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LectureToolsDr Nik Reeves-McLaren
Research and Teaching FellowMaterials Science and Engineering
The Problem
• My ‘traditional’ teaching is mainly to PGT students
• Poor engagement in class and with material
• Attendances excellent at PGT level
• Average exam scores falling in recent years
Poor Engagement?
Poor Engagement
• Guardian article by Donald Clark: “Ten reasons we should ditch University lectures”
• http://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/blog/2014/may/15/ten-reasons-we-should-ditch-university-lectures
The Problem with Lectures1. Babylonian hour
2. Passive observers
3. Attention fall-off
4. Note-taking skills not taught
5. Disabilities
The Problem with Lectures6. One bite at the cherry
7. Cognitive overload
8. Tyranny of location
9. Tyranny of time
10. Poor presentation
1233AD: Not much has changed?
Setting the Scene
• Two new modules: MAT6664 and MAT6665
• MAT6664: ~ 45 New MSc students (all MSE), 95%+ international students
• MAT6665: The 6664 cohort plus ~ 35 DDP students (MSE + other Engineering) + PDRAs…
Setting the Scene• Bout of viral meningitis in the summer had left me
with impaired hearing• Couldn’t guarantee I could hear students if they
had questions
• Made holiday at Butlins calmer…
Setting the Scene• Tried several approaches to improve engagement
whilst also adapting to make life easier for me:
• Clickers
• Screencasts (YouTube/MOLE)
• LectureTools
What is LectureTools?• “An Echo360 Active Learning Company”
• “Student Engagement Solution”
• “Internet-based lecture supplement”
• University Pilot, contact: [email protected]
So, umm… What is LectureTools?• Teacher creates notes in PowerPoint or Keynote
• Upload notes to LectureTools, then add interactive elements
• Students bring devices to lecture, log in to LectureTools and can follow along, make notes, interact… and ask questions / raise ‘confusion flags’
What The Students See
First Challenge: Devices• I asked (42) MAT6664 students if they would be
comfortable bringing a device to class:
Second Challenge: Sign-up• All very well me trying LectureTools if the
students wouldn’t sign up for a free account…
• Sent MOLE Announcement & Spent 5-10 minutes in first lecture on setup and induction
• 72 out of ~ 85 signed up (~85%) - many during the first lecture
How I Used LectureTools
How I Used LectureTools• Hotspot Questions - “Image Quiz”
How I Used LectureTools• Hotspot Questions - “Image Quiz”
How I Used LectureTools
• Other Interactive Elements:
• Multiple Choice Questions
• Video (linked from YouTube)
• Short / Numerical Answer, Ordered Lists
How I Used LectureTools• Multiple Choice Questions
How I Used LectureTools• Generally ~ 30-50% of students engaged directly
with the exercises in LectureTools
• Interactive element allowed me to address “Muddiest Points” in situ using the Visualiser
• Also used some of the same quizzes in later lectures to revise key points - students scored much better
Student Feedback
Student Feedback - Lecture 1
84%!
Student Feedback - Lecture 1
74%
Student Feedback - Lecture 1
Student Feedback - Lecture 1
76%
Student Feedback - Short Answer• It is good
• Very helpful and enjoyable
• It is very helpful for further understanding
• Positive
• It was hard to follow what Nik was saying whilst typing...its easier to write notes in book.... but that may be because I’m old-school..It will probably get easier with practise :) Also the students took a while to quiet down..hard to hear Nik in the beginning
Student Feedback• It is good... and should let teachers answer questions after class.
• We could not download the lecture notes from LectureTools, that's may be the only thing inconvenient.
• Easy to use but can be distracting from listening to the lecture
• I am wondering how to download the lecture file. And some letters in the equation do not have a good explanation, so I got confused about some equations.
• Interesting and interactive
Student Feedback - Final
HELPED UNDERSTANDING?
52%
Student Feedback - Final
ADDED ENJOYMENT?
54%
Caveat: Lecture 2 Disaster!• I had three 2-hr lectures using LectureTools…
• The software failed - for me alone - early into the middle lecture…
• Around 10% of students still completed interactive elements even though I had switched to Keynote!
• Lecture 3: Mainly used it at start / end
Closing Remarks
CLOSING REMARKS
• LectureTools was easy to use and largely a positive experience for both me & the students
• Personally, I can still make better use of this:
• Needed more interactive elements!
• Promote better use of questions / confusion flags
CLOSING REMARKS• Smartphone screen too small; worked well on
tablets or laptops
• Less disruptive than switching apps to run TurningPoint for clickers… but still a long delay in getting questions answered
• Always have a backup when using Technology!
