Harnessing Multiple Applications for Technology Enhanced Feedback

1. Harnessing Multiple Applications for Technology Enhanced Feedback Dr George Dafoulas Business Information Systems Department School of Engineering & Information Sciences Middlesex University

2. Agenda • Focus on feedback (4 application cases) • Structure • Aim & Strategy • Design & Delivery • Demonstration • Findings & Future work • Applications • Oas!s+ • Learning Organizer • External VLEs (e.g. OLAT, Sakai) • The DaCT Village in Second Life

3. 1. Aim & Strategy Aim To provide opportunities for feedback (and feed-forward) to my students as part of their formative assessment experience. The strategy: • Feedback should be ‘rich’ • Feedback should be prompt • Feedback should be continuous • Feedback should be integrated to University systems /processes • Feedback should be personalised

4. 1. Design & Delivery • Activity based learning (discussion threads) • Brainstorming and debating (discussion threads) • Individual log books (assignments) • Online submissions • Marking forms • Individual comments • Group report tasks (discussion blogs) • Private space • Back up submission • Group progress ranking (announcements) • Individual ranking (announcements)

5. 1. Demonstration http://oasis.mdx.ac.uk

6. 1. Findings & Future work • Prompt feedback is required • Feedback does not have to be extensive • Students have no concept of time • Allow slack for cut off dates • Students like to discuss • We have to engage • Semi-automated feedback

7. 2. Aim & Strategy Aim To provide personalised progress feedback to students and self assessment of their individual capabilities and skills (i.e. Team building, learning and communications). The strategy: • Feedback should be semi-automated • Feedback should be related to progress • Feedback should be reflective of individual efforts • Feedback should be relevant to the entire class • Feedback should be meaningful

8. 2. Design & Delivery • Time distribution • Add new time • View weekly time • View general time • Distribution criteria • Learning plans • Surveys • Team member selector • Learning strategy • Instructor view

9. 2. Demonstration http://www.learningorganizer.org.uk/index.html

10. 2. Findings & Future work • Students were addicted to the graphs • If you show me yours I will show you mine • We need a juggler in our time NOW! • Advance preparation saves housekeeping time • I need to do more work • Housekeeping minimised • Links to learning outcomes

11. 3. Aim & Strategy Aim To support students who collaborate remotely over distance, cultural and time zone differences through self awareness. The strategy: • Feedback should be responsive • Feedback should be also from peers • Feedback should be related to specific tasks • Feedback should be provided by a variety of tools • Feedback should be increasing awareness

12. 3. Design & Delivery • Academics need feedback first • The module leader as the “Big Brother” • OLAT • Wiki • Members • Folder • Sakai • Resources • Forum • Wiki • We should “Skype” more often (Wednesdays 13:00 GMT)

13. 3. Demonstration https://zoe.csci.unt.edu/olat/dmz https://dolphin.cse.unt.edu/portal http://zoe.csci.unt.edu/web

14. 3. Findings & Future work • Where are your cowboy hats?!?!?! • The world is bigger than Middlesex • Student feed forward to industry • I am still waiting for a reply… • What is a good team? • Failure is good!!! • Create successful learning

15. 4. Aim & Strategy Aim To investigate how learning and feedback provision are affected by social networks and Web 2.0 – towards a new learning experience. The strategy: • Feedback should be modern • Feedback should be unstructured • Feedback should be interesting • Feedback should be following a ‘pull’ rather than a ‘push’ model • Feedback should be memorable

16. 4. Design & Delivery • Create a suitable environment • Learning should adapt to social networks • Assessment should fit to today’s student needs • Timely fashion (everything happens so fast!!!) • To the point (students will fly away – cannot lock the door!!!) • Communication overload (how do you disable their input???) • Multi-tasking delivery (need a clone!!!) • No need for a suit and tie (today I taught a flaming chicken!!!) • Technology as an enabler for mobility constrains • Anonymity brings us closer • Controlling mechanisms

17. 4. Demonstration DaCT in Second Life Take a survey Screens (USB) Camtasia: D:\capture-1

18. 4. Findings & Future work • Did we finally had enough with our First Life? • Dealing with: • Avatars – they look weird • Environment controls – difficult to teach while flying • Communication – no football talk in my class, stop typing now • Making the most out of: • Anonymity – students open up • Variety – more interesting ‘stuff’ • Technology – sky is the limit… …sometimes

19. Conclusions • Feedback is essential • Feed-forward should not be wishful thinking • Technology enhanced feedback helps • Students • Academics • Administrators • IT application is not a panacea to formative assessment needs • Questions?