Update on Work-package 1

The team for Workpackage 1 met on 25th January 2008 to reflect on current developments and to reinforce ideas for future planning.

To recap, the aim for this is to work with staff on the PGCertHE programme with a view to buile enhanced knowledge of both Web 2.0 technologies and development strategies that support and enhance engagement in and with teaching and learning.

What has been done so far?

• Involvement of 2 PGCertHE participants online synchronous discussions
on use of Web 2.0.
• Some take up of individual Web 2.0 development sessions
• Pulling together of key themes from Action Plans on PGCertHE wikis
in relation to wider pedagogical implications.
• Online evaluation questionnaire was sent to PGCert participants
re use of Web 2.0 in teaching and learning and taking up
staff-development on such (17 respondents)
• Group wiki has been set up for use by Learning Sets for the Assessment
and Evaluation module

Outputs and outcomes

• Blog and wikis set up and in use to reflect ongoing planning discussions
• Data for further evaluation has arisen from interim questionnaire (see
above); earlier survey on participants’ baseline regarding Web 2.0
knowledge and use; comments on blog and wiki regarding perceptions about Web
2.0 and action-planning for future practice; directed PGCertHE
sessions with focus on Web 2.0 and the curriculum (e.g for assessment
purposes) . Video and written data from these

Future planning

• Compilation of data from above sources and evaluation of such for
final report.
• Possible use of focus groups in final evaluation.
• Presentation of findings at E-Learning Symposium in May.
• Using findings as basis for other conference papers.

Commentary

Our initial impressions from the information gained from the questionnaires and our perceptions generally from our involvement with this group of staff is that there has been for many, a considerable shifting from their base-line positions in both knowledge and understanding of Web 2.0 technologies and in their willingness to undergo further development and to engage with these for pedagogical purposes with their learners. We feel that this has been a small-scale but significant study about some of the barriers/facilitators for academic staff using new technologies in their teaching and what might further help or hinder them in doing so.

Conference

I've recently been to an interesting e-learning conference at the University of Ulster. I will be posting something here and a fuller report on the Blackboard Pathfinder site.

http://www.ulster.ac.uk/staffdev/e-conference.phtml