Context: In this post, I reflect on a recent OpenCourse I have been completing. It centres on digital capacity and one I am so glad I engaged with. No matter what level you feel you are at with digital capacity, this is a very worthwhile course. Specifically, I wanted to use this blog post to reflect and detail what I decided to focus on (programme focused feedback opportunities), and show the 'story' of the process I followed. Very worthwhile overall, and a wonderfully supportive experience.
The National Forum OpenCourse
The work itself, and my platform for it, fits well with several of the areas of the DigCompEdu framework. Mapping our experience to this framework was one of the first activities, and one I would recommend people consider. It can really help to further justify the work you are doing, highlight areas you need to develop more with and in the vast majority of cases, realise how well you are already doing in this space.
My Feedback 'addiction' & rationale for this work
Essentially, you will see the reflection linked above brought me to the benefits of collating feedback in an actionable way being needed, supporting self-reflection and engagement with actioning of the feedback. I mentioned the University of Surrey's FEATS programme, and you can read more about it in the blog post's reflection section linked. FEATS has always captured my attention.
Hence, I wanted to explore the 'MyFeedback' plugin on Moodle to see how it functions, but to all investigate it from the student point of view. Taking steps towards a more holistic approach to digital feedback provision, collation and action are all on my radar. Could this plugin support the collation of Moodle feedback across programmes? Could students be empowered to extract the key points from feedback received, and extract them across modules so they can see the 'big picture'? Well that was my goal! To work towards achieving this goal, I felt it was firstly important to test, troubleshoot and use the platform initially, before planning pilots upon the return to the classroom. Obtaining student feedback at that point, as well as from the programme team, will also be important in order to both build awareness and identify any issues to further enhance its implementation. We are fortunate to have supportive teams in both our CELT and IT department, meaning we can have open discussions there and feed back any issues identified too. Considering Programme Focused Feedback OpportunitiesWhat I did here...
Once all the feedback had been provided, I was able to then swap back to the student role, examine how the feedback appears and to also investigate how it connects in to 'MyFeedback'.
The 'student' view
Can 'MyFeedback' actually help learners?...
Overall, it's a great plug in and one we should encourage staff/students to engage with across their programme/modules. It has the capacity for learners to be empowered to extract key points from feedback across all their Moodle assignments, helping them see the bigger picture on their strengths and areas for improvement that may be common across various modules/lecturer feedback.
There is potential here for students to have everything in one place, an aspect that came through in a recent national survey. A good example of this is when I reflected on previous audio feedback sent as an audio file by e mail to my students. One later said that on their bus commute a few weeks later, while listening to their library on shuffle, my feedback file started playing in their earphones! I'd prefer not to be 'landing' in their playlists, and having it all in the myFeedback lets them collate it, reflect on it etc. when they wish, and in the one place. Any major considerations/things to note?
From my use of the plug in on Moodle, I did come across some areas I feel are worth being aware of....not being negative here, but just building awareness of some points to note if you are getting started with it like me....
Integrating for the longer term?
When I began to consider the longer term, programme wide integration of MyFeedback, some points came to mind....
Overall, would I recommend a National Forum supported OpenCourse?
What's not to love? You get to be part of a wider group across the HE sector, with numerous opportunities to network and share. You are incredibly supported by the group of course facilitators. Complementing this, you are a member of a peer triad group, which truly is a real cornerstone for learning and motivation. I have been so inspired by my fellow triad members on this OpenCourse, with support, understanding, positivity and encouragement filling our meetings. Listening to different projects, viewpoints, experience, expertise is invaluable and the positive comments and suggestions you get from the triad team can make such a difference in your motivation and work too. Your colleagues can see things that maybe you didn't notice or consider, or perhaps they have tried and tested something similar before. All in all, it's been a wonderful journey to have made such strong connections with colleagues and leaders from other institutions.
PD can take place in so many diverse forms, with contribution from an array of sources - including within! Many reported previously that capturing the elements of their PD was difficult. In recent years, the broadening of ePortfolio possibilities has provided numerous avenues to assist, to collate and display evidence and reflections.
Going back to the framework, consideration has been given to all forms of PD activities and how they can be 'classified' or categorised. Engaging with Table 1 of the framework document allows you to consider activities that are non-accredited (including collaborative, unstructured and structured) and those that are accredited, such as a masters etc. Very helpful to get you started with how you could categorise your PD in recent times - as well as realise the extent of PD we are often engaged with. Identify a professional event that had an immediate significant effect on you. Select one that either encouraged or forced you to react immediately and/or to subsequently reflect on your practice. A few years ago, I attended a visiting speaker present in DkIT around assessment, a leader in the field who was in Ireland at the time (Prof. Chris Rust). He gave a lunchtime seminar to staff associated with the MA in Teaching and Learning. I have been to many seminars, events etc. over the years, but this one inspired me to reflect....and most importantly....act on my reflection. Describe how you felt when this event occurred. What immediate thoughts occurred to you? Immediately, I drew on the inspiration and motivation one can draw from attending a visiting speaker seminar. When I was working in science research, at NUIG, we had visiting national and international speakers almost on a weekly basis. This allowed networking, sharing of ideas and most importantly collaborations to form. It was almost part of the weekly schedule. So I did think back to that a bit, and perhaps how I missed this element (although now, with the way things are, and events such as the NF seminar series, we do have opportunities to virtually attend 'guest speaker' sessions). Referring to the event outlined in Q1, the value of self-assessment, and including this approach in assessment strategies, was discussed. My immediate thoughts were around the potential benefit for my students (of this approach being integrated), and how I could work on including an element of this in my assessment of practicals (a project I was working on at the time, introducing more formative approaches etc.). What action, if any, did you take when this event occurred? I designed a self-assessment sheet, and included it in the laboratory practical manual. Here, students had to self assess against a rubric and then identify certain features they were happy/not happy with regarding their submission. This form would be submitted with their lab reports. Examining this further, students fed back that it made them reflect and think about their work more - with some saying it made them feel guilty as they knew they could do better. Hearing these aspects, and knowing that students were reflecting and considering their work, and its quality, before submitting was great to hear. After the event was over, how did you reflect on the event and any actions you took? Would you do things differently now? What would you do? Overall, this event led to a benefit for my students, so that was the main aspect, i.e. that it had a positive impact. They were considering their own work before submitting, even identifying areas they would work to improve on. I still reflect on this event a lot, and consider it a trigger point for me with this element of assessment. With the introduction of the self-assessment forms, and other assessment aspects, I surveyed the class group and engaged with focus group discussions for feedback on it. This led to further iterations, but it is an element still used in the manual currently. I was proud I took an active approach to something from the seminar I attended, and am grateful to Prof. Rust for how he broke it down in to a simple approach to consider, with the self-assessment aspect really resonating with me. If I was starting again with this process from scratch, i would include a student partner group in developing the rubric and forms...this is something I am considering doing in the near future with the next iteration. Professional development has become a key element for one's career, and personal progress. In recent years, PD has been named as one of the National Forum's strategic priority areas. Like many, I have encountered PD quite often, albeit in many environments. I learn quite a lot from my colleagues in informal discussions, yet that is often not 'captured', while if I complete a formal accredited course, that is more visual. I was delighted to see the NF PD framework begin to provide a platform to document and capture all forms of PD ranging across the four typologies, and five domains. I enrolled for this course for several reasons. PD is a constant goal (it's almost personal as well as professional development!). This course provides a unique opportunity for me to build my network, meet new colleagues and explore new ways of thinking - and of course be part of a peer triad group. It will also allow me to be a participant in a fully online course, while providing me with an impetus to consolidate my PD work, and develop a structure to move forward with. Very excited to get going! |
Ronan BreeEducation Developer,Science Lecturer, Archives
March 2023
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Any opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer.
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