case study 3 ian smith, napier university
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Case Study 3 Ian Smith, Napier University. “Motivating Students through Group Project and Open-Notes Examination” [email protected]. Variations. Advanced Digital Media Level 4 Semester 1, 2003/2004 Object-Oriented Oriented Design & Development Level 5 Semester 2, 2002/2003 - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Case Study 3Ian Smith, Napier University
“Motivating Students through Group Project and Open-Notes Examination”
Variations
• Advanced Digital Media – Level 4– Semester 1, 2003/2004
• Object-Oriented Oriented Design & Development – Level 5
– Semester 2, 2002/2003
– Semester 2, 2003/2004
• Human Computer Interaction - – Level 2
– Semester 2, 2003/2004
Starting Point
Endeavour to picture the gestalt or ‘organic whole’.
All aspects of Learning, Teaching and Assessment are
interrelated and should not be considered in isolation.
Enthuse
• inspire– infectious enthusiasm for subject domain (lecturer)– esprit de corps
• motivate – encourage– sell the assessment– skills, jobs, interviews etc – portfolio artefact
• challenge– assessment that pushes the students – personal fulfilment/achievement (student)
Engage
• be part of the student learning experience– the guide by their side NOT the sage on the stage– involve students in lectures & tutorials
• be approachable & contactable• get to know the students
– speak F2F with each one at least once a week
• provide regular formative feedback (weekly)• show you care
– make a point of acknowledging contribution and attendance– keep discreet notes of attendance, track students on VLE
and provide counselling for those who have disengaged
• but most of all have fun
Support
• all learning, assessment & support materials available on-line• ensure reading lists are available in library• encourage collaborative learning
– computer-mediated conferencing – self-study groups
• transparent assessment– be specific about elements that are assessed – open-notes examination– marking/feedback forms available to encourage self-
assessment– schedule lecture and tutorials to support development of
assessment• get good teaching assistants
Assessment Strategy
Assessment
• Module descriptor establishes a direct mapping of the module learning outcomes to the assessment strategy.– to encourage deeper learning
• Assessment for the module comprises both a coursework and an examination. – coursework assessment is developed as a group project and
produces homogeneous results;– an examination is included to allow the student to
demonstrate individual learning.
• Lectures (and Tutorials) are scheduled to support coursework development
Group work
• The students form themselves into groups of three in week 1.
• Tutor meets each student group for 15 minutes every one to two weeks to provide formative feedback on the progress of their projects.
• The meetings are scheduled to meet the needs of the students and a record is kept with counselling given to any group or individual that fails to attend.
• Small group activity brings the students together, encouraging peer support and engendering engagement.
• On completion of their projects, feedback on the coursework is provided via a feedback sheet and discussed during individual group conferences timetabled to facilitate exam preparation.
Coursework
• The students are tasked to design & develop an artefact in a manner that allows a degree of self expression– encourage ownership of the assessment and learning process
– enhance employability skills such as: teamwork, leadership, creative problem solving, design, communication and management.
– deep learning is encouraged, as the student is required to engage in active learning and student interaction in addition to taking responsibility for their own learning and assessment.
• also required to write a critical report– develops employability skills such as: communication,
organizational and presentation.
– deep Learning is encouraged, as the student is required to demonstrate a range of higher cognitive abilities that in turn encourages the student to become a reflective practitioner.
Variations
• Advanced Digital Media – Develop a DVD & WWW Game - tight specification but opportunity
for creative expression
– Loose specification for design artefacts - encourage creativity and critical thought
– Very challenging - but utilises prior learning
– Critical Report
• Object-Oriented Oriented Design & Development – Develop a game - loose specification
– Detailed specification for design model - focus of assessment
– Critical Report
• Human Computer Interaction– Develop a prototype - a range of choices to suit programme stream
– Very precise and detailed coursework specification
– Demonstration
Open Notes Examination
• An examination is included to allow the student to demonstrate individual learning.– a secure method that minimises cheating– open book examinations assess critical thinking as opposed to
memory– deep learning is encouraged, as the student is required to
demonstrate a range of higher cognitive abilities.
• Many students perceive examinations as stressful, therefore – appropriate preparation is provided via an exam briefing– very specific brief for directed study– access to previous papers with worked solutions. – exam extended from 2 to 3 hours to ensure that adequate time is
available.
Variations
• Advanced Digital Media – open-notes
– 6 topics of directed study (literature review - not taught)
– 3 compulsory questions on directed study
• Object-Oriented Oriented Design & Development – open-notes
– 3 topics of directed study (literature review - not taught)
– 1 compulsory question on directed study
– 2 compulsory questions on analysis & design
• Human Computer Interaction– computer-assisted assessment
– closed book
– direct mapping to lectures & tutorials
Review & Reflection
Object-Oriented Multimedia Design & Development (OOMDD)
Students from liberal arts backgrounds learning software engineering on
MSc Multimedia & Interactive Systems
(2002/2003)
0
50
100
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20Individual Students
% m
ark
OOMDD SD2
n=20r=0.5
Comparison of individual student performance in second semester software engineering modules
No significant difference
0
50
100
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37
Individual Students
% m
ark
OOMDD AISD
n=37r=0.7
Comparison of individual student performance in second semester examination assessments
No significant difference
Module Semester Teaching GroupAssessmentsubmissions
Totalpassed
%submissionsthat passed
% of allstudents
completing
SD1 1Software
Engineering (SE) 30 (73.2%) 22 73.3% 53.7%
DMIA 1Multimedia &
Interactive SystemsDesign (MISD)
38 (92.7%) 36 94.7% 87.8%
PMDM 1Multimedia &
Interactive SystemsDesign (MISD)
40 (97.6%) 37 92.5% 90.2%
ISD 1Multimedia &
Interactive SystemsDesign (MISD)
41 (100%) 34 82.9% 82.9%
SD2 2Software
Engineering (SE) 19 (46.4%) 17 89.4% 41.5%
OOMDD 2Software
Engineering (SE) 41 (100%) 31 75.6% 75.6%
GP 2 Project 40 (97.6%) 36 90.0% 87.8%
AISD 2Multimedia &
Interactive SystemsDesign (MISD)
37 (90.2%) 23 62.2% 56.1%
Achievement of students on MSc Multimedia & Interactive Systems (n=41)
0
50
100
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41Individual Students
% m
ark
OOMDD SD2
n=41
Comparison of individual student achievement in second semester software engineering modules.
Key Points
• No evidence that individual student performance was improved overall.
• Evidence of a higher overall pass rate when compared to similar modules. – can be attributed to a caring and supportive environment,
developed to nurture and encourage achievement. – regular feedback allows students to measure their progress, and
the tutor to identify gaps in their knowledge.– student disengagement readily identified and prompt remedial
action can be taken. – ensuring focus of the module is relevant engenders engagement. – collaborative learning and peer support encourages the students to
assist and take care of each other. – approach would be appropriate for any discipline where students
are experiencing difficulties with subject matter and are disengaging from the learning process.
Advanced Digital Media (ADM)
First Semester, 4th Year
2003/2004
BEng Multimedia Systems
BSc Multimedia Technology (Direct Entrant Year 3)
Module Ranking (n=45) level 4 modules studied first semester
Advanced Digital Media
Media
Computing
Interactive Application
Development *
Computing & Society **
Content 6 21 32 31
Administration 5 33 28 13
Learning 6 43 24 25
Feedback 4 1 33 38
Student contribution
2 27 32 25
*BEng only**BSc only
Source: student feedback survey, semester 1 2003/04
Comparison of individual student performance in first semester examination assessments
0
50
100
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27Individual Students
% m
ark
ADM MC
n=27r=0.59
No significant difference
0.0
50.0
100.0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27Individual Students
% m
ark
ADM MC
Comparison of individual student performance in modules with similar assessment mechanisms
n=27r=0.56
No significant difference ?
Comparison of module statistics
Advanced Digital Media
Media Computing
mean 57.3 52.6
fails 1 (3.7%) 3 (11%)
qualified fail 1 1
pass 18 17
merit 7 6
No significant difference ?
Key Points
• The module ranked very highly (top 6) by students across all criteria.– Perceived to be an enhanced learning experience– Second only to the honours project for personal contribution
• Indication that individual student performance may have been improved compared to similar module - maybe ?