School of somethingFACULTY OF OTHER
ULBERGFACULTY OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Students as partners to produce digital learning materials and evaluate mobile learning approaches
Hayley Atkinson and Dr Neil Morris
Dissertation students and a student intern worked with Dr Neil Morris to:• Assist with a HEA collaborative grant funded project,
• Design eBooks based on pre-existing materials,
• Choose apps to be made available to students via an iPad,
• Design tutorials to guide app usage,
• Design a research methodology to investigate student use of the eBooks and iPads,
• Design surveys to capture data from students using the eBooks and iPads.
The background
The context
students as researchers students as content creators types of partnerships
Students as researchers
Students as content creators
Advantages for the content creators:
• Technology skills,• Communication skills,• Understanding of copyright concepts.
Advantages for the content consumers:
• Materials presented by students with knowledge of module,• Concepts explained by peers
Students as content creators: eBooks
http://lutube.leeds.ac.uk/libha/videos/9953
Students as content creators: eBooks
Cutaneous testingImmunofluorescence
Electrophysiology
Students as content creators: eBooks
Digital literacy
Joe:
“I still feel immensely proud of what I have produced; I think it looks professional and smart, whilst also including all relevant information to the practical, and having a good level of interactivity.”
Students as content creators: eBooks
http://lutube.leeds.ac.uk/libha/videos/9940
Student perceptions: eBooks
Aesthetic appeal:
“I think the eBook is more inviting to use than the hand-outs, like before the lab I wanted to go over some of the material and I went straight to the iPad because the eBook looks nicer and it explains it well”
Skills training:
“I've used the eBooks just in practical [classes] with the videos, sometimes its better to have a pictorial display instead of just a written protocol to understand how to do things particularly in dissections.”
Students as content creators: iPad tutorials
iPad apps
app tutorials
Access to learning resources:
“Well I’ve got the access to internet in lectures. I think the main thing I’ve used it for is cos it’s portable and easy to carry around and stuff, so I’ve always got access to you know the internet and VLE wherever I am, I don’t have to get a computer. Accessibility is probably the main thing it’s changed.”
Organisation and time management:
“I feel more organised, like before I was always the person asking other people when assignments were due, but it took two minutes to set up and I’ve found it really useful”
Student perceptions: study habits
Different types of student partnerships:
• Student intern,
• Dissertation students,
• Students as content users.
Working with students
Benefits to students
Communication
“Interviews during the practical classes enabled me to develop communicational skills.”
Academic skills
“It [the project] has provided me with valuable skills such as the capabilities of literature searching and data analysis.“
Planning
“approaching students and teaching them how to use the iPad taught me that that thorough preparation is essential as you are being looked upon to give advice and instruction.”
Benefits to dissertation students: teamwork
http://lutube.leeds.ac.uk/libha/videos/9941
Benefits to dissertation students: organisation
http://lutube.leeds.ac.uk/libha/videos/9952
School of somethingFACULTY OF OTHERBenefits to the project team
• Re-usable resources created,
• Time saved,
• Skills acquired.
School of somethingFACULTY OF OTHERImplications
Students can be successful partners to create digital material and evaluate mobile learning approaches.
• Students in research intense universities can make positive contributions to pedagogic experimental design due to critical evaluation skills,
• Students know each other demands and can pitch resources at the right level,
• Students can help enormously where they have the IT skills,
• Both structured and flexible working arrangements with students can work.
School of somethingFACULTY OF OTHER
ULBERGFACULTY OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Hayley Atkinson
@ebookslearning
Dr Neil Morris
@LT_tech_HE
University of Leeds Bioscience Education Research Group
@UL_BERG
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