Making practice-based learning work

Do you: • Supervise students who learn in the workplace? • Deliver courses to prepare people for supervising students in the workplace? • Learn in the workplace? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then there is a Web site for you. The Making Practice-Based Learning Work project has developed a Web site that aims to enhance the quality of student experiences whilst on practice, i.e. work-based placements. Key parts are the learning materials and resource sections containing materials that can be used by anyone involved in many aspects of practice-based student supervision, including supervisor preparation and support. These resources were either commissioned by the project or externally sourced Web materials have been peer reviewed. The materials are freely available for anyone to use in enhancing the nature of practice education

Enhancing teaching and learning with technology through collaborative research with students

There is increasing awareness that technological developments should enhance student learning experience and compliment traditional teaching methodologies (McGugan and Peakcock, 2005). The recently published JISC inquiry into the implications of Web 2.0 technology for higher education (2009), highlighted how learners make effective use of Web 2.0 technology in social contexts. However, at present our knowledge of how university students and staff engage with and use technologies, including Web 2.0 technology, both through the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and outside of it is limited. This project aimed to explore how Sport Sciences students expect, use, and would like to see, technologies used to enhance their learning whilst at university. The project adopted a collaborative approach by involving students in development of the study, particularly in assisting with design of data collection tools, participant recruitment and interpretation of findings. The study involved interviewing twenty-one students about their familiarity and use of Web 2.0 technologies. These students also gave ideas for potential technological enhancements within the sport curriculum. This data then formed the basis of a staff and a student questionnaire used to ascertain broader views of technologies as well as the perceived potential of such technologies to enhance student learning. The findings from this wider survey of staff (n = 17) and students (n = 323) informed curricular innovations in teaching and learning that involved introduction of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and discussion boards in the institutional VLE as well as use of Facebook for specific student learning activity. The presentation will include a demonstration of how FAQs and Facebook have been utilised and report on initial staff and student evaluation of how these particular approaches to using technology enhance student learning. Issues associated with the use of these technologies are discussed

Are Virtual Learning Environments used to facilitate collaborative student learning activity? Findings of an institutional evaluation

Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) are used extensively within higher education, primarily as an educational tool, but can also have additional functionality. There has been considerable debate, both internal to the university and in the external academic community, about the value of a VLE, e.g. MacLaren (2004), Sharp et al. (2005) and Conole and de Laat (2006). The focus of this debate is whether or not a VLE is primarily used as a transmissive tool, in which the teacher determines VLE content and communication and which tends to be teacher initiated while the student adopts a passive role (Jonassen & Land, 2000). Whilst a transmissive approach may be an important element in students’ learning experiences, there is little evidence to suggest such usage facilitates deep learning

Red Guide Paper 42: Managing a Module Part 1: Delivering a Module

This revised guide covers various aspects of the process for developing a new module and provides an overview of the general principles of module development