alison sealey
TRANSCRIPT
E-LEARNING AND
ASSESSMENT IN AN
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
MODULEAlison Sealey
University of Birmingham
Research Skills in English
Language
Yr 2 module
Learning Outcomes Upon completion, you will have shown that you can:
collaborate with others to conduct a small-scale investigation on an appropriate language topic, including making a contribution to:
a review of relevant key findings reported in the literature
the design of an empirical project, with due regard for ethical concerns as appropriate
the collection of relevant language data
the analysis of the data using appropriate methods
presentation of the project to an audience of peers
Research Skills in English
Language
mainly taught online
group work managed face-to-face and via
blogs
resources available via the module wiki
drop-in sessions with tutor
audio feedback sent by email
Some group projects
the language of online dating ads
attitudes to swearing
the language of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ news
synonyms for ‘good’ used by speakers of
different ages
diachronic change in the language of the UoB
student newspaper
glottal stops in careful and casual speech
Interim feedback
Here is a voice email message in response to your Group Learning Agreement. Well done on getting to this stage. You have an interesting and potentially very viable project, but, as you'll see from my comments, I think you need to refine it a bit further before you start to collect your data. Do a pilot along the lines I'm suggesting, to test out your ideas, and don't forget the ethical issues and consent procedures.
I look forward to seeing how you get on - and do come back to me if you have any questions or would like to see me for clarification.
Keep up the good work.
Alison
opening of interim feedback
conclusion of interim feedback
Although it was a bit daunting at
the start knowing that the style of
this module was going to be
completely different to what we
are used to, I definitely feel that
everything is working out - the
convenience of reviewing the v-
lectures and posting comments
on blogs/blog entries is very
helpful.
"I like the concept of this
module as it is a very different
style of teaching and learning
than I have been exposed to
before.I will admit that the lack
of a formal contact session has
meant that I sometimes haven't
been as on top of the work as I
should have been."
I feel a specified slot each week would be
better, because it has been difficult getting
everybody to meet up. I also think there is too
much room for error, miscommunication, and
things just not working like they are supposed
to.
Sharing group projects
presentations
uploaded and
displayed at
‘exhibition’
staff and students
view and complete
feedback sheets
tutor reviews ‘at
leisure’ and sends
audio feedback to
every student
Assessment:
Group Project
Pass/fail – pass required for credit
Feedback on each project
‘live’ at the exhibition, from staff and students
by tutor’s audio email to individuals in each group,
soon after the exhibition, based on
collated feedback sheets completed at exhibition
review of full, uploaded presentation
feed-forward into individual project
summative feedback
Individual project assignment
Mainly (80%) a report on individual project
Also (20%) a reflective piece on learning from
group project
Respond to TWO of the three sections below from
(genuine) application forms, with reference to the group
project you have done for Research Skills in English
Language. Write between 200 and 250 words for each,
totalling no more than 500 words.1. EITHER
a. Please give an example of a situation where you had to use your team working skills to achieve an objective. Please also indicate what role you played in the team in question.OR
b. Give an example where you have made a significant contribution to the successful achievement of a team goal. What and how did you contribute?
2. EITHER
a. Please give an example of an activity you have undertaken which demonstrates that you are confident and self motivated.OR
b. Describe a situation where you had to use investigative skills to reach a solution to a problem.
3. Please give an example of when you have learned a new IT skill, how you learned it and details that demonstrate how it is useful for your academic development.
Key issues
Importance of collaboration
e-learning staff
academic staff
students
Acceptance of risk, discomfort – even failure
Balance of freedom & trust with support &
monitoring
