Presentation by

Robert Stephens

Australian Learning & Teaching Council Case Study

The case study was carried out at Swinbourne University, addressing the facilitation of effective group work.

How to facilitate on-line group work

The study looked at many different technologies for group work, with wikis being chosen

QUOTE

‘Before deciding what type of technology to use, we must first have a clear idea of what we want technology to do in our classrooms; what learning outcomes we want students to achieve’

(King, B. 2007)

Wikis

Wikis located in assessment area after they log into the blackboard site

Easy to insert a Varity of media and text

In comments you see a snap shot of student discussion on the page content and praise of the work

Easy to edit the content as well as the style of the page

A an assessor it is easy to check edits – Who has done the work

Benefits

Minimal time spent to learn the technology

Produced better results than individual efforts

Students loved the experience

Teachers received positive response from the students

As assessors the teachers can easily indentify who has produced the work

QUOTE

Effective e-learning should provide an ‘interaction between students, content, and technology’

(Keengwe and Kidd. 2010)

Planning

Had never done off campus group work before, consulted the literature surrounding

Built up a team of 12 tutors

Whole team ultilised to assess the student wikis first go around.

QUOTE

Roper (2007) emphasises the need for instructors to communicate with their learners to keep them engaged.

Teaching support mechanisms

Support manual with screen shots provided

Links to other wikis

Recorded demo lecture

Design relevant assessment strategies

QUOTE

‘Assessment procedures are essential to make sure that teaching is more effective with a particular technological tool than without

(King, B. 2007)

Conclusion

Most students started with the believe they could not do group work on-line

Students were pleased with the extent they achieved success both with the assessment and creating successful on-line relationships

Able to give off-campus students the same experience, feedback and opportunities as on-campus students

QUOTE

‘E-learning activities can turn rather dull online experiences into entertaining, interactive, meaningful and valuable learning experiences for students’

(Watkins, R. 20025)

References Keengwe, J. & Kidd, T. 2010, 'Towards best practices in online

learning and teaching in higher education', MERLOT: Journal of online learning and teaching, vol. 6, no. 2.

King, B. 2007, ‘Think small! A beginner’s guide to using technology to promote learning’, EDUCAUSE Quarterly Magazine, vol. 30, no. 1.

Roper, A. 2007, ‘How students develop online learning skills’, EDUCAUSE Quarterly Magazine, vol. 30, no. 1.

Watkins, R. 2005, ‘Developing interactive e-learning activities’, Performance improvement journal, vol. 44, no5.