Overview
Background
The University has identified feedback and assessment as an area of strategic importance, with significant impetuous expected from Schools around improvement of NSS scores in particular. Technology enhanced learning is playing a vital part in supporting change within Schools through facilitating pilots of assessment systems and working with Student Services to improve processes. This project is one of a series of the development of pilot projects exploring the use of technologies and functionality for innovative assessment and feedback practice. It carries on from TEL014 (Online Assessment Evaluations - Adaptive Learning which delivered 9 lectures within Introduction to Geophysics (EASC08008) and 10 lectures within Global Tectonics and the Rock Cycle (EASC08020) via the CogBooks platform (which is reached by a link in Learn).
The project will focus on three main areas
The update of materials created in TEL014 plus the creation of new materials in CogBooks
Improvements to the student and staff feedback surveys
Improvements to the system analytics
Scope
1. Coursework
This includes the the following:
1a. Technical issues amendments
- XML import/export not working - Priority 1
- Amendments to messaging system - Priority 2
1b. Enhancements to the curent content (originally produced in TEL014) for the following lectures:
| Course: Global Tectonics and the Rock Cycle | Course: Introduction to Geophysics |
| 1. Plate Tectonics: Development and Kinematics 2. Plate Motion and Triple Junctions 3. Heat Flow in the Lithosphere 4. Magma Generation and Heat Flow 5. Destructive Margins: Subduction 6. Destructive Margins: Subduction 2 7. Destructive Margins: Continent-Continent Collisions 8. Subducted Lithosphere: Subduction Zones and Their Seismicity 9. Mantle Plumes and Hotspots 10. Palaeomagnetism and Palaeogeography | 1.Fundamentals of Magnetism and magnetic fields 2. The Earths-Dipole 3.Observations of the Geomagnetic Field Behaviour 4.Geodynamo Models 5.Types of Magnetism 6. The Solar Wind, Magnetosphere and Aurora 7. Geomagnetic surveys and instrumentation 8. Practical palaeomagnetism 9.Measuring Ancient Magnetisations |
| 1-10 included in iteration 1 | included in iteration 2 |
1c. Creation of new content for the following lectures:
| Course: Global Tectonics and the Rock Cycle | New Course: Physics of the Earth | New Course: Evolution of the Living Earth |
| 11. Surface Processes 12 Fluid Dynamics 13. Sediment Transport 14. Continental Sedimentary Processes 15. Title still to be decided 16. Title still to be decided | 1. Fundamental units in magnetism and electricity 2. Maxwell’s Equations 3. Multipole and spherical harmonic representation of the geomagnetic field 4. Introduction to hydromagnetic dynamos 5. Geomagnetic instrumentation and design 6. Magnetotelluric Surveying 7. Telluric currents and the conductivity structure of the Earth 8. Self Potential method of prospecting | To be decided early 2016. This course will be delivered in semester 1 2016/17 (for approximately 150 students in first year) but will be authored March/April 2016 whie SME is available |
11-14 included in iteration 1 15-16 included in iteration 2
| included in iteration 2 | included in iteration 3 |
Iteration 2 will also include any changes that were not completed in iteration 1
Current authors will create templates for other authors who wish to create courses.
The delivery of materials in this project will emulate the delivery of the materials in TEL014
- Will be delivered as primary content and must be completed by students before the lecture (IGP)
- Wil be delivered as a backup to normal delivery – i.e. as a revision tool - it will not be compulsory for students to use the materials (GTRC)
2. Improvements to the student and staff feedback surveys
Further updates to the staff and student feedback questionnaires will be carried out in order to get a fuller picture of student and staff contentment with the system. This will concentrate on mobile device integration, inclusion of additional information and not just recommendations, ease of navigation.
3. Improvements to the system analytics
SMEs will investigate what improvements can be made to the system analytics which will be used to iimprove student learning. Analytics requires to be ready for emester 1 starting on 22 February 2016. Semester 2 in 2015/16 will be used to determine which analytics should be improved.
Objectives & Deliverables
O1 | Update and creation of course materials |
| D1 | Technical issues resolved |
D2 | Updated current materials |
D3 | Creation of new materials |
O2 | Improvements to the student and staff feedback surveys |
D4 | Updated student and staff feedback surveys |
O3 | Improvements to the system analytics |
D5 | Configuration of analytics |
Benefits
Benefits of developing the adaptive learning process
- More flexibility
- Produces bespoke training for students
- Allows students to consume information at their own pace
- Provides more time for lecturers to have 1:1 contact with students
- Electronic delivery allows lecturers to make more of class time e.g. more time for activities
Success Criteria
- Positive improvement to students around the assessment and feedback of their learning
- Improvement to the level of overall satisfaction expressed in NSS, PTES and PRES surveys