Student-led Technology Enhanced Learning and Teaching. Yves Fuala, Daniel Edmondson, Pippa iliff Supervisors- Duncan Cross, Julie Prescott

Our Project Identifying potential needs for first year University students Help students adjust to Higher Education Increase social interaction Incorporate all their needs into one technology based intervention

Research Questionnaire Identify students current use of technology Attitudes towards games and apps for Learning Attitudes towards other technological interventions to support learning i.e. games Focus groups Gain a deeper understanding of what students want Identify the different factors that would make an educational game intriguing to students

Findings Questionnaire Results n=137 Students from the University of Bolton Each of us took responsibility for collecting data from different subject areas   Try new tech Play an Ed game Find an Ed game interesting Tech improves learning experience Agree (%) 45.3 46.6 52.2 48.2 Strongly agree (%) 51.8 33.8 27.9

Focus Group Findings Conducted on 2nd year college students 3 groups 20 students in total Themes Competitive Social interaction Prizes Contain useful information Fun to play “If an app or Game is neither useful or enjoyable, it will be short lived”. (P17)

Students said, We did. uBolt

Increased confidence when approaching scientific research Social interaction, increased social network More awareness with respect to research as a career choice Teamwork, time management, ability to work independently Interpersonal skills that can be taken into the work place beyond graduation IMPACT

The impact of student-led research on PhD students (Mercer et al, 2011) Invaluable transferable skills Sharing experiences Jones et al (2008) Increased self-directedness Knowledge and ability to conduct research Students also became more intellectually curious Improvement in the students’ ability to critically appraise/ appreciate research literature.

Partnership and Collaboration Start of the project it was a Tutor Led Project –using their knowledge and expertise Supervisor = Position of power Growing in confidence and skills Evolved into the intended student Led Project- driving the project forward Supported by our supervisors- taking pride in our work and gaining recognition for our efforts

Partnership and Collaboration Project has facilitated an environment- motivated us to produce a high quality end product Beyond class collaboration- Engaging not only in a collaboration with staff but with students from different subject areas- sharing knowledge and becoming more creative Personalities of the Teacher/supervisor are also crucial to the success of this type of project (Hall, 2015) Empowerment, belonging, trust and challenge (Kehler, 2017)

What we would change……. Employed a creative student earlier in the project, in order to enhance our knowledge of technology and design Creative student - Advisor on the possibilities of our design ideas and had creative input Created a different Job description advertisement for a Creative Tech student that didn't focus on the need to have awareness of research methods. Direct interviews with game students rather than bids which would have been beneficial to transfer data sets from the initial research.

“An experience that has had a major impact not only by enhancing our knowledge and skills but also it has become an amazing personal journey of development” We would like to see more opportunities for students to get involved with research, as it provides an invaluable experience.

Questions?

References Hall, V. J. (2015). Exploring teacher-student interactions: communities of practice, ecological learning systems-or something else?. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 1-13.   Krause, K. and Coates, H. (2008). Students’ Engagement in First-Year University. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education. 33 (5), pp. 493–505.     Kuh, G. (2008.) High-Impact Educational Practices: What They Are, Who Has Access to Them, and Why They Matter. Association of American Colleges and Universities. Kehler, A., Verwoord, R., & Smith, H. (2017) We are the Process: Reflections on the Underestimation of Power in Students as Partners in Practice International Journal for Students as Partners 1 (1)