Katho New Media- course evaluation -May 2010

AnaADIDoctoralResearcher–UniversityoftheWestofScotland,UK

PRConsultanthttp://anaadi.wordpress.com

NewMedia‐thechallengefortraditionalmedia,advertisersandcommunicators‐

ErasmusCourseEvaluation

Lecturer:AnaADI

Session2009/20010

Semester2–June2010



AttheendoftheNewMediacourse,the7participatingstudentswereaskedtotakea survey in order to evaluate the NewMedia course togetherwith the lecturer’smethod, approach and enthusiasm. The evaluation survey was accessible onlineleavingstudentswiththeoptionoftakingitattheirownpaceandintheabsenceofthelecturer.Toavoidbias,studentswereaskedtosubmittheiranswersbeforetheirfinalgradesweredelivered.All7studentstookthesurvey,offeringresponsesfrom100%ofthecourseparticipants.

Thesurvey’sstructureoftheprevioussemestershasbeenmaintained.

Alloverall categories indicated forevaluationweremarkedby studentswith “verygood” and “excellent” qualifiers. More than half the class deemed the teachingeffectivenesstobeexcellentandthecourseasawholetobeverygood.Theoverallcontentofthecoursewasevaluatedasverygoodbymorethan70%oftheclass.

1.Overallcourseevaluationresults

Asked to evaluate specific aspects of the course or the teaching process, thestudentsresponsesconfirmthehighevaluationsoftheoverallcourse.Whiletherearesomecategorieswerestudentsevaluationrestswithinthe“good”category,themajorityoftheevaluationsaretobefoundwithinthe“excellentrange”.Thequalityof thequestions raisedduring thecourse, the lecturer’senthusiasm, the lecturer’sencouragement to students to engage more with the class are just some of thecategoriesthatobtainedthe“excellent”markfrommorethan70%ofthestudents.Thelecturersuseoftechnologywasunanimouslyevaluatedasexcellent.



2.Specificcourseelementsevaluation

Aswithprevioussessions, theonline livevideoguest lecturerswereregardedasanoveltyaswellasagreatwaytointegratenewmediaintheclass.Theguestlecturesthis semester were from three different areas of expertise as well as 3 differentcountries:JohnCosterfromLeicester,UKmanagingacommunityjournalismproject,KnealeMannfromOntario,Canada,asocialmediastrategistandDrMugurGeanafromtheUniversityofKansas,Lawrence,Kansas,USA.

3.Onlinevideoguestlectureevaluation



Amongotheraspectsofthecourseevaluatedweretheuseoftheclasstime(57.14%excellent) , the relevance and usefulness of thecourse content (71.43%excellent)andthereasonablenessoftheassignedwork(42.86%excellent).Takingintoaccountthat thecourse isan intensiveoneand thatmore than60%of thestudentsgradereliesondaily,inclassworkandprojectsthatneedtobedeliveredwithinverystrictdeadlines,theexcellentmarkisareflectionofabalancedorganizationofthecourse.

4.Othercoursedimensionsevaluated

With regards to presence, most students attended all classes and their expectedgradesrangebetween70‐100%.Threequalitativequestionswerepartofthesurveyaswell.Theyaimedtodeterminethe areas that students most liked or disliked as well as the elements that theywouldhavewantedthecoursetocover.Evenwiththecoursebeingextendedto8sessions compared to five in previous semesters, some students suggested thecoursetotakeevenlonger.Companyvisits(anelementwhichthissemesterwasn’toffered)wererequestedaswell, the students indicating that they heard about them from previous courseparticipants. More time for the in class assignments was suggested as animprovement aswell pointing out to the potential of this course being expandedfurtherandthepracticalassignmentselaboratedevenmore.



5.Newcourseelementswanted

6.Suggestedimprovements



Among the things the students liked the most were the guest lectures and theapplied assignments. The lecturer’s enthusiasm andway of dealingwith the classwerealsoverymuchappreciated.

7.“Whatdidyoulikemoreaboutthiscourse”answers

ObservationsandConclusions:Alltheanswersgiventothequestionsaskedareinthehigherpositiverange–fromgoodtoexcellent.Theareasmarkedthestudentsasbeingexcellent(obtainingalsothemajorityvote)were:

• Thelecturer’suseoftechnology(100%)• Thelecturer’senthusiasm(85.71%)• Thelecturer'savailabilitytoofferstudentsextrahelpwhenyouasked

(71.43%)• Thelecturer’sorganizationofthecourse(71.43%)

Thepracticalaspectsofthecoursewerementionedasstrongpointsofthecourseandgood learningexperiences. Itshouldbenotedthatthissemester featuredtwo



in‐classassignments,oneindividualandonebasedonteam‐work.Toshowcasethestudents’resultstheonlinespacesfromprevioussemesterswereused:http://kathonewmedia.wordpress.comhttp://kathonewmedia.posterous.comhttp://kathonewmedia.pbworks.comThesespaceswerealsousedtoshowcasethestudent’sfinalpracticalprojects.Itisnotablethatmanyofthestudentsindicateasanimportantfactorthelecturer’senthusiasm and support. For the ERASMUS programme courses this shows apotential,ifnotaneed,forcoursestobedeliveredinamoreinteractivewaywherestudentsareconstantlygivenchallengestosolvetogetherwiththelecturer.When itcomestotheuseoftechnology, it is remarkablethattheonline livevideoguest lectures obtained still a very positive evaluation even from a group who isaccustomed to using online live video streaming platforms for personal uses. Theresponses indicate that the transfer of knowledge, dialogue as well as learningobjectives could be achieved regardless of the presence in class of the lecturer.Furthermore,thegoodevaluationtheonline livevideolecturesreceivedshowthatstudents appreciate contact with industry experts. It also presents a potential forapplication in other courses and other environments as a short‐term yet cost‐effectivesolution.Recommendationsandsuggestions:Takingintoaccountthestudents’observationsandinanattempttomakealinktotheareasdeterminedinthecourseevaluationashavingapotentialforimprovementitissuggested:

• Toattemptselectingstudentspriortobeggingofclass(submissionofonlineresumeandSkype interviewwouldallow the lecturer to interact firsthandwiththestudentsandensureinterest,motivationandpreparationarehigh).This will enable the visiting lecturer to search and negotiate short‐termprojectswithsmallandmediumcompaniesthatwouldbenefitfromtheworkand feedback of the students. Moreover, it will ensure that the contentdeliveredmeetsthestudentsspecializationneeds.

• Tocontinueemphasizingonthepracticalaspectsofnewmedia.• Toliaisewithcommercialclientsandthusofferthestudentstheopportunity

toworkonprojectswithrealimpactonbusinessactors• To continue to have guest lecturers from different universities joining via

onlinelivevideo



• To continue emphasizing on short‐deadline assignments as a means ofpreparingstudentstothriveintheirfutureworkingenvironments.

• To extend the course further from 8 session to 10 (from 4 days ofteaching/weekto5daysofteaching/week)

• Toofferthecoursetoreturningstudents(iftheywantto),theirassignmentbeing to develop an online communication strategy or campaign for aproduct/companyoftheirchoiceortoworkonnewmediaaspectsthatcouldrelatetotheirhonour’sdegreesfortheirhomeinstitutions.

Education

Katho New Media- course evaluation -May 2010