PANTHER – DUCKLING Podcasting in Assessment Dr Ming Nie Beyond Distance Research Alliance University of Leicester #uolbdra Podcasting in Assessment: New Technology in Higher Education Research (PANTHER) Black_panther

Outline Part 1: An overview of podcasting in HE Part 2: DUCKLING context Part 3: Psychology podcasts Part 4: Research methods and findings Part 5: Wider impact and future research

Part 1: An overview of Podcasting in HE

Podcasting projects at Leicester ProjectsYearAims IMPALA2006 Exploring broad pedagogical benefits of podcasting for a variety of disciplines IMPALA Designing pedagogical podcasting applications for Geography, Earth & Environmental Sciences subjects (GEES) IMPALA Exploring the impact of student-created podcasts on students learning Genetics IMPALA 4T2008 Investigating the potential of student-created podcasts for transition DUCKLING2009 Integrating podcasting into DL work-based courses in Occupational Psychology and Applied Linguistics

A Podcasting book Salmon and Edirisingha (2008) Bringing to learners immediacy, engagement and stimulation Conveying more personalised and individualised content Offering better quality contact with lecturers Promoting a sense of belonging to a community Reducing the feeling of isolation Producing content ‘on the fly’ and addressing needs in a timely fashion

Definition of podcast A definition by Apple: “An episodic program delivered via the internet using an XML protocol called RSS” A broader definition (Salmon et al, 2008): Plays sound or vision Is made available from a website Can be opened, downloaded and played on a computer Can be played on a portable player e/ /

Part 2: DUCKLING context

DUCKLING project DELIVERING UNIVERSITY CURRICULA: KNOWLEDGE, LEARNING AND INNOVATION GAINS Started in January 2009, funded by JISC for 2 years 3 distance Masters programmes in 2 disciplines – MA in Applied Linguistics and TESOL – MSc in Occupational Psychology and Psychology of Work

3 DUCKLING technologies Podcasting E-book readers Second Life

Challenges faced by Psychology Improving learner engagement with materials and feedback Adding flexibility to the curricula Reducing learner isolation Securing good retention rates

A range of measures Improvement and streamlining of online materials Revised dissertation and early assignment processes Systematic e-moderation of forums Online marking and added quality and consistency to the marking process Podcasts Podcasts

Part 3: Psychology podcasts

Podcast categories In relation to which module(s) Number of podcasts Purpose Module overview Training and Development1 To provide an over view of the modules Personnel Selection and Assessment 2 Research methods Research Methods in OP11 To explain key concepts and approaches associated with research design, data gathering and analysis Assignment Personnel Selection and Assessment 4 To provide support and detailed guidance on module assignments, including: - Clarification of assignment requirements - How to tackle assignments - What markers are looking for? Psychology of Organising4 Training and Development3 The Individual at Work4 Research Methods in OP1 Dissertation 17 To guide students through the dissertation process To offer a scaffold and pointers to sources of help FeedbackDissertation12To provide individual feedback on draft dissertation Psychology podcasts

Producing Outstanding Dissertations SectionsKey conceptsPurposeDurationWho 1 Navigate handbook Informal supplement to handbook Introduction/Inspire Get students to use handbook 1 minAS 2 Socialise Help at design stage Supervisors: who they are State who we are & roles 2 minsAll 3 Structure of dissertation Different routes Explain/ Discuss deliverables 4 minsSH 4 Help you to do justice to work Procedures, advice Expectations Outline of the whole podcast series 2 minsRR

Love your dissertation handbook SectionsKey conceptsPurposeDurationWho 1 Professional development How handbook was developed Purpose & common issues Benefits for students (dissertation less stressful!) Provide link with 1 st podcast Highlight utility of handbook ‘Selling’ the handbook 3 minsRR 2 Walk through main bits Sequence of the handbook Highlight content How to maximise benefit 3 minsSH 3 Continuous use Quick reference guide (e.g. marking criteria, plan structure) Start with the end in mind How to use handbook3 minsAll 4 Link to Blackboard Supervisor’s role General advice Using it alongside the rest of supervision process 1 minRR

Part 4: Research methods and findings photos/charlesfred/ /

What is the contribution of podcasting to curriculum design and delivery? Research methods Methods Research design Action research methodology Staff and students views collected, analysed and fed back before, after and during the process Data collection Informal meetings and discussions Semi-structured interviews BB-based surveys: A module and technology survey BB discussion forum Data analysis Descriptive statistics to close-ended questions Thematic analysis to qualitative data

Key findings FindingsKey points The human dimension Personalisation, relationship-building Livening up the learning experience Reduction in the ‘distance’ associated with distance learning Guidance, support and feedback in different formats Effective provision of feedback, guidance and support in different formats Additional opportunities for effective engagement Flexibility and mobility Access to quality content through mobile devices Design once, deliver often Reusability of resources Minimum adaptation Low-cost, high-value innovation Reduced online traffic on non-academic matters Better and more cost-effective use of tutors’ time

Part 5: Wider impact and future work

Wider impact at Leicester Adapting psychology dissertation podcasts Other departments considering the use of podcasting – Criminology – Engineering – Lifelong learning – Management – Media and Communications

More podcasts Audio feedback to all module assignments Podcasts for all module overview and assignments Retention and quality of assessed work Podcasts available on the e-book readers Future work