University of York, 26/11/03 Using VLEs: who does the work? Annie Trapp Dept of Psychology University of York

University of York, 26/11/03 The module Organisational Psychology 3 rd year advanced option 8 x 2 hours weekly seminars students Previous student feedback

University of York, 26/11/03 Rationale for teaching approach Aim  Seminars not lectures  Involvement of all students  Students: well-prepared & active learners Solution  Focus on discussion questions and case studies in seminars  Supported by Virtual Learning Environment  WebCT – University of York Teaching Innovation Fund

University of York, 26/11/03 Preparation Provide information Reading lists, timetable, lecture notes, case studies, list of groups, user passwords Provide communication links , discussion board Provide tasks Case study questions, discussion questions, multiple choice questions Complete course up on WebCT at the beginning of term

University of York, 26/11/03 Structure of module Students work in small groups (6-8) Group activities:  Each week one group provide summaries of key papers – in advance of seminar.  Each week one group answer a set of ‘consolidation’ questions after seminar. Lecturer responds online to the above.

University of York, 26/11/03 The good, … Seminars did focus on case study analysis Lively discussion groups during seminar Students had to engage with material Groups did provide summary work online Discussions & feedback provided trail Some individuals used the mcqs Logging identified ‘at risk’ student WebCT was useful since I could get the information about the course, group activities and summaries by myself at any time

University of York, 26/11/03 The bad, … Finding time to provide feedback on group work submitted online by students. Reduced flexibility of seminar structure. Students wanted the lecturer’s perspective in the form of a mini-lecture as well. I feel the course relied too much on WebCT and did not contain enough lecture/teacher- led teaching methods

University of York, 26/11/03 And the ugly. “We did all the work”

University of York, 26/11/03 In hindsight Pedagogical rationale Preparation time Pragmatic implementation Plan your time commitment