Browsing by Author "Conboy, H."
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Item Metadata only Connecting transitions and independent learning in higher education: evaluating the impact of the read/write web on the first-year student experience(Barcelona: iated, 2009) Hall, Richard; Conboy, H.Recent studies on the student experience in Higher Education highlight that a framework of technologies, including both institutional and non-institutional, read/write web tools, are crucial in connecting students’ informal and formal learning. However, there is very little research on how these technologies can be successfully integrated into the student experience upon transition into Higher Education (HE), in order to motivate their independent learning. With the HE sector focusing upon strategies for engaging diverse groups of learners, and for supporting employer engagement, and part time, flexible and work-based learning, understanding how a range of students can develop independent learning skills within HE is critical. This paper will report on the outcomes of a nationally-funded project in the United Kingdom that is evaluating strategies for enhancing the transition to independent thinking in HE. It will report on the formal and informal pedagogic innovations, which support structured risk-taking amongst two groups of students. The first group involves: first-year students in: Game Art Design; History; and Politics; who are experimenting with a range of technologies to build subject- and personal mastery. These technologies include a fusion of institutional and personal tools, including virtual learning environments (VLE), social networks and blogs. The second group involves level one students who are being mentored by level two students, using SMS, VLE and non-institutional social networks. The outcomes impact two areas: 1. professional development for academic guidance, transitions and independent study support tutors, and academics staff for engaging with web-based tools, in order to enhance independent learning skills; and 2. the impact on the learning experience for both level 1 students new to HE, and level 2 mentors, of engaging with web-based tools. The paper will draw out the headlines from an emergent action research approach that involves thematic analysis of student/staff interviews and analyses of on-line interactions. As the project ends at the close of the 2008-09 academic session outcomes will be reported in the full paper. However, the thematic analysis will enable participants to: • Judge the potential of these pedagogic strategies and tools for empowering learners who are new to HE; and • Identify a range of professional development needs for academic and support staff in promoting transitions towards independent thinking, using social media. At the heart of this paper lies the theory that productive, structured social interaction and collaborative working extends the individual learner’s perceived and actual ability to act in the academy and the world, and to contribute to learning in a range of settings.Item Embargo Deploying Read/Write Web Approaches for Pedagogic Change amongst Faculty in Higher Education(AACE, 2008) Hall, Richard; Conboy, H.; Thompson, PamItem Metadata only Developing Digital Literacies by Bridging Skills and Pedagogy(Association for Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDinHE), 2015-03) Conboy, H.; Pettit, I.; Weale, Robert; Kaur, Sukhtinder; Lowe, JulieIn 2011 the Centre for Enhancing Learning through Technology (CELT) was established at De Montfort University (DMU). The aim of the Centre is to work with staff and students to transform their learning and teaching experiences through the situated use of technologies (CELT, 2013). This case study offers an overview of the ways in which the CELT seeks to realise its vision in relation to the use of digital technologies for enhancing teaching and learning. In particular it seeks to ‘bridge the gap’ between digital ‘know how’ and the effective pedagogic implementation of digital technology as part of a curriculum. Key elements of the CELT strategy, and its ‘on the ground’ approaches to catalysing engagement and driving innovation in the use of digital technologies for teaching and learning will be detailed. This will include a series of examples of staff developmental projects that have sought to enhance student learning through the use of digital technologies. It is hoped that the case study will be of value in terms of highlighting effective practices and broader strategic approaches that may inform other practitioners who are interested in the use digital technologies for enhancing teaching and learning.Item Metadata only Emerging technologies as change agent within and across organisational cultures.(Inderscience, 2010) Conboy, H.; Brine, Alan; Clarke, J.E-learning policy and project implementation can be said to act as a driver of change in educational institutions, but institutions can change in markedly different ways. This paper reports on recent qualitative research focused on the implementation of Web2.0 approaches within a UK university. It argues that the embedded use of Web2.0 relies on the changing of working practices and people's mindsets. We suggest that implementation may be problematic, resulting in change being more readily accepted by some groups and/or cultures than others. The way in which the Web2.0 concept is socially constructed in everyday discourses, events and learning communities is explored. The informal and participatory nature of these approaches, which may initiate the seeping of informal practices into otherwise more formal educational environments, can frame emerging technologies as 'disruptive'.Item Open Access The impact of read/write web approaches on the curriculum priorities of PG Cert HE participants(University of Hertfordshire, 2008) Hall, Richard; Thompson, Pam; Conboy, H.Whether the read/write web, or Web 2.0, can enhance learner engagement within higher education is a central focus of current e-learning research. The implications of the read/write web, for: the personalisation of learning; student motivation and participation with the learning process; and, the relationship between informal and formal learning contexts; are particular foci. In order to develop institutional understanding of these issues, one of the strands of the DMU e-Learning Pathfinder project focused upon the possibilities for extending dialogue with PG Cert HE participants and by extension, undergraduate and postgraduate learners. This paper scopes some of the emergent outcomes from the use of read/write tools and approaches with this cohort of learners. The voices of both learners and tutors are evaluated, drawing upon a triangulation of datasets, including questionnaires, focus groups and wiki-based action plans. The authors investigate ways in which these approaches can be used to enhance: the personalisation of learning; student motivation and participation with the learning process; and, the relationship between informal and formal learning contexts. These headline outcomes underpin recommendations for the development of PG Cert HE curricula, and highlight how read/write approaches open-up dialogues about curriculum design. A critical element of future work is, therefore, whether this strategy empowers those participants to be better placed to engage with their own learnersItem Metadata only The impact of web2.0 on students’ writing and on the curriculum: a comparative study(Barcelona: iated, 2009) Hall, Richard; Conboy, H.The impact of Web 2.0 technologies on pedagogic approaches and the curricula is an emerging area of interest for academic staff. Tools such as blogs and wikis are used as part of student learning with a range of different rationales and approaches. Writing and other work carried out by students may either be assessed or non-assessed, loosely or tightly defined by the lecturer. These implementations may also have varied success, from both staff and student perspectives, However, the subject of student writing using Web 2.0 tools has also been a focus of attention in many disciplines. This research draws on debates currently circulating in the field of academic literacies. It is claimed that digital writing on a regular basis can afford ‘deep’ learning of subject material and enhance writing skills and that engagement in frequent, small amounts of writing can offer a method of assessment that is comparable to, and in some cases offers benefits over, the traditional exam-type essay. Moreover, digital writing affords possibilities for self- and peer-assessment and for reflective or creative tasks, linked to social constructivism in learning. This paper focuses on the rationale and outcomes for both staff and students, through a comparative analysis from three different disciplines: Game Art from within a Faculty of Art and Design; Media Production in a Faculty of Technology; and New Media Studies in Humanities. The study draws on several datasets: 1.Student evaluations at the beginning and following implementation: in-depth interviews and focus groups; 2.Staff evaluations: in-depth interviews with staff before, during and after an implementation; and 3.An analysis of student writing, based on Biggs’ SOLO taxonomy . The findings will be reported in order to enable participants/readers to 1.Better understand and critically evaluate the reasons students and staff engage with this type of writing as part of their academic curricula; 2.Gain insights into a range of Web 2.0 approaches and how these can affect the way that students write and learnItem Open Access Journeys in peer e-communication: student mentors’ perspectives(Coventry University, 2009) Hall, Richard; Conboy, H.There is growing interest in student peer-mentoring as a way to enable new students to tackle the perceived cultural, academic and social boundaries associated with the first-year of study in higher education. This paper explores the experiences of a group of level 2 student mentors, focusing on their communication with level 1 mentees using negotiated technologies. The authors draw upon the potential for web-based tools to help transcend the boundaries between 'formal' and 'informal' learning, in order to question the institutional role in facilitating communication between students-as-peers. This builds on recent research into how students use technologies to facilitate their movement towards more independent learning. The outcomes from this experience will inform practitioners and those involved in mentoring schemes in scoping spaces for student communication in more informal environments.Item Metadata only Journeys in Peer E-communication: Student Mentors’ Perspectives(Routledge, 2012) Hall, Richard; Conboy, H.Item Metadata only Keeping it simple: using a standard asynchronous writing environment to foster social presence in creative writing(ACI, 2006) Conboy, H.; Bell, Kathleen; Brown, Stephen C.; Jefferies, Patricia JoyceItem Open Access Scoping the connections between emergent technologies and pedagogies for learner empowerment(Higher Education Academy, 2009) Hall, Richard; Conboy, H.