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
The problem!

• 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.

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
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.
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?
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

• 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.
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
Jamie and Geoff agree with Kevin regarding URLs
BUT stress that we need to be more systematic in
the way we analyse their structure
Berkeley University web page on how to evaluate
internet resources
Extracts from student postings
Thread
Web resource(s)
IRPA
Seed
Student postings
Tutor summary
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
  Universitys 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 everyones 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 youve done something productive
  afterwards when you post your reply, something
  useful like youve 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 didnt 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
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