ANGELA SHORTSCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND HUMANITIES

KEVIN STARRS, SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING(RETIRED!)

Designing and Delivering an online module

The Background

Collaborative relationship between lecturers with different skill sets different approaches to learning and teachingshared goals and aimsstudents drawn from different

schools/programmes What did we hope to achieve? Constructive alignment ( Biggs, 1999) of

learning and assessmentBetter outcomes all round and results that we

could stand over

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Constructive Alignment

Constructive Alignment, a term coined by John Biggs (Biggs, 1999) has two parts

Students construct meaning from what they do to learn

The teacher aligns the planned learning activities with the learning outcomes

Alignment is about getting students to take responsibility for their own learning, and establishing trust between student and teacher

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Constructive Alignment

Figure 1. Aligning learning outcomes, learning and teaching activities and the assessment. Adapted from Biggs(1999) p 27

Reflective practitioner; the teacher who constantly modifies course design and delivery, constantly trying to work closer to the unattainable perfect constructive alignment.

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Designing; the model

System of teaching and assessment welded to an essential textbook- students must purchase to take the module

Textbook chosen not simply for content but primarily for the design of the text itself and more importantly, the support materials and resources-publishers ahead of the curve in identifying teachers’ needs!

Reviewing the Continuous Assessment to final exam breakdown of marks in the module- ensure a payoff for students ( minimum 50/50 split)

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The Model

Delivery can be online (no face to face lectures) or blended ( mix face to face and online delivery)

All learning and assessment is asynchronous ( any time any where)

lectures delivered as PowerPoint files with narration by lecturer. (narration achieved through use of Camtasia software but most recently Articulate)

Continuous Assessment worth 50% and final exam ( online or written ) also 50%Assessments must be completed within a specific

time frame throughout the semester to ensure constant engagement

Deadlines missed mean marks foregone

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The Assessment

All assessment including the final exam is Open BookAssessment designed to move students from basic

comprehension and understanding ( True/False, Multiple Choice) to application and evaluation type questions that truly test understanding and transfer

Open Book final exam questions are ALL application/practical questions and ALL topics are examined and ALL questions must be answered

Grading of assessment a balance between computer marked quizzes ( lower order tasks) to tutor marked assignments, examining approach, method and analysis

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How does it work? Operations Management Online

All module materials and resources made available on the Moodle site- no face to face lectures

All assessment tasks occur within a two week window that opens and closes on specific dates

Assessment is a mix of formative and summativeStudents are aware that they forego the marks

when they miss quizzes and deadlinesStudents are instructed to communicate their

problems/issues through MoodleLet’s take a look!

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How does it work; Creativity and Innovation; Blended Approach

10 credit module which is 100% assessed using a feasibility Study- no final exam

Essential textbook adopted which students purchaseStudents attend three hours of lectures per week as

normalAll assessment tasks are completed online and time

basedOpportunity to engage in formative assessment before

taking the graded quizzesAssessment tasks are a mixture of computer marked

and tutor marked- computer marked ‘content’ quizzes and tutor marked application tasks

Different assessment tools employed; Learning journals and wiki to suit the learning outcomes

Let’s take a look!

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So if it’s all online, why do they need us?

Typical question posed; personal observations Tutor’s role as important if not more so in an online/blended

module More thought put into the design of materials/supports and

assessment practices More structure on the module delivery- attendance not an

issue! All information clearly set out- students know exactly what is

expected of them and they are told what they can expect from us

Role of feedback crucial- two way process Quality of the communication online much better Students forced to analyse their difficulties before emailing

you- don’t entertain ‘ I haven’t a clue’ type comments and queries – only respond to specific informed questions

No better way of honing your ‘explaining’ skills; feel that I can often add more value through online communication

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Pros of online/blended approaches

ProsBalance of responsibility for learning shifts from

tutor to studentMoodle allows you to track all activity- nowhere

to hideGain insights into how students approach their

learning- time based assessments good discipline forcing them to learn as they go along

Easy to adopt an approach of continuous improvement

Some very uplifting student feedback

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Cons of online blended

For the teacher the volume of work can be great- time consuming with large numbers

For the student the volume of work appears out of kilter with other modules even though they have 105 independent study hours assigned to every module!

Technology glitches - some minor ongoing issues that may be to do with the set up here or the Moodle software itself

technology totally outside the lecturer’s control- can no longer even enrol guests without going through IT

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Final Words

Not as daunting as you might thinkIf you can collaborate, it makes life much easierDon’t think about the technology- it doesn’t

teach- you doConsider what ‘value’ the use of technology can

add to your teaching- know what it is you are trying to achieve

Start with online assessment exercises and move towards blended or fully online approaches

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Questions

Thank you for listening- We hope you found this session useful

Did we meet your expectations?

Questions?

ReferencesJohn Biggs (1999): Teaching for Quality Learning at University, (SRHE and Open

University Press, Buckingham)

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