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"Case Studies"
Introduction
Faith Tucker used Flip Cameras to record interviews as part of a mock interview exercise. Here’s how she incorporated their use into her module and her observations after the event.
The exercise
Final year Geography students undertake a mock interview exercise during the autumn term as part of GEO3030 Geographers at Work. This module, which focuses on career planning and employability skills, incorporates an application exercise. Students are asked to complete a covering letter and application form for a graduate-level job. Following this, they are interviewed for the post. The interview is chaired by an experienced interviewer (someone from a local business or a senior member of University staff), with the panel made up of other members of the class. All students have the opportunity to be interviewed and take on the role of interviewer, enabling them to learn about both sides of the interview process.
Flipcams are used to record each interview. The small size of the camera helps to make the videoing process unobtrusive. Each interviewee gets a copy of their video to help them review their performance. It also acts as an aide-mémoire: at the end of the academic year students complete a reflective report in which they review their learning from the entire module, and the video provides useful reminders about the interview experience. Feedback from recent graduates reveals that some have also used the video in preparation for interviews for real jobs.
Post-exercise observations
- the cameras were very easy to use;
- it was quick and easy to download the videos;
- the quality of the sound was a bit variable (you need to be quite close to the camera for quiet voices to be picked up effectively, which wasn’t always possible in this exercise).
Al Holloway, Learning Technologist at University of Northampton talks to School of Health staff member Angie Bartoli on her use of Twitter for collaboration and communication in the field of social work.
Al Holloway, Learning Technologist at University of Northampton talks to School of Education lecturer Helen Caldwell on her use of Edublogs for student portfolios.
In this forth episode Al Holloway, Learning Technologist at University of Northampton talks to School of Education staff member Jean Edwards on her use of WordPress for student communication.
In this third episode Al Holloway, Learning Technologist at University of Northampton talks informally to School of Health lecturer Anne Segalini on her use of Google Sites.
Business School lecturer Maggie Anderson is a recent convert to the benefits of using Discussion Boards in NILE to increase her efficiency by vastly reducing the amount of email traffic she receives from students about module related issues, particularly where there is a large student cohort. During a CAIeRO session Maggie commented on the difficulties of repeat email traffic. Her case study reflects on the successes of introducing a Frequently Asked Questions forum and how she has adopted this approach more widely in other modules. She also reflects on the wider pedagogical benefits she observed as a result. Read her case study to find out more!
Have you ever wondered if students bother to read the feedback that you so carefully provide them with? Have you ever been overloaded with providing formative feedback that students can use without necessarily engaging more deeply with your advice?
In this case study, Maggie Anderson, Senior Lecturer in Human Resources Management in NBS, reflects on how addressing this issue through the CAIeRO process changed her pedagogical approach to the provision of formative feedback/feedforward and how the Journal tool can be used to encourage earlier student engagement and increase individual learner responsibility.
The CAIeRO process is being increasingly implemented here at Northampton as word spreads about the benefits it offers. In this case study, Dr Angela Rushton, Programme Leaders for the MSc/MA International Marketing Strategy at Northampton Business School, reflects on her experiences of the CAIeRO undertaken in conjunction with Dr Rachel Maxwell from the Learning Technology Team.
The process itself involves re-visiting a module’s learning outcomes, ensuring that the assessments align with those outcomes (i.e. that you are assessing what you said you would assess on) and then finding and/or creating learning resources that provide learners with the necessary information and skills to successfully complete the assessments. The result is a module where all the component parts are aligned and which results in an improved student experience where the student journey through the learning materials is clearly and logically signposted.
If you are unsure as to whether or not the CAIeRO is for you, this case study should help clarify your thinking!
First year fashion and surface design students have been given a fantastic opportunity to receive a substantial scholarship of £15,000. The Maggie Barwell Scholarship is awarded for ‘excellence’ and the full amount is given to support one fashion or surface design student spread over the duration of their degree studies exclusively at The University of Northampton.
A brief for applying for the scholarship was created. First year students applied for the award by presenting a selection of their first term’s work and creating a statement of intent with regard to their studies and their future aspirations. It was decided that the students should present their statement and examples of their work in a creative way through a blog using the MyPAD system. We have run the scholarship successfully in this way for the past 2 years.
Asking first year students to use a blog to present their work we feel is the way forward, and we supported any student to apply for the scholarship through a series of workshops where a member of the Employability team came and worked with the students to show them how to use the web tools effectively …
Watch the video: BA Fashion and Blogging
View blog examples: Example 1; Example 2; Example 3
Read more about the blogs: Using MyPAD Blogs
Audio can be awkward to create and include on a NILE site, but has considerable impact. It has been used very effectively on the BA Childhood and Youth welcome site in conjunction with student images to provide an alternative to the often used ‘talking head’.
Audioboo is a useful website where users can upload (for free) up to three minutes of audio. Whilst not recommended for assessed work, it could be used to collect audio from students or create audio content very easily yourself (perhaps as an alternative format for visually impaired students), just by using an iPhone[1] or Android device.
There is a fairly extensive library of podcasts that can be searched too (very like YouTube) for inclusion into course material.
At first sight, it doesn’t seem possible to embed audio clips into NILE, but – with a small amount of effort – it is fairly easy to do. The attached guide walks you through the process – we hope you find it useful.
[1] The iPad application does not – at the time of writing – allow recording. Search for (and install) the iPhone version on your iPad if you wish to record.
