1. Is the whole greater than the sum of its parts?
Barbara Watson
Kate Boardman
Juliette Pavey
Learning Technologies Team
IT Service

2. Overview Durham University Online - duo Evaluations of whole
Evaluations of parts
Conclusions

3. University of Durham 670 academic and 280 academic-related staff
9400 undergraduates and 2400 postgraduates
Founded in 1832
Research led
Split campus
MIS – outsourced to Unisys
Learning Technologies Team (LTT)

4. Durham University Online - duo
Software: Bb 5 Level 1 version 5.5
Hardware: PC running Linux
Staff: 3 LTs (advertised for another) with 1 responsible for duo
with username duoguest and password duoguest
How many have a LE in your institution

5. Uptake of duo Estimated use by Xmas 2000 Actual use by Xmas 2000
Current use at Xmas 2001
200 students
3 departments
4286 students
21 departments
211 modules
10,000 students
700 academics
700 modules
How many of you have a LE across the whole institution (80%)

6. Evaluations of whole of duo
Quantitative and qualitative
Analyse factors such as faculty and year of study
Data collected from students and staff in all faculties and both campuses
Staff – April 01 (n = 91)
Students – May 01 (n = 793) and at the end of some modules

7. Students: Overall, how do you rate the contribution duo has made to your learning?

8. Staff: Overall, how do you rate the effectiveness of duo as a learning resource?

9. Staff: Has duo affected your approach to teaching?

10. Staff use of duo features
70% or more - announcements, course information, course documents,
% - staff information, assignments, bibliography (14.5% link to OPAC)
35% use external links, 21% group pages, 25.6% calendar
% use discussion board and tasks and % hope to in future
9 - 12% - virtual chat, digital drop box, quizzes, surveys and BB resources and % hope to in future

11. Reflect current ways of teaching
Collis, University of Twente:
“instructors are most likely to begin by choosing aspects of a system that reflect their current ways of teaching, and then gradually move to new instructional approaches and new features.”

12. What enhances teaching and learning in HE?
Dependent on the quality of the parts which make up the LE eg content, communication, assessment
Dependent on how the use of the LE is integrated into the curriculum

13. Parts - lecture notes Is it good practice to put lecture notes online?
Depends on what the lecturer does with them
Jack Wilson, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA - keynote at ALT00

14. Parts – animations Aims and objectives
Convert existing paper based materials in module into web based materials to be delivered through duo
To include:
Supporting information, including a glossary of terms
Interactive exercises
Animations to aid the understanding of the geological processes
Incorporate quizzes to test understanding of topics

15. Development
Conversion of black and white poorly scanned images to coloured diagrams created using Fireworks
Introduction of animated diagrams created in Flash to aid the understanding of geological processes
Interactive exercises to enable students to test their knowledge and understanding

16. Evaluation
70% had a preference for learning with web-based materials or a combination of both paper and web
42% felt that the animation was useful in aiding their understanding of the processes
56% felt that the interactive exercises were either very or quite useful in terms of gaining a greater understanding of the topic

17. Evaluation
91% felt the materials were a useful resource in terms of revision
81% stated that because of the resource the amount of note taking in the lecture had either reduced or they no longer took notes but were able to listen and understand
88% would recommend that similar web based supporting materials should be developed in other modules

18. Parts – online discussions – PCGE Sport
Final assessment showed that there had been increased communication
Number of communications and speed of response had resolved any issues between the lecturer and the students
Greater sharing of information, such as lesson plans, between students in a digital format
Students also increasingly linked their work with Internet based sources eg government

19. Parts – online discussions – PGCert - Sydney
Synchronous and asynchronous discussions between course participants from Durham and academics taking a similar course at the University of Sydney
Both groups had a similar first assignment - exchange ideas and experiences

20. Parts – assessment Evaluated 3 courses using assessment
Economics (Level 2) Microeconomics
2 revision quizzes to test essential knowledge from Level 1
Economics (Level 1) Economic methods
weekly equations quizzes to consolidate knowledge in compulsory introductory module
Physics (Level 1) Astronomy for All
weekly revision from lectures for non-physicists

21. Parts – assessment

22. Assessment evaluations
Preference for combination of web-based/paper materials:
67% (Econ 2) 64% (Econ 1) 81% (Phys)
These short quizzes help me consolidate my learning/gain greater understanding:
88% (Econ 2) 88% (Econ 1) 97% (Phys)
These quizzes are a useful resource in terms of revision:
83% (Econ 2) 93% (Econ 1) 89% (Phys)

23. Assessment evaluations
duo and the materials in it [as a learning resource] have ‘greatly assisted my learning’ (‘assisted my learning’):
Economics Level 2 = 39% (61%)
Economics Level 1 = 21% (69%)
Physics Level 1 = 22% (78%)

24. Assessment comments
“I think the DUO system is a very good complement to the course. It makes me study little by little, and forces me to get a better and deeper understanding of the subjects. It is also beneficial from the teachers point of view I guess, since it enables monitoring of answers, thus revealing what students in general understand and do not. I think for me (an international student), the possibility to revise the lectures in writing gives me a better chance to understand the English from the lectures that I did not completely understand at first. Therefore it improves my English as well.”

25. Dissemination Why – academics to gain ideas from each other
Teaching and Learning Forum
Developing a good practice course in duo
Workshops
Academics sharing courses see each others materials
That’s what I paid to do!

26. Putting the parts together
Enhance learning if the parts enhance learning

27. Why have an LE? Initial evaluation of LE with NELE led to 3 choices
Commercial
Build your own
Use multiple systems eg WebBoard for discussions, QuestionMark for assessment
Going round in circles

28. Advantages of a single system/portal
Easy access to material relevant to you (not have to worry about finding different web or paper resources)
Stickiness

29. Get a new measuring stick?
“What we are most interested in regarding learning as a consequence of using technology often can’t be measured in the short term or without different approaches to measurement. Measure what can be measured, such as short-term gains in efficiency or increases in flexibility.” (Lesson 16, Collis)

30. Is the whole greater than the sum of its parts?
Yes? – but how to prove it

31. References
Collis, B. and Messing, J. (2001) Usage, attitudes and workload implications for a web-based learning environment, Association of Learning Technology Journal 9 (1)
Collis, B. (2001) Flexible Learning in a Digital World, London, Kogan Page