Inspiring Academic Staff to Implement Educational
(e-Pedagogy) Considerations Using the Tools and
Features of Blackboard Software
Dr. Phil Alberts, Anu Sharma & Natalie Parnis
Brunel University
Overview of Session
 Overview of the development of e-Learning at Brunel
 Rationale of Brunel’s e-Learning Pathfinder ENTICE Project
 Overview of the Appreciative Inquiry research methodology
 Eight educational considerations used to elicit sound e-learning
practices by means of Vista features and tools
 Illustration of how the evidence of good practice and examples
of future aspirations were disseminated within Schools
 Reflection & discussion
Overview of the Development of e-learning at
Brunel
 Upgrade from Campus Edition to Vista (u-Link)
 The blended learning approach
 Minimum requirements determined by Senate
 Participation in HEA e-learning benchmarking initiative
 Brunel’s e-Learning Pathfinder ENTICE project
Rationale of Brunel’s e-Learning Pathfinder
ENTICE Project
The project aimed to:
– Gather information relating to emergent broad e-learning practices
– Examine the relationship at module level between patterns of feature and
tool usage of Vista (u-Link), and student evaluation data
– Use the evidence-base created to explore with Schools what they might aim
to achieve in the blended learning situation, both in relation to process and
outcomes
– Establish a process for the ongoing development and monitoring of elearning strategies and action plans that use the local evidence base
developed.
Pathfinder outline
1. Identify & select a sample of experienced
1. Identify & select a sample of experienced
course designers within Schools
course designers within Schools
STUDENT
STAFF
2. Conduct Appreciative Inquiry
2a. Initial meeting with each
School team
3. Conduct student evaluation
4. Statistical Analysis
3a. Face-to-face evaluation
using a PRS
4a. Statistical analysis of
usage data using Key Usage
Indicators
3b. Review/analyse feedback
2b. Discovery Event
2c. Development Event
5. Comparison and synthesis
of results
2d. Review/analyse feedback
6. Pre-summit Event
7. Summit Event
Phase 1
Phase 2
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
Introduction to Appreciative Inquiry (AI)
“Ap-pre'-ci-ate, v.”
“In-quire‘, v.”
“…to value or admire highly; to judge
with heightened understanding; to
recognise with gratitude.”
“…to search into, investigate; to seek
for information by doing.”
 Pioneer: David Cooperrider.
 AI is a powerful approach to whole system change.
 AI leads from the positive deviant, rather than identifying what is
wrong it looks at what is right.
What makes Appreciative Inquiry different?
Glass half empty
Problem-solving
Glass half full
Appreciative Inquiry
• Identifies problems
• Purposefully positive
• Emphasise what is not working
• Builds on past successes
• Brainstorm solutions and analyse
• Amplify what is working
Success Stories
The 4-D Cycle of AI
4. Deliver
1. Discover
Affirmative Topic
Choice
3. Design
2. Develop
Our affirmative topic choice
“(Ways of) creating and sustaining outstanding
e-pedagogic teaching and learning”
Educational considerations
The Discovery Event
 To identify and appreciate the best of what is working well
 Understand their intentions for their choice of course design; all
questions are positive (in accordance with AI)
 Dialogue of discovery, narrative-rich communication. A story of
each person’s past, present and future aspirations
The Develop Event
 Collectively (with others in the School team) discuss the
Discovery event
 Share stories, quotes, emergent themes etc
 A time for people to explore their hopes and dreams for their
courses; “what could be”
Student Evaluation
 Personal Response System (PRS)
– Real time, active participation
– Large cohorts of students
– Data manipulation and analysis is accurate and significantly
reduced
Pre-Summit Event
1. Identify & select a sample of experienced
course designers within Schools
STUDENT
STAFF
2. Conduct Appreciative Inquiry
2a. Initial meeting with each
School team
3. Conduct student evaluation
4. Statistical Analysis
3a. Face-to-face evaluation
using a PRS
4a. Statistical analysis of
usage data using Key Usage
Indicators
3b. Review/analyse feedback
2b. Discovery Event
2c. Develop Event
5. Compare results
2d. Review/analyse feedback
6. Pre-summit Event
Phase 1
7. Summit Event
Phase 2
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
Summit Event
 Reflect on the findings gathered from the AI and to develop elearning strategies and action plans required to make the
School’s teaching practices more aligned with their vision and
future objectives
 Important…..sustainability
 Highly interactive hands-on workshop.
Our Findings so far…
Project findings
Spectrum of good practices (Social Sciences)
Announcements tool: To
clarify understanding of the
learning outcomes - reinforce
learning.
Provide web links and
primary sources (Inge)
Online seminar
programme (Jason)
Make announcements
pop-up, more personal for
the student (Peter)
Active
Think piece for
subsequent publication
Outcomes-based
Collaborative
(Jason)
Reflection
Student Learning
Share resources
across the academic
community (Peter)
Student-centred
Feedback
Independent
Learning Styles
Online
assignment
submission (all)
Mock questions and
feedback (Ralitza)
Model answers for
huge cohorts of
students (Ralitza)
e-books (Linda)
Make your homepage
exciting and visually
pleasing e.g. colour,
images (Inge)
Provide links to video
clips e.g. YouTube (Peter
and Jason)
Peer Advice (Social Sciences)
“Avoid the bicycle wheel
model”
“It is analogous to the Iron Bridge – you
need to know your medium (e-learning)
and learn how to strengthen it”
“Web links: A variety of links to
enable an average student to
write a commendable essay”.
“Do not try and do everything in
one go – start with a basic
approach and add things as
you go”
“When I write a new lecture, I
write it with u-Link in mind. It
is part of the preparation and
therefore not additional work”
Future aspirations for e-Learning
Advanced online technologies
Advanced
technologies
[Online] Gaming,
podcasting, [online]
seminars. I think technology
is the way forward for all of
us.”
Online Gaming
“Use technology more…….. Put the students
in charge….Give out problems and support
online”.
“…..I would like to do podcasts
with no (additional) costs or
time involved...”
Podcasts
Webinars
Web 2.0
“I have spoken to some
people at University that are
using Facebook…..the
students love it”.
Social Networking
Wikis
Web 2.0
Reflection
 Competing demands on time of staff
 Results of investigation received positively
 Evidence base of effective e-learning practice.
Questions & Discussion
[email protected]
http://www.brunel.ac.uk/life/study/computing/weblearn/enticepathfinderproject/