The Evaluation and Assessment of Online Skills Through Online Group Discussion

Increasingly much of a psychology student’s learning occurs within electronic environments, however rarely are the new skills they develop in these contexts identified, improved or assessed. Over the past 5 years, I have addressed this important need (Taylor, 2012) and examples from assessed online student discussions will be presented in this poster to demonstrate an innovative way to develop and assess online skills. These skills were formally assessed using two methods and examples will be provided on the poster. The first method involved tutor marking of online transcripts for evidence of critical thinking, online leadership and effective academic communication. The second method involved students reflecting on their experiences and perceived understanding of the psychology topic as a result of participating in the online discussions. Also, I will present findings from a separate empirical study to evaluate the impacts of shared online reflection on meta-cognitive awareness which employs both quantitative and qualitative methods. The final section of the poster will highlight examples where these new skills can be used to enhance psychology graduate employability in new technological environments. I will be interested to interact with attendees viewing my poster to discuss my techniques and findings and to explore future collaboration

Teaching psychology to computing students

The aim of this paper is twofold. The first aim is to discuss some observations gained from teaching Psychology to Computing students, highlighting both the wide range of areas where Psychology is relevant to Computing education and the topics that are relevant at different stages of students’ education. The second aim is to consider findings from research investigating the characteristics of Computing and Psychology students. It is proposed that this information could be considered in the design and use of Psychology materials for Computing students. The format for the paper is as follows. Section one will illustrate the many links between the disciplines of Psychology & Computing; highlighting these links helps to answer the question that many Computing students ask, what can Psychology offer to Computing? Section two will then review some of the ways that I have been involved in teaching Psychology to Computing students, from A/AS level to undergraduate and postgraduate level. Section three will compare the profiles of Computing and Psychology students (e.g. on age, gender and motivation to study), to highlight how an understanding of these factors can be used to adapt Psychology teaching materials for Computing students. The conclusions which cover some practical suggestions are presented in section four

A content analysis of interviews with players of massively multiplayer online role-play games (MMORPGs).

This paper explores the intrapersonal and interpersonal motivations involved in the playing of MMORPGs, and the impacts of gaming on online and offline relationships. Twenty-one participants completed an online synchronous interview in which they discussed their personal experiences of playing MMORPGs. An online survey was then developed to further explore the findings of the interviews and this was completed by 52 participants. A content-analysis of the interview transcripts showed that interpersonal factors (such as social communication and group cohesion) were the strongest motivators for game-playing, supporting previous research [1]. The interview data also showed that there tended to be conflict, rather than integration, between online and offline relationships, however the questionnaire data showed the opposite. This was a small-scale pilot study and a further larger study is planned which will investigate whether Social Identity Theory can be used to explain players’ perceptions of group and personal identity

Qualitative Methods for Classifying and Detecting Online Identity Deception

The overall aim of our research is to use qualitative methods to help understand online identity deception. In this position paper, two pilot studies are described. The first was designed to test the feasibility of using content analysis of online discussions to classify the perceptions of the ‘net generation’ regarding different levels of identity deception. Based on the classifications identified, the second follow-up study will use face-to-face focus groups to collect further thoughts on these classifications, and the new data will be presented at this CHI Workshop. It is hoped that the feedback at the Workshop will help to direct further research using qualitative methods to analyse naturally-occurring identity descriptions found on social networking sites. The overall outcome of the research programme is to produce a set of indicators to assist identity deception in online environments

The Relationship Between Preferred Modal Learning Style and Patterns of Use and Completion of an Online Project Management Training Programme

This paper reports the results of a pilot study, conducted to observe and evaluate the patterns of use and completion of a set of project management units and to identify any relationships between these factors and learning style. The aim of the study was to gather data on which to base a subsequent software development project, based around personalising the learning materials. The participants were adult professionals employed in public sector organisations in the UK and the study was based within a real business e-learning environment. Data regarding preferred learning style was collected via a questionnaire and usage, progress and completion rates were gathered from computer logging data, with user permission. To assess preferred learning style, the VARK inventory (Fleming and Mills, 1992) was used; this categorises learners according to modal preference for learning: Visual, Auditory, Read/write and Kinaesthetic. The results showed that learners with a preferred Visual mode showed the best record for completions and were characterised by frequent usage, but for relatively shorter study durations. In contrast, learners preferring the Auditory modality had the lowest proportion of completions, and also this group logged on less frequently but for longer study periods. Learners with a preferred Kinaesthetic mode were characterised by the highest proportion of ‘In-Process’ learners (who were regularly using the system but not yet completed). The paper concludes with a proposal to build a personalisable learning environment incorporating specific modal features. A further study will then observe more closely the interaction between preferred modal learning style, mode of presentation and usage and performance. Keywords: VARK, modal learning style, business e-learning, project managemen

An analysis of the key factors affecting the success of a re-launched destination marketing website in the UK

Business Information Systems e-Commerce/e-business Computer Appl. in Social and Behavioral Sciences Marketing Information Systems Applications (incl. Internet)This paper presents a case study of the re-launch of a DMO website in the UK. It evaluates the perceived usability of the new website and identifies the key factors affecting customers’ intention to use the new website. A large-scale online survey was developed to understand a number of issues relating to usability (e.g. aesthetics, effectiveness) and psychological and behavioural indicators (e.g. perceived trustworthiness and intent to use). Both quantitative and qualitative data was analysed to understand users’ perceptions, behaviour and attitudes towards the re-launched website. A Structural Equation Model (SEM) was developed to identify the factors affecting their intention to use the new website. The SEM model identified the impact of a variety of factors on intention to use and the descriptive analysis, using both qualitative and quantitative data, highlights further areas of research

The assessment of critical evaluation, leadership and reflection skills through participation in online discussions.

Increasingly, educators from all disciplines are using blogs, social networking sites, VLEs and wikis to encourage academic discourse between students. However, a common problem experienced by educators is how these important learning experiences can be assessed and because of this difficulty many are not assessed. For some time now, I have been using online discussions via the University VLE as a way to encourage student debate around key lecture topics (e.g. Taylor, 2002). The key learning outcomes which this assessed activity addresses, in addition to learning more about the topic, are to develop skills in reflective practice, critical evaluation and leadership. This article will review the ways that face-to-face and online academic discourse between students have been assessed, highlighting some of the differences to consider when setting up online discussion activities, compared to face-to-face discussion. I will then provide a case study of the way I set up online discussions and the method I currently use to assess contributions. The final part of the paper will consider the potential for using quantitative content analysis (QCA) and automated methods to assess online participation

Psychological Literacy: A Practical Approach.

Psychological literacy (Cranney & Dunn, 2012) is a new and important concept in psychology education which encapsulates the knowledge, skills and attributes acquired through the study of psychology and the ability to transfer learning from the academic setting into the real world. Despite an increasing number of academic and professional publications highlighting theoretical concepts and benefits of psychological literacy, there are few practical resources for psychology educators. This PIE will address this need by discussing two recent publications commissioned by the UK Higher Education Academy. ‘An Introductory Guide to Psychological Literacy’ (Mair, Taylor & Hulme, 2013) outlines the theoretical context for psychological literacy and its rationale, and offers ideas about aspects of the curriculum that lend themselves to developing students’ psychological literacy. It also signposts a comprehensive list of resources to facilitate further study on the topic. ‘A Psychological Literacy Compendium’ (Taylor & Hulme, in prep) presents a wide range of contributions focused on highlighting how psychological literacy is developed across individual activities or across whole cohorts and degrees. The case studies highlight the staff perspective (e.g. what worked well or could be improved), evaluations of student experience, and evaluations of performance and employability prospects. In identifying examples of good practice, the Compendium offers psychology academics evidence that will enable change to take place within staff development and at curricula level. Participants will reflect on the development of Psychological literacy in their own teaching practice and will be asked to discuss case studies of good practice