Presentation to Osgoode Professional Development on multimedia resource design and use.

1. Multimedia learning, 2002 – 2018:
A case study across a century of
digital learning
Paul Maharg
April 2018
http://paulmaharg.com/slides

2. preview
1. Contexts & educational theory
2. Multimedia (MM) units
3. Student feedback
4. Development phases 1-3
5. Costs & savings
6. Lessons learned
7. Challenges
Professor Paul Maharg | CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CANADA

3. 1. Contexts & educational theory

4. local drivers of change: GGSL
Glasgow Graduate School of Law (GGSL)
• new co-operative venture between Glasgow &
Strathclyde University Law Schools, 1999-2010
• purpose-built accommodation, focus on the use of digital
technologies, professional knowledge, skills, values,
ethics
Diploma in Legal Practice
• new merged curriculum for the Diploma in Legal Practice
• introduction of skills-based professional education
Professor Paul Maharg | CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CANADA

5. Foundation Course in Professional
Legal Skills
• Two weeks in length at the start of the Diploma
• Cognitive structure: tell – show – do – review, cycling through
most skills / topics at least twice:
– Legal problem-solving – Interviewing
– Interviewing – Writing
– Drafting – Negotiation
– Precognition-taking – Advocacy
– Professional legal research – Prof. values & ethics
• F2f, workshop-based, students divided into virtual firms of 4
students in each: the basic unit for workshop sizes, eg
– Legal writing – 28
– Interviewing – 12
– Advocacy – 4
Professor Paul Maharg | CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CANADA
4

6. 5
9-10 10-11 11-12 12-1 1-2 2-3 3-4 4-5 5-6
Monday
7th October
Introductory
Lecture and
Welcome
C133
Introduction of
Group Leaders,
Groups, Firms and
Orientation
Introduction to ICT on the
Foundation Course and the Diploma;
Library visits; Lunch
Lecture:
Effective
Communication
Merchant’s Hall
Preparation for Tuesday Workshop
Tuesday
8th October
Lecture and
Demonstration,
Legal Analysis and
Problem Solving
SIBS 101
Preparation; Break Workshops on Legal
Analysis and Problem
Solving
Preparatio
n for
Tuesday
pm
workshops
on Oral
and
Written
Presentatio
n; Library
Visit; Lunch
Worksho
ps on
Oral and
Written
Presenta
tion
Skills
Break
Workshops on Oral and Written
Presentation Skills
Wednesday
9th October
Lecture and
Demonstration:
Client Interviewing
Skills
R641
Preparation for
Interviewing
Workshop
Workshop on
Interviewing Skills 1
Preparatio
n for
Interviewin
g Skills
Workshop
2; Lunch
Interviewing Skills
Workshop 2
Break
Lecture: Professional
Practice Issues
SIBS 101
Thursday
10th October
Lecture:
Negotiation,
Theory and
Practice
McCance 1
Preparation for
Negotiation
Workshop 1
Negotiation Work-
shop 1
Lunch
Preparatio
n for
Negotiatio
n
Workshop
2
Negotiation Workshop 2 Lecture and Review on
Negotiation
C133
Friday
11th October
Preparation for
Negotiation
Workshop 3
Negotiation Workshop 3
lDe–briefing
Lun
ch
Lecture:
Effective
Legal
Drafting
/ Writing
Merchan
Preparation for
Monday Drafting
Workshops

7. 9-10 10-11 11-12 12-1 1-2 2-3 3-4 4-5 5-6
Monday
14th October
Preparation for
Legal Writing
Workshop
Legal Writing Workshop
Lunch
Preparation for Legal Drafting
Workshop
Drafting Workshop
Tuesday
15th October
Lecture on Advocacy
SIBS 101
Break
Lectur
e and
Demo
nstrati
on on
Legal
Resea
rch
Merch
ants
Hall
Lecture:
Personal
Injury
Negotiation
Project
Merchants
Hall
Lunch Sessions on Interpersonal Group Skills Preparation for
Advocacy Skills
WorkshopPreparation for Legal Research
Workshops
Wednesday
16th October
Advocacy Skills Workshop
Gp 1
Break Advocacy Skills
Workshop Gp 2
Lunch Advocacy Skills
Workshop Gp1
Break Advocacy Skills Gp2
Thursday
17th October
Introduction to Practice
Management
Lecture
Merchant’s Hall
Practice
Management
Workshop
Lecture on
Taking
Precognitio
ns Skills
C133
Lunch Preparation for
Legal Research
Skills
Workshops
Preparati
on for
Precog-
nition
Taking
Work-
shop
Taking Precognitions
Workshops
Friday
18th October
Legal Research Skills Workshops Legal
Profession
Speakers
Lunch Final Review of Foundation
Course
Diploma Social
6

8. educational theory
• Foundation Course was cognitive-based, therefore
constructivist learning not appropriate
• What did we use…?
– phenomenographical emphasis on understanding
process
– Gordon Pask: learning as conversation
– Multimedia (MM) as a learning base for constructivist
learning in virtual communities; SimCity, Rheingold,
etc (2002…)
– Lawrence Stenhouse: Humanities Curriculum Project
– professional educational literature
Professor Paul Maharg | CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CANADA

9. educational theory
In most professions thinking about the theory-practice relationship is
still dominated by the applicative mode of use and one or two
dominant interpretative paradigms. This limits both the potential
use of theory and our capacity to interpret, refine and improve
practice. Moreover the whole process of practical reasoning is
almost totally neglected. […] When a group of orthopaedic
surgeons were interviewed about their own professional learning,
they highlighted a need to observe a number of experts tackling ill-
defined problems, each in their own style, and for an additional
commentary by each expert explaining what he was doing and
thinking at the time. Resources of this kind are rarely put at the
disposal of professionals in either initial or continuing education.
Michael Eraut, Developing Professional Knowledge and
Competence. The Falmer Press, London, 1994, p.50
Professor Paul Maharg | CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CANADA

10. 2. MM units

11. 3. Student feedback
(obtained at the end of the Foundation Course,
n = c.175)

12. The resources were easy to use...
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
entirely agree strongly agree Agree disagree strongly disagree completely
disagree
Professor Paul Maharg | CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CANADA

13. The resources were well integrated with the
Foundation Course lectures...
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
entirely agree strongly agree Agree disagree strongly disagree completely disagree
Professor Paul Maharg | CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CANADA

14. The resources were helpful in modelling the
legal skills for me...
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
entirely agree strongly agree Agree disagree strongly disagree completely disagree
Professor Paul Maharg | CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CANADA

15. Content: interviewing…
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
excellent
verygood
good
reasonable
notveryinteresting
poor
Professor Paul Maharg | CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CANADA

16. Content: legal writing…
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
excellent
verygood
good
reasonable
notvery
interesting
poor
Professor Paul Maharg | CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CANADA

17. Content: drafting…
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
excellent very good good reasonable not very interesting poor
Professor Paul Maharg | CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CANADA

18. Content: negotiation…
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
excellent very good good reasonable not very interesting poor
Professor Paul Maharg | CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CANADA

19. Content: advocacy…
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
excellent very good good reasonable not very
interesting
poor
Professor Paul Maharg | CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CANADA

20. 4. Development, phases 1-3

21. multimedia resources development -
phase 1
Developmental tasks:
• Set project timelines (8 months part-time)
• Define narrative structure of resources
• Scaffold the structure and shape of each unit
• Decide on platform (nb – no mobile versions…)
• Commission units from multiple authors (5)
• Resources trialled on paper with students; re-drafted
• Skills outcomes in the Foundation Course lectures &
workshops were also the focus of the course materials
(Two months, part-time, c. 10 hours per week)
Professor Paul Maharg | CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CANADA

22. Can you remember your first mobile
phone?
Professor Paul Maharg | CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CANADA
21
My first step into
mobile comms –
but can’t remember
what it did, apart
from make calls…
Fortunately there are
mobile phone
chroniclers…
see:
http://www.lokety.com/t28faq.html#t015
https://ericssoners.wordpress.com/2014/10/26/t28/

23. development - phase 2
Text production:
• Versions of text drafts produced and altered according to pace,
length, depth of detail in the unit narrative
• Text redrafted to try to achieve a neutral but interesting
narrative register
• UI went through seven iterations
Video production:
• Author/actors had outline scripts only: professional improv was
essential
• Real script was learning outcomes
• Rushes signed-off by author/actors
• Video content was edited, tagged and texted during video-
editing
• Resources trialled with students
(Four months, part-time, c.4 hours per week)
Professor Paul Maharg | CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CANADA

24. development - phase 3
Overall re-drafting - three stages:
1. Tweaking text links between video & text samples &
explanatory text
2. Copyediting
3. Author sign-off, Editor sign-off
(Three weeks part-time, c. 5 hours per week)
CD production:
• 220 CDs burned, labels & covers designed &
produced
(One week, graphic designer + 1 admin assistant
full-time)
Professor Paul Maharg | CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CANADA

25. future developments planned,
back in 2002
1. revision & extension of multimedia resource
scenarios & comment
2. extension of virtual community resources
3. focus on interpersonal skills elements in firms.
4. creation of interactive ‘video projects’ in Diploma
curriculum (in an e-portfolio, have a copy of the
GGSL resources, students to post their own work,
and comment on it; take it into traineeships).
• 1-3 were developed to varying degrees
• 4. not developed, but should have been.
Professor Paul Maharg | CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CANADA

26. 5. Costs & savings

27. rough development costs
Time
Initial staff start-up time high:
• Total of c.150 hours for my time as co-director
• Other staff costs:
– Flash developer
– actors/authors (predominantly Visiting Professors)
– video crew & videotape editor (eventually in-house)
• Staff development time: approx. 400 hours in total…?
• Total cost: c.30-40,000 GBP, in 2002
Professor Paul Maharg | CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CANADA

28. rough financial costs/savings,
2002-2018
• Student time on task:
– spent c.6 hours on MM resource during Foundation Course
– multiply hours x student cohorts 2002-2018 = 20,850 hours
• Tutor costs if NO multimedia used:
– 20,850 hours divided by on average a workshop of 12 = 1,737
– 1,737 workshops x 1 hour x 70 GBP per tutor = 121,625 GBP
• Other costs for period 2002-2018 if NO multimedia used:
– room hire
– ph/copying
– administration
• Total costs for period: c.145,000 GBP
• Cost of MM for period: c. 40,000 GBP
• Saving of over 100,000 GBP, and better educational results…
Professor Paul Maharg | CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CANADA
27

29. other advantages
• MM was a pervasive resource for student during a
whole year’s experiential learning, across seven
mandatory subjects and multiple elective projects
• Student use peaked before assessments
• Students used the resources during traineeship
• Resources could have been used as the base of a
library of resources for alums (but weren’t…)
• Formats could be used for other resources
• Spin offs:
– simulated clients developed in part as a result of
this initiative
– Partnerships formed with other bodies, eg Oxford
Institute for the Legal Profession, WS Society
Professor Paul Maharg | CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CANADA
28

30. 6. Lessons learned

31. what we learned NOT to do…
Don’t:
• use MM unless there’s a perceived need for it
• develop multimedia resources as an isolated
strategy
• define benefits in terms of costs alone
• design without planning
• plan without student & staff input & training
• underestimate time, cost, energy
Professor Paul Maharg | CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CANADA

32. what we learned we needed to do…
Do:
• keep your development plan as flexible as possible
• embed digital learning within social learning activities
• integrate digital learning as low as possible in teaching &
learning interventions
• try to anticipate the operational (day to day) as well as
the policy and strategic needs
• make the resources part of the culture of your learning
strategies
• use the resources as part of a change strategy; but also
as a further agent of change
• share vision & results - with anyone who’ll listen…

33. 6. Challenges

34. how does this century-old (in internet
time) case-study challenge us?
1. How do we deal with sustainability, educational quality
and the churn of digital resources in an era of constant
curricular change?
2. Does the digital in education accelerate the emergence
of new learner-centred pedagogies? Or encourage
delivery-van teaching?
3. usage and personal learning – how intimately do
students use these resources?
4. How to link these with more knowledge-based
resources? See eg
https://www.helmstudio.org/portfolio_page/lexsitus/
Professor Paul Maharg | CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CANADA

35. Forward another 16 / 112 years…
Sara de Freitas (2018) Are games effective learning tools? A review of educational
games. Educational Technology & Society, 21, 2, 74-84, 77.
Professor Paul Maharg | CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CANADA
34

36. Professor Paul Maharg | CC BY-NC-ND 2.5 CANADA
35
https://www.lvm.fi/documents/20181/859937/MyData-nordic-model/

37. 36
+

38. Email:pmaharg@osgoode.yorku.ca
Web: paulmaharg.com
Slides: paulmaharg.com/slides