Health Research Methods (Distance Learning)

Joerg Huber and Lionel Gunn

Joerg Huber and Lionel Gunn have used the Moodle chat tool to provide an additional form of support to distance learning students studying on the Health Research Methods (Distance Learning)  module. Creating an area for Synchronous communication  for distance  learning students is beneficial as it provides a platform for students across geographical boundaries to interact with each other in real time which in turn Joerg believes is important for student motivation which can be  a challenge when studying at a distance.

Every couple of weeks Joerg sets up a chat room, specifying a time for students to log in and highlighting the topics to be discussed which follow on from topics covered so far in the course. He also allows time for students to raise any questions or issues they have.

Attendance to the chat sessions is not compulsory though most students do seem to find them helpful. A log of the chat sessions is kept so that those students who are unable to attend can view the discussions that took place.

The site also contains a variety of interactive activities for students to engage with including quizzes and discussion forums making it extend beyond being just a content repository for students.

Good Practice with eLearning

Life Sciences Best Practice

When evaluating good practice with Moodle and other educational technology at Roehampton University, the main areas we consider are:

·         Taking a blended approach (preparing for, adding value to or building on face-to-face learning using a variety of media)

·         Setting expectations and signposting

·         Having an active presence

·         Providing rich and relevant resources

·         Good practice in embedding and using eresources

·         Encouraging active learning

·         Providing opportunities for assessment and feedback

Below are some examples of work undertaken in the Life Sciences Department where I have seen evidence of this kind of good practice.

If you are interested in exploring any of these examples further, or would like advice on using learning technology in your own teaching practice, please contact your eLearning advisor, Janice in Academic Liaison Services at j.kiugu@roehampton.ac.uk  or EXT. 3083

Physiological and Introductory statistics and Toxicology and Pharmacology

Lecturers:  Lewis Halsey,  Abi Belai

Feedback and assessment are two key areas that the university is keen to develop as outlined in the 2009-2012 Learning Teaching and Assessment Strategy Goals. Lewis Halsey and Abi Belai are two members of staff who have for the past few years used the Moodle quiz tool to deliver an alternative forms of assessment and feedback to students within the Biosciences programme.  The quiz tool provides a facility that allows staff to create online questions (allowing for various question types) that can be used for both formative and summative assessment.

Lewis in his module Physiology and Introductory statistics has incorporated a self test for students to complete on a weekly basis that is included as part of the resources available for each weeks topics. Feedback is built into the quiz questions and is made available to students immediately they complete an attempt with explanatory notes where relevant directing students to the right answer and relevant reading they should complete to understand the topic. The module also contains an in class test that students must complete and this counts towards their final grade. Having the self tests and quizzes online enables feedback to be made available to students shortly after they complete their attempt.

Abi Belai also uses the quiz tool for assessment on her module Pharmacology and Toxicology. She uses the reporting tool within Moodle to customise her feedback for students. After the quiz, Abi gathers statistics on the problem questions and incorporates her feedback in her classroom lecture discussing topics that seem problematic in more detail.

Several other modules within the Life sciences Department are also using the quiz tool to deliver online class tests. Some of these include

·         Human Ecology and Adaptation - Todd Rae

·         Cell and Evolutionary Biology - Francisco Molina-Holgado

·         A Public Health Approach to Cardio-Metabolic Diseases-  Joerg Huber

·         Biosciences Research Methods- Lewis Halsey

Principles of Nutrition

Lecturer: Yvonne Jeanes

Yvonne Jeanes has built a rich resource based Moodle site for students on the above module. She uses Wimba Create (CourseGenie) to create web pages that can easily be navigated and embeds a variety of media and activities for students. The content for each of the topics is structured in a uniform manner ensuring students are clear of what is expected of them for each topic, and self test questions are embedded in the content which provide an opportunity for students to reflect on what they have learnt.

As the module is run on both attendance and Distance learning mode she takes the opportunity to provide both sets of students with the same content though she highlights which documents are specific to each group. Both groups of students therefore have access to PowerPoint presentations relating to in class lectures and other resources relevant to the topic being covered and they also get to view the DL documents which are intended for self paced learning.

Yvonne does this as she doesn’t want any of the 2 groups of students to feel that they are missing out on anything and the resources created for each group are relevant and can be used as a revision guide for both groups.

Biomechanical Analysis of Movement and Musculoskeletal Biomechanics

Lesson Tool: Tina Smith and Siobhan Strike

Tina Smith, Lecturer in Sport sciences has used the Moodle Lesson activity to create a problem-based learning tool for students. This follows on from a successful Higher Education Academy (HEA) bid. The learning tool allows for a non linear approach to learning. Tina has used the Lesson activity in Moodle to create a series of web pages and based on the resources embedded and built in questions, directs students to relevant content e.g. a page may contain some information and a series of videos about running and movement and at the end have a question to test a students understanding. If the student gets the correct answer they can proceed onto the next page, if they get it wrong then they are prompted to a page with some further reading. With this tool, each choice the student makes, determines the path the lesson takes.

Tina has embedded various forms of media and resources in her lessons including video, audio, links to external resources, quiz questions and audio recordings which makes for a rich and user friendly tool.

The tool created will be made freely available to the wider academic community. The template for the tool will also be made available and those interested are encouraged to customise it to use within their area of discipline. Siobhan Strike who has used the tool within her modules has also been successful in obtaining additional funding to see how the tool can be further developed and extended into other disciplines.