Using online collaborative learning (OCL) for sport and exercise science students

1. Using online collaborative learning (OCL) for sport and exercise science students • Geoff Walton, Subject and Learning Support Librarian, Staffordshire University • Jamie Barker, Senior Lecturer, Staffordshire University

2. Plan for our talk • The problem! • Context • Assessment task • Methodology • Structure of IL programme • Student comments • Evaluation: emerging themes • Conclusions

3. ELICS: Level 1 Core Study skills based module. Typically, students have had a negative perception of the module. They over estimate their level of competence on study skills. Need to make the module more appealing. Attendance for seminar sessions has been poor. Use OCL to allow students to take ownership of seminar based content. The problem!

4. Context • Our working definition of IL • The ability to find, evaluate and use information appropriately • Embedded: • Effective Learning, Information & Communication Skills in Sport & Exercise Level 1 core • IL one of 5 skills addressed with, statistics, note-taking, essay/ report writing, time management • Blended learning: • Face-to-face (F2F) workshop - find information • Online: collaborative learning via VLE) – evaluate information • Written assessment – use information • Why online collaborative learning (OCL)? • Scaffolded, contributions made by all, available to all, highly interactive, discursive, iterative, reflective, high learning payoff rather than mechanical and/or passive (Walton et al, 2007 a and b)

5. Assessment task • Portfolio exercise (written) • Find 2 books, 2 journal articles & 2 web sites • Write short evaluation of each using criteria which emerged form OCL activities • Reflective statement of 150 words • Reflective essay

6. Methodology • Experimental group of 15 students, control group and an intermediate group • Range of methods used in this study • Post delivery Questionnaire • Content analysis of Focus Group interviews • Whole group • One-to-one • Pre and post delivery tests

7. F2F IRPA 1 OCL Activity 1 IRPA 2 OCL Activity 2 IRPA3 OCL Activity 3 IRPA 4 Overview of IL programme F2F - One hour hands-on workshop (One hour, one workshop) OCL 1 & 2 - Online Collaborative Learning Activity (20-30mins, two workshops for each) • Creating evaluation criteria • Using criteria to evaluate web based information OCL 3 – (20-30mins, one workshop) • Using APA referencing style IRPA - Instant Reflective Practice Activity (5-10mins after each activity)

8. OCL Process for Activities in Blackboard You have identified some excellent evaluation criteria. Jamie and Geoff have summarised under 5 headings. Authority - Ken argued that ‘it is important to check the author or who it was created by’. Tracy pointed out that the author could be ‘a major company like Microsoft’.Jamie & Geoff would argue that the standing of a company or organisation does not necessarily guarantee information free from bias ask yourself –why is the information there? URLs - Roy mentioned that a good way of judging a web page can be done by‘looking at the URL address’. ‘when looking at personal pages look at their reputation and what they study and research’ ‘look at the last time the web page was updated especially when stats are involved’’ ‘valid links are a good indication of reliability’ ‘look at the URL address and see whether it is for example a government source’ For this activity last year a student commented that she, ‘always ensures that a web page is reliable before using any information on it’. So, how would you decide what makes a reliable, good quality web page? • Which ONE of these THREE statements best describes what you learned from the activity on evaluating web sites? • Which ONE of these THREE statements best reflects what you will do with your new knowledge in the future? Creating evaluation criteria Iteration of initial Thread in greater detail Forum For your portfolio assignment you need to provide web pages or sites and give reasons why you think they are good. Jamie and Geoff agree with Kevin regarding URLs BUT stress that we need to be more systematic in the way we analyse their structure Kevin mentioned that you can get clues from a URL to see whether it is a ‘personal website and (therefore) the information may not be a reliable source’ Berkeley University web page on how to evaluate internet resources Extracts from student postings Thread Web resource(s) IRPA Seed Tutor summary Student postings

9. Seed instructions using Plain English • 1. Have a look at this example: (BBC website on football hooliganism)  • 2. Go to this webpage for help: (Berkeley University’s guide to evaluating web pages) • 3. Read it carefully and make some notes [...] • 5. Select the reply button […] • 7. Write down how you would evaluate this web page • 8. Write a brief statement about the website under each question as suggested by the Berkeley help site

10. Student themes: OCL • Demonstrating that learning had taken place by realising the value of evaluating web sites • Indicating how learning is enhanced and knowledge is extended through: discourse, seeing others views, making comments, receiving feedback from peers and promoting reflection

11. Student themes: Tutor Summary • Recognition of students’ work • Opportunity to see everyone’s opinions not just those of lecturer • Helped in the learning of new knowledge, making sense of what had been learnt • Helped motivate students

12. Evaluation: emerging themes • Students liked being able to contribute in a concrete fashion: • ‘You feel that you’ve done something productive afterwards when you post your reply, something useful like you’ve learnt stuff and soaked it up and that and then managed to extract it in the reply for other people to see ’ • They liked being able to see what fellow students had said: • ‘you got to see what other people thought of the web site’ • students genuinely realised the importance of evaluating web information: • ‘you didn’t realise how many web sites could be frauds because it gave you the links and the ideas to know that web sites you are […] referencing in essays are […] worth looking at […].’ • Students obtained significantly higher scores in the post-delivery knowledge test than in the pre-delivery test

13. Iteration of initial Thread in greater detail Forum Extracts from student postings Thread Web resource(s) IRPA Seed Tutor summary Student postings OCL Process for Activities in Blackboard

14. Revised Process Final summary handout Forum Final summary online Iteration of initial Thread in greater detail with new Seed Thread Web resource(s) Extracts from student postings Seed Tutor summary Student postings

15. Conclusions • Placing Summary, Thread and New Seed on one page enables students to engage in active reflection by: • recalling and making sense of previous learning • seeing how this learning occurred and fits with the ‘wider perspective’ • Whole OCL process promotes: • Sense of enjoyment - hands-on nature of activity • Motivation • A sense of value by using student output in tutor summaries • Ownership of knowledge produced • Transferability of skills recognised • Critical thinking • Adopting vocabulary of IL

16. Using online collaborative learning (OCL) for sport and exercise science students • Geoff Walton, Subject and Learning Support Librarian, Staffordshire University • Jamie Barker, Senior Lecturer, Staffordshire University