I think we need to be careful that we are clear about the institutional, internal pressures and politics to ‘use’ certain technologies. The conference claims ‘We will explore why we may wish to move towards using e assessment and how we can use e assessment most effectively’. Really? I thought it was a given we are moving to e-assessment? Schools have been instructed to provide e-assessment for level 4 modules so we are not exactly going to explore why we may wish to do anything … its arrived.
What we do need to do is use both practical experience and research to support how we construct learning and teaching despite, not because of, any institutional ‘strategy’.
Recent studies have shown students dislike large group lectures and over-use of Blackboard.
Now we are not going to abandon lectures or OASIS plus because it doesn’t engage students. We are incapable of moving away from these ‘technologies’ because they are so embedded and too much vested interest exists in their continuation.
What we need to do is be honest about internal requirements, often based on self-interest, habit, lack of pedagogic understanding or a perception that a particular technology will be more efficient or cheaper. Then we need to work out how best to reconcile the institutional requirements to the actual needs of students across quite different cultural and disciplinary divides.
Not so much ‘untangling knots’ and more ‘jumping through hoops without tripping’!
I think we need to be careful that we are clear about the institutional, internal pressures and politics to ‘use’ certain technologies. The conference claims ‘We will explore why we may wish to move towards using e assessment and how we can use e assessment most effectively’. Really? I thought it was a given we are moving to e-assessment? Schools have been instructed to provide e-assessment for level 4 modules so we are not exactly going to explore why we may wish to do anything … its arrived.
ReplyDeleteWhat we do need to do is use both practical experience and research to support how we construct learning and teaching despite, not because of, any institutional ‘strategy’.
Recent studies have shown students dislike large group lectures and over-use of Blackboard.
www.northumbria.ac.uk/static/.../Guy_Brown_and_Tony_Blackwood.pdf
Now we are not going to abandon lectures or OASIS plus because it doesn’t engage students. We are incapable of moving away from these ‘technologies’ because they are so embedded and too much vested interest exists in their continuation.
What we need to do is be honest about internal requirements, often based on self-interest, habit, lack of pedagogic understanding or a perception that a particular technology will be more efficient or cheaper. Then we need to work out how best to reconcile the institutional requirements to the actual needs of students across quite different cultural and disciplinary divides.
Not so much ‘untangling knots’ and more ‘jumping through hoops without tripping’!
Thanks Alan, a great kick-off to the debate ! Looking forward to your contribution on the day :)
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