’ real-world approach to History and

enabled tactile or kinaesthetic learners to interact with material, moving away from ‘book-learning.

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Teaching strategiesCombination of face-to-face and interactive/online teaching.

• Online included:• Virtual field trip videos to enable students to revisit the material

and introduce the concept to those unable to attend; links with recent developments in digital humanities and e-heritage.

• Interactive materials for use on the VLE to prepare students for research and to support progress alongside subject knowledge.

• Archive including images of DU collections and local museum content.

• Examples of past posters, planning exercises and templates for students to use in PPT to create their A1 sized poster.

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What skills did students develop?• Integration of teaching and research – develops discovery and autonomous learning:

• Taking responsibility for own learning and performance.

• Time-keeping – working to set deadlines within the project, students had to ensure they hit targets – a key skill in the world of work.

• Research skills:

• Research methods and quantitative/qualitative analysis – integrating research methods from other modules (e.g. Foundations of Statistics) to AH. How to carry out ethical research, how to evaluate and present findings.

• Library, literature review skills, writing and editing skills.

• Critical analysis (links with Academic Practice and English Literature).

• Problem solving.

• Communication skills:

• Working with others, respecting and valuing opinions.

• Presentation skills

• Reflection: looking back and learning from learning process; adapting to change.

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Posters – examples

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Public engagement

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Moving forward: What did we learn?Positive• Get involved with non-academic departments and colleagues – particularly in a

historical subject, students benefit from the hands-on experience of working in a museum that science students get from a lab.

• Using a real-world focus (such as a PBL activity) encourages students to ‘see the point’ in the subject and invest in the module. Moving away from ‘book learning’ has been a positive experience.

• Learner autonomy – allowing students to choose a topic introduces the notion of original research early in their academic careers.

• Creating an event that allows Foundation students to present their research in a mutually supportive environment helps to promote research skills and public engagement. Disseminating project and wider public engagement activities through research networks such as NCCPE.

• We moved from formative to summative assessment of the poster task, promoting curriculum development and placing emphasis on transferrable skills.

• Poster presentation used as an assessment method in additional modules. Move towards varied, integrated assessment rather than traditional summative essays.

“I enjoyed the freedom of choosing a topic.” Student.

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Moving forward: What did we learn?

Negative• Some students had difficulty managing a research project alongside other

more traditional, structured assessments. In future, more guidance and additional workshops available to support student development.

• Some students struggled with the structure of a poster so to combat this, we have created several PPT templates for 14/15.

• Students are not always keen to complete formative work, so the poster is now summative. It is seen as a planning document and an important step in the research process.

• Some students complained about the freedom – international students preferred to be given a set topic/question to investigate and wanted a traditional essay/assignment rather than a term-long project. Highlighted cultural differences and made staff recognise and manage student expectations.

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Engaging With Our Past Project:E-mail: engagingwithourpast.fc@durham.ac.uk URL: http://engagingwithourpast.wordpress.com/

Twitter: @fc_history

Thank You

Any questions?