This document discusses plans to enhance the Assignment Survival Kit (ASK), a web-based tool that supports first-year undergraduates at Staffordshire University with their first assignments. The developers seek to increase ASK's appeal and engagement by incorporating emerging technologies like podcasts and linking to content in the university's digital repository. They outline ideas like creating audio/video tutorials and allowing students to customize the tool's content. The goals are to accommodate different learning styles and involve academic faculties. Potential challenges mentioned include the time and funding required as well as ensuring technologies chosen do not become outdated or overcomplicate the tool.

1. Welcome
Introduction
Author name
Information Services
Appeal and applicability: using emerging
technologies to enhance the Assignment
Survival Kit (ASK)
Julie Adams, Alison Pope and Geoff Walton
Information Services
31 March 2009

2. Background: What is ASK?
• Web-based tool
• Supports first year undergraduates with first
assignment
• Launched October 2006
• June 2007 – Awarded CILIP UC&R Award for
Innovation

3. Why was ASK Developed?
• Contribution to SU’s Widening Participation
agenda
• IL Statement of Good Practice
• IL Project Group
• Deliverable to support IL at Staffordshire
University

4. How does it work?
• Helps students make the adaptation to study at
a higher level
• Encourages use and raises awareness of the
wide range of resources
• Encourages the development of time
management skills

5. Supports assignment tasks
• Writing a traditional essay or report
• Creating a poster, making a presentation or
submitting a group portfolio
• IL support works best when embedded within the
students’ curriculum
• An intertwined framework approach using ‘hot
topics’ and reflective learning (Bordinaro and
Richardson (2004))

6. TQEF/RiT project strand
• Rationale of RiT introduces students to the process
of research
• IL offers backbone to this process through inquiry
based learning
• TSL offers new opportunities to deliver interventions
• Evidence that Web 2.0 fosters critical thinking

7. TQEF/RiT project strand
• RiT, IL and TSL synergy for a new pedagogy

8. Widening ASK’s appeal
Why do this?
• Focus group feedback
• Awareness of different learning styles
• Involving Faculties to make it less generic
• Updating the interface so that it fits a Web 2.0 world

9. Widening ASK’s appeal
How are we going to do this?
• Identifying appropriate technologies and applying them
selectively
• Choosing new products which will make a real difference
to student learning
• Not using technologies for their own sake to look “trendy”
or “cool”

10. Allowing multiple ‘flavours’
• Starting point:
– Vanilla ASK
• Add your own preferences:
– Virtual chocolate chips
– Technological sprinkles
– Web 2.0 Choc ‘n’ nut
sundae – with optional

11. Widening ASK’s appeal
What are we actually doing?
• Creating podcast/vodcast material
• Designing an empty scaffold framework for ASK
• Linking to repository content produce by Faculties
• Enabling personalization using Web2.0 technology

12. Creating podcast/vodcast material
Research shows:
• Podcasts can encourage active learning (Dale 2007)
• Useful for auditory and distance learners
• Useful for time-shifted learning (Roberts 2007)
• Especially useful for dyslexic students (Berk 2007)

13. Creating podcast/vodcast material
• Created a list of questions to ask academic staff to
encourage them to explain what it is they look for in a
good assignment
• Filmed staff responding to these questions and have
others lined up
• Creating parallel list of questions to ask students
• Looking for willing parties
• Edit and slot results into ASK

14. Designing empty scaffold framework
• Need to create a more flexible framework which can be
used by those creating the content: not just us!
• Need to create a framework which can be used by
students to re-order the content “chunks”- focus group
feedback
• Modification of existing database and using new
technologies such as AJAX

15. Linking to repository content
Two strands:
– Producing learning objects to contribute to the
newly developed institutional repository (HIVE)
– Looking to incorporate material created by
Faculties to make it more applicable to particular
groups of students

16. Enabling personalization using
Web 2.0
• Content re-ordering
• Reminders via RSS and allowing students to
add dates from ASK to iCalendar

17. Pitfalls and problems
• Time!
– The call of the day job…
– Releasing key staff for training and engaging
substitutes
– Timetabling, e.g. for podcast recording

18. Pitfalls and problems
• Money!
– Even though we have received a small amount of
TQEF money it isn’t a lot
– Ring-fencing of how funding can be spent: dates
and what it can be used for

19. Pitfalls and problems
• Obsolescence of Web 2.0!
– Running to keep up
– New developments all the time which then make
ideas from last term seem dated

20. Pitfalls and problems
• User alienation
– Over-complexity may be off-putting
– New technologies may be inappropriate in this
context

21. Progress
• Got the TQEF bid and so the money!
• Staff training courses booked
• Podcasts recorded
• Liaison with repository project team
• Some engagement with Faculty

22. Ultimately, their choice…
VanillaVanilla v Sundae
Image from:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/swamibu/1422981738/sizes/s/#cc_license
conditions of use at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/

23. Welcome
Introduction
Author name
Information Services
Appeal and applicability: using emerging
technologies to enhance the Assignment
Survival Kit (ASK)
Julie Adams, Alison Pope and Geoff Walton
Information Services
31 March 2009