IT Skills Teaching and
Innovation
Rebecca McCready
Learning and Teaching Advisor
School of Medical Sciences Education
Development
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Which IT skills?
• Essay Management
•
•
•
•
Using Word
Images and tables
Long documents
EndNote (with Library)
• Data Management
• Excel
• Access
• Presentation Skills
• PowerPoint
• Posters
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Why is it important?
• The 1997 Dearing Report review of HE:
• Recommendations on key skills including use of
information technology.
» Yorke (2006)
• Greater and more complex use of IT in curriculum.
• Development takes time and practise.
» Yorke (2006)
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
The Process
Skills Rating
IT Tutorial
Review Rating
Feedback
Assessment
Accreditation
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Albert Expert Rating
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
The Albert Expert Rating System
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Tailored Tutorials
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Tailored Tutorials
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Integration is important
“In no case can skills development be ‘boxed
off’ from the rest of the curriculum, since
students develop through a range of
curricular (and extra-curricular)
engagements.”
» Yorke and Knight (2006)
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Pacing Learning: Section Ratings
Presentation Skills using
PowerPoint
5
4
3
Document Management Content and Layout
2
1
5
4
Data Handling and
Spreadsheet Skills
5
3
2
1
4
3
2
1
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Learning More: Be an EXPERT
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Getting Help: Accessible Videos
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Getting Help: Ask Albert
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Evaluation: Videos
Observations
• PG demonstrator : students ratio dropped from 1:10 to 1:30. Generated
cost savings of approximately £2600 in the first 5 months.
• MBBS stage 1 assessed IT skills coursework: 11% more ‘Merits’ and 8%
fewer ‘Borderlines’ in 2006/7 (with videos) from 2005/6 (no videos).
• Colleagues noticed significant improvements to teaching and learning
environment.
Student feedback
• “The video clips were easier to follow and you could play them over
again.”
• “The new videos that you can watch are really useful and make it a lot
easier to understand.”
• “The video links were very helpful, and you did not need to ask the
instructors so many questions.”
• “The video slides made Excel a LOT easier to use and understand.”
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Evaluation: Albert Expert
The Albert Expert ratings at
the start of each section
helped me to judge the
difficulty of the material
45%
Most liked
The 'show help' sections were useful
Expandable "Be an EXPERT" links
offering more information, helping to
understand the software more
thoroughly for future use outside of
structured sessions.
72%
40%
40%
35%
30%
Improvements
24%
25%
Make the 'more help' tab already open
to easily follow instructions.
20%
15%
14%
Add some images to this material in
addition [sic] help notes and videos.
10%
10%
8%
5%
3%
1%
0%
Strongly
agree
Agree
Weakly Weakly Disagree Strongly
No
agree disagree
disagree answer
…create a [sic] own individualised/
personalised tutorial for each student…
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Review Albert Expert Rating
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Albert Expert: Review and Retrieve
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Albert Expert: The Benefits
It allows students to:
 Identify existing knowledge.
 Appreciate areas for further learning.
 Judge difficulty of materials in advance of completion.
 Measure improvements over time.
It allows staff to:
 Measure the difficulty of materials against a common
scale.
 Identify the progress of courses through the rating.
 Provide advanced materials for able students.
 Pitch help at a suitable level for students.
 Identify common areas of poor knowledge.
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Feedback
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Feedback
Benefits for Students
• Identifies specific misunderstandings.
• Reminds them of skills teaching.
• Prompts them to use the skills for the related
assessment.
Benefits for Staff
• Identifies common mistakes and misunderstandings,
so we can refine our materials as a result.
• Demonstrates commitment from us to students’
learning.
• Offer accreditation, check attendance and
completion.
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Assessment
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Why assess?
“Curriculum goals should be assessed because
that which is assessed gets taken seriously.
That which isn’t, doesn’t.”
» Yorke and Knight (2006)
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Assessment: MBBS
Stage 1
• Summative assessment:
use of styles, style sets,
page layout techniques.
• Summative assessment:
use of styles, style set,
page layout, image and
table management
techniques.
Alongside Library skills
assessment on search and
bibliography skills.
Stage 2
• Formative assessment:
presentation skills
including use of
PowerPoint and
presentation techniques.
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Assessment Model: Psychology
Summative
assessment
Stage 1
Essay
Management
PSY1001
(Text)
PSY1010 Formatted essay
and report
(Objects)
Also includes Library Skills
assessment
Data
Handling
Presentation
Skills
PSY1010
PSY1001
Experiment
write up
All attended
and assessed
=
Delivered
Certificate
presentation
awarded
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Feedback provided
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Accreditation
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Certificate of Attainment
Describes the skills that these students have been
taught and have demonstrated through their
coursework.
• Formally recognises these skills.
• Raises the student’s awareness of key transferable
skills that they have.
• Documents these skills for interview.
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Evaluation: Psychology
Psychology: do you value having this
Certificate?
6%
9%
12%
Strongly
Agree
Agree
Neutral
22%
Disagree
51%
Strongly
Disagree
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Evaluation: Psychology
Feedback was obtained mid March 2011. Certificates were awarded end March 2011.
• 58% (Strongly) Agree:
The skills had helped
with their academic work.
• 15% had already used these skills for non-academic
work (which will aid skills development).
• 12% had already referenced the Certificate in job
interview/application.
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Award Model: Biomed Sci
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
• Data Handling and Spreadsheet Skills
• Supports Pharmacology module
• Assessed on attendance, completion,
coursework
Formative feedback
Summative assessment
• Document Management 01
• Supports a range of word processed
coursework
• Assessed on attendance, completion,
coursework
Formative feedback
• Document Management 02
• Supports a range of word-processed
coursework
• Assessed on attendance, completion,
coursework
• Document Management 03
• Supports dissertation
• Assessed on attendance and completion
Formative feedback
All attended
and completed
= Certificate
Formative feedback
awarded
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Certificate of Attendance: PGRes
• Certificate in Information and Document
Management.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Building Robust Research Strategies,
Endnote,
Library databases,
Document Management – Content and Layout,
Document Management – Images and Tables,
Information Skills Assimilation, and
Managing Long Documents.
• Certificate in Data Handling and Manipulation.
• Data Handling and Spreadsheet Skills (both Stats and
Databases sections),
• Introduction to Databases – Lecture, and
• Introduction to Databases – Practical (both Introduction
and Advanced sections).
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Future Developments
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Future Developments
Albert Expert
• Personal Skills Audit
• Skills level recommendations
• Ratings for all FAQs and How Tos
• Document Scanner
Certificate of Attainment
• Further promotion to students
• Greater integration into curricula
• Feedback from employers regarding benefit and use
• Feedback from students regarding benefit and use
Skills teaching
• Broader customer base
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
Get in Touch
•
•
•
•
•
•
Online academic IT skills training and support
Tailored courses
Video and Albert Expert help built-in
Email support
Assessment and feedback
Accreditation of skills
• Rebecca.McCready@ncl.ac.uk
• x4542
• http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk
http://fms-itskills.ncl.ac.uk