Reflection 4: Formative evaluation... refining a blueprint for the proposed learning activity

It is the final week of the CHECET course and the rush to put the final touches on the presentation of my prototype has begun.  Since deciding on this tool I have been fortunate enough to attend and partake in a number of presentations, workshops or talks on this subject. The speakers and facilitators I had the pleasure of listening to were all incredibly enthusiastic and strong advocates of this pedagogical approach. An important point that was continuously highlighted was the supportive but not central role that the technology plays. Ultimately, the success of the technology is grounded in the pedagogy that is chosen.  

The formative evaluation provided by the facilitators of the course and my colleagues has provided me with a plethora of ideas for implementing the tool and also for improvements that could be made to the materials used to teach the course. Based on the feedback received I focused more on the pedagogical underpinnings of my approach and consulted various articles and resources in order to better understand and formulate the approach I would take. I also attended a workshop on the latest version of the university’s LMS , Blackboard (Webstudies), in order to familiarise myself with the tools available that will provide further (external) support to all elements of my envisioned approach.

A blueprint of the envisioned approach

The first step in deciding on an appropriate tool involved a critical analysis of the course evaluations from the previous year that were completed by the students. Feedback was obtained from 31 students. The evaluation provided some valuable insight into how the students felt about the course. Even though most of the areas of evaluation were relatively high (4.0 +) those that fell below this score were considered areas for improvement. This included:

·         Assessment

·         Feedback

·         Guidelines for tasks

·         Generic value

The area of most concern is the general value students derive from the course as this is a rating of the extent to which the module enabled them to develop skills in critical thinking, analysis and problem solving, communication, etc. I also had a look at the comments the students had about the course and suggestions for improvement. The evaluation highlighted the need for a new approach that included engagement with the material, feedback on the amount of learning taking place and opportunities to practice test and exam type questions. Based on the identified student and lecturer needs I decided to make use of mobile clickers in conjunction with peer instruction, ConcepTests and elements of Just in Time Teaching (JITT).

The second step in this process required an exploration of the literature as well as discussions with individuals who would be able to offer guidance and suggestions for the use of mobile clickers.  I also attended  workshop on gauging student learning through ConcepTests,  four conference paper presentations on the use of peer instruction, problem based learning and audience response systems and finally a workshop on the Blackboard LMS. In order to assess the feasibility of mobile clickers I invited students to complete a survey regarding their cellphone and technology usage.  I combined the information I had gathered into a learning activity I felt would serve my needs as well as those of my students.

The learning activity will follow the following sequence:

1. Reading assignment

2. Online assignment

3. Review feedback

4. Address difficulties in class

5. Lecture

6. Pose conceptual questions

7. Poll student responses

8. Prompt group discussions

9. Repoll student reponses

10. Continue with lecture

11. Repeat with next topic

The final step in the development of this learning activity was a consultation with a colleague from the Centre for Teaching and Learning at the university. She has assisted a number of lecturers with the development and use of similar approaches. She approved of the design of the learning activity (as it is a pretty generic model) and suggested activities for the pre-reading and online assignments as well as the conceptual questions. Further evaluation will include consultation with the course convenor, the students and colleagues in my faculty.

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