Presentation delivered by Avril Edmond, Learning Technologist, Ayrshire College as part of the SMUG (Scottish Moodle User Group) Meet event on the 7th of June, 2019.
Using MS Teams as an Alternative to Moodle to Help Engage Entry Level College Students
1. Using Teams as an alternative to Moodle to help
engage entry level college students
Dr. Avril Edmond, Learning Technologist
Avril.Edmond@ayrshire.ac.uk
Steven Fegan, Employability and Engagement Officer
Steven.Fegan@ayrshire.ac.uk
SMUG Scotland Meeting, 7th June 2019
2. Hope, Inspiration and Vision in Education
(HIVE)
• Bespoke learning space within Ayrshire College
• Focuses on preparing young people for life, learning and work
Programmes aim to develop Essential skills, Motivation and Self-confidence in an
innovative and engaging way.
3. HIVE Student Cohort
• Aimed at students with social, emotional or behavioural challenges.
• Already disengaged from education
- lack of positive education / life experiences
• May be a ‘final chance’ for many students
4. Key Indicators for these courses - RARA
Recruitment – students referred from schools, social work and can sign-up
Attendance – to maximise attendance at each class
Retention – to keep students engaging on the course
Attainment – for students to achieve
5. Engaging with these learners
Aim to deliver programmes in an innovative and engaging way.
• Aiming for a blended experience
- Engage students online within and beyond the classroom
- Create a ‘classroom community’
No Formal Assessments!!
- Students compile a portfolio of work
6. A bit of background
- Appeared to be a ‘step too far’
- Did not meet the needs of these students.
Meanwhile on MOODLE…
• Class trialled the use of Moodle
Questions
• Is Moodle just too formal?
• No assessments = no carrot?
7. Trialling MS Teams
• One HIVE class ‘Step into Youth Work’ (SCQF Level 4)
• 11 students / ages 16-19
Aims:
Use teams for communication (staff-student; student-student)
• Use teams to engage learners
- Share other online activities
- Share relevant resources
8. MS Teams
• A chat-based workspace
• Combines chats, meetings, notes and attachments
• Features to encourage more informal chat
• Desktop, online and app available
• Intuitive to use
9. Process (very simple!)
• Staff awareness of Teams (training)
• Introduced to students - online & app
• Students involved in the journey
- Honesty
- Opinions taken on board
- Go with the flow
“Life’s a journey, not a destination…”
STEVE TYLER (Aerosmith)
11. What happened?
Chat:
• Students contact staff directly
- queries about work / attendance
• Students contacting each other
Engagement:
• Within and OUTWITH class!
• Flexibility – accessing ‘on the go’
12. Staff Feedback
Improved:
• Student communication
• Engagement
• Student centred practice
Unintended benefits
• Method of engaging with students who miss a class
• Late students catch up on way in
13. Student feedback (collected on Teams!)
“I like teams because it’s easy to contact anyone in or out with the class to let
people know that I won’t be in that day or I woke late plus the tasks we do gets
sent to us if we’re in class or not so I think its good to get work done at home also it
helps us keep in touch after the course ends”
"Teams is great for sharing files or links to information/websites when researching
in class. Less formal so it doesn't feel as daunting to use"
"Teams is convenient for getting in touch with classmates and lecturers when
needing to pass on messages. For people without laptops/computers at home,
teams is helpful as it is accessible through mobile using the app. The teams setting
is user friendly especially with appearance, making it easier to interact with."
14. Teams encourages:
• Communication
• Collaboration
- Sharing resources
• Staying in touch
• Engagement
Accessibility
- App
- Ease of use
Summary
15. Conclusion
Teams can help achieve three of these four RARA aims
Recruitment
Attendance
Retention
Attainment
16. Where do we go from here?
Future applications / research:
• Increased use
- Embed use at the start of the semester
- Link to use of other Office 365 programmes
- Use of other features e.g. Class Notebook
• Use it in more HIVE programmes
Questions
• Could this be a first step towards using Moodle?
- Is that useful?
• Can this teach us anything about VLE design?
17. ThankYou! Dr. Avril Edmond, Learning Technologist
Avril.Edmond@ayrshire.ac.uk
Steven Fegan, Employability and Engagement Officer
Steven.Fegan@ayrshire.ac.uk
Editor's Notes
Maximum number of 16 per class is the official number.
How many hours a week are students in class? 3 days – 9am – 15:30
Continuous assessment approach - students compile a portfolio of work
How many hours a week are students in class?
Share relevant resources to add to learning experience eg. Websites, YouTube Videos and pdf files. This is between students and EEO lead.
Share relevant resources to add to learning experience eg. Websites, YouTube Videos and pdf files. This is between students and EEO lead.
Feedback would be, Improved learning and teaching, Improved student centred practice.
Currently working on a step to step guide for other EEOs in order to try and get the use throughout
A few questions I am interested in looking at is: