Using Blogs in Summative Assessment - the Student Experience
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Transcript of Using Blogs in Summative Assessment - the Student Experience
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work
Using Blogs in Summative Assessment - the Student Experience
Julie Vuolo and Irene Anderson
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work
Background• New module; mature, part-time students N=22• Assessment strategy to:– meet module learning outcomes– respect diversity of student population i.e. differing
learning styles and preferences; prior HE experience– give less experienced students an opportunity to
gain marks for content over style– minimise plagiarism opportunities
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work
What we did
• September 2009: set blog as part of the summative assessment strategy for a 30 credit module (20%)
• Evaluated the student experience by survey and focus group
• 8 students in total
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work
Survey Outcomes
Used a
Blog befo
re?
Reading o
thers en
hanced
learn
ing?
Commenting e
ach other
benefi
cial?
Tutor c
omments h
elpful?
Essay
focus?
In cla
ss time h
elpful?
Overall
learning?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Student Survey n=8
YesNoDon't Know
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work
Initial Feelingsapprehensive
exposedscared
annoyed
intrusive
worried
self consciousterror
nervous
additional work
expectation
in-touch
interested
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work
Themes
• Fear of the unknown• Bravery and willingness to engage • Collegiality and support• Impact on learning
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work
Fear of the Unknown
1. technology, extra work, anxiety2. associated with Face book; social not education3. Didn’t realise it would be quite so easy to
access.... ... terminology blog is very slang...it is a word that I’d heard and thrown out my head....I did ask my teenage daughters, what’s a blog?..
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work
Bravery and Willingness to Engage
1. forced to get involved, would not normally speak up but better for me having to do it
2. more personal but does push a bit more Tutor: would you change your mind about coming on the
course [if knew about blog in advance]?3. ..seriously consider it.. Others felt differently, prefer to know what they were
facing in advance4. . .different way of learning....exciting...going to do
something new... ...once it was explained...views definitely changed...
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work
Collegiality and Support1. would not have got to know people so well,
challenging as not sure who was enrolled initially2. Strategic alliance: things that you’re interested in
and the ones you are going to keep up... 3. When experiencing difficulties: that you are not
the only one. Psychologically it was good. Really interesting reading peoples’...what they have been doing.
4. Tutor support - .very worthwhile having comments from the tutor..reassured..right lines...
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work
Impact on Learning
1. motivation, plagiarism avoidance2. support, different way of learning3. focusing and pushing, organised more prepared to do the work, probably would
have left it. ...made me work better towards the assignment... ..makes you more aware of what you’ve got to do... ..not sure how much I learnt [from others]...great for sort of focusing..choosing your topic...getting the ball rolling.
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work
Feelings Afterconfident
achievable
thought-provoking
really worthwhile
advantageous
part of group
fantastic
encouraging
involved
accomplishment
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work
Key messagesExpect and respect students feelings of fear and anxiety
Ensure academic requirement of blog clearProvide supportive and safe blogging environment
Iterate deadlines
Pre-course information, written and verbal guidance, practical demonstration, show previous student comments & blogs; emphasise benefits Written guidance inc. marking criteria, agree ground rulesCarefully worded, timely feedback from tutors; agree input frequency; put up staff / student photo; facilitate peer support; tutors own blogsWritten and verbal deadlines; all to do blog sign off (closure)
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work
Future
• Evaluate other cohorts• Correlate essay and blog outcomes
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work
Useful reading