32775 mark gamble_universityofbedfordhsire_blackboard conference 2012

Driving forward University Strategy: Benchmarking TEL Growth in

Blackboard Learn

Mark Gamble

University of Bedfordshire, UK

• 23,000 students, 2 main campuses• 100+ countries represented• 46% of students aged over 25 years• 4 Faculties, 26 Departments

Background

• Strategy intended to drive an increase in use of Technology-Enhanced Learning

• Reporting to Heads of Department, starting 2008/9

• Data Sources, Range, Volume, Complexity• Simple, Meaningful, Visually Powerful

= a single value for TEL ‘Modeness’a single value for Activity

3-Step Process

Run 6-part query to retrieve

data from the Bb

database

6 .csv files per year

Import into MS ACESS

database to

aggregate and

simplify data

1 .xls filefor all units

Separate into dept sheets in

workbook, create scatter graphs

1 animated .ppt file




file


database to

aggregate and

simplify data

1 .xls file6 .csv files per year

Run 6-part query to

retrieve data from the Bb

database

Step 1

1. Selection of course details including id, name, and availability – selected from course_main table

select course_name, course_id,row_status, available_ind, pk1 from course_main where course_id like '10-11%'

2. Counting the number of student users who exist within the courses – selected from the course_users table

select course_main.course_id, count(course_users.users_pk1)

from course_users, course_main, users

where

course_main.pk1=course_users.crsmain_pk1

and course_users.users_pk1=users.pk1

and course_id like '10-11%'

and course_users.role='S'

and users.ROW_STATUS=0

group by course_id

Queries

3. Counting the number of different content types within each course (includes file names, differing content types e.g. wiki, blog, Turnitin assignments, media files, folders); uses the x-content type field from course_contents

select course_id, cnthndlr_handle as "Content Type", count(cnthndlr_handle) as "Content type total"

from course_contents, course_main

where

course_main.pk1 = course_contents.crsmain_pk1

and course_id like '10-11%'

group by course_id, cnthndlr_handle

4. Counting the number of active discussion boards (active is defined as having posts as opposed to being extant)

select course_id, count (msg_main.pk1) as "Messages"

from forum_main, conference_main, conference_owner, msg_main, course_main

where

(forum_main.confmain_pk1=conference_main.pk1)

and (conference_main.CONFERENCE_OWNER_PK1=conference_owner.pk1 )

and (msg_main.FORUMMAIN_PK1=forum_main.pk1 )

and (owner_pk1 = course_main.pk1)

and (course_id like '10-11%')

group by course_id

5. Counting the number of hits from student users in the activity accumulator for each active course – uses course_main, course_users and activity accumulator table (activity_accumulator table from BB60_Reports database not main DB).

select bb_bb60.course_main.course_id, count(bb_bb60_stats.activity_accumulator.course_pk1) as "Course Hits"

from bb_bb60.course_main, bb_bb60_stats.activity_accumulator, bb_bb60.course_users

where

bb_bb60.course_main.pk1 = bb_bb60_stats.activity_accumulator.COURSE_PK1

and bb_bb60.course_main.course_id like '10-11%'

and bb_bb60.course_users.users_pk1 = bb_bb60_stats.activity_accumulator.user_pk1

and bb_bb60.course_main.pk1=bb_bb60.course_users.CRSMAIN_PK1

and bb_bb60.course_users.role='S'

group by course_id

6. Counting the number of Announcements for each active course

select course_main.course_id, count(announcements.pk1) as "An Count"

from announcements, course_main

where

(course_main.pk1=announcements.CRSMAIN_PK1)

and (course_main.COURSE_ID like '11-12%')

group by Course_id

Raw Data – 6 files


data from the Bb

database

6 .csv files per

year




file


database to aggregate

and simplify data

1 .xls file

Step 2

Coping with content types

Q - How can we arrive at a sensible list of content type which we can arrange into a scoring system?

A – We remap groups of content types

Our item typeThe content type in BBoard

How do we count Items?

Score Per Item

MaximumScore

Three types of blog reduced to one type (via aggregation). For blogs we say the score per item is 5 up to maximum 30

The Access formula is: if (Content Total * Score Per Item) > MaxScore then

Set value as maximum score else (it is smaller)

set value as Content Total * Score Per Item

Non-Content Items

Announcements and Discussion Boards are not ‘content’ as such• The tool is written in such a way that it is possible

to make up a content type– e.g. x-content-bananas

• We take query 4 (message = discussion board) and query 6 (announcements) and make an entry in the list of content, before it is counted, using the following types:– resource/x-bb-activeDBoard and– resource/x-bb-announce

Item Scoring List

File types weighted by TEL importance and maximum score capped

Simplified, 2-part Dataset4 years, 26 Depts

7,095 rows on a spreadsheet

Queries 1 – 6 from Bb database






All data sources

List associating unit MOD codes

with departments

11-12S2AAXYZ001-2

List associating departments with faculties

List simplifying content types to consider + scores


data from the Bb

database

6 .csv files per

year


database to

aggregate and

simplify data

1 .xls file

Separate into dept sheets

in workbook, create scatter

graphs

1 animated ppt file

Step 3

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‘Interesting’ Aspects….

• Assigning units to correct department, especially where there are units offered across courses from more than one discipline

• Needing to cope with occasional departmental restructuring

• Provides no pedagogical interpretation for what is happening, but we cross-link with Unit Student Perception Survey

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