A question of taste: social bookmarking to support inquiry-based learningJamie WoodCentre for Inquiry-based Learning in the Arts and Social Sciences (CILASS)University of Sheffield

Overview of talkInquiry-based learningSocial bookmarkingWhat we did…What the students thought…Reflections and practical considerations

CILASSCentre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning5 year programme (2005-2010) of reward, development, innovation, research Core community: Faculties of Arts and Social Sciences; extending to other Faculties“Modelling the process of research in the student learning experience”

Inquiry-based learning: Two definitions“Inquiry refers to instructional practices designed to promote the development of high order intellectual and academic skills through student-driven and instructor-guided investigation of student-generated questions” (McMaster University)“An array of classroom practices that promote student learning through guided and, increasingly, independent investigation of complex questions and problems, often for which there is no single answer” (North Carolina State University)

Social bookmarkingSocial bookmarking is a method for Internet users to store, organize, search, and manage bookmarks of web pages on the Internet with the help of metadata, typically in the form of tags. Users save links to web pages that they want to remember and/or share. These bookmarks are usually public, although they can be made private or shared with restricted groups of people. Most social bookmark services encourage users to organize their bookmarks with informal tags instead of the traditional browser-based system of folders. They also enable viewing bookmarks associated with a chosen tag, and include information about the number of users who have bookmarked them. Many social bookmarking services provide web feeds for their lists of bookmarks, including lists organized by tags. This allows subscribers to become aware of new bookmarks as they are saved, shared, and tagged by other users.(Adapted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_bookmarking; accessed 18.05.09)Importantly, articles on sites such as JSTOR, or behind passwords, can sometimes be bookmarked; in History, a large number of sources are available on the open web

Social bookmarking and IBLActive engagement. Social/ collaborative element. Allows for collaborative construction of knowledge/ learning. Therefore potentially useful for supporting IBL… ‘tag cloud’ created by my classes in 2008

Context1st year core History lecture-based module 1 seminar per week for two groupsOral presentations (2) and contributions assessed (17% of course mark)Assessed essays (33%) Exam (50%)

2008 Aims To get students to practice their questioning skills and explore the relationship between questioning and IBL To encourage efficient and effective use of the web through a constructive approach

To get students to practice their questioning skills and explore the relationship between questioning and IBL

To encourage efficient and effective use of the web through a constructive approach

What wedid – 1I set up a delicious site for the students and I to useCommon login; publicWeekly homework: ‘bookmark’ 3 websites (1 primary source; 1 secondary source; 1 ‘other’ source)provide a short description of the site and ‘tag’ the site with a number of descriptive keywords, including student’s nameI did the samehttp://delicious.com/paganschristiansheretics

What we did - 2Collated resources were shared between my 2 groupsI created a course blog, to which the students posted a weekly question arising from their preparatory readings = inquiry? I read the blog and delicious site, using them as a basis for seminar preparationExperimentation occurred http://paganschristiansheretics.wordpress.com/ transferred to: http://paganschristiansheretics.blogspot.com/

Collated resources were shared between my 2 groups

I created a course blog, to which the students posted a weekly question arising from their preparatory readings = inquiry?

I read the blog and delicious site, using them as a basis for seminar preparation

Experimentation occurred

2009 courseIn 2008 I had used a social bookmarking service called delicious and a blogIn 2009 I chose a platform that could host both a blog-type function and the bookmarking/ taggingI chose diigo.com

Discussion forumReplaced blogPrimarily a place for students to post pre-seminar questions or other activities (feedback)Place to upload weekly homework/ handouts

Bookmarking Similar basic functionality to delicious Description Tagging Sharing

Description

Tagging

Sharing

And more…‘diigo for educators’ account – private, separate loginsHighlighting Sticky-notingSharing“I just think that this bit is interesting when we consider how quickly Clovis decided to switch allegiances to the Christian God from the Pagan gods.He seems pretty adamant in this extract that his gods are better than his wife's Christian God. It might just be me but I can't help but think that Gregory has missed something out in his analysis of Clovis' conversion, in between this point and when Clovis makes a deal with Jesus when he is losing a battle against the Alamanni.”

Pre course surveyMajority of student preferred for questions to be set by the tutor, although: ‘It is good to set the questions ourselves as I feel it makes us think more about what we're doing and we're able to focus on areas which interest us.’All students: thought that questions were either ‘very’ or ‘quite’ important to their learning.were happy with setting questions for seminars. were positive about the opportunity to use an online discussion forum for questioning and interaction. There was some concern about technical aspects of the software, getting used to using it.

What happened19 students and meWe ended up (over 11 seminars) with 147 posts to the forum314 bookmarks (including ones from last year’s course), using 590 different tags

19 students and me

We ended up (over 11 seminars) with 147 posts to the forum

314 bookmarks (including ones from last year’s course), using 590 different tags

Varied activities – some examplesLocating and bookmarking source(s) Find and bookmark primary/ secondary source Add description and tagsNon-written sources Find and bookmark a non-written source (YouTube; Flickr) In description, explain why this source is relevant to the seminarEssay writing Respond to feedback on essays by bookmarking a relevant site Revise thesis statement from first essay and post to discussion forumHighlighting Highlight and comment upon relevant sections of a document which I had pre-selectedQuestioning Post a question based on reading to the discussion forum

Find and bookmark primary/ secondary source

Add description and tags

Find and bookmark a non-written source (YouTube; Flickr)

In description, explain why this source is relevant to the seminar

Respond to feedback on essays by bookmarking a relevant site

Revise thesis statement from first essay and post to discussion forum

Highlight and comment upon relevant sections of a document which I had pre-selected

Post a question based on reading to the discussion forum

Student feedback15 responses to questionnaire. In general, positive about diigo, more so than delicious in previous year:Collaborative generation of ideas Practical use in preparing essaysEnjoyed the opportunity to find own sources: ‘In regards to preparation, I like how it's not always reading long pieces of text and how we have to find our own sources.’Freedom: ‘There is more freedom of choice about what to read.’Different way of learning: ‘I like the use of diigo, it is much more interesting, and because you are not only reading, it is easier to absorb the information.’Difficulties: “The only thing I would say is using the diigo site, not because I don't think it's a good idea, just because I'm not very good with technology and I found parts (e.g. highlighting and sticky noting) very confusing at first!”

Setting questions – 3 conceptionsBy tutor: Helps to give direction; reassuring; makes sure what you are doing is relevant and useful; gives focus to research; links to lectures; student questions might not be challenging enough; more likely to lead to a ‘good’ answer; helps with new areas of studyMixture: “A mixture is best to make sure key themes are not overlooked by setting your own questions gets yourself and others thinking more.”“A varied set of questions from myself and the tutor would be good as I could concentrate on areas I enjoyed as well as looking at questions I may have not considered.”By students: More interest; more control over learning; opens up discussion; allows exploration of topics students are uncertain of“I like the fact that we've got to set our own questions as it means that we focus on areas that I or other members of the group are unsure about. I think I've learnt more from it.”“I prefer setting the questions myself, mainly because it forces us to think about the issues in different ways; with the diigo site because people are reading sources in different ways so a wider range of issues comes up.”

Changing conceptions:“I used to prefer having the questions set for me but I think it has been more useful setting them myself as it has made me think about the reading more.”“I used to like just being set questions, but now I have realised how beneficial thinking of your own questions is. I much prefer it.”

Posing questions and sources‘it forces you to think about the source material and be analytical in response to it’‘makes you read the article properly as you have to think about it’‘It has definitely made me think more about what I was reading and thought how it related to lecture topics as well’‘it makes you think about what you're reading a lot more, and opens up the area of reading to different paths of thought.’

‘it forces you to think about the source material and be analytical in response to it’

‘makes you read the article properly as you have to think about it’

‘It has definitely made me think more about what I was reading and thought how it related to lecture topics as well’

‘it makes you think about what you're reading a lot more, and opens up the area of reading to different paths of thought.’

Posing questions and learning from others‘it allows me to look at topics from a different perspective’‘it has been good to see what other people have put and there was probably more variation in the questions than if the tutor was to set them.’‘it allows you to see a wider range of issues that come up from sources - some that you may not even have thought about.’‘I've found being able to see other people's questions helpful, as it brings up new points that I might not have previously thought about.’

‘it allows me to look at topics from a different perspective’

‘it has been good to see what other people have put and there was probably more variation in the questions than if the tutor was to set them.’

‘it allows you to see a wider range of issues that come up from sources - some that you may not even have thought about.’

‘I've found being able to see other people's questions helpful, as it brings up new points that I might not have previously thought about.’

Improved research skills80% of students felt that the use of diigo and the seminars had improved their research skills‘normally the reading for seminars is set for you, whereas we often have to find our own reading for this seminar...I have become much more adept at using JSTOR's search functions.’‘become more effective at researching and locating articles, as well as being better at extracting quotes from articles.’‘having to highlight and tag has meant I have considered them [the sources] in depth.’‘I've searched for more primary sources and articles than I have before.’‘particularly with reference to primary sources. The course puts more focus on primary sources than any module so far, and they were a bit of an abstract concept before…I feel better able to find, evaluate and use them now.’‘it has made me more aware of where sources can be found i.e. not just JSTOR.’ ‘I think I'm better now at analysing how useful a source might be and how you can use it.’

My reflection – practicalitiesIssues Problems with tagging protocols Move from common logins to different student accounts…allows tracking Assessment not as important as I’d thought in generating engagement – though rationalisation is preferable Reminders help Support resources – can be tagged in diigo (e.g. past papers)Tips Variety of tasks Specificity of tasks (what and why) Modelling of tasks Bring the technology into the classroom Support for engagement Other Versatile beyond IBL Room was important Possible to replicate functions in a VLE, for example

Problems with tagging protocols

Move from common logins to different student accounts…allows tracking

Assessment not as important as I’d thought in generating engagement – though rationalisation is preferable

Reminders help

Support resources – can be tagged in diigo (e.g. past papers)

Variety of tasks

Specificity of tasks (what and why)

Modelling of tasks

Bring the technology into the classroom

Support for engagement

Versatile beyond IBL

Room was important

Possible to replicate functions in a VLE, for example

My reflections – learningDevelops range of skills (technology; information literacy; research)Models disciplinary processes and develops disciplinary skills (summarising; use of sources) and knowledgeIt is inquiry-based learning

‘The whole of diigo has been invaluable. It is an excellent resource to find articles for essays and the tags and descriptions people have assigned to journals give a good summary. The questions on the forum raise issues that I may not have thought about otherwise.’‘It is useful as I then identify areas of the module that I am less confident with and can address them with extra reading. They [the questions] also stimulate my thinking, and I think about other issues that interest me relating to the course, not simply what the tutor has asked of you.’