Historical Enquiry: using technology to
develop students’ research skills
An introduction to the project and
Roehampton test module
Dr Ted Vallance
[email protected]
Key project information
• Twitter - @HistExplore, event hashtag #histexplore
• Poll everywhere - PollEv.com/ourpoll
• Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Historical-Enquiryand-Research-an-HEA-researchproject/588474487887971
• Draft toolkit and test module moodle https://external.moodle.roehampton.ac.uk
• Project website: http://www.edgehill.ac.uk/histlearn/
Workshop structure
• Morning
– Intro to project and test modules at UR and EHU
– Presentations on project tools and platforms from
EHU and UR research students
• Afternoon
– Reflection on project experiences with UR and
EHU teams
– Project evaluation
– Project and workshop plenary discussion with
Alan Booth (Nottingham), Arthur Chapman (IoE)
and Miles Berry (UR)
Task: The Chartist Rally,
Kennington Common 1848
• Estimates of
numbers at meeting
– Police: 15000
– Northern Star:
250,000
– Express, 10 April:
100,000
– Express, 11 April:
15000
Source: D. Goodway, London
Chartism, (Camb, 2002 edn.)
Daguerrotype of the Kennington Common
Meeting, 10 April 1848
Why do these estimates
differ? Tweet your answers!
@HistExplore
• Bias – high figure Chartist Northern star, low figure
police
• Timing – when was the estimate of the crowd
numbers made?
• Scope of the meeting – did it only include those
inside the railings or those outside as well?
• So – analysing a source not just a case of separating
‘fact’ and ‘opinion’
• Not bias alone which determines these figures but
also the approach adopted – how and when to
calculate the size of the crowd
• For the original version of this exercise see:
• http://www.ahdr.info/ckfinder/userfiles/files/October_
workshop_Arthur_Chapman_write_-up.pdf
The Project
• “Developing undergraduate students’ understanding
of historical enquiry and research through flexible
online learning and feedback.”
• Awarded HEA collaborative teaching grant 2013
• Run between Edge Hill and Roehampton universities
• Involving academic staff, research students and
undergraduates
• Developing online tools and platforms for supporting
students’ research skills on two yr 1 history core
modules
Project background
• Project grew out of work by Arthur Chapman on
History Virtual Academy
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/heahistory/r
esearch/hva/
• But current project looks more at application of tools
and platforms in ‘blended learning’ environments
within an HE, rather than HE & School, context
• The project is explored through the implementation of
tools/resources alongside core year one compulsory
modules
Project aims (as stated in
HEA bid)
• To provide online platforms, resources and
opportunities that will enhance and develop students’
research and enquiry skills.
• To develop, evaluate and refine these resources,
thereby contributing to knowledge about effective L &
T practice
• To develop models for formative feedback both peerto-peer and staff to student
• To enhance pedagogic opportunities for PGR
students by involving them in module design and
implementation.
My secret, undeclared aims
• To make ‘skills’ courses less
boring for staff to teach and
students to study
• In particular, to think of ways
in which effectively to teach
dull, but important, topics
• To tackle and challenge
ideas about history learnt at
school-level (especially
approach to sources and
conceptions of history)
Project outcomes
• Key outputs digital
toolkits at UR and
EHU
– Inc learning
resources and
example
tools/platforms plus
technological guides
and supports
• Draft toolkit at
• https://external.moo
dle.roehampton.ac.u
k
Test module: Research,
Reasoning and Rhetoric –
Thinking with History
• Core yr 1 History module
• Based around an independent research
project
• Students select an original source to develop
a project around
• Final project submitted as an e-portfolio via
Mahara software
Mahara
• Not universally loved by either staff or students!
• But
– Helps encourage reflection (via project journal)
– Facilitates student creativity – helpful format for
students who are studying non-textual sources
– Provides a convenient, connected collection of all
student materials
– But not terribly useful for the delivery of feedback
Current iteration
• Structured across one term only and front-loaded
• Featuring new tools and resources developed as part of the
project
– Discussion boards (providing opportunities for feedback and
discussion on in-class and take home activities)
– Quizzes (both for developing subject awareness and testing
research skills)
– Videos –(here used as an additional learning resources but
structured into exercises at EHU)
• Not directly connected to assessment but students encouraged
to include reflection on activities in their journal (part of final
assessment)
Conclusions and reflections
• Still work to be done on embedding and transferring
these skills to rest of degree programme
• Specifically engagement with ‘paywalled’ resources
and with original source material
• ‘Secret aims’ fulfilled – it was a lot more fun to teach
and student academic performance was generally v.
Good
• Module addressed and examined historical
understanding much more directly than before (virtue
of collaboration with educationalists)