E-learning and e-resources
Brett Lucas
Learning Technology & Web Development Officer
English Subject Centre
brett.lucas@rhul.ac.uk
May 17 2006
Networking Day for Humanities Librarians
Overview
•
•
•
•
•
Current Higher Education Academy E-learning work
Current English Subject Centre E-learning work
Other e-learning sector initiatives
Resources
Questions for discussion
Current HEA work
• Distributed e-learning
– Cultural issues, subject differences and embedding
– http://www.jisc.ac.uk/programme_edistributed.html
– http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/distributedelearning.htm
• E-tutor of the year
– http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/etutor.htm
• E-learning Benchmarking exercise
– to allow institutions providing higher education to identify their
current progress, on embedding e-learning, in relation to similar
institutions
• Academy e-learning resources
– http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/969.htm
English Subject Centre e-learning work
• E-learning advocates
– http://www.english.heacademy.ac.uk/explore/resources/tech
nology/advocates.php
English Subject Centre e-learning work
• E-learning advocates
• National scoping study of English studies
(Philosophy & Religious studies and History)
UK English department survey - 2002/3
“Does your institution support a VLE/CMS?”
Don’t know - 19%
No - 26%
Yes - 55%
Yes
No
Don't Know
Source = Curriculum & Teaching Survey (2003) - English Subject Centre
UK English department survey – 2002/3
If Yes, How many lecturers in your department use it
A substantial
minority – 34%
Majority – 4%
A few
enthusiasts
– 55%
4%
7%
0%
34%
55%
All lectures
Majority of lecturers
Substantial minority of lecturers
A few enthusiasts
No response
UK English department survey – 2002/3
What stage best describes where you would like to see your
department’s use of IT in teaching in three years?
•
•
•
•
Early stages - 15%
Well established 49%
Innovative - 25%
Not an issue - 11%
UK English department elearning
practitioner survey - 2005
“Does your institution support a VLE/CMS?”
1
English is….
Respondents by Subject Area
Drama / Theatre
studies
Educational Studies
Other (please
specify)
Linguistics
Media studies
Area studies (e.g.
American studies)
English language
English literature
Cultural studies
Creative writing
English Subject Centre e-Learning Practitioner Survey 2005
E-learning Practitioner survey 2005
What VLE(s) are available for use by your students if any?
0
Blackboard
In house / Intranet
WebCT
Moodle
We don't use a VLE
Bodington
Granada learnwise
Minerva
Firstclass
Learnwise
E-Board
CourseWork
Don't know
Other (please
10
%
20
%
30
%
40
%
%
50
60
%
3.1 How valuable do you think e-learning is for:
not at all valuable
of limited value
of considerable
value
extremely
valuable
communicating with students
0% (0)
4% (5)
21% (24)
75% (87)
supporting discussion among students
0% (0)
29% (33)
39% (45)
31% (36)
creating learning resources for students
e.g. a website or VLE based course
2% (2)
11% (13)
40% (46)
47% (55)
providing access to learning resources
1% (1)
6% (7)
36% (42)
57% (66)
improving literacy/essay writing skills
4% (5)
52% (60)
33% (38)
11% (13)
supporting classroom activities
4% (4)
19% (22)
48% (55)
28% (33)
supporting learning outside the
classroom
2% (2)
17% (19)
40% (46)
41% (47)
improving accessibility for all students
e.g. part-time dyslexic
1% (1)
14% (16)
50% (57)
36% (41)
assessing students and giving feedback
6% (7)
44% (51)
34% (39)
16% (18)
tracking students' activity/progress
4% (5)
47% (54)
31% (35)
18% (20)
12% (13)
46% (52)
27% (30)
16% (18)
managing classes
Total Respondents
116
Source: English Subject Centre E-learning practitioner survey 2005
3.1 How often do you currently use e-learning for:
Never
Rarely
Quite often
Frequently
1% (2)
5% (6)
11% (13)
83% (97)
supporting discussion among students
18% (21)
36% (41)
30% (35)
16% (18)
creating learning resources for students
e.g. a website or VLE based course
16% (19)
20% (23)
24% (28)
40% (46)
providing access to learning resources
7% (8)
9% (11)
36% (42)
47% (55)
36% (41)
32% (37)
20% (23)
11% (13)
supporting classroom activities
8% (9)
22% (25)
41% (47)
29% (33)
supporting learning outside the classroom
7% (8)
27% (31)
35% (40)
30% (34)
improving accessibility for all students
e.g. part-time dyslexic
20% (22)
32% (36)
31% (35)
17% (19)
assessing students and giving feedback
30% (34)
29% (33)
28% (31)
12% (14)
tracking students' activity/progress
33% (38)
31% (36)
23% (27)
12% (14)
managing classes
34% (38)
27% (31)
24% (27)
15% (17)
communicating with students
improving literacy/essay writing skills
Total Respondents
116
Source: English Subject Centre E-learning practitioner survey 2005
3.1 How often do you currently use e-learning for:
supporting discussion
among students
Never
Rarely
Quite often
Frequently
18% (21)
36% (41)
30% (35)
16% (18)
3.1 How valuable do you think e-learning is for:
supporting discussion
among students
not at all valuable
of limited value
of considerable
value
0% (0)
29% (33)
39% (45)
extremely
valuable
31% (36)
Source = English Subject Centre e-Learning practitioner survey 2005
3.1 How often do you currently use e-learning for:
Never
Rarely
Quite often
Frequently
assessing students and giving
feedback
30% (34)
29% (33)
28% (31)
12% (14)
tracking students'
activity/progress
33% (38)
31% (36)
23% (27)
12% (14)
managing classes
34% (38)
27% (31)
24% (27)
15% (17)
not at all valuable
of limited value
of considerable
value
extremely
valuable
assessing students and giving
feedback
6% (7)
44% (51)
34% (39)
16% (18)
tracking students'
activity/progress
4% (5)
47% (54)
31% (35)
18% (20)
managing classes
12% (13)
46% (52)
27% (30)
16% (18)
3.1 How valuable do you think e-learning is for:
English subject centre e-Learning practitioner survey 2005
3.1 How often do you currently use e-learning for:
improving literacy/essay writing
skills
Never
Rarely
Quite often
Frequently
36% (41)
32% (37)
20% (23)
11% (13)
not at all valuable
of limited value
of considerable
value
extremely
valuable
4% (5)
52% (60)
33% (38)
11% (13)
3.1 How valuable do you think e-learning is for:
improving literacy/essay writing
skills
English subject centre e-Learning practitioner survey 2005
Is practice changing?
8.2 Has your teaching practice changed as a result of having
access e-learning resources?
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
found myself of
shifting
attention can
to primary
literary
“Raised“I've
my expectations
what students
accomplish
onand
theirdramatic
own initiative
materials
and
away
from
critical/interpretative
material.
(I amYesmore demanding
in transcend
some wayslimitations
- with setof
assignments
each week for preparation.
81 book-based resources
“more
ableI to
That
is
to
say,
find
my
teaching
practice
more
likely
now
to be
the read the text' and
The students
respond
wellchannels
to this and
I don't get large numbers who
'haven't
and
open
new
of
learning”
of students
to find their
own
explanations
of what's
in the
require encouragement
spoon-feeding with
a plot summary.
They
know
we press on
regardless
dramaofand
literary
rather
to become
on theNo basis
the the
work
they can
all than
access
on or off well-read
campus -in
sothe
nosecondary
excuses!) material.
25
(This
development
has,providing
I think, good
and badmaterials
sides to that
it.)” students might find helpful.”
Made me
more
creative about
supporting
English Subject Centre E-learning practitioner survey 2005
Some conclusions from the survey…
•
•
•
•
•
Careful that we aren’t replicating existing practice
Early adopters vs luddites
Institutional pressure – top down vs bottom up
More work on student perspective
longitudinal studies
Use and reuse
For each resource type listed below please indicate whether you regularly…
use with learners
produce myself
find elsewhere
share with
colleagues
Response
Total
Reading lists / bibliographies
100% (108)
97% (105)
25% (27)
47% (51)
108
Websites as secondary source material
100% (97)
40% (39)
85% (82)
36% (35)
97
Online primary texts e.g poems plays
etc
100% (94)
41% (39)
84% (79)
24% (23)
94
Essay questions
100% (96)
94% (90)
10% (10)
42% (40)
96
Class tasks & exercises
100% (86)
95% (82)
16% (14)
36% (31)
86
Overhead or PowerPoint slides
100% (80)
96% (77)
12% (10)
22% (18)
80
Digital images (used in a VLE or
individually)
100% (65)
51% (33)
68% (44)
22% (14)
65
Digital text archives e.g. EEBO
100% (59)
22% (13)
86% (51)
32% (19)
59
Moving images, video or animations
100% (57)
30% (17)
77% (44)
23% (13)
57
Audio
100% (59)
49% (29)
75% (44)
25% (15)
59
Multiple choice test questions
100% (20)
75% (15)
25% (5)
40% (8)
20
Software e.g. concordancing tools
100% (18)
22% (4)
83% (15)
22% (4)
18
Simulations, games, virtual worlds
100% (14)
29% (4)
81% (10)
29% (4)
14
Total Respondents
(skipped this question)
108
8
Sharing & re-use
• 2/3 prepared to make materials available outside
their institution
“I think of sharing in terms of people I know – material
• But…
only really makes sense in the context
of a larger conversation. Other people’s material is
often a bit useless if you are not personally engaged
With it/them – no matter how good it is.”
Re-using learning materials in English – report forthcoming
Through which medium (or media) would you be most prepared to share
your material
70.00% Print-based (articles,
books)
60.00%
50.00%
VLE Repository in own
university
Departmental website
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
On personal website
National repository
Distn via email lists
10.00%
0.00%
Known individuals
only
S1
Re-using learning materials in English – report forthcoming
English Subject Centre e-learning work
• E-learning advocates
• National scoping study of English studies
(Philosophy & Religious studies and History)
• Digitisation Projects
Digitisation projects
•
Web-based resources for teaching,
research and general use, on Robert
Bloomfield and Thomas Chatterton
– Romantic poets
– Ug & 6th form
– Nottingham Trent University
•
Interdisciplinarity & Online learning: Fiction
in the Victorian & Edwardian provincial
press
– Digitisation of local/regional papers
– University of Teesside
•
Digitisation of manuscripts and papers
relating to D.H Lawrence’s ‘Odour of
Chrysanthemums’ with supporting
pedagogical materials for textual, historical
and critical study.
– University of Nottingham
English Subject Centre e-learning work
• E-learning advocates
• National scoping study of English studies
(Philosophy & Religious studies and History)
• Digitisation Projects
• Repurposing digital archives
Repurposing Digital text archives
• Repurposing Research tools
– Pedagogical layers
– good practice guide on
using Digital text archives
– Sheffield Hallam
http://www.english.heacademy.ac.uk/explore/p
rojects/archive/technology/tech20.php
English Subject Centre e-learning work
• National scoping study of English studies
(Philosophy & Religious studies and History)
• Digitisation Projects
• Repurposing digital archives
• Information Literacy
How do I reference an article again?
Information Literacy & E-Learning
• researching and creating a web-based module which
concentrates on research and writing skills
• helping students make the transition from A-level
directed work to university self-directed study
• on-line assignments in conjunction with library
assignments
• entirely web-based /mandatory for progression
• University of Newcastle
• http://www.english.heacademy.ac.uk/explore/projects/
archive/technology/tech12.php
http://www.shef.ac.uk/cilass/networks
Sheila Webber’s Information Literacy Weblog
http://information-literacy.blogspot.com/
Other e-learning sector resources
http://www.jorum.ac.uk
Other e-learning sector resources
http://www.merlot.org/Home.po
http://www.nln.ac.uk/Materials/default.asp
http://careo.ucalgary.ca/cgi-bin/WebObjects/CAREO.woa
Other e-learning sector resources
• Designing Spaces for Effective Learning
• http://www.jisc.ac.uk/uploaded_documents/JISClearni
ngspaces.pdf
The Saltire Centre
Glasgow Caledonian
University
• 21st century Library
• Learning space
• Single point of access to
services
An
Organisational Change project
Other e-learning sector resources
• Humbul & Artifact->
http://www.intute.ac.uk/development/
Other e-learning sector resources
• JISC exemplars of online resources for FE
• http://www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=exemplars
Using a VLE as a portal for useful web resources on a final year
specialist course.
WWW
• Online libraries
• Journals
• Datasets
• Resource / enquiry /PBL
Questions
• What is your role in promoting e-resources?
• How far do you see yourselves going in suggesting teaching
applications?
• How much access do you have to individual courses on your
institutional VLE’s?
• How do you see your role vis-à-vis the JISC
• How far do you think academic staff are aware of what is
available?
• How do you choose which elearning resource to subscribe to?
• How far do get involved in elearning design issues
Today’s students….
Attributes of the “information-age mindset” of
today’s students:
1. Computers are not technology
2. The Internet is better than TV
3. Reality is no longer real.
4. Doing is more important than knowing
5. Learning resembles Nintendo over logic.
1. Diana Oblinger. "Boomers, Gen X's, & Millennials:
Understanding the New Students," Educause Review 38.4
(2002):27-47.
Today’s students..
Attributes of the “information-age mindset” of
today’s students:
6. Typing rather than handwriting.
7. Multitasking is a way of life.
8. Staying connected is essential.
9. Zero tolerance for delays.
10. Consumer / creator blurring.
1. Diana Oblinger. "Boomers, Gen X's, & Millennials:
Understanding the New Students," Educause Review 38.4
(2002):27-47.