Lgug01 mar11 presentation

Wed 16th March 2011 Learn.Gold User Group

Learn.Gold User GroupFotis Begklis and Mira Vogel

16 March 2011


Outline of session

1. Short presentation: feedback on learn.gold (10 min)

2. Watch some videos of new learn.gold features (10 min)

3. Break-out discussions in 3 groups (20 min)

4. Presentations (10 min)

5. General discussion (10 min)

6. Sketch a project plan for the upgrade (15 min)

7. Next steps and close


Learn.gold in practice


Uses of learn.gold at Goldsmiths

• A representation of a course

• Anonymised peer review• Individual feedback on

assessed work• Structured small-group

discussions• Self-assessment with

feedback• Keeping in touch

• Questionnaires• Self-sign-up forms• Opinion polls• Student-generated

databases• Frequently-asked

questions• Hosting stuff• News & announcements• Managing assessment


Do we need to upgrade?



learn.gold - Views All roles and activities

• November 2010: 1,041,740 (up 32%)• November 2009: 792,746 (up 24%)• November 2008: 642,409 (up 30%)• November 2007: 494,859


Virtual Learning Environments in Media & Communications

Media & Communications Department Report Identify at departmental level where and how [M&C] can effectively engage with the VLE

(and other Learning Technologies)

Learning Enhancement Fellow: M. I.Franklin

23 December, 2009

The survey was carried out in June/July of 2009 just before the summer recess and completed with a 82% response rate; all respondents completed the ten questions. M&C teaching-staff in the theory and practice programs (91-96 on average per year).


How would you rate the design of learn.gold?

27% neutral

4% unsatisfactory9% very good

61% could be improved


How would you rate its user-friendliness?

42% neutral

1% outstanding

9% very good

39% could be improved

9% unsatisfactory


If you currently make use of learn.gold, to what extent do you make use of the various features?

18% communication

9% receiving assignments

74% uploading lecture material

22% lecture content and assignments

18 % interactive functionalities


What students (and some staff) say about learn.gold


Appreciated aspects (self-selected sample)

What do you appreciate about learn.gold? (n=31)

0123456789

101112131415

bette

r tha

n pa

per

acce

ss m

ater

ials

ease

of u

se

easy

to fin

d th

ings

exte

nsive fast

foru

ms

help

s cat

ching

up

inte

racti

vity

open

acc

ess

orga

nise

d

socia

bleup

to d

ate

varie

ty

Appreciated aspect

Nu

mb

er o

f m

enti

on

s

Access to materials

Extensive


Suggested improvements (self-selected sample)

What changes would you suggest to learn.gold? (n=31)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Improvement

Nu

mb

er

of

men

tio

ns

Better organised

Easier to find things

More relevant


What do you do learn.gold? (convenience sample)

What do you tend to do in learn.gold? (n=20)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Activity

Nu

mb

er

of

men

tio

ns

Access readings

Submit work

Access resources


Satisfaction (convenience sample) Please indicate your satisfaction with the following aspects of learn.gold, on average for the course areas you use.

3.83.4

3.7 3.83.5

1

2

3

4

5

Appearance Ease of f indingw hat you need

Ease of use(uploading,

navigating, &tc)

Content (the'stuff ')

Activities (w hatyou do there)

Aspect of learn.gold

Av

era

ge

re

sp

on

se

(1

=d

iss

ati

sfi

ed

, 5

=s

ati

sfi

ed

)


What academic contribution does learn.gold make? (convenience sample)

• “At the moment it doesn’t.”• “None.”• “Not that I can think of.”• “Probably none.”• “To be honest, no.”• And more along the same lines.• (Some respondents perceive ‘academic

contribution’ as ‘stuff’.)


To summarise: expectations

• We are in an era of networking and emergent information systems

• But no particular academic ambition for learn.gold (nor any other online environment)

• Just want learn.gold to do what it does– Consistently– Comprehensively

• A disjuncture between social and educational technology use – probably temporary


Upgrading to Moodle 2.0: what are other institutions doing?


Upgrading to Moodle 2.0: what are other institutions doing?

• 21 UK institutions shared their plans; • 9 hope for a 2011 upgrade (none is committed);• All have a deadline of summer 2012.• At Goldsmiths we are well-placed in some ways


Demonstration of Moodle 2.0: some videos


Some demonstrations

• Navigation & settings• Using files• Files & repositories

• Peer review• Integration with Mahara

(portfolio & groupwork tool)

• (Self-)monitoring

http://www.youtube.com/user/moodlehq#p/u/15/9AskwBwk84M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ic2j6esjPR8

http://www.youtube.com/user/moodlehq#p/u/9/zdrdyev82bU

http://www.youtube.com/user/moodlehq#p/u/10/8QypkOcAEaE




http://www.youtube.com/user/moodlehq#p/a/u/0/G6vjgfMae8U


Break-out discussions

(See hand-out for instructions)


Presentations (3 min each)


Open discussion towards an upgrade plan


Volunteers to pilot their areas

• You can have an account on a test installation• Volunteers please?

– to play with it– to see how existing practices work in the new version– to get a better understanding of staff development

and student induction needs– say, 5 people to pilot with students ( e.g. a fresh

situation such as a one-off session)

• Report back to the User Group


Thank you(Next meeting: late April)

Education

Lgug01 mar11 presentation