Video and visual resources & technologies in teaching statistics

This presentation takes a wide definition of visual to include video and presentation technologies. It discusses the availability of video resources about stats (conceptual and SPSS tutorials) and about some of the other visual technologies that are used and could be used here. This includes drawing/annotation and recording systems that can be used to create video materials (a bit like the Kahn University videos) - including some interesting apps on the iPad (e.g. Explain Everything). It comments on the pros and cons of identifying good videos and of using them in sessions and as additional course resources

STEM in Teaching Qualitative Research

Abstract The results from the first stage of a project examining the use of computer assisted qualitative data analysis (CAQDAS) and mixed methods teaching in qualitative analysis to promote numeric and technology skills in undergraduate students. Results from a survey of qualitative research teachers carried out as part of the project will be presented. Overview This paper will report the preliminary results from an online survey of teachers of qualitative research methods (Survey 2), which has been undertaken as part of a project to determine what barriers there are to the inclusion in undergraduate qualitative methods teaching of skills relating to the use of CAQDAS programs and the use of mixed methods in research designs. The project will also try to discover and summarise good practice and to develop guidelines for such teaching content that can be used at undergraduate level, though the full details of this will not be available until after the conference. There is little current reference to technology or number in both the use of qualitative methods in social research and especially the teaching of qualitative methods, particularly at undergraduate level. The one exception to this is the discussion of the use of CAQDAS programs in several textbooks aimed at undergraduate users. However, there is no strong evidence that this translates into widespread use of the programs in undergraduate teaching in the UK. Indeed in a web-based survey of teachers of qualitative methods (Survey 2) that I carried out for a previous HEA funded project (REQUALLO) I found only 6% of departments that replied to the survey used CAQDAS at undergraduate level, although much higher proportions used it at postgraduate level. At the moment, at undergraduate level, there is a distinct inequality in software use between qualitative and quantitative research methods teaching. Almost all undergraduate courses on quantitative methods will, at some point, cover the use of statistics and will require students to use software (such as SPSS). There are two factors that might begin to challenge this comparatively low level of software usage in qualitative methods: the increasing use of CAQDAS in research and the growth of interest in mixed methods approaches. In the case of the former, there is evidence for a strong growth in the use of CAQDAS in social research. There is also a growth in the popularity of mixed methods designs, not only in the number of published papers using such an approach, but also in the number of PhD students undertaking such projects. To support this, in the last few years, many of the major publishers of CAQDAS programs have included functionality in their software that integrates quantitative data with the qualitative analysis. This includes a range of data mining, keyword in context searches and cluster analysis techniques as well as the ability to import quantitative case attribute data that can be used in the analysis. All this is integrated with the basic thematic coding system the software supports. There are, however, significant barriers to the increased use of number and software in undergraduate qualitative methods teaching. In Survey 1 I asked teachers why the software was not used at undergraduate level. Common reasons given included, no time (17%), lack of teachers’ skills in the software (13%), no funding for site licences or local support for software (12%) and most commonly, that it would take too long to teach (24%). However, significantly, given the antagonism of some qualitative researcher to software use, only 3% said that the software was not used in teaching because it does not support the methodology or the theoretical approach they used. This situation is changing. Many UK universities now hold site licences for the software (just as they do for statistical software). About a year ago, QSR, the publisher of the market leading NVivo software, told me that 74 UK universities held site licences and there are several who hold similar licence for competing programs. Nevertheless several barriers remain: 1. Lack of skills in both CAQDAS use and mixed methods amongst qualitative research methods teachers at undergraduate level. 2. There are few good exemplars, usable at undergraduate level, of how software and numeric skills can enhance qualitative analysis. 3. Lack of OERs suitable for undergraduate use that tackle this issue (but there are some QSR videos on this). This paper will report on the current state of skills teaching and of available resources with a focus on the U

Mejorar la enseñanza y el aprendizaje universitario mediante estrategias institucionales

Durante dos décadas, han habido intentos en el Reino Unido de mejorar la docencia universitaria ampliamente centrada en el profesor individual. Hacia los años noventa se evidenció que ningún tipo de innovación individual por parte de profesores era promotora del cambio suficiente, o suficientemente rápido, para responder a una población de estudiantes cada vez más diversa, con recursos más reducidos, nueva tecnología y agendas gubernamentales preocupadas por la empleabilidad de los estudiantes. La innovación en docencia estaba restringida por las infraestructuras institucionales diseñadas a mantener el statu quo de los veinte años anteriores. La sustancial inversión del gobierno en iniciativas sobre proyectos había tenido poco impacto. Como reacción a este fracaso, en 1997 se promovió una iniciativa nacional sobre Estrategias de Aprendizaje y Enseñanza, respaldada por 165 millones de euros. Se identificaron y se documentaron las mejores prácticas existentes de enseñanza y aprendizaje que habían dado lugar a cambios a escala institucional. Se asignaron fondos anuales a las instituciones en función de su tamaño y de si desarrollaban una estrategia institucional para la mejora de la docencia. Las 134 instituciones en su totalidad, incluyendo la investigación de élite, se involucraron voluntariamente en ello. Desde entonces, se han llevado a cabo tres revisiones de progreso y se han compartido a nivel nacional estudios de caso de las mejores prácticas a través de publicaciones y acontecimientos.Durant dues dècades, hi ha hagut intents en el Regne Unit de millorar la docència universitària àmpliament centrada en el professor individual. Cap als anys noranta es va evidenciar que cap tipus d'innovació individual per part de professors era promotora del canvi suficient, o suficientment ràpid, per respondre a una població d'estudiants cada vegada més diversa, amb recursos més reduïts, nova tecnologia i agendes governamentals preocupades per l'empleabilitat dels estudiants. La innovació en docència estava restringida per les infraestructures institucionals dissenyades a mantenir l'statu quo dels vint anys anteriors. La substancial inversió del govern en iniciatives sobre projectes havia tingut poc impacte. Com a reacció a aquest fracàs, el 1997 es va promoure una iniciativa nacional sobre Estratègies d'Aprenentatge i Ensenyament, mitjançant un ajut de 165 milions d'euros. Es van identificar i es van documentar les millors pràctiques existents d'ensenyament i aprenentatge que havien donat lloc a canvis a escala institucional. Es van assignar fons anuals a les institucions d'acord amb la seva grandària i de si desenvolupaven una estratègia institucional per a la millora de la docència. Totes 134 institucions, inclosa la investigació d'elit, s'hi van involucrar voluntàriament. Des d'aleshores, s'han portat a terme tres revisions de progrés i s'han compartit a nivell nacional estudis de cas de les millors pràctiques a través de publicacions i esdeveniments.For two decades attempts in the UK to improve university teaching largely focussed on individual teachers. By the 1990's it had become clear that no amount of innovation by individual teachers was capable of sufficient, or sufficiently rapid, change to respond to reduced resources, more and more diverse students, new technology and government agendas concerning the employability of students. Innovation in teaching was constrained by institutional infrastructures designed to support the status quo of 20 years before. Substantial government investment in project-led initiatives had made little impact. As a reaction to this failure, in 1997 a national Learning and Teaching Strategies initiative was launched, backed by ¤ 165million. Existing best practice in bringing about wide scale institutional change in teaching and learning was identified and documented. Institutions were entitled to annual funds, in relation to their size, if they developed an institutional strategy to improve teaching. All 134 institutions, including the research elite, voluntarily took part. Three reviews of progress have since been undertaken and case studies of best practice shared nationally through publications and events

Outreach with video: Using YouTube and screen and lecture capture to reach thousands.

This talk will report on my experience of creating a variety of types of video learning resources and disseminating them, mainly through YouTube where my channel has over 300 subscribers and over 100,000 views. The videos have been created either using Camtasia screen capture software or by videoing lecture sessions. I will discuss some of the techniques for enhancing the video in pedagogically useful ways and some of the production issues for ensuring high quality production. Then I will discuss the dissemination of the videos. I have done this mainly through the OnlineQDA web-site and through YouTube. I will discuss some of the issues of producing YouTube videos and uploading them, such as length, sound quality, metadata and titles and some of the feedback they have engendered. I will conclude by arguing that YouTube is a way of disseminating our outputs in a way that can extend the profile of the University and can promote our reputation for good quality!  teaching and research. <http://www.youtube.com/user/GrahamRGibbs

Learning research methods with video

Muller et al. (2007) suggest that video used in learning physics too often just presents just the correct explanations and there is no way of telling if the learner has internalised this correct view or has maintained any pre-existing misunderstanding. Their research suggests that people learn physics better from video explanations when first they are presented with incorrect understandings of the phenomena. Can this approach work in the social sciences? I chose the area of social research methods and in particular depth interviews and survey sampling to test out these ideas. In the interview case, the viewer is presented with a poorly undertaken interview and is asked to find the faults, helped by an outline of good practice and a (later) commentary on the interview. Then an interview exemplifying good practice with commentary follows. In the sampling case, both incorrect explanations by teachers and students’ own attempts at explaining key ideas in sampling are presented first before a model-based explanation of the correct principles is given. Early evaluation of the interview video suggests that the poor example enables them better to understand the advantages of the examples of good practice in the following interview

CAQDAS teaching in the UK

This presentation reports the results of two online surveys: one in 2011 on teachers of qualitative research and the second in 2013 of those teaching computer assisted qualitative data analysis (CAQDAS) in the UK. Results show that qualitative research methods teaching is buoyant and popular and that teaching about the CAQDAS software is common at postgraduate level. However, CAQDAS is taught much more rarely at undergraduate level. This is in direct contrast with the situation for statistics software such as SPSS. Statistical analysis using software is commonly taught at undergraduate level across a very wide range of social science disciplines. The surveys identified the range and diversity of qualitative methods taught in universities but, in the UK at least, the dominance of one program in the use of CAQDAS. The data also reveal the reasons respondents gave for the lack of undergraduate teaching of CAQDAS which included lack of staff skills, insufficient space in the curriculum and ideological objections. The paper will conclude by examining a small number of case studies of the teaching of CAQDAS to identify the practical and pedagogic challenges faced by the teachers involve

Identifying hotspots and management of critical ecosystem services in rapidly urbanizing Yangtze River Delta Region, China

Rapid urbanization has altered many ecosystems, causing a decline in many ecosystem services, generating serious ecological crisis. To cope with these challenges, we presented a comprehensive framework comprising five core steps for identifying and managing hotspots of critical ecosystem services in a rapid urbanizing region. This framework was applied in the case study of the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) Region. The study showed that there was large spatial heterogeneity in the hotspots of ecosystem services in the region, hotspots of supporting services and regulating services aggregately distributing in the southwest mountainous areas while hotspots of provisioning services mainly in the northeast plain, and hotspots of cultural services widespread in the waterbodies and southwest mountainous areas. The regionalization of the critical ecosystem services was made through the hotspot analysis. This study provided valuable information for environmental planning and management in a rapid urbanizing region and helped improve China's ecological redlines policy at regional scale

Learning and qualitative data analysis with information technology: the role of exploration

Over the past 20 years there have been rapid developments in IT to create software that supports both learning and qualitative research. This thesis examines the design and use of that software, and argues that the exploratory approach in both learning and analysis produces superior outcomes. As such, the exploratory approach is seen as one that is particularly well supported by the software. A range of learning software and objects is discussed: Correlation Explorer, coMentor, learning websites, reusable learning objects, open educational resources, and videos. These are successive attempts by myself, and others, to develop software and other objects that support high quality learning. They do this in a variety of ways: by creating learning tools that promote exploration, by encouraging online collaboration and sharing, and by providing materials that can be used in a range of learning contexts. Some of the problems of their use are discussed, such as mistaken conceptions, and finding and adapting learning objects. In a parallel fashion, this thesis argues that the development of software to assist qualitative data analysis has supported a range of analytic approaches. By their very nature these tend to be exploratory – the thesis argues that the core of qualitative analysis involves exploration of the data. The new analytic tools the software offers afford especially good support to exploratory analyses. These tools include text searching, code hierarchies, code queries, and the use of charts and diagrams

New pedagogies and new resources in qualitative research teaching

For many years teaching research methods was a small-scale affair often done using an apprenticeship approach whereby the student learned from their supervisor by doing and trying the activities required. The details of data gathering and data analysis in qualitative research were treated as a dark art, to be gained only by long experience in the field. Now, there is a need to teach these methods to large numbers of students, at undergraduate level and from a wide range of disciplines. Fortunately there are some excellent textbooks on both data gathering and data analysis, but some of the character of the apprenticeship learning experiences is still not captured by texts and, beside, many students learn better in other ways. This presentation examines three sources of resources that go beyond the textbook: a) Data sets for qualitative data analysis, b) multimedia resources on qualitative data analysis, and c) general video resources on qualitative methods (including lecture capture). It considers the sources of these resources and some of the issues of their creation and use in teaching and learning. The presentation concludes with an exploration of some of the pedagogic issues the use of these resources raise, such as availability, discoverability, quality and their embedding in teaching programmes