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Using MS Teams as an Alternative to Moodle to Help Engage Entry Level College Students

The document discusses the use of Microsoft Teams as an alternative to Moodle for engaging entry-level college students with social, emotional, or behavioral challenges at Ayrshire College. The approach focuses on innovative, informal communication and resource sharing, resulting in improved student engagement and communication. Future applications include embedding Teams in other programs and exploring its potential in virtual learning environment design.

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Microsoft Teams Insights•
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
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.
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
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
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
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?
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
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
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)
What happened? SUCCESS! • Students used the app! • Conversation area: - Sharing of materials - Peer support - Gives students a voice
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’
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
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."
Teams encourages: • Communication • Collaboration - Sharing resources • Staying in touch • Engagement Accessibility - App - Ease of use Summary
Conclusion Teams can help achieve three of these four RARA aims Recruitment Attendance Retention Attainment
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?
ThankYou! Dr. Avril Edmond, Learning Technologist Avril.Edmond@ayrshire.ac.uk Steven Fegan, Employability and Engagement Officer Steven.Fegan@ayrshire.ac.uk