Presentation by Debbie Baff & Carl Sykes presented at OER 15.

1. The Student Survival sMOOC - Designing
and Piloting a course in partnership with
students
Debbie Baff & Carl Sykes
University of South Wales

2. Background

3. Background
2013 - The Wales Open Education Declaration
of Intent
Embedding
OEPs across
Wales

4. Background
Through OER Wales Cymru, learners will be given the
opportunity to access the very best material that Welsh
higher education has to offer.
1 Project Aim was to Launch an all Wales sMOOC
(Short Massive Open Online Course)
aimed at helping students to survive their
first few weeks in University.

5. The Project
“… aimed at helping students to survive their first few
weeks in University. This short course is free to study and
open to anyone hoping to attend university for the first
time. The course is available both in English and Welsh.”
Expected outcomes:-
● Feel more prepared and confident for life at university
● Be aware of strategies that can be adopted to enable a
smooth transition into higher education studies

6. Early Development
All Welsh HE Institutions involved inc. Cadarn,
Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol
Provided with course structure
Decisions on hosting of the sMOOC

7. Student Survival sMOOC

8. Tech Stuff!
Open Access - USW OER Moodle Hosting (course covering
all Welsh Universities)
Free and Open Resources (Creative Commons) - maximizes
digital creativity, sharing, and innovation.
Using an adapted bilingual language customisation -
English & Welsh

9. More Tech Stuff!
We Love Badges!!
● Participant Badge: This is awarded for completing the first week's badge activity.
● Gold Badge: This is awarded for completion of the whole course.
● Co-Creator Badge: This is awarded if you select to become a co-creator on this course
and complete the relevant activity.
Linking sections to create
a narrative thread -
Books & Conditional Access

10. Navigation

11. Issues faced and overcome
Small Team - Big Ideas!
Continued Development (Technical & Content)
Coding Issues
Discussion Forum Moderation

12. Students as co-creators
Pilot Sessions - Student
Feedback
Students as moderators
Students as CREATORS

13. Feedback from Students
Students from Ysgol
Gyfun Cwm Rhymni
- 2 Sessions
- initial set-up and use
of sMOOC & Feedback

14. Feedback from Students
The following quotes are taken from a recording with Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni Students:
“We’ve had some talks [about University] in school but it would be good to
introduce something like this [course] so that if you didn’t understand anything
you could go home and re-read it”
“Towards the end of term, and just before going to University, I’ll probably go
back in [to the course] to reassure myself about what is going to happen”
“A lot of the information is applicable now but it’s good to have a resource that
is on hand now but that we can also refer back to before and during Uni”
Students made some excellent points about what could be added and who it
would benefit.

16. Highlights and Successes
Positive Feedback from Pilot Groups
Successful implementation of bi-lingual customisation -
good feedback from Welsh speaking students – “People
who speak Welsh at school and home will benefit”
Interest from pilot students to create own OERs
The sMOOC is an OER!

17. So … what next?
Creation of Resources?
Student Forum Moderators?
Students as Co-creators?
Roll out of sMOOC post pilot stage?

18. Thank you!
Any Questions?
"Question Mark” by Leo Reynolds is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Debbie.Baff@southwales.ac.uk
Carl.Sykes@southwales.ac.uk