Tel survey, carmarthen lampeter (final)

Technology Enhanced Learning Survey (Carmarthen/Lampeter)

This spreadsheet presents the outcomes of a survey of current Technology Enhanced Learning practice at the Carmarthen and Lampeter Campuses of University of Wales Trinity Saint David (together with a few responses from the London campus). The survey involved both staff and students and was carried out online using Survey Monkey. A total of 64 staff and over 200 students responded to the survey and the results can be viewed by clicking on the Staff Survey and Student Survey Tabs at the bottom of the page.

There were 10 questions in the staff survey and 9 in the student survey. They asked specifically about their use of the institutional online learning management system Moodle as well as their use of other online resources including Social Media applications. The students were also asked about how they engaged with these online resources using their own devices (Smartphones, Tablets, Laptops, PCs ) and how they felt about that and the use of social media in their learning.

The purpose of the exercise was to contribute to a baseline view of the current use of technology in the learning process to inform TEL planning across the institution. Similar surveys were carried out at the Swansea campuses of the University and with the FE partner colleges. Separate spreadsheets were created to present the outcomes of each of those surveys which, collectively, deliver a rich picture of usage across the whole institution. A final document that synthesises all the information recieved, draws conclusions and makes recomendations for consideration by the Technology Enhanced Learning development team at the University, concludes the exercise.

Survey Responses: Quantitative Summary:Q1:

To what extent do you use Moodle in your teaching delivery?

Not at all 14%As a small part of the teaching mix 27%As a major part of the teaching mix 20%Central to the teaching Plan 36%

Technology Enhanced Learning Survey: Staff

14%

27%

20%

36%

Not at all As a small part of the teaching

mix

As a major part of the teaching

mix

Central to the teaching Plan

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%


Do you use Moodle for student assessment?

No 33%Partly 22%Mostly 23%All 22%

33%

22% 23%

22%

No Partly Mostly All 0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%


Do you use Moodle for course management?

No 29%For a few management functions 29%For several management functions 17%It is my main management tool 25%

29% 29%

17%

25%

No For a few management

functions

For several management

functions

It is my main management

tool

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%


Do you use any other online applications to support learners?

No 69%Yes 31%

69%

31%

No Yes 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%


Do you make your teaching materials available on Moodle?

No 11%Some 22%Most 29%All 38%

11%

22%

29%

38%

No Some Most All 0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%


What formats do you use for your online teaching materials?

None 9%Text based 45%Text with images and links 61%Multi-media 59%Other 13%

9%

45%

61% 59%

13%

None Text based Text with images and

links

Multi-media Other 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%


To what extent do you use open educational resources?

Never 9%Occasionally 46%Often 37%As a key teaching resource 7%

9%

46%

37%

7%

Never Occasionally Often As a key teaching resource

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%


Never 25%Occasionally 30%Frequently 28%All the time 17%

To what extent do you communicate with your students through Moodle?

25%

30% 28%

17%

Never Occasionally Frequently All the time 0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%


Do you communicate online with your students in other ways?

email 98%Text message 21%Facebook 27%Other 17%

98%

21% 27%

17%

email Text message Facebook Other 0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%


No thanks 13%Yes 87%

If you are happy to do so please indicate your campus, faculty and subject.

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3 It is a planned component as I place a series of comments, thoughts and other information to read in preparation for projects.4 Planned in one module. Students find it useful although sometimes get frustrated if they post to forums without response.5

6 Al;l lecture notes and reading lists and research / experimental tasks7

8 A planned component as we support non traditional learners. Learners have major challenges with accessing.9 use moodle to set weekly reading tasks, and as a means of accessing PowerPoint presentations used during lectures.10

11 quick email for each module should be there at the start we should't have to load it up12

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14 Information uploaded and submission all on there15 adding materials for teaching16

Comments for Q1: To what extent do you use Moodle in your teaching delivery? (Is it a planned component of your teaching? How well, and in what way does it contribute to teaching in your curriculum area? Do you have feedback from students on how useful it is?)

All class exercises, reading material, slides and handouts are posted on Moodle, in addition to handbooks, assignments and assignment submissions . The class all have to login to Moodle during the lecture to access the material. Will consider using quiz's to test knowledge, and in revision sessions.

I sometimes directly access the materials I've put on Moodle to show them on screen during the class, but if they were my materials in the first place, or if I put them there, then I usually know where to find them without using Moodle.

For on-campus students, Moodle supplements face-to-face teaching by including notes and presentations from the lectures, general module information, links to relevant sites and so on. For distance learners, Moodle is central to the whole teaching plan of the module. I plan my use of Moodle accordingly.

I used to use it a lot more when I was teaching an actual module but at the moment I'm giving one-to-one writing surgeries/tutorials, so tend to use it less. I use it more as a resource bank now that I can direct students to rather than having the regular weekly use as I did last year when I ask the students to download handouts from Moodle or to check that week's activity on Moodle.

On undergraduate level I use it to provide students with information about each lecture, with resources and assessment tools On postgraduate level (MA) I use it for all forms of teaching and assessment (distance learning programme).When delivering face to face Information Literacy sessions I mention/show the materials available in the section Information Literacy and study skills section which support the area covered.

I have completely avoided using paper for learning materials and activities, similarly students have submitted homeworks and assignments vis Moodle that allowed me to grade and feedback electronically

Yes, we have a lot of distance-learning students and they genrally tell us in questionnaires and feedback (e.g. on email) that they enjoy the course content and additional readings, podcasts, filmed lectures etc. posted in Moodle.

1 Student assignment are posted on-line and students will submit work online.2 Students have submitted homeworks and assignments vis Moodle that allowed me to grade and feedback electronically3 I post assignments on Moodle and the feedback for the students. I also use Turnitin to see the reports.4 All assessments and all submissions5

6 assignments posted Submission via turnitin Return comments and feedback7 We are now using Turnitin for assignment submission and marking via Moodle.8 Turnitin for submission and marking9 I used Turnitin last year and it worked fine except there was never enough space for my comments.10 Students have to submit essays via Moodle and I return them also via Moodle. I do not use multi-choice questions.11 Moodle now only option to use, but system is slow and clunky to mark on and students do have submission issues12 We have been submitting assessed work to a postgrad box, but are moving more to Moodle submission and assessment now.13 Students upload assignments through Moodle and Turnitin but I mark offline and send feedback forms through email.14 We should use Turnitin.15

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Comments for Q2: Do you use Moodle for student assessment? (Do you post assignments on Moodle? Do you use Turnitin for student responses? Do you respond online? Do you use Moodle assessment tools such as multi-choice questions?)

Students submit assessments through Moodle. The essays are marked and then reuploaded. On-campus students are offered a face-to-face meeting to supplement written feedback. Distance learners can have further discussion either by email or by telephone.

Students turn their assignments in on Turnitin, because this is departmental procedure. I then print them all out and mark them, and put the comments and marks on moodle. It is a lot more time consuming than simply having paper copies. I do not use Moodle assessment tools.

A mix of assignments posted to moodle and turnitin. All most all assessments are returned online. I use moodle assessment tools such as multi-choice questions although not for formal assessment.

Do you mean me put assignment tasks or ask them to submit assignments online? Yes to both Don't understand 'turnitin for student responses'. I used to use it for their submissions but it is a very blunt instrument and I am not happy with it. I preferred the Moodle submission for creative writing and am considering returning to it for essays. I do not mark through Moodle - there is nowhere to put ANY positive comments at all! And the critical ones are not helpful to the students. They are purely sum native - I want my marking also to have a formative effect. Not sure what you mean by respond online? I use email all the time and give feedback on plans and abstracts. I ask dissertation students to send me updates of how they are getting on on a particular day of the week and look at ongoing work they send me I teach literature and creative writing so these are writing disciplines and multi choice questions aren't appropriate.All assignments are posted and submitted through Moodle I do not use Turnitin for various reasons Assessments are returned by e mail as distance-learning students require a personal touch. Moodle cannot replace this for DL students

an

1 Announcements, timetables and deadlines are online, as well as a forum.2 I put news about the module on Moodle and the calendar for key dates3 emails and announcements4 Contact students for announcments5 Announcements for sending messages to students6 I post announcements for student via the News Forum and email them via Moodle.7 Annoucements etc are used8 announcements, sometimes calendar, forums9

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14 All communications re time table changes, set and follow-up reading, seminar group choice and discussion forum are via Moodle.15 Mostly for pre-course notices and any changes to the previous term's content16 Beyoind face-to-face, it is a key course management tool. All information and announcements go up.17 News forum is used extensively to communicate with students18 notices to students and forums on the MA19 I only use it for the placing of lecture notes, handbooks and other relevant paper work so it functions as a repository.20 For announcements.21

Comments for Q3: Do you use Moodle for course management? (Do you post course announcements for students? Do you use the calendar for key course events and assignment deadlines? Do you have a course tutor forum?)

I use a mixture of Moodle and e mail. DL students require personal e mails. I do not use the calendar I use Forums sometimes but am now using secret Facebook groups as they are far more versatile and effective.

It is a formal way to contact students and acts as a good repository for FAQs to be answered - if one student is asking a question you can bet that more would like to share the answer.

Only for notices, such as change of room / guest lectures /student presentation timings sheet (so they double check timings of their presentations).Do you post course announcements for students? Yes Do you use the calendar for key course events and assignment deadlines? No (although assignments are automatically added) Do you have a course tutor forum? YesI use it for general info about courses, and I use the forum to send emails. Messaging has been a problem-- often the class emails only go to some recipients, or to the wrong ones.

I use group emails frequently to tell students about events or contact them about activities. I also group email them if I am ill (and ask them to Facebook the information in case some students don't see the message ) I don't use the calendar. I put submission dates in the link to the assignments and in the turnitin or Moodle submission drop boxes. There is a forum but I don't use it. The students can if get want.

1 Use online tutorials from Microsoft, as well as YouTube videos.2

3 general email, would be good if there was a chat window on webmail. Found Gmail alot useful for that.4

5 Facebook, Youtube, Prezi, Panopto6 We would like to but are limited by access and licences. We have a Twitter account7

8 Not at the moment, no. I'd like to use Moodle much more than I do and hopefully when I get my page up and running I will.9 I use you tube for some lectures10 Only links to useful academic sites and relevant sources posted in Moodle.11 facebook, links etc --> but try to bundle them in MOODLE12 Skype13 Skype14 Panopto screencasts made available through Moodle.15 You Tube16 Skype Webex video conferencing Facebook17 Distance learners on PG modules also supported via Skype.18 Website, & social media sites, a number of online open source presentation tools also19 Not really... but I am one of the 'IT-Challenged' members of staff.20 I encourage students to follow relevant users on Twitter

We use Dropbox a lot for provision of teaching resources as students like the simplicity and the ease of access/ integration with all their devices. A simple login is all that us required to get them started and I manage the resources through the Tutor Dropbox. LinkedIn and Facebook are also used for informal communication between students and also student/tutor. We use Skype and WebEx for online tutorials and classes.

Comments for Q4: Do you use any other online applications, in addition to Moodle, to support learners? (If you use other online tools such as social networking sites, wikis and blogs etc in the support of your learners, please describe them below including the reasons/benefits /circumstances)

I use facebook - both the University's official page (which I also manage) and my own private account; the latter is mostly for unofficial contacts - when students have particular questions or queries (they prefer this method of communication to an email), but also to point them to interesting educational videos and other materials.

Although I wish we could... I've tried creating various 'resources' in Moodle and it's frustrating to say the least. Wikis don't work at all, lessons are not engaging (aesthetically they look awful - is it possible to have more control over the way it looks for students maybe?) I've recently tried adding a book, but the button to add sub-chapters or more chapters is missing... I will try again, but we most definitely are not able to create engaging distance learning material that gives a good experience for the learner...

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2 Moodle is the only way I use for learning materials and activities3

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5

6

7 Lecture powerpoint Revision guides Panopto - for DL students Links to other cites (videos)8

9 Powerpoints used in lectures are put on moodle. Essential and recommended reading scanned/downloaded and put on moodle.10 Last year it was mainly for revision but this year I will be aiming to put more material on there as a resource bank.11 On MA level all, on BA level most (e.g. powerpoint of lectures, resources, links to documentaries and websites),12

13 Lecture notes, bibliography etc14

15 see previous answer

All information is available before the lecture, or is made live as we undertake class exercises. This includes links to useful websites, reading material, slides, tutorials and YouTube. It's a key part of the plan.

Comments for Q5: Do you make your teaching materials available on Moodle? (If you do make materials available, is it for revision purposes? Is it additional information? is making access to materials online an integral part of your teaching plan?)

The online access to materials is an integral part of the teaching plan; the students are supposed to download the materials (usually slides) to help them stay on top of what is discussed in class. Some of the material is additional information for which we do not have time in class.As mentioned previously, I've tried most of them and they are not sufficient for elearning. They are not professional looking, which doesn't make us a competitive provision for distance learning.

Yes - we have been using hard copy booklets too. Most of our material is made available in Moodle, but some students do comment that the quality of the scanned reading material is not as good in Moodle as it is in hardcopy format. One of the main problems encountered by the distance-learners (particularly in America, New Zealand etc. - those unable to use SCONUL), is getting access to sources for their assignments: they need a lot of reading material and this changes every year as the assignment titles change. Students may well complain if we get rid of the hard copy packages altogether and we need to improve the quality of the scans we provide as ome can appear yellow or slightly blurred.

For on-campus modules, the material includes symmary of lecture notes, Powerpoint presentations and links and suggestions about further information. It supplements teaching. For distance learning, everything is done via Moodle.

All materials are available online for my students from the start of my course.I like to operate a flipped classroom making materials available in advance and using class time for workshops and group discussions. I mostly use Dropbox but am now starting to copy materials to Moodle as well

I deliver sessions on using the LRC catalogue, accessing books for example and have created resources in the information literacy and study skills area which can be used as standard aids to accessing resources or as a reminder for those who have attended a session

For teaching and learning purposes. Both focussed and wider requirements. Non traditional learners must have a respository for resources, although Moodle has been a challenge for them.

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5 We are aiming for further multi media and in the process of videos etc.6 Students like PDF files that they can print out if desired plus some videos when appropriate.7

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9 With links etc10 PowerPoint slides / web articles ; video clips11 Vidcasts and powerpoints for lectures. Bibliographies. In flipped classes preparation materials as Moodle books.12

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Comments for Q6: What formats do you use for your online teaching materials? (If you make your teaching materials available online, please describe the format and reasons why you present them in this way)

Main document types are Word, pdf, PowerPoint. I save what I do on the interactive whiteboard as SmartNotes which I convert to pdf and put on Moodle. Useful for me as the starting point for the next class. The students don't even have to use their mobile phones to take a photo of what I write or draw on the Smart Board !These are mostly links to appropriate videos (I personally find them more interesting than pure text), but sometimes text-based (an additional text to read, advice on how to write a particular assignment, etc.)(Only very recently, and it's limited to YouTube. Purpose made videos would be better, and we are aiming to use Panopto, although the quality of what we've seen doesn't make it appealing. Nonetheless, it is on our agenda and we will endeavour to create more engaging material for our learners.

When I was using Moodle for teaching last year I would include a variety of materials: poets reading their own work (from the Poetry Archive and from youtube), links to relevant websites, plus pdfs as well as short mp3 files of my lecture notes.I have created several aids to using using the LRC resources using the Moodle lesson tool. I have used this tool as allows students to interact with the lesson and encourages them to consolidate their learning by answering the quiz question before moving on.

Tend to make lectures available as vidcasts as well as pdfs of lecture slides. Depending on course moodle books are used. This offers a wide range of ways for students to access the material.

Other - links to open access online specialist resources (eg Harvard medieval pages) and to general discussion (BBCR4 in our time is a great general resource for context and a model for academic discussion. I tell them to listen to it on their iPods) Why - I want them to see the breadth of material eg stained glass window resource for understanding medieval narrative. Links to cathedrals to understand the change from Romanesque to Gothic humanism and the impact of Arabic numbers on architectural revolution. Also excellent medieval resources to help them read Medieval English. Pamphlets about chartism etc. Always the plan is for them to be fascinated and entranced so that they will read and engage with the materials.

Mixture of formats so that students can find a style that suits them. The idea is to promote self-directed learning, encouraging student to explore a range of on-line resources. It's also a way of showing that things like YouTube tutorials are not frowned upon, and that anything they don't understand can always be looked up online, either via blogs, articles or video/audio. This helps develop digital literacy and learning independence. Making all resources available ensures those who do not attend have an opportunity to take part in all aspects of the lecture.

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3 We are currently looking into options due to the frustration of using Moodle.4 Students are encouraged to use university eResources as well as teaching notes and online articles/websites.5

6 You tube7

8 Open access journal articles.9 OER mainly relating to maps, journals and ancient sources. From library, for books, subscription journals and databses10

11 I give them links to sites that can help them with punctuation practicals and practice.12

13 When appropriate resources are available14 Particularly used for revision purposes for language classes.15 Again - I need to learn to do more here16

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I try to put at least one podcast, one lecture if possible (very good Yale resources for modernism) per week. These are not instead of me but so they can see other perspectives. Sometimes I discuss the lectures with the students and point out different theoretical approaches this helps the understand different theories. I also put lots of links to JSTOR articles With my Welsh Writing in English module I could put links to clips of How Green Was My Valley so they good start discussing stereotype etc as both a response to 1930s industrial fiction and as a backdrop for later writing.

Comments for Q7: To what extent do you use open educational resources? (Please indicate your use of resources additional to your teaching notes/materials. Include the library based materials you direct students towards, as well as online resources made available through Moodle and generally available through other online sites)

For every topic I put a link to Khan Academy, YouTube and BBC Bitesize plus any others I find relevant. Even if students don't like the resource I give them it at least takes them to the area of interest and prompts them to browse around that area.I make students aware of the enormity of free learning resources available on the internet, be it other university's websites, general learning websites, English exercises or youtube videos (especially tutorials of any sort)

I've only got into this recently following a training course provided by the library staff at Lampeter and will be making more use of some of the resources I learned about.

I provide links to these for students on Facebook not on Moodle presently. however I feel that these need to be kept for future use and moodle would be a good place to store this information.google scholar online journals (JSTOR/Athens) BBC/ Radio4 podcasts newspapers/ news channels Ted Talks youtube PDF aloud (to get articles read to you-for those who process better audibly). there are free one month trials for mind mapping programs such as 'inspiration' and 'mind view' and some more simplistic totally free ones available. plus the referencing system that is built into 'Word' is very helpful and time saving. I am sure there are more that are not coming to mind currently.

In addition to directing students to the materiel in the Information literacy and study skills area of Moodle II direct some students who require addition help with using online resources to the help provided by the supplier such as the ref works online tutorials.

Tend to utilise non-open access books and articles (either in print or in electronic format). Some useful open access material is flagged up on Moodle.

1 The students say it is the preferred way to communicate with them2 I post assignments and feedback on Moodle, but that's as far as it goes3 Its not very attractive or convenient, better to have a university email with chat facilities like gmail4 Contact cohort, groups within and individually.5

6 I sometimes post information relating to LRC resources to the students on a particular module7 Many communication is through Skype, email or face to face tutorials.8 group forums, forums, messages9 Notably, group forums.10 Notices11 Mainly I use it for class announcements.12

13 The feedback for messaging the class has been that it doesn't work. I use the forum to send them information.14 I email them individually from email, I use Moodle for class emails. It works ok they respond. Don't use group forums15 Through Forums Otherwise individual e mails16 Group forums and individual messages. Individual messages (pms) on Moodle far more effective than student email.17 Almost always by e-mail.18 It is integrated - I point them to the VL in the elctures and expect them to access it in between. It seems to work.19 News forum for individual modules, and the programme homepage for wider circulation to all students on the programme.20 Information, upcoming events, advertise services, announcements21 I comunicate with my students through Facebook. I find that this is the best way currently, it is instant in most cases.22 Generally only use Quickmail if I need to contact a group of students or send a message to the year as a whole.23 So far not at all but future intention is to use this as another means of communicating

Is it a planned component of your teaching? Yes Do you communicate individually? No Though group forums? Yes Do you have feedback on how well it works? There are a variety of levels of interaction of students. If a student is required to get a title approved through moodle there generally seems to be a high level of response. Generally, responses to forums are extremely limited.

Comments for Q8: To what extent do you communicate with your students through Moodle? (Is it a planned component of your teaching? Do you communicate individually? Though group forums? Do you have feedback on how well it works?)

I haven't used the group forums much, but one student told me last week about her experience of using the forum on another module to give feedback to other students on work that they were each required to post up every week: she said that she didn't feel it was the best way of giving feedback because with face-to-face feedback you can see the other person's expression and I have to say I'm inclined to agree that maybe, at least in creative writing, the Moodle forum might not be the simplest and most useful way of giving feedback. Although technology can be a great aid to learning, sometimes it can just make some aspects of it more complicated. I tend to pick and choose whatever works for me, both as a teacher and as a learner myself.

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3 gchat in the past, skypechat4 Skype telephone meetings5

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9 Skypephone

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12 Noticeboards13 Email is so much quicker and easier14 Twitter, via internal networks...15 For individual messages16 I would Text also if I had a work mobile phone, but I don't so I use Facebook.17 Mobile phone calls

I would email individual students regarding their work but mainly as replies to their emails. I don't give out my personal phone number. I have set up a second Facebook account in appropriate format for college use but is not used a lot

I feel that thanks to having a facebook account, I am in more direct contact with the students who are happy to engage with me. They often send me direct messages asking for advice about the English language or the course itself, they also comment on my posts (90% of which are directed at them - it is almost always student-oriented content) or even post questions directly to my timeline. From their feedback, I can see they appreciate this (more modern) form of communication; they admit they can learn things from what I post and feel more connected with the university in this way. About 5% of the online communication is via email; almost all students (or candidates!) prefer facebook even to send enquiries

Comments for Q9: Do you communicate online with your students in other ways? (We all use online communications in our daily lives. It will be very valuable to know how you use such communications in your support of students. It will be equally important to understand, if you don't use online communications, why you have made this decision)

Most communication with students is through email. Other communication is through face to face contact in office hours, lectures and seminars.

Text messaging is popular with my students (and for me) as it is quick, simple and immediate. We also use Facebook frequently and email for more formal communication. Skype chats are helpful to share desktops and explain concepts in tutorial time.

generally use email through mytsd as it is easier than messaging through moodle - especially as you can then add attachments if requiredEmail is the simplest way for me to communicate with students. I'd rather not use text messages or Facebook as that would mean having to give out personal details like phone numbers.Students and staff from the schools in the areas I support as a subject librarian are able to e-mail me for information and I have used join me on some occasions.

1 School of Business (Lampeter) Teaching in Carmarthen - Data Handling and Statistics2

3 SMU Education4 London campus, teaching English, Study Skills and Research Skills5 Carmarthen Campus, Faculty of Business and Management, Tourism6 London Campus. MBA marketing pathways, and dissertation supervision7 Carmarthen Wales Institute for Work-based Learning8 Carmarthen Campus SHOE Health, Fitness, Nutrtion and Therapy9 Lampeter, Humanities anthropology10 Lampeter, Humanities, Theology, Religious Studies and Islamic Studies11 Carmarthen Wales Institute for Work-based Lerning12

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15 Support services, mental health, Lampeter I would use Moodle more if it were configured for use by support staff16 Carmarthen Monday-Wednesday and Friday Lampeter Thursday17 Lampeter, school of business18 Lampeter Religious Studies (Faculty of Humanities, School of Theology, Religious Studies and Islamic Studies)19 Ellen Harris Subject Librarian20 Lampeter21 Lampeter, SAHA, Archaeology22 Carmarthen; SBUS23 Classics Humanities Lampeter24 Lampeter, Classics25 Carmarthen Campus Faculty of Social Science School of Social Justice and Inclusion

Comments for Q10: If you are happy to do so, please indicate your campus, faculty and subject area. If you prefer not to, that's fine (please add information about your campus and curriculum area. Also, any comments regarding your personal preferences about using technology in teaching would be welcome and valuable)

Coleg Sir Gar Graig Campus Computing & Maths I have a UWTSD account as a result of teaching in Trinity lat year so I am also a UWTSD part-time lecturer

School of AHA, FHum Computers not fit for purpose - they are slow, panopto not always working (it slows the computers down) Welcome screen issues........

CertHE Skills for the Workplace Tutor - flexible delivery evenings and weekends on Carmarthen campus (and previously in Swansea Business School). As a part time tutor and part time TEL adviser I try to practice what I preach and make as much use of technology as possible with my students.

I teach part-time on the Lampeter campus in English & Creative Writing - I'm the Writing Fellow and give one-to-one writing surgeries on Thursdays.

Comments continued:

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19 Moodle is essential is teaching delivery as a mechanism of getting material to students and of feedback of assessment.20 I use it as an administrative tool, to provide information, handbooks, reading lists, pdfs etc.21

22 All my courses are distance-learning so Moodle is absolutely essential, central to course delivery and the student experience23

24 Partly TSD module Powerpoints mixed in with my own Powerpoints. About 50/50 across a module

I upload PowerPoint slides so students can see what we've covered. Useful for those who can't make it to lectures, for whatever reason, and also to students who need a refresher. I know that some find it useful in reading, research and preparation of assignments. I also upload articles from internet sources that are interesting and applicable to the area of study.The students don't use it much; they are Work-based learning students and none of the activities contributes to their assessment, however it's essential that it is offered.

It is absolutely central, primarily as a resource. I put huge amounts of material of it for all of my classes. This semester I wrote to the students at least twice before the beginning of the semester to get them to visit it and familiarise themselves with its contents. I wrote to those who didn't visit it as well. I check every few days to see how often students visit it . Most students look at it every few days. I teach in single 4 hour blocks with a couple of breaks inside that means they have 3 hours in total. This is intended to foster a group learning and it works well. I put my PowerPoints on Moodle but the PowerPoint is only used as a starting point for my lecture with quotations and images. (I do not use bullet points.) It is deliberately not the lecture itself. Instead there are YouTube videos, open access academic lectures from Yale, Harvard etc masses of podcasts, art, links to articles through JSTOR etc. I ask students for presentations to start the session each week and get them to post these on Moodle. For my creative writing module last semester I set up weekly creative task submissions which I marked through a rubric. Almost all of them did these - most every week. I also tried to set up Moodle 'workshops' every week for peer group assessment. This tool did not work properly - it only works as a grading not a feedback mechanism. I spent a lot of time with the Moodle team trying to sort this out. In the end I set up small forums for this purpose. The Moodle submissions were not assessed but the use of Moodle was essential to the mark and students had to provide a list of at least 8 writing submissions and at least 4 comments on other people's work. The students are very appreciative - feed back last semester said 'fantastic resources', 'great module' 'wonderful teaching'.

All modules have a moodle presence that is aimed not only to provide students with the opportunity to revisit material covered in lectures, workshops and seminars, but also structure their reading, preparation and follow-up. In many cases, Moodle also provides the opportunity to students to work together through forums and wikis to further explore issues introduced in class. In one class (using a modified flipped classroom

Comments continued:

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21 Always for end of term assignment marking and student feedback22 All assignmetns are submitted through TunItIn.23 This year for the first time, written assessments were marked on line through Turnitin.24

25 Currently, one essay posted and assessed on-line.26 Have put short quizzes relevant to subject matter on noodle27 I respond online but I haven't used Turnitin.28

All assignments are posted exclusively on moodle, submission and feedback is through moodle. Quizzes are used for formative assessment.Yes re assignments on M, as well as use of TIN. Have been using Grademark to mark written assessments for the last 6 months. I do use quizzes, but not for formal assessment.

I have used Moodel for essay submission of a number of years, but for the first time in this academic year I have used it for assessing the essays. I found it a great way to assess, however it would appear that the students find it difficult as a way of obtaining feedback, I will need to explore this. We canot submit practical art work via moodle.

For degree courses yes - we assess reports and essays via Turnitin. We do run some other courses (eg. Foundation degree) which are not using this, and also run a multiple-choice test on one degree programme which is not put onto Moodle..

Comments continued:

22 I use Moodle for course announcements, but not so much the calendar.23 I'm still a beginner on this but will be running a new programme on flexi-delivery from the autumn and expect to do this a lot.

Comments continued:

21

22

23

24

25 Facebook in emergencies and for career opportunities for all - including graduates.26

I'm desperate for a decent blog that's build into Moodle. It needs to have the granularity so that students can make a post private for them, share it with 1 (or more) individuals such as their tutor or learning group. It also could allow them tweet or Facebook a posting if they so choose. I also need a Wiki so that I can get students to do some joint writing for group work at a distance. I know that Campus Pack for Moodle does all this but apparently its a bit pricey. If there is anything similar implemented I would be overjoyed.Facebook, I have found that this is a far more user friendly methods of communication with students. for art practice it is a fantastic resource for the sharing of current trends in creative practice and to art History as well as to galleries and museums.

Facebook has been a useful tool insofar as being able to contact students when phones were broken/out of signal/credit/power as they tend to regularly access it when they do not regularly check email accounts. It has also offered the added advantage of being able to see when emotional (or social) issues have arisen which may impact on their work so that I can support/chastise as necessary. Plus it has also been handy for getting students to send work through to me when the university email system is having problems. It has also been very useful for students to set up research discussions and questionnaires to gain responses from a wide audience quickly, to support research (specifically dissertations of an ethnographic bent). Although facebook is problematic insofar as boundaries and accessibility, therefore I tend to use it far less now.

Wikipedia – always worth a look at the references on any topic Bookfi.org – a good digital copy is always worth it especially when free Ref works/Zoltero – obviously for referencing Mindview – citation tool and search tool All the assistive technology applications online help tools

At present on distance learning courses, emails are used for supporting students, communicating with them, and receiving some assignments that are not going through Turnitin.

Comments continued:

16

17 ALL LECTURES AND ADDITIONAL READING ETC PUT UP IN ADVANCE OF THE LECTURE.18

19 Handbooks, handouts and pdfs of journal articles. I also put up my powerpoint presentations after I've taught the class.20

21 Materials online is an essential part of my teaching - some modules at PG level are taught exclusively through Moodle.22 Some are already on moodle as integral parts of the module. I tend to add additional material (articles, references, etc.)23 Via the Information and Study Skills area.24 See commetns to Q1.25 All powerpoints and additional information26 I place all lecture notes on moodle as an aide memoir.27

28 Additional reading occasionally posted on Moodle.29 Limited amount of additional information. Other materials are generally linked to independent study tasks.30 Material used to illustrate course so it's support information31 Integral.

It is a fundamental part of the teaching plan, as students having access to all teaching materials is essential for both preparation and follow-up purposes.

If you do make materials available, is it for revision purposes? yes Is it additional information? Yes is making access to materials online an integral part of your teaching plan? No

I don't write or post lectures but I give the all the material and contextual material I can. It is central to my teaching. I believe - and tell them - that they will learn best if they are aware of the richness of a subject, enjoy and are fascinated by it.

it would be really good if all modules containing an exam element could have past papers accessible as I would then be able to work on exam/revision strategy with students. Often there are no past papers posted online at all, or they are put up at the last minute, whereas I start work on revision strategy at the point when essay titles are being chosen for coursework, to make sure students do not leave themselves with the most difficult and complex subjects to revise for.

Comments continued:

14 Links to recordings of live video-conferencing15 I personally have some way to go here.16 I use whatever I have! All formats17 Powerpoints. Links to websites, to include multi media resources.18

19

20 Text and short video links21 Links to iplayers/ listen again and YouTube22 Texts, links to websites23

As a newcomer, I am aware that others have also put up links etc. The main reason is so that students can access everything 24/7 and to reduce paper. We process large numbers of students. However, it is interesting that actually for some of our distance learning courses at present (for whom these resources should be MORE important), we are at present less likely to use them, whereas full-time students on campus get everything through Moodle. This may so far be accidental as it may depend on tutors and students involved and what suits the different types of programme.

Text with images/multi media tends to encourage students to be interested and therefore engage with the module information better

Word documents, Arial font, size 16. We currently have two visually impaired students and this seems to be an accessible font for them.

Comments continued:

19tools suited to their needs and strengths,although good open source stuff is available it is frequently not as well suited to disabled students needs.

Comments continued:

24 Both as planned component and contact.25 I frequently use the Forum to send announcements to the entire cohort.

Comments continued:

18

19 I only ever communicate with students through Moodle or my work email.20 Direct phone communication, texting and e-mail - generally for short messages21

22

I try to direct them to write their names on a list on my door for my office hours. This is to encourage them turn up if they say they will - a friend who teaches in holland does this. However mostly they do email me and mostly they do come if they say they will. I email them with information and feedback (I send this all individually) I write to them if they miss a couple of classes or haven't visited Moodle recently. I generally frame emails about missing classes as solicitous - saying I am concerned about them and asking if they are unwell and can they write to explain. Last week I asked two students with bad attendance records to do a presentation. I have written to them three times this last week with links to interesting things I've put on Moodle which they might find useful for their presentation. (I've checked and they have looked at them) And I keep saying how much I'm looking forward to their presentation. I will find out tomorrow if they turn up.... I try to use it in an inclusive rather than a formal way.

My means of communicating with students become more diverse, depending on what I want to communicate and how quickly I want them to get the message. Email is no longer the fastest way to contact students, because the don't always read email. So I increasingly use text messages to alert students to room changes or to make appointments.

As said earlier, particularly useful with mature students in rural areas who may not have much access to computers in the daytime due to the nature of their work (eg. in schools) or for whom a highly computer-based programme might not be helpful because they're not experienced in making use of it. However, the opposite could become true as such students are encouraged to see the benefits and we become able to offer more support.

Comments continued:

26 Lampeter27

28

29 Nick Campion MA Cultural Astronomy and Astrology AHA Humanities30 Lampeter, FHUM, Classics31 London campus. Entirely PG - MBA teaching and research supervision. Field is HRM/Organisational Behaviour32 Carmarthen, Lampeter & London. Library & Learning Resources.33 School of Business, Carmarthen and Swansea.34 Carmarthen Faculty of Social Sciences BA Primary Education Studies35 Carmarthen Business & Management36 carmarthen, SHOE faculty of performance37 Carmarthen Faculty of Social Sciences Working with students on placement - being able to communicate via text would be helpful.38 Carmarthen Campus Faculty of art and design. Subject area art and design39 Lampeter mostly (but also Carmarthen once a week) Student Services Specialist Support Lecturer (study skills)40 Carmarthen campus Faculty of Social Sciences Early Childhood41 Swansea & Carmarthen ITET PE, Music, Art & Design & DT Also I'm lecturing in Welsh42

Lampeter Campus. Specialist Support Assistive Technology Lecturer. I would love to see some of the programs I train on the College network and available for all students. It would definitely be much better if all students were aware of technologies such as speech to text (already built into Windows operating system) text-to-speech (already built into Word) I really think all students whatever their learning styles could benefit enormously from AudioNotetaker software which combines text, audio and slide presentations in one environment in a unique and powerful way. Essay writer software would also be useful to most students. In some respects I think academia needs to look at you tube as a learning environment ... It is learner designed completely suited to the learner's culture and learning needs. It is democratised learning.

Lampete campus is WOEFULLY provisioned. There is limited server space for staff, continual disruptions to servers, email, inernet and Moodle due to failing infrastructure. Updates take place during teaching/ work time. There is no wifi. Hardware is old and failing. Teaching rooms continually failing. Money is needed to seriously overhaul. Staf need support for BYOD and should have access to pads or laptops for mobile working and marking.

Lampeter. Literature and creative writing The technology needs to be far more flexible it is difficult to manoeuvre if you want to create vibrant sites for modules. The assessment tools are terrible and there are real problems trying to set group only tasks as they settings of one task impact on others. But it's essential to me. I put a huge amount of work into these and this should be taken into account if management suddenly decide we gave to do something else at the drop of a hat

Comments continued:

25

26 All notes and presentations are posted on Moodle.27 it is central to the MA teaching and part of the undergrad, but undergrads dont engage in it as much28

29

30 Students access lecture notes, module handbooks and assignments via Moodle. Messages also placed on Moodle.31

32

33 Whilst it is a planned component and features heavily in the induction process the 'take up' from students to use moodle is low34 It acts a o repository for important information, but is not typically the students first port of call35 Key information is posted on Moodle, e.g. module bibliography, assignments, reading assignments etc.36

I am new here and have always used Blackboard extensively. I am now trying to transfer this approach to Moodle, with some difficulties, as it is less versatile. But I use VLs to supplement my teaching, I add extra resources, supplemetary material and all teaching amterials used. It is used for announcmetns and any information I need to shre. I upload links and videos that inform my teaching.

I don't find Moodle to be contemporary enough. Social network sights are far more interesting to use and are also more visually stimulation. I place all paperwork related to the course, for example assignments, handbooks, assessment, lecture notes so on

As a Specialist Support Lecturer I access it, with students, to download handbooks, deadlines, referencing guides etc. Plus I also engage with moodle to encourage students to become familiar with it so they find it easier to access information from it. students find that some modules are laid out better than others; primarily they need to find assignment details & deadlines, but often they need to scroll through to the end of the lecture list or open the module handbook (often to find the information contradicts that which is elsewhere on the page or has been given in a lecture). Students have commented that they wish all lectures could be podcast to use for revision and that they would like these to be easier to find/use on moodle.

I try to contextualize the assistive technology training I deliver to the students current work and work needs. So it plays an important part in what I decide to teach, but no part in the actual teaching.I post the week's study tasks together with guidelines. I also include some information related to topics covered in class. Students have to be frequently reminded to access this.

Lectures, assessments, learning activities (eg. self-tests), and academic papers and materials are on Moodle for our degree programmes.

Comments continued:

43 Carmarthen, Work Based Learning44 Carmarthen Performance Theatre, performance, media, production45 Lampeter Campus, Faculty of Humanities, Chinese Studies46 I work across the university. I am not a member of the teaching staff therefore I do not believe that this will be helpful.47 Carmarthen. I think my School (SJ and I) uses Moodle very well and have been impressed by what is available for students. It's great to see

everything available for them 24/7. However, putting things up on Moodle mean that here isn't always time to get everything written, translated and computer-ready fast enough, and there can be a tendency for material to get 'fixed'. Writing lectures less formally can be more responsive to issues that come up each week, which can be responded to the following week - with Moodle this is 'technically' possible but unlikely. I would like to see further investment in online journals and ebooks, but not at the cost of actual books - where I believe book boxes taken out to rural classrooms can still have a role to play. Interesting to see whether we can develop assignments eg. like writing blogs etc. which require students to develop their IT skills. I still think there are problems with Turnitin in reducing the freedom that may be possible in handwritten feedback where there is a personal relationship with students - IT has its place but if allowed to completely dominate, whilst it's useful for processing large numbers, it can become very impersonal, machine-like, and reduce originality and human responses because everything is so tightly monitored (or perceived to be so!).

Surveymonkey Responses: Quantitative Summary:Q1:

To what extent do you use Moodle as a learning resource?

Not at all 10%For general course information 50%For access to the learning materials 66%As a planned part of course delivery 15%Other 2%

Technology Enhanced Learning Survey: Students

10%

50%

66%

15%

2%

Not at all For general course

information

For access to the learning

materials

As a planned part of course

delivery

Other 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%


Are your course materials available on Moodle?

No 13%Yes, as lecture notes 30%Yes, as lecture notes with guidance 19%Yes, including multimedia 27%Other 11%

The

13%

30%

19%

27%

11%

No Yes, as lecture notes

Yes, as lecture notes

with guidance

Yes, including multimedia

Other 0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%


Do you use Moodle for assessment submission and feedback?

No 27%Yes, for written assignments 66%Yes, for online tests 5%Other 7%

27%

66%

5% 7%

No Yes, for written assignments

Yes, for online tests

Other 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%


To what extent do you use Moodle for course communications?

Never 46%Occasionally 40%Frequently 11%All the time 4%

46%

40%

11%

4%

Never Occasionally Frequently All the time 0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%


Do you use any social media applications in your learning?

No 15%Yes, for information 73%Yes, to communicate 62%Yes, for resources 44%Other 2%

15%

73%

62%

44%

2%

No Yes, for information

Yes, to communicate

Yes, for resources

Other 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%


Do you use any other online tools?

No 34%Wikis 14%Blogs 8%Google docs 45%Other 25%

34%

14%

8%

45%

25%

No Wikis Blogs Google docs Other 0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%


What personal devices do you use to go online?

None 1%Smart phone 54%Tablet computer 42%Laptop 88%PC 45%Other 2%

1%

54%

42%

88%

45%

2%

None Smart phone

Tablet computer

Laptop PC Other 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


I'm happy to use social media 48%I prefer not to use social media 38%I'm happy to used my personal devices 44%I prefer not to use my personal devices 2%

What do you feel about using social media and personal devices in your learning?

48%

38%

44%

2%

I'm happy to use social media

I prefer not to use social media

I'm happy to used my

personal devices

I prefer not to use my personal

devices

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%


No thanks 35%Yes 66%

If you are happy to do so please indicate your campus, faculty and subject.

1 Did not really use it for resources, but only to access uploaded slides and files by lecturers to help for studying the modules.2 Doesn't have anything on it relevant to my studies (MA Medieval Studies distance learning)3

4

Comments for Q1: To what extent do you use Moodle as a learning resource? (Moodle is intended to provide flexible online access to learning resources and student support. How well does it work for you? How easy is it to use? How could it be improved to provide more effective support?)

Moodle is fairly easy to navigate especially since it's layout was slightly changed this academic year. If more general support could be provided and made accessible to everyone, such as referencing guidence and tutorials, I think students would be more encouraged to use the system. Everything important, meaning useful links like referencing help for example, is hidden away in 'folders' of faculty, and this may be daunting to some students or they may not be bothered to look in that section thinking it is irrelevant to them as it is not a module.

As a 2nd year student on PES, module info on Moodle is essential for me. As an (inexperienced) Mac user, certain files which lecturers load onto Moodle for us, sometimes prove impossible to read on an Imac, because print is too small, and no way to enlarge it, and advice from IT service desk has not found a way to do this either. As a mature student who wears specs, this is incredibly frustrating and a great strain on my eyes. I also do not have a facility to search the item for specific words, or highlight certain passages, to assist me when studying, whereas Microsoft users do have this (editing) facility. This is grossly unfair. As a student who wishes to become a primary school teacher, we have been told that UK primary education use many Apple Mac products, such as iPads etc and this is the way to go. So I have purchased an Imac, Ipad and MacBook Air. I have had the added expense of having to purchase Microsoft for Office software, just so that I can access Office tools to be able to basic editing facilities, also to use files on Moodle geared for Microsoft users. I am new to Macs agreed, but our IT desk staff, who try to help me whenever I visit, are not Apple experts. Moodle is not set up for Apple, and as an inexperienced Apple user, this has been a nightmare. it has been very time consuming learning and finding my way around on Mac, in order to just access some Moodle files put on by Lecturers, especially zip files, and has had a serious impact on the time that I have to study. I have been advised to speak to people in Media at Trinity, as they are totally geared up for Apple, but no one can give me a name or number of who to ask!!!! Why isn't there an official Apple trained person on the IT desk at TSD Carmarthen???? Access to certain parts of Moodle is poor as a consequence, and proving to be a barrier to my learning and experience at TSD Carmarthen, and this is therefore not a fully inclusive learning resource or support mechanism for students who use Apple Mac. I am very disappointed in Moodle in this respect, because it is much easier to use if I had a Microsoft windows computer. I cannot afford to buy a Microsoft PC or laptop, having forked out the better part of £2k plus! I would like to see instruction on Moodle on how to access files for Apple Mac users, and Microsoft users, because Mature students particularly may be inexperienced IT users. Yes, there is support for Apple users in the Cwad on Friday afternoons, but even this support has been unable to assist me because I cannot cart my Imac into Uni!! I wish I had never invested in Apple, not because I don't like Apple computers, but because Moodle which is essential for students makes it so diifficult for me to access stuff, and I am a diligent student. I need support in this and every avenue I try has been futile so far.

1 Lecture notes, as well as e-journals and links to websites are available to me via Moodle.2

3

4

5 Lecture notes/slides plus additional journal articles6 music files, scripts7

8 Yes they do help with the modules but as previously mentioned they do not always appear in time for lectures9

10 Don't know.11 Sometimes, depends on subject12 Most of the lecture notes are up.13 The lecture recording software needs to be improved, as lecturers have problems recording the lectures14 This is not always consistent from unit to unit. one unit i was on this turn only ever used moodle as a submission point15

16 None17 As a student on a Distance Learning course, the Moodle resources were essential.18 IT IS GOOD ,

Comments for Q2: Are your course materials available on Moodle? (What resources do you have available on Moodle for your course? Are they helpful as a contribution to your learning? Do you have suggestions about how they could be improved?)

On Moodle my lecturers upload assignment essay titles/deadlines and lecture notes. Not all lecturers upload as much material as maybe some of us would like but I think it is a great site to use regardless.

Of course it could be improved, everything could be improved - it could be interactive and taking the individual into account. As in TSD in general it is one size fits all, nothing is bespoke. It could be bespoke, tailored for individual needs. It is impersonal and primitive like the school which is Tayloristic more than tailored and catering more for the needs of TSD to be seen as doing good things than actually being effective.Only some of my courses have made study materials available on Moodle. Sometimes it's not necessary, but I like having all of the information available in one place.

More video links would be extremely helpful - lecturers don't use video enough in their teaching I find! Some do make video/Youtube links available through Moodle.

my course material comes on the moodle site as between 7-10 parts, consisting of a few pages of information per part. There are occasional powerpoints to look at, but with very little information on them I am never sure if I have missed something on the site, as I am not great on the computer.

PowerPoint lectures, pdf's on articles, Welsh Assembly Government Acts and legislation (essential for my course), but some loaded by lecturers as zip files. I cannot open the zip files because I am an Apple Mac user. I don't know why this is so. I cannot edit PowerPoint lectures either, probably due to my inexperience, but instructions for this on Moodle would be great, and some explanation that Moodle for Microsoft and Mac users is different, with information on what and how to access stuff with a Mac, on Moodle itself would be invaluable.

1

2

3 Turnitin is a sinister joke. I would like my submissions back with comments written on them.4

5

6 Yes we use turn it in to submit assignments on moodle7

8 used for first time9

10 I use Turnitin but have not always understood how to use it correctly.11

12 The use of turnitin may require simplyfying/amending as the front sheet for each assignment bumps up the level of 'copied material'13 again, not for all units this term14 Most assignments had been submitted by e-mail. Others via a departmental electronic system.15 Moodle was used to submit some of the assignments but by no means all.16 GOOD

I received marks and feedback for the first time last semester. It worked very well, saving lots if time that generally got taken out of our lecture time. I have come across issues of staff not formatting turnitin, for instance I can only upload my assignment once which defeats the purpose of it. Perhaps have a set of default settings which include things like the amount of times we can submit and make it look at phrases more than three words long.

Turnitin is used and have had no problems to date. It is a great shame and have heard a lot of complaints from fellow students however, that we cannot download the marked assignment properly with all the feedback annotations from Turnitin. Before Turnitin we used to be able to.

What is Turnitin? What also is Vocal Eyes? I have had no explanation of anything, have difficulty with constant passwords for different things- why?

My last essay was marked with comments from my tutor posted back onto moodle. I could not find the comments anywhere,although I searched for 3 hours. She might as well have said your comments are in Manchester, at some 'obvious to those in the know' location. I eventually found the comments on the turnitin site, which I had to create yet another login code and account before I could read the comments. I would prefer my marked work with comments to be sent in an email directly to me.

We now submit assessments online for all lecturers from the beginning of this year. I've found it to work Ok, although not all lecturers give feedback via Moodle, so this is something that could be improved.

Have never used Turnitin (wouldn't know how to). I have completed interactive assignments on Moodle, but I've always submitted papers by e-mailing them directly to the faculty member concerned. Sometimes I have submitted via Moodle as backup, but usually I don't do this.

Comments for Q3: Do you use Moodle for assessment submission and feedback? (Do you use Turnitin to submit assignments? Do you receive marks and feedback through Moodle? How well does it work?)

Yes I do. Uploading essays are very simple to do and feedback is easy to find, with an automated email that is sent to your student account to inform you of feedback which is very helpful.

1

2

3

4 I haven't used it enough to know how effective it is.5 No to all of those. We only use at as a means of knowing if a lecture is cancelled.6 communication on moodle is not easy7 Other methods of communication used for contacting others such as email, text, social media8 Sometimes planned but not always. Was used as a group discussion but largely inaffective.9 I have to use it as the Welsh course is only done on Moodle10

11 Use facebook to communicate with students and email to lecturers12 Occasionally a comment to another student or very occasionally a member of staff.13 There were some group discussions14 IS GOOD15

16

17 E-mail is much simpler for me.18 Just for booking time slots for events/ places on busses etc19

20 People do not use the moodle communications21

There are no facilities on Moodle to communicate with anyone regarding my course. All communications are carried out by email, at the school's request.

I communicate individually. I have not used Moodle to communicate for group work and group discussions. I think it is an effective way of supporting course communications, as all the information can be found in one place. I especially find it useful as I do not live on campus.

No it is not a planned part of the teaching process. Lecturers sometimes use it to inform of us assignment changes or details but I do not use it to contact them. I instead use my student email.The TSD prospectus promises BE a Name NOT a Number - in fact the students are demeaningly reduced to being no's in the email system. - It is an insult. I have asked my teachers to be able to post and no response.

If I have a question, I submit it directly to my tutor via email. There is very little information on the forums for my course; some of the information in years old and no longer relevant.

At the moment, i have only used Moodle very little but would be happy to re-visit your questionnaire after this current academic term when I've had more exposure to it.I don't communicate with lecturers or students via moodle, I didn't know that was possible. Perhaps more guidance should be given for students to fully understand the different aspects of moodle.

Comments for Q4: To what extent do you use Moodle for course communications? (Is it a planned part of the teaching process? Do you communicate individually? For group work and group dicussions? Is it an effective way of supporting course communications?)

I only use Moodle for communication if the lecturer has posted some new information on Moodle. I have never used Moodle for general communication.

1

2

3

4

5 Useful for searching for electronic sources the university doesn't have or lecturers may have suggested.6 In medieval studies the original documents seen online are very useful7

8 Email, but that is not social media.9 Google scholar10

11 Email only. I have an absolute averson to Facebook, Twitter, whatever. Telephone or email is better and safer.12 Google very useful. Social media Classics groups can sometimes be useful. Email essential as I am a Distance student.13 THEY ARE HELPFUL AND USEFUL. IS GOOD

because of a medical condition, I cannot spend a long time looking at a computer screen. I prefer books and real journals. rather than e versions. I use google on occasions, I find academia.edu useful sometimes, but would not use papers on there as a source for an essay, as all my course information says do not use websites. I do not like Jstor as it keeps denying me access not recognising my login details and it is very irritating. Often the information is sparse, and not free on the subjects I need to research and I do not want to pay $28 to download a few pages of essay which ultimately may be pointless.

Email keeps me in touch with my lecturers, including student email, and is vital, as I live a long way from uni and don't live on campus. Social media keeps me in touch with fellow students, very useful for my academic learning, for discussion on allocated work where we have to work in groups in particular.

Google is very easy to use to find journals that may not be part of the University's collection, and to also find relevant websites for information, such as charity organisation's. As a class we also have a private facebook page where just our class members can discuss anything about lectures and share information with one another. I also find that YouTube is also particularly good for finding appropriate videos as a different type of resource especially for seminars.I find that online resources have become very important to my learning. Mainly this is because often the library does not have all the books I need so I use online sites via google to search for materials that are useful for my topics. Email I use a lot to contact lecturers and members of staff regarding my assignments and additional reading I can do etc. Facebook has become a very good place to talk about lectures with other students around campus. For example there is a "Philosophy Society" and "Philosophy Study Group" page where students studying m subject can chat to each other about lectures.I use Google and Wikipedia and like resources frequently, and I use e-mail for communication. I never use Facebook for learning-related tasks, and I don't use Twitter at all. I could envision using YouTube in this context but have not done so.Google and Google scholar for information, extremely useful for journal articles, relevant books etc email and Facebook for communication, only really useful for group work or occasional questions regarding work or the course YouTube is very useful for educational programs regarding the course

Comments for Q5: Do you use any social media applications in your learning? (If you use social media or other online resources in your learning, we would like to know how useful you think they are and what benefits they add to the learning process.)

1 I use my on line brain...I am virtual by nature...2 DropBox3

4

5 Frequent on-line sources of journal articles etc6 google scholar (two responses)7 Documents and academic works online through Athens, Proquest or Ebscohost systems8 Athens, Jstor, specialist museums websites etc.9 OpenAthens10 google calendars11 Online journals & videos.12 Google, Google scholar, Google image, Google books.13 google scholar e-books14 No collaboration, For research only15 Athens16 YES GROUP ON , LINKEDIN,DROP BOX,17 Only online document repositories for looking up primary source documents and journal articles.18 Arc GIS19 Specialist academic search engines, tools and sites as directed by the course tutor.20 Don't really understand the question.21 Open Athens with its various search engines and access to full-text articles and books. This is crucial as a distance-learning student.22 Other websites suggested by tutors.23 Skype24

25 We use Dropbox to share work and the facebook group as mentioned above. We also use Prezi for presentations 26 Other - Jstor.

I have sometimes been able to access excerpts from books I don't own on Google Books, and I use the library resources available to me through Athens pretty much (would like to do more of it). My work is not collaboration-based, so I don't need such tools.I have used prezi in the past to collaboratively make presentations. It was extremely useful as one of the group members lived far away so couldn't travel in. It enabled us to make an extremely good presentation. We did most of the discussion with the aid of Facebook. So we only spent a few hours in a face to face meeting.

I use drop box to exchange large files with others, and have an online facility for document backups. I also have an account on Academia.eu, which I use to access documents written by others, communicate with like-minded people on topics of interest etc.

Comments for Q6: Do you use any other online tools? (If you use online tools like these for collaboration or group work please give details. We would be particularly interested if you set up your own collaborative arrangements as students.)

1 I use my Smart phone to receive my student emails, but primarily use my laptop for everything learning related.2 I use both to aid my learning experience searching for resources and using email.3 For the amount I am paying for a useless course I would like the school to supply me a smart phone...4 I use phone and computers for learning access. I would love it if there were a Moodle app for iPhone.5 I only use my laptop to help my learning6 Use all depending on situation7 Mac8 Both used for learning9 Use laptop for study but not smart phone.10 I only use a laptop.11 Use all three devices to retrieve information over the net12

13 Smartphone not used for online search, only email.14 Use PC and IPad for online resources to do with my PhD15 MORE16 Smart tv17 I use both my smartphone and laptop.18 I have both a windows machine and a mac, though generally I work with the mac.19 Yes they are all my personal devices20 Yes I use them for my learning, especially the Moodle app21 My smart phone and tablet computer (kindle fire) are personal devices, but I use these to go online as part of my learning.

They are all absolutely essential for my learning, a huge part of my learning resources or accessing those resources, online. I could not study on my degree course, living 45 miles away and not on campus, without them. I have never been told that I could borrow a laptop from the LEARNING RESOURCES CENTRE, by having one out on loan, I have found this out just by watching In the library at uni, but if I did use that facility, only borrowing them for the max 3 weeks it too limiting.

Comments for Q7: What personal devices do you use to go online? (If you have one or more devices for your personal use, please indicate whether or not you use them to go online as part of your learning)

1

2 I prefer to be private...3 I cannot imagine using Facebook, for instance, as a learning device. That said, I guess I'd be open to it if it were needed.4 I have a Facebook a/c but rarely use it5

6 I only use social media when necessary for communication and avoid it at all other times7

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9

I find that Social media can be a very effective tool in collecting different resources, and to learn about a subject matter in different ways.

I do not like mixing my studies with my personal social media use, but I don't really have a choice at the moment. There are serious confidentiality issues here, and I do not wish to waste my time wading through irrelevant information on other students' personal information which they have put on to the social media network, before I arrive at academic course stuff. Neither do I wish for them to access to mine. While I appreciate that I can limit access to others on FB, hackers etc could still get at it because it is on a social network, and also because one could accidentally allow access or forget to put restrictions on the access to his entries. I would like a dedicated academic facebook account for my uni course with absolutely no (trashy) personal stuff on it, if it is at all possible. This means I can access it when I need to or choose to, without going through irrelevant/uninteresting items, which is a total waste of time. If an academic FB account system could be set up, I would like to see conditions stipulated that it is not a facility for domestic use/gossip etc etc. but one which incorporates just my student number, and my name only, and my course, so that other students can recognise the person they wish to speak to, but no other personal information such as email, phone number, DOB etc etc. if I choose to open a FB account for more personal stuff then I could do so. I recognise that Moodle offers provision for some of this, but Moodle lets everyone else know when I am on Moodle, which is fine for a lecturer to know, but I may and do not want all the other students to know my personal business, or movements on Moodle. I cannot see how it is relevant to them, and it is private. A dedicated academic-purpose-only student FB account as well as Moodle, would give me the freedom to access both when I wish, as I wish.

I don't think social media is necessarily appropriate academically, but if there is a good reason then I have no objection to it be included in my course.

Sometimes an interesting up to date article from a journal, newspaper or a lecture from a conference is posted on facebook, these can sometimes be inspiring, but I would always follow up by reading appropriate books on the subject. I have joined several groups on facebook, which are geared towards my subjects. On one of my previous essays, I wanted information on a small detail for a subject which was not in any of the books. I found the archaeologist in charge of the dig, and sent him a direct Inquiry on facebook, he responded very quickly and the response was very useful.

Never use social media such as facebook - waste of time. But did find OU course-specific chatrooms useful for undergrad work - Moodle doesn't fill the same need for postgrads.

Comments for Q8: What do you feel about using social media and personal devices in your learning? (It is known that some people are uncomfortable about mixing their work activities online with their social activities. It will also be the case that some students do not have access to suitable personal devices. Your comments on these and other issues will be very valuable here)

1 Carmarthen Campus, School of Social Justice and Inclusion 3rd year BA Social Inclusion2 Lampeter Campus Philosophy BA3 TSD Taylor institute - Business Management.4 Carmarthen Campus. Faculty of Business. Business Management.5

6 Faculty of Social Science in University Wales Trinity Saint David studying BA Management Skills in the Workplace.7 Carmarthen, primary education studies8 Distance MA via Dept Welsh and Bilingual studies Very happy to use technology in my learning - indeed essential!9 Carmarthern BSc Social Inclusion10 Carmarthen, School of sport, health and outdoor education, BA Outdoor Education11 I studied at the London Campus, MBA General Management pathway International Business.12 Trinity St David, Carmarthen, Tourism13 Lampeter, part time distance student, medieval studies post grad.14 Campus: Lampeter, distance learning Humanities TRIS15 Distance Learner, Lampeter-based, Classics.16 carmarrthen, ba acting17 Multi Discipline BA, Photography & Graphic Illustration18 Lampeter Archaeology, History and Anthropology Department Subject Anthropology19 University Of Wales, Trinity Saint David, School of Classics, MA in Classics20 Celtic studies, post-graduate cert.21 Carmarthen, Acting, Performing Arts.22 Distance learner M.A. Ancient religions.23 Social Inclusion and Justice . MA 2nd year24 Distance learning from Thailand. MA in Islamic Studies25 Trinity Saint David, Carmarthen studying Primary Ed with QTS

Distance student, BA Welsh Studies Online, Lampeter campus. BTW, I would really like to see more administrative info available on Moodle. There is no information on the courses I've taken, the grades I've received, the courses I have yet to take to meet my degree requirements, and so forth. It would also be really terrific to access module descriptors and suchlike (university-wide, not just for my courses) on Moodle. My son's school uses MySchool as its medium, and everything from his enrolment info to his academic records is available on his MS page. It's very helpful.

Comments for Q9: Finally, if you are happy to do so, please indicate your campus, faculty and subject area. If you prefer not to, that's fine. (please add information about your campus and curriculum area. Also, any comments regarding your personal preferences about using technology in your learning would be welcome and valuable)

Comments continued:

5 Moodle works well6 I find it fairly easy to use, though sometimes lecture notes do not always appear in time7 I prefer to have hard copies of information. I do not like moodle and find working from online sources difficult.8 Currently writing dissertation so no learning materials really needed.9 It's a pain to access and navigate.10 For access to library only now. For taught modules, important for access to lecture notes, reading lists, etc.11 Easy to use but as I am a PhD student. not that relevant.12 I have completed the dissertation stage of a Master's degree, so my last use of Moodle was a couple of years ago.13

14 my tutor doesn't use it15 is it ok.good16 I'm just starting my second degree at TSD and I'll be using Moodle more for this one than the last. So far it seems to be a very good tool.17

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23 I can't think of an areas to improve. It on the whole works well.

It is very easy to use, although the group discussions etc... don't tend to be used on our course. It is extremely useful in accessing new information, and work that needs to be done etc...I think that Moodle is a good way to gain access online easily to learning materials and assignments. It is useful to have online access to lecture materials so that if you misplace a handout you can print one off again from Moodle.I find it generally confusing to navigate...Some teachers like in Finance has said that after the latest merger they are still struggeling to get access being based at Swansea which makes a mockery of the whole thing. Some lecturers are so boring in their delivery that it makes no difference being there in person so in that instanse Moddle is helpful.Moodle is very helpful when staff members use it. Some staff members elect not to put course materials on Moodle. On the whole, I would like to see more faculty members use it more effectively.

As a Postgraduate student, it is not an effective resource for the course, but a good general information provider. As an retired head of subject secondary school teacher I am aware that its potential for students is immense.

It did not work at all for me as the information I needed and the course I am pursuing are not included in Moodle. My course, Arthurian Studies is no longer on the syllabus.Moodle is a useful tool. I think it could be simplified even further, sometimes it is difficult to find something quickly. Also perhaps something could be done to stop the crashing of moodle. It happens a little too often.

Comments continued:

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20 Most lecturers just put the lecture PowerPoint on. Some put additional learning material on, all lecturers should be doing this.21

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24 Module booklet and bibliography is available on moodle, in rare cases links to other resources. Varies greatly from module to module.25 Some not all notes are uploaded26 I think voice recordings of all lectures would be benificial27

As a taught postgraduate I have accessed module topic notes and downloadable reading lists etc. Moodle is very helpful for my learning and, having got used to it, I now prefer it to printed module packs.

Resources on Moodle for my course include links to podcasts, youtube clips, websites, images, and articles, as well as the lecture notes and recommended reading lists. I feel that these are very useful as a contribution to my learning. I do not think these could be improved.

Lecture notes are accompanied by some suggested readings which is very helpful. The nature of my studies (MA Medieval Studies) I don't think lends itself to a lot of multimedia programmes.

It depends on the module. For some modules there have been notes for each section of the module, for others rather less. However, I prefer to read books where possible.

MA Astudiaethau Celtaidd: Some have been and some havn't yet. I would find it almost too difficult to read an entire set of course notes on-line.

Comments continued:

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18 At the moment I have not used Moodle for this but I expect to in the coming months as this has been specified for my programme.19

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21 First time this year. Not sure how to get feedback yet!!!22

23 Turnitin for assignment submission24 The School of Welsh requests assignments to be submitted by email only. Feedback is received in the same way.25

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27 Submission only. Feedback come through email.

Use turnitin to submit, receive marks and feedback through Moodle. Very hit and miss experience so far. Say I have submitted my assignment a couple of days before deadline date, and then I wish to edit my assignment in some way and resubmit it an hour or two before deadline, then I have had problems accessing turnitin on Moodle, or even accessing my course on Moodle. I have had problems submitting the assignment when attaching the TSD submission front page (which includes the student's evaluation and examiner's marks and comments) where turnitin has examined the front page for plagiarism, and FAILED TO ATTACH/INCLUDE THE ACTUAL ASSIGNMENT!! As every mark counts now that I am in my second year as a student, failure to submit my assignment will have a very deleterious effect on my final marks in my degree. I need a very high 2.1 or. 1st to get onto my chosen course (PGCE) after this degree. I do not want an unreliable Moodle/Turnitin facility for submission, particularly as submission of a hard copy of assignments in the Cwad at TSD Carmarthen looks to be a thing of the past, and my course has not used that facility this year. I do not live on campus and travel 44 miles one way to get to uni. A reliable Moodle and turnitin submission service is vital for me, but so far it has been unreliable and stressful.

I submit and receive feedback via Moodle. It works well, and avoids the unnecessary extra administration of sending it to the faculty office to log and forward on for marking.

With some lectures we have pp, lecture notes and reading material , deadlines etc. For some modules we do not have any information on moodle.All assignments to through Turnitin. It works well but perhaps a better idea would be to put all of the submissions and results together rather than under the separate module links. A link should be made solely for assignments.

Turn it in is all ok when the Internet is working well. It is very problematic when you are trying to submit and the Internet crashes. Uploads are slow to turn it in. Sometimes this can be the ultimatum of whether you manage to submit on time or not.Some of my written assignments are submitted via Turnitin. I receive marks and feedback through Moodle. but some lecturers also email marks to let us know feedback has been received. I think it works really well, as you also receive a similarity report for some assignments, letting you know if your work has been flagged up as being plagiarised.

Comments continued:

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15 I would never use Facebook or Twitter. I use e-mail all the time.16

17 Groups have Facebook forums. Also use Google drive a lot18 Google, Wikipedia and other online database facilities for research ad information, email for communication.19 I study at a distance so social media are invaluable to me for meeting other students20

21

Due to lack of books in the LRC, e-books aren't useful, can never find what I'm looking for and when I do find it I'm only able to read a couple of pages or a chapter so I use online resources a lot. Social media is great for communicating with other students on the course, our course has it's own group on Facebook. YouTube can be useful depending on what you're looking for. Twitter can be great for current issues, eg. Estyn have a twitter account.

Wikipedia can be a useful starting point as an encyclopaedic resource, giving me topics and ideas which I can then research in the scholarly / peer-reviewed literature.

Social media is very useful as everybody uses it. We have a facebook group for our course where we can talk about course related stuffI think YouTube and other online resources are a valuable part of the learning process, as often one can find simplified explanations, and a basis to start research from.

Comments continued:

10 Totak aversion to social media11 I AM OK12

13 As a mature student I have no intention of conversing with totals strangers - I wouldn't do so on the street!14

15

Ideally I would prefer to be near campus and have access to facilities and the ability to communicate with tutors on a face to face basis but as a distance learner I need to use social media, so it is a necessity.

I'm happy to use my personal devices for accessing academic materials online, and as I progress through my postgraduate work I am finding that my personal / social life and academic research are over-lapping with each other. I think that this is inevitable as my academic work leads me to meet new people, and also because I research topics that are of personal interest so they involve my existing social network.I do not use social media such as Facebook or Twitter, so would not find it useful to involve social media in my learning. If there was a particular site that could be used just by university students on my course, then I would use this and find it useful as a way of engaging with others on my course and discussing aspects of the course (for example if a class was missed and one needed to know what to catch up on). I think that as long as these sites can be accessed through a laptop, then the issue of students not having access to these devices would not arise, as one can rent a laptop from the university library.

Comments continued:

26 Distance learning Classics27 Lampeter, Cultural Studies, Philosophy.28 Carmarthen campus. Psychology yr 229 plentyndod cynnar - social science30 Lampeter31

32 Carmarthen campus - BA Outdoor Education33 distance learner masters student in Celtic Studies - you would think we would use moodle more - we don't34 Lampeter, MA Archaeology and Anthropology35 School of Classics Distance Learning MA Ancient HIstory36 Lampeter, Department of Classics37 Carmarthen, Local History MA38 IT IS GOOD39 I study via distance learning but am based here in the UK.40 Lampeter Medieval Studies

TSD Carmarthen Campus, Social Inclusion Faculty, Education. I find attending lectures absolutely essential, because of anecdotal information, and discussion that takes place in lectures is invaluable. However, a conferencing facility would be great if for some reason I could not get to a lecture say through illness, weather conditions, family crisis,family commitments, or just being delayed in the journey to lectures eg. Traffic crash, cancelled or delayed trains. I have not missed a lecture yet, but potentially circumstances beyond my control do happen. If lectures could be video'd and posted on to Uni website for example with logged and strict access to lecturers and specified students only, it would be a great learning aid. I realise some student's attendance is poor for lectures, and this might only compound that problem, but for dedicated students like myself, missing a lecture could be crucial but inevitable if circumstances are beyond our control. It may even help to improve the number of students actually accessing the lecture. Some means of knowing that students have viewed the lecture, and any questions that they have plus lecturers answers posted on such a facility would be very useful. Sometimes there is so much noise, rustling, coughing, chatting etc etc going on in the lecture room at lectures, it is impossible to hear what the lecturer is saying, and I am paying for this provision. If students wish to chat through lectures and distract everyone else in doing so, then wouldn't it be better if they chose the video facility? At least this way they are not denying other students the chance to listen and learn from their lecturers in the actual lectures, which is why we should be going to lectures anyway. Sometimes the information on the screen in the lecture room cannot be seen because students are too far away, or the lecturer is softly spoken and can't be heard by everyone. A video would help with this problem.

Comments continued:

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26 None of my modules have put any materials on Moodle, nor do they offer submission of essays through the portal.27

I find moodle difficult to navigate. When messages come through from lectures it is not clear, also the forums do not get used. It could be better if the message box was linked to the email accounts and had rather got an inbox section that matched the outlook one.

I fin the interface intuitive to use and it works well on both my laptop and mobile device. I can't think of any particular improvements that should be made.

Other - Contacting lecturers and personal tutor, and finding out office hours or if lectures are cancelled. Most information I need can be found on Moodle. I find it easy to use, and think it works well. I like having all my course information in one place, without the need of paper handouts (which usually get lost). It could be improved by maybe having the phone numbers as well as email addresses for lecturers.

Comments continued:

41 Carmarthen, PES yr 242 School of Business, Lampeter, MBA Professional Arts Management.43 Caerfyrddin Foundation degree social inclusion44 Astudiaethau Celtaidd MA Prifysgol Cymru Y Drindod Dewi Sant45 Lampeter, Welsh and Bilingual dept., MA Celtic Studies.46 Carmarthen Campus; faculty of performing arts, BA Acting.47 Carmarthen48 Early Childhood49 Carmarthen Campus. Primary Ed with QTS50 School of Welsh51 Lampeter, Classics, Ancient history52 Outdoor Education, SHOE, Carmarthen Campus53

54 Carmarthen - Youth and Community55

56 Lampeter. MA Cultural Astronomy and Astrology, Dept of Anthropology, History, and Archaeology.

University of Wales, Trinity Saint David (Lampeter Campus). Faculty of Humanities. English Literature with History. I find the use of technology in my learning problematic, as if, for example, the internet was unavailable, one would not be able to access these resources. However, I appreciate the fact that it enables the access of resources from a number of different locations, and at a time suitable to the student. I feel that the ease of use outweighs the problems.

the wifi in student accommodation is terrible with the connection frequently dropping out, sometimes for quite a prolonged period. not acceptable.