Watch the recording of the M&L Webinar: New assessment strategies in the media-rich class with Andrew Whitworth, University of Manchester, UK and Brendan Calandra, Georgia State University, USA. This webinar was held on 15 January 2015, supported by the Media & Learning Association.

1. New assessment strategies
(video, podcast and more)
Andrew Whitworth
Manchester Institute of Education
January 2015

2. The context
• MA: Digital Technologies, Communication and
Education — University of Manchester
Run as both an on-campus and distance learning programme since
2007. Approximately 60 students in 2014-15, located worldwide

3. Course ethos
• Complex logistics — the DL and on-campus
experiences are kept as close as possible
• Reflective practice is central
• Students build a portfolio of material, but also a
theoretically-informed perspective on their work
as a whole.

4. • The ideal is to bring different technologies
‘naturally’ into the course environment
• Aim is that students will gravitate to what they
feel comfortable with — but understand why it
adds value to the learning environment

5. Assessment…
• … must therefore allow students the opportunity
to apply technical knowledge in specific contexts;
• to reflect on this experience;
• and to do so in formats that are amenable to
being undertaken by distance learners.

6. Podcasts
• Students on the Digital, Media and Information
Literacy course are asked to put together a 15-
minute podcast
• Discuss, compare and contrast two pieces of
literature
• As well as being summative assessment, the
podcasts then serve as resources for other students,
wanting to draw on these works

7. • Students use a range of platforms for their podcasts,
including Podomatic or (with accompanying visuals)
YouTube or Prezi
e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nI5178Fr-4
note the number of views
(work done May 2014)

8. Video
• https://madigitaltechnologies.wordpress.com/201
3/11/26/producing-video-for-teaching-and-
learning/

9. Multimedia
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/apps/mywordbook-
2
MA: DTCE dissertations allow students to
conduct design-based (rather than research-
based) projects
Not an option for every course, admittedly:
but the increased access to design software
does make it an option for many
See Neil Ballantyne’s “My Word Book” app:

10. http://nexus-multimedia.com/newsonatlas2.com/
… and the “News on Atlas” app (created by Will
Fastiggi)