AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 ‘Smarter Teaching, Better Learning’ 2 nd FAHSS Teaching Day Friday, 22 January 2010

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 Organising Committee: Dr Fiona Farr Barbara Geraghty Maura Murphy Tina Real ‘Smarter Teaching, Better Learning’ Faculty Teaching Day Friday 22 January, 2010 AHSS Working Group on e-learning: Dr Fiona Farr Dr Amanda Haynes Dr Ciara Breathnach Dr Liam Murray Dr Luke Ashworth Dr Martin Power Sinead Eaton Yvonne Cleary

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 Opening Address: Prof Paul McCutcheon Prof Sarah Moore Prof Pat O’Connor

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 How to Podcast By Tom Felle Teaching assistant, Journalism

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 What is a podcast? A podcast is an audio recording of an event (eg lecture) made available for public consumption via the internet How do you make one? Four steps: Record you audio; edit it; upload it to a server (eg Sulis) and distribute via a ‘Podcatcher’ (eg iTunes)

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January How do I record my audio? Hardware required: digital recorder Should be able to connect via USB Should allow recording in MP3 format (compressed file sizes; circa 1mb per minute) Recommended: Zoom H2 (circa €200) or similar To record: Press ‘Record’, to stop press ‘Stop’ Upload to computer: Plug in via USB – operates exactly the same as a memory stick.

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January How do I edit the audio? Software required: audio editing package Recommended: Adobe Audition (circa €300) Free recommendation: Audacity (basic but works fine) To use: 1.Import / open file, place mouse at in-point; highlight unwanted audio and press delete. 2. Split into minute “chunks” (if using Sulis) 3. Save lectures in MP3 format

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January What do you do with your recording? (a) Upload to Sulis In course page click “site editor” then “edit tools” and click “podcast” to add option. In ‘podcasts’ click “add” to add MP3 (podcast) files (b) Distribute via iTunes : click “advanced” then “subscribe to podcast” and podcasts will download and update iPods automatically

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 Questions to consider: Who is my podcast for? Students / faculty or outside interest How will it be marketed (SULIS only available internally)? Training? / Time commitments? Audio quality and production values? (University reputation at stake!) Impact on teaching?

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 How to run an online tutorial Yvonne Cleary and Marie Flannery School of Languages, Literature, Culture and Communication

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 Overview Advantages of online tutorials Problems associated with delivering tutorials online Tips for designing successful online activities Practical inquiry model Weaving and lurking Sample participation guidelines Examples of online tutorials

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 Advantages of online tutorials Flexibility: of materials; locations; time Traditional teachers are surprised at how much learning happens through online discussions Teachers have a full record of participation Everyone has a record of what has been “said” Teachers can “model ways of exploring and developing arguments” (Salmon, 2002, p. 32) External/invited lecturers can moderate discussions Activities can be reused Peer support can be very effective online

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 Problems associated with delivering tutorials online (1) Online tutorials are not always cheaper or less time consuming “Communicating through text on screen is a new genre … that most people are still getting to grips with” (Salmon, 2002, p. 6) Few teachers have all the skills needed to successfully run online tutorials; many resist learning those skills Students are concerned about working online: isolation, lack of contact with peers and teachers, exposure of putting opinions online

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 Problems associated with delivering tutorials online (2) Many teachers are concerned about working online: copyright issues, lack of technical know- how, and the threat of being displaced by a computer system High-quality interaction, full participation and reflection do not happen simply by providing the technology (Tolmie and Boyle, 2000) Online communications (which generally constitute “lean” communications) are easily misunderstood

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 Tips for designing successful online activities Use motivational language; early tasks should be achievable and worthwhile Encourage participation Clarify the purpose of the tutorial View technology as a “hygiene” factor Tell students how you expect them to communicate online Provide feedback for all students where appropriate; otherwise, participants may feel that their work is overlooked or sub-standard Manage and limit your time online

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 Practical inquiry model (four-phase model) 1.Triggering event: initiate the inquiry process through a problem or dilemma 2.Exploration: support learners in understanding the nature of a problem and searching for relevant information and possible explanations 3.Integration: facilitate a focused and structured construction of meaning, guiding learners in analysing different possible approaches to the problem 4.Resolution: test solutions, critically assessing viability of solutions in the real world

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 Weaving Pulling together different learners’ contributions Relating statements to concepts and theories Summarising discussion contributions Spanning wide-ranging views Providing new topics when discussions go off track Stimulating fresh strands of thought Introducing new themes Suggesting alternative approaches Allowing interest to flourish and allowing it to die away naturally

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 Lurking Check that participants know how to post and reply Provide a test area, for example, an introductions/ icebreaker forum Explain the importance of interaction online Post guidelines and expectations Monitor participation and be aware of non- participation Design activities for structured interaction where every participant has a specific role Compliment participants regularly and respond positively to contributions Encourage lurkers to take the plunge and post contributions

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 Guidelines for students Provide guidelines on: Number of posts expected Frequency and timing of posts Length of posts Type of content expected Depth of response Writing style expectations (see handout for a sample set of guidelines)

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 Readings Garrison, D.R. and Anderson, T. (2003). E-Learning in the 21 st Century. London: RoutledgeFalmer. Salmon, G. (2002). E-tivities. London: Kogan Page. Salmon, G. (2003). E-moderating. London: Kogan Page. Tolmie, A. and Boyle, J. (2000). Factors influencing the success of computer mediated communication (CMC) environments in university teaching: a review and case study. Computers and Education, 34(2): 119 – 140.

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 Coffee

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 Discussion: E-Learning within the Faculty Chair: Dr Amanda Haynes

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 How to use SULIS Quizzes Una Woods, School of Law

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 Land Law 1 (160 students) 4 on-line quizzes – worth 10% Goals –Familiar with archaic terminology –Engage early on with abstract concepts –Early feedback –Promote continuous learning –Final exam – less daunting –Broader syllabus –Encourage completion (No credit -20%; 10% credit – 90%)

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 Quiz content 10 questions per quiz Multiple choice and true/false mix Mini problem style questions Points allocated in accordance with difficulty

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 Question 1 Single Correct 5 points Which one of the following types of co-ownership would you associate with the right of survivorship? oA. Coparceny oB. Joint Tenancy oC. Tenancy in Common

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 Question 2 Single Correct 30 points Noreen has recently moved into an apartment she is renting from Joe. While moving some of the furniture she found a box of money in an old safe in the wall. Joe doesn't own the money and has never occupied the apartment. He claims he is entitled to the money as it was found in his property. Which answer do you think most accurately represents the law? oA. Noreen has a superior claim as possession of the land passes to her under the lease. Possession of the land carries with it possession of everything that is found in the land. oB. Joe, as the freehold owner, has the superior interest in the land and therefore his claim is superior to the tenant’s. oC. Noreen has the superior claim. Joe has a superior interest in the land but his superior claim to the find is dependent on prior possession. Joe has never occupied the premises and so will not be in a position to prove prior possession

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January weeks to complete each quiz Option of timed assessments Open book/unsupervised/consultation Random selection from a pool of questions Scramble questions Scramble answers

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 Creating the Quiz Click on Tests and Quizzes on tools menu Create new assessment; select type - quiz Name assessment Click on create Create question by –Selecting question type (multiple choice etc) –Type question in text box –Type answer options (click correct answer button as appropriate –Save question and move to next one

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 Settings  Released to….  Assessment organisation –Linear access/random access –Date of release and retraction  Question display – separate web page  Feedback –Immediate –Feedback on submission –Feedback on a certain date  Grading – send grades to gradebook  Save and publish  Scores link  Statistics link

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 Student Feedback ‘I think the SULIS exams are a great idea and take the pressure off a little bit! They also make sure you continue studying throughout the semester so it’s not all on top of you at the end of term.’ ‘Fortnightly SULIS quizzes - good idea. Helps me to review what I have learnt so far and go over any question/part I found I had difficulty in answering.’ ‘One criticism is that I am aware of some of the class having the answers to the quizzes (from last year's students) so will obviously get 100% in each. It is a bit annoying that I got 90% in the first one after having researched the topic and would have got 100% if I just copied the answers like others.’

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 Feedback from Extern  ‘The quizzes are interesting. I understand that the quizzes are not taken under the usual, formal exam conditions. They are open book assessments which students complete in their own time. From the sample scripts that I have seen, it does not appear that the marks achieved in the quizzes unduly distorted the overall standard. The quiz marks did have a significant impact on the overall grade achieved by certain candidates, however. I acknowledge the value of the quizzes as a study aid and as a means of encouraging students to engage with the material. They also enable students to test their knowledge and understanding as the course progresses. In my view, the (unsupervised) quizzes, and their overall impact on grades, should be kept under review.’

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010  ‘What you say about the rumour concerning the answers to the quizzes is worrying. I have reservations about the unsupervised quizzes - although I acknowledge their value as an educational tool. I suggest that we discuss further when I visit UL in the summer. It may be necessary to abandon an unsupervised exercise as part of the formal assessment to protect the integrity of the exam, or in the alternative to reduce the allocation of marks to 5% thereby diluting the impact of the quiz marks on overall grade.’  Average quiz grade 73%  Generally raised the student’s overall grade by 2%  Had a more substantial impact (4-5%) on 11.5% of students grades.

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 How to Blog: An Introduction Dr Liam Murray Dr Tríona Hourigan Department of Languages, Literature, Culture and Communication

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 Introduction 1. Introduction to Blogging : Demo 2. Using Blogs for Educational Purposes 3. Concluding remarks

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 Features of a blog Publish your own content via computer or mobile phone Communicate with other users Example: emergence of online Communities of Practice Personalisation Examples: templates and fonts Post Photos and Videos

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January Blogs as Learning Tools Generic Learning Tool Web 2.0 Collaborative Social Learning Multimedia environment Creativity Personalisation Language Learning Tool Multilingual blogosphere Multilingual blogging tools Wealth of multilingual content

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 Using blogs in the curriculum Language and Technology (LI4113): Reflective Learning French Language and Society (FR4147): Reflective Learning; writing skills in French French Language and Society (FR4148): Film Studies; writing skills in French Writing Games Analysis (CS4067): Reflective Learning; generic writing skills

Example 1:Language and Technology Blog

Example 2: French Language Blog

Example 3: Multimedia Gaming Blog

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 Concluding Remarks Blogging is a viable learning activity Rich blogosphere: useful if exploited appropriately Moving from the generic to the specific Choice of suitable task is key: -Establish an appropriate assessment framework -Content: reflective; group discussion -Acceptable level of blog postings? -ICT skill development

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010

AHSS Faculty Teaching Day 22 January 2010 Round Table Fora Theme 1: The AHSS learning experience: core elements Theme 2: Attendance Theme 3: Broadening the curriculum Chair: Dr Luke Ashworth