Telling it straight:incorporating the student voice into your learning support strategy

Siobhán Dunne@dunnesiobhanDublin City University

The National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Seminar Series: IT Tallaght, 11th June, 2014

Source: https://flic.kr/p/6D8gTg

Overview

1 CONTEXT FOR THIS MODULE

2 THE VALUE OF REFLECTIVE JOURNALS

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS3

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/ Everett Kennedy Brown/EPA

“The type and process of teaching and learning in second level was seen as a barrier to being ready to successfully access third level learning. The strong emphasis on note learning, the absence of training in higher order thinking skills, the focus on the leaving cert as a memory test, which had students see the leaving cert from a short term perspective, did not furnish students with the skills to progress to college”

Student submission (2009) to National Strategy for Higher Eduction to 2030 (2011)

Definition:“The adoption of appropriate information behaviour to obtain, through whatever channel or medium, information well fitted to information needs, together with critical awareness of the importance of wise and ethical use of information in society” (Johnston and Webber 2004)

How do students develop information literacy?Is it a “naturally occurring process”?Is it just an aspiration ?

Theoretical perspectives – Information Literacy

Information Literacy – A Graduate Attribute

Students will be encouraged to

develop a high level of information

literacy that encompasses a

sophisticated, considered and

critical approach to sourcing,

organising, evaluating and using

information.

Source: http://www.lostintechnology.com/apple/top-five-iphone-4-apps-for-college-students/

Information and Study Skills - core module on BA in Contemporary Culture and Society

Interdisciplinary degree programme delivered by DCU’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

The Module

How their experiences of learning (past and present) are different

How to use information with confidence

The value of transferable skills and their importance in the world of work

How to reflect on their learning experience and draw conclusions from such reflection

Module Aims - Students will know:

1 Goals: what you intend to cover/do in the week

2 Activities: what you actually accomplish, that is, manage to do.

3 Readings: any information sources referred to during the week

4 Problems: outline honestly any difficulties encountered with research, that is finding and accessing information, your learning with regard to a particular incident, overall feelings or impressions about your learning and differences with previous learning

Guidelines for Journal entries

5. Reflection: reflect on the experience, such as a particular incident. How did you cope? What did you learn/realise?

6. Reflection on reflection: how is this journal helping you to discover new things about yourself? How is it developing your learning? You may not always use this but it should be there sometimes.

Guidelines for Journal entries (continued)

Research proposal submitted to

University Ethics Committee

Qualitative framework

Journals used retrospectively

35 participants

Journals coded (grounded theory)

manually as hand-written in diary format

15 categories

The university because it is different from school:

“I’m also adjusting to the new style of teaching that university life brings. It’s very different from the teaching style of secondary school”.

Journal Finding:Coping with a new environment

“Monday never really happens study wise as I have lecture 9-6 with only a break 3-4 and I’m always knackered by the end of the day…on Tuesdays and Wednesdays I go to the library from lunch time until around 8 or 9 so I usually get a lot done then. However I now have work on a Tuesday evening so have to stop studying around half 4 or 5 so to compensate I’m going to come in at 11 for 2 hours before my lecture”

Journal Finding:A different type of working week

“I find it hard to just sit down and write because I’m afraid I don’t have enough information on the topic, so I have to read books, and look it up on the internet. However, I then worry that the information I have is irrelevant to the essay”.

Journal Finding:Researching for an assignment

“I have registered for a workshop of academic writing which I hope will help me. Learning how to write academically is very important. Writing a college essay is so different to school essays I had to write”.

Journal Finding: being proactive

“This journal is making me realize that I must organize myself and get my priorities in place”.

Realised at different stages of the reflective process

The Value of the Journal

Source: http://www.writingforward.com/journal_writing/journal-writing/reflective-journal-writing

“Looking back..I guess it was a fairly stressful time..the main source of stress for me personally was not knowing what was expected of you (ie not being familiar with the standard requirements on essays, presentations, etc.) Throughout the first semester I remember constantly stressing over my results; would I ever pass my modules!? Needless to say, the days leading up to the date when the results came out were absolutely nerve-wracking...”

Student Feedback on Reflection

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Are we providing adequate supports?

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Are we listening?

”

The journals have provided a unique insight and understanding into what students think about their learning experiences. They have provided the rationale for implementing changes into what is perceived as a traditional standalone study skills module. The journals indicate that designing curricula for the future comes firstly, from being open to new forms of collaboration across a university, and secondly, providing routes for incorporating student feedback meaningfully into this process.

Source: https://flic.kr/p/6rDroh

Traditionally third level curricula have been designed solely by academics. However, designing a curriculum for the future requires a more diverse educational input from a number of stakeholders. These include academics, librarians and students themselves.

References

Dunne, S. and Sheridan, V., 2012. ‘The Bigger Picture: Undergraduate Voices Reflecting on Academic Transition in an Irish University’ Innovations in Education & Teaching International, 49 (2), pp. 237-247.

Dunne, S. and Sheridan, V., 2013. ‘How Staff Collaboration Can Improve the Student Learning Experience: the Development of a Module to Support Student Transition into Higher Education’ In Morgan, Michelle (ed.) ‘Recruiting and Supporting Diversity – a Practical Guide for Universities and Colleges’. New York: Routledge, pp. 201-203.

Kift, S., 2009. Articulating a transition pedagogy to scaffold and to enhance the first year student learning experience in Australian higher education: Final Report for ALTC Senior Fellowship Program

McGuinness, C. 2007. 'The Use of Reflective Research Journals in a 1st Year Information Literacy Module' In: Case Studies of Good Practices in Assessment of Student Learning in Higher Education. Dublin: AISHE.