EdTech 12 presentation

1. I Didn’t Sign Up for This!
Facilitating Surveying Students’
Digital Literacies
Anne Wiseman EdTech 2012

3. Surveying Module
• 10 ECTS
• Level 6
• Year 2 BSc in Construction Management
• 2 hours Lectures + 2 hour Practicals weekly
• 20% marks awarded for practicals
• Student cohort this year mainly mature students,
back to education from industr

4. Learning how to
use the
instrument is
fundamental to
subsequent
surveying
practicals
Total Station

5. Problem
• Learning how to use the total station within
the limited practical time,
• Keeping the students focused during the
sessions so that quality learning actually
occurs and that progress can be made
each week
• Practical Write-up do not always assess
student learning accurately

6. Proposed Solution
• Students would produce a short 3-4
minute video at the end of each practical
session recapping on what was covered.

7. Project Brief
• To produce a short 3-4 minute video at the
end of the weekly practical session
• No editing software required – just use
mobile phone or camera
• A bloggie and a digital camera were
available for those who did not have a
camera
• Help was available for those who needed
it.
• Emphasis to remain on surveying rather
than video production

8. Video Task List
1. Set up a job file
2. Set up a station and orientate the
instrument
3. Down load data from instrument to PC
via a USB stick to plot in CAD
4. Upload data from PC (coordinates) to
instrument via USB stick
5. Set Out the points uploaded to
instrument.

9. Assessment
• This project would run for a 6 week period
while students familiarised themselves
with the instrument
• The students would hand up a series of
these videos instead of the weekly
Practical write –up and be assessed using
this format

10. Reaction of students
• Some very enthusiastic
• Some very reluctant to take part at all
• The rest somewhere in between

11. Students Comments
• Why didn’t I make the video as I knew
how to use the instrument?
• They knew nothing about making
videos
• It was another thing for them to learn
• They hadn’t signed up for this
• And could I explain again what I
wanted

12. Progress
• The enthusiastic students could be seen
to make their videos each week
• Some of the others also tried to a lesser
extend
• Some refused to take part, preferring to
claim no camera, no phone, and to repeat
why they ‘didn’t want to do it!’

13. Stand off!
• After a few weeks the students
approached me to ask if they could submit
a practical write-up instead
• They claimed that what I was asking them
to do was ‘really difficult’ and they did not
see the point in it!
• Two mature students claimed not to own,
or to be able to use, a digital camera

14. Stuck now!
• I felt I couldn’t change now as some
students had worked hard at producing
some very good videos
• I also felt that to give in now would mean
that students would be able to dictate what
they were prepared to do and what not.
• I persevered!
• I explained again what was involved and
why it was a good learning exercise
• Explained that there would be no marks
awarded if videos were not submitted.

15. Assessing the Learning
• Quality of videos was not as bad as
students thought
• It was easier to assess the learning
• Still had a problem with weaker students
• Still had a problem with individual students
within groups
• Submission at end rather than during the 6
week period.

16. Feedback
• 69% of students surveyed agreeing
that the videos helped them to learn
how to use the instrument,
• 62% also stated that the video made
them recap on the session
• 56% would like more technology in the
form of podcasts and videos available
to them in this and other modules.

17. Things to consider
• only 54% of those surveyed watched
their videos so for many it did not prove
to be a valuable learning resource.
• Students weren’t happy with the quality
of some of their videos and this may
have contributed to them not using the
video as a learning resource,
• Not being able to edit the video meant
that time was wasted redoing the
complete video

18. Mistakes Made
• Videos need to be submitted each week
• Each student should be responsible for at
least one video
• Linking the video to the production of a
hard copy manual by students might
improve its perceived value

19. Biggest shock
• Students reluctance to try something for
themselves!

20. Next Year??
• Definitely Yes!
• I will be more prepared!
• Students are going to become more
actively involved in all aspects of my
modules
• Students are going to be exposed to all
sorts of technology