Using coMentor HFB 102 Introduction to Cultural Studies

Coming to Technology §New foundation level 10 credit module §Compulsory for sociology §Optional for behavioural sciences & combined arts §12 hours lecture, 12 hours groupwork §Assessment by workbook §Running day & evening

Coming to Technology §Groupwork lacks popularity with students & is very expensive in terms of staff & rooming §High numbers selected the module §Timetable conflict for politics with sociology students §Need to develop co-operative learning but with individual assessment

Coming to Technology §Would it be possible to conduct groupwork via coMentor? §6 x 2 hour lectures §12 hours groupwork

Starting the Journey §Will coMentor do what I want? §Storage of sample web sites? §Storage of module information? §Storage of workbook? §Storage of relevant book chapters? §Storage of A-V clips? §All of the above! But beware the network!

Initial Concerns §Student access‘how to’ § ‘web browsers’ § ‘where from’ §Copyright issues §Co-operative learning without plagiarism

Initial Resolution §Compilation of instructions for students by coMentor staff §Application for copyright clearance for text resources §Scanning of text resources using ‘OCR’ §Selection & insertion of web links

Initial Resolution §Development of assessment strategy to maximise co-operation & minimise plagiarism §Submission of essay plans opened for all to read & use §Submission of individual workbook §All work to be submitted via coMentor

Difficulties Encountered §Web sites changing requirements (Flash) §Time needed for scanning & converting text §Student lack of computer skills §Student confusion & fear §Access problems with Internet Explorer §Different submission requirements for students’ work

On-going Resolutions §Regular coMentor tutorials for students who wanted further help §Introduction of alternative submission strategies to reduce fear of failure §Construction of a new ‘room’ for essay submission to make identification of work easier §Identified problems reported immediately

Good Effects §Students frequently used the ‘chat’ & ‘noticeboard’ facilities to share information §The site was accessed frequently throughout §Students achieved a very high standard of work overall §The site ‘looks good’ §I used far less paper during the module

The Final Hurdle §My downfall!!! §Marking ‘on-line’ was not possible §I needed to find somewhere on-site where there was peace & privacy to undertake such a mammoth task - Impossible! §Weakness supervened & I printed the work off (so much for the paper) & marked off- site

Lessons for the Future §The idea of using technology for groupwork was good - it worked very well & my plan is to extend its use in the next academic year §The process is very time consuming so the benefit in terms of student learning must outweigh the cost