Using technology to support student induction

Transcription

1 Using technology to support student induction Technology can be used to support student induction, which can potentially improve retention and progression, and enhance student success. This guide provides information on how technology can be used to support, facilitate, deliver and manage induction-related activities. Learning technology can: be used to provide an introduction to the functionality of MyBham and WebCT through interactive demos and/or screen capture videos be used to deliver discipline-based and/or school-contextualised activities within an induction programme, which provide an introduction to enquiryled culture with relevance to scholarship in a research-rich environment support schools in communicating effectively with their students facilitate social engagement and support informal learning be used to manage the dissemination of information for induction facilitate a coordinated health check assessment of students provide tracking data to support work in monitoring participation and due diligence deliver consistent and comparable feedback questionnaires that could be completed electronically Background Induction is a critical activity for improving student retention and progression that occurs at many stages of the student life cycle. For information on the university s official requirements, staff should refer to the The Retention and Progression Action Framework, which can be downloaded from Induction activities are not just for the induction of new undergraduates other stages can include: pre-induction, i.e. activities started before the formal start of the first term welcome week induction, i.e. activities undertaken in the welcome week period embedded discipline-based induction, i.e. induction activities integrated to the standard academic timetable which can be at the beginning of each academic year within the programme placement induction, i.e. induction into sandwich years or professional practice / placements. re-induction for students returning from years abroad or in industry

2 Induction in its broadest sense can cover a broad range of topics The university structure, services, environment and support Welfare support Informal introductions to educational and social groups Information about their school, programme and courses Enquiry-based learning skills Library / Information Literacy skills Computer ICT Skills Learning to Learn Online Specific information for international students Pre-induction When considering pre-induction activities, Anagnostopoulou & Parmar recommend that you should design learning experiences which closely integrate the physical and virtual components of your teaching. They also recommend that you engage students with their VLE from the start so that logging into the institutional VLE becomes part of their daily routine. Within the context of the University of Bham this would include induction into our ivle (all our centrally supported tools and services) and in particular WebCT and My Bham. Question: Are your students provided with introductions to MyBham and WebCT? If so, is this a separate session or integrated into other activities? Induction learning activities Induction activities embedded in the curriculum provide students with an opportunity to engage with study skills, enquiry-based, collaborative and smallgroup work contextualised within the discipline. This is supported by the work of Philips et al. it is more effective for a student to develop study skills within the curriculum (Martin & Ramsden, 1987), it was equally important to provide an online induction process for students that gave them this important link within the context of their course (Shambaugh & Magliaro, 1997). The university s action framework recommends the use of pre-induction (such as Skills for Uni ) materials that provide a short, realistic introduction to learning in an enquiry-led culture, including the relevance of this to scholarship in a research-rich environment. The framework also outlines that schools should be providing a more specific and discipline-relevant introduction to EBL.

3 Question: Would blended learning (mix of face-to-face and online) activities provide an efficient way to manage the delivery of a discipline-based introduction to EBL? Effective communication Clear, appropriate and timely communication is an essential way of managing student expectations and fostering a good working relationship with students as well as early staff/peer interaction e.g. personal tutoring. In addition to the faceto-face and postal communication, we also have: through standard university accounts through WebCT facility, which is specific to each section WebCT announcements, which can be campus-wide, college-wide, school-wide or for individual sections WebCT Forums for posting information and responding to discussions WebCT Chat can used by arrangement to facilitate synchronous support discussions. In addition, there are a number of social networking or discussion forums in which prior to enrolment, students might participate in for advice and support, or within which you might consider embedding induction social engagement activities. Facebook Bebo MySpace UCAS Discussion Forums For example, Computer Science has effectively used Facebook to engage students in pre-induction using student mentors to moderate and contribute to discussions. Questions: - Does your school have a clear communication strategy for your students? - Have you considered using technology to facilitate social engagement? Disseminating information Information for students can be disseminated through the communication modes listed above; in addition information can be organised and stored on a school website and/or within a WebCT section. WebCT can be used as a repository for documents as well as a hub, which can provide weblinks to other resources. For example:

4 The school of Chemistry used this method to support the dissemination of their student handbook (along with a paper folder copy which was given to them on arrival). A number of schools (such as Civil Engineering) use a WebCT section as a student information portal. Developing an up-to-date and coordinated repository of information involves collaboration between academic, administrative staff and central services staff. In Philips et al they question their online induction site and ask: [if] the information would be useful to students to aid induction how to ensure a coherent and consistent message in the delivery of induction materials; whether true integration of generic and course-specific information could be achieved; and whether the approach is equally valid for courses at different levels within the undergraduate programme and also for postgraduate courses. Question: Does your school have a coordinated approach to the dissemination of information for induction? Academic health check assessments Online assessment tools can be used to facilitate academic and pastoral health checks for new students. Online assessments can be used to ask a range of simple questions (relevant to the specific student s programme) about their student experience, which can include: Have they met with or made contact with their personal tutor? Have they sorted out their accommodation? Have they visited their subject library? Do they feel confident in their study skills? Direct answers can be given to students automatically for common issues, whilst more serious problems could direct students to the appropriate support service or contact. It would then be possible to monitor the statistics across school and follow up with individual students as required. Other universities have developed similar questionnaires and it would be possible to develop a college-or school-contextualised version with the support of academic, administrative and support services. These assessments can be facilitated through WebCT Assessments, Question Mark Perception (QMP) or Bristol Online Survey (BOS) which are all used at the university.

5 Question: Would your course or school benefit from a coordinated electronic health check assessment of students? Monitoring participation and attendance If the use of the ivle is integrated within the curriculum then the tracking tools and data it provides can be useful in monitoring students participation and attendance. WebCT provides tools to monitor student activity (logging on and interaction with different activity types) at a section level as well as across all their courses. It is also possible to embed formative assessment activities within the design of a course to provide an opportunity for continuous assessment. This can be facilitated through online assessment and / or paper-based quizzes. The tracking data can be used to identify at risk students and potentially support requirements for monitoring international students. Question: Could the use of tracking data support your work in monitoring participation and due diligence? Embedding progressive skills development and employability Induction activities provide an opportunity to embed reflective practice, personal development planning and employability skills into the curriculum. Pebble Pad, the institution s e-portfolio system, or the WebCT Journal facility can be used to facilitate the recording, monitoring and distribution of e-portfolios, blogs and reflective practitioner accounts. Activities can be built which encourage students to reflect upon their skills and knowledge development right from the start of their course this can be tied directly in with the recognition of occupational or professional standards. Examples include: The use of e-portfolios in the Medical school for clinical practice reflections The use of OMLets in the school of EECE to enable students to monitor their knowledge development. Question: Have you primed students with the idea they need to develop themselves as active and reflective professionals or researchers? Feedback from students Online assessment tools can be used to facilitate the collection of student s feedback; this could be feedback on their induction experience and/or general feedback on the broader student experience across the student lifecycle.

6 WebCT assessment and QMP can be used to facilitate feedback questionnaires. Question: Would your school or college benefit from feedback questionnaires that could be completed electronically? Useful resources Generic (internal) Getting Started DVD (student views and advice on the transition to HE), accessed from Introduction to Learning in HE (Peter Byers) A small number of these DVDs are still available, or the resource can be accessed from What is EBL? (Generic PowerPoint) (plus What is EBL DVD and website at Skills4University (pre/early interactive induction activity on skills needed for learning in HE) Guide to Effective Learning (online study skills support resources) Developing Your Potential Site Other useful resources Prepare for Success interactive pre/early-induction learning materials for students to prepare for academic life (aimed at international students but very useful for all) Making Connections: using e-learning data to improve retention rates in higher education (Middlesex University) Practical guide: bringing together e-learning and student retention

7 Student Experience of E-Learning Laboratory - Review Retention and Progression Report (Greenwich University) Are your students ready to study in an online or blended learning environment? (MMU) Alternate Reality Games for Orientation, Socialisation and Induction (ARGOSI) References to tools Survey tools available include: Question Mark Perception (QMP) Campus License Bristol Online Survey (BOS) Campus License Survey Monkey References UOB Guidelines on Student Induction Anagnostopoulou & Parmar. (2008) Practical guide: bringing together e-learning and student retention (Middlesex, Middlesex University). Martin, E. & Ramsden, P. (1987) Learning skills or skill in learning?, in: J. Richardson, M. Eysenck & D. Warren Piper (Eds) Student learning: research into education and cognitive psychology (Milton Keynes, Open University Press). Phillips M.; Hawkins R.; Lunsford J.; Sinclair-pearson A. (2004) Online student induction: a case study of the use of mass customization techniques. Open Learning, Volume 19, Number 2, pp (12) Shambaugh, R. N. & Magliaro, S. G. (1997) Mastering the possibilities: a process approach to nstructional design (Boston, MA, Allyn & Bacon). Wingate, U (2007) A framework for Transition: Supporting Learning to Learn in Higher Education. Higher Education Quarterly Volume 61, Number 3 pp