Moodle’s Completion Tracking feature provides a straightforward way to help students see what activities they have Completed and what is To Do, allowing them to organise and motivate their leaning. Which is particularly important with teaching asynchronous courses. For lectures, completion tracking offers visibility of student engagement, making it easier to identify students who may need additional support.

In this post we are going to be looking at setting up Completion Tracking on your Moodle page, using this to add restrictions to activities and resources, and adding a Completion Tracking block to your page.

What Is Completion Tracking?

Completion Tracking allows for activities or resources to be marked as either To Do or Completed. Students see a ‘To do’ list for an activity or resource, showing what conditions must be met before it is marked as complete. Conditions can be either automatically completed (based on set conditions) or manually completed (students ‘Mark as done’ themselves).

Ways to use it:

• Mark lectures, readings, and weekly tasks as “complete” when viewed.
• Require completion of a video before releasing a quiz (using restriction settings).
• Set up a pathway where Week 2 unlocks only after Week 1 material is completed.
• Monitor class progress using the Activity Completion Report before assessments.
• Add a Completion Progress block to your Moodle Page – a visual, colour‑coded progress bar that shows the status of student activity completion.

How to Enable Completion Tracking:

1. Go to your Course settings
2. Turn on ‘Enable completion tracking’ under tracking completion
3. Then, in each activity/resource settings, go to ‘Completion conditions’ and set the conditions for completion. Examples of conditions that can be set:
   • Student must view the activity
   • Student must submit an assignment
   • Must post discussions (set number)
   • Student must receive a grade
4. Save changes activity/resource settings

With Completion Tracking enabled you will now be able to use this feature with Moodle’s Activity Restriction.

What is it?

Restrict access is a Moodle feature that allows you to control when students can access an activity, resource, or section. By applying conditions, you can make content available to students only when these conditions are met. For example, on a specific date, being part of a particular group or after an activity is completed. This helps guide students through learning in a structured way.

How to Enable Restrict Access using Activity Completion:

1. Open the settings for an activity or resource and go to the setting ‘Restrict Access’ section.
2. Then add your conditions, choose Activity Completion.
3. You can then select the activity they must complete from the drop down lost along with the condition that needs to be met to gain access.
4. Save changes activity/resource settings.

Another Moodle feature that can be used with Completion Tracking is the Completion Progress Block.

What is it

The Completion Progress block is a visual, colour‑coded feature that gives students an overview of their progress through a course. It tracks activities that have ‘Completion Tracking’ enabled, showing students what is completed and what is not completed.

How to Add a Completion Progress Block:

1. You will need to have completion activities set up for at least one activity or resource.
2. In the right-hand column, select Add a block.
3. Choose Completion Progress from the list.
4. A Completion Progress block will then be added.
5. You can configure the block settings (optional) by clicking on the three dots and then the Configure Completion… This will allow you to control how and where the block appears along with what activities or resources are shown in the block.

The post Digital Teaching Tips – Completion Tracking in Moodle appeared first on Digital Ed.

Immersive technologies such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and interactive 360° environments are opening new possibilities for teaching and learning. Over the past number of months, the Teaching and Learning Centre has been working with lecturers across ATU to explore how these tools can support experiential learning, communication skills, and new forms of student engagement.

Early pilots and experimentation

We are currently running a series of immersive learning pilots using Meta Quest headsets, primarily based in Galway, with plans to expand to other campuses as the initiative develops. These pilots allow lecturers to experiment with a range of applications including communication simulations, collaborative virtual environments, and interactive storytelling tools.

Rather than rolling out technology at scale, our approach is to start with structured experimentation. By testing different tools and teaching ideas with small groups, we can better understand where immersive technologies genuinely add value to learning.

Immersive simulations and virtual environments are increasingly used in education to allow learners to practice real-world scenarios in safe, engaging ways.

Working with lecturers

A key part of this initiative has been working directly with lecturers who are interested in exploring immersive approaches in their modules. Instead of focusing on technology alone, we are encouraging staff to think about how immersive experiences can support learning outcomes.

Some of the areas currently being explored include:

• Communication and presentation skills training
• Scenario-based learning and role play
• Interactive 360° learning experiences
• Virtual environments for collaboration
• Digital storytelling and interactive media

Immersive Learning Community of Practice

To support this work we have established an Immersive Learning Community of Practice (CoP), bringing together staff from across disciplines who are interested in XR, VR, and immersive pedagogy.

Our meetups provide a space to:

• Share emerging use cases
• Explore new tools and applications
• Learn from colleagues experimenting with immersive learning
• Connect with external speakers working in the XR space

Access and support

We are also working closely with the ATU Library to provide centralised and easy access to VR headsets. This will allow staff and students to borrow equipment through a managed system, helping lower barriers to experimentation and supporting immersive learning activities across different campuses.

What comes next

Over the coming year we plan to continue developing immersive learning at ATU through:

• Ongoing pilots with lecturers
• Hands-on workshops and staff training
• Showcasing emerging use cases
• Supporting collaboration across campuses

If you are interested in getting involved, you can:

Join the Immersive Learning Community of Practice
Visit the Immersive Learning SharePoint resource hub

The post Immersive Learning at ATU: Pilots, Practice and Possibilities appeared first on Digital Ed.

What is DigitalEd?

DigitalEd.ie is an online knowledge platform that was created by a teaching and learning project team in ATU to provide academic and professional services staff with a resource to discover their digital capabilities and engage with courses, guides, and tools to enable them to teach online and support flexible learners effectively in higher education.  Whilst the platform was intended to support the ATU community, it is an open resource.

In 2021, ATU (formerly Galway-Institute of Technology) launched their first DigitalEd Conference to address the emerging impact of the global pandemic on teaching and learning practices.  Over 650 attendees engaged with the 5-day conference that covered how-to sessions around online assessment and student engagement, design thinking, online delivery, and utilising Microsoft applications.

This year’s DigitalEd Conference offering focussed on a variety of teaching and learning themes to include:

• Digital Transformation in Teaching & Learning
• Students as Partners in Teaching & Learning
• Embracing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• Academic Integrity and Artificial Intelligence

These conference themes align to the National Technological University Transformation for Recovery and Resilience (N-TUTORR) project for Ireland’s technological university sector, combining new technological universities and institutes of technology, who have formed a partnership to deliver a best-practice suite of initiatives and opportunities for the learner and staff development supported by necessary enabling technologies.

Benefits to Attending and Engaging in DigitalEd Conferences

• Make New Connections

Take advantage of the time you’ve dedicated to attend the event to meet new people inside and outside of your organisation.  Are you new to the organisation?  Do you have an idea that needs a sound board? Are you looking for a mentor? Introduce yourself to a keynote speaker, facilitator, presenter, or even your fellow attendees during a conference break – you never know what will come from meeting a new person!

• Learn about What’s Happening Inside and Outside of your Organisation

The only way to know about the hottest topics in your area of interest or the newest technology introduced to the HE sector is to be in the know.  Are you interested in learning about ePortfolios and how to embed them into your course?  You’ve heard about Artificial Intelligence and ChatGPT, but what is your organisation, and the wider HE sector, doing to address it?  Attend and engage in sessions that are relevant to your field of study or work to ensure you take away the relevant titbits of information and make the most of your time.  Participate in the interactive activities on offer during sessions.  Engage in discussions with other attendees to get their take on the information that is being presented.  Stay on for the Q&A portion of the sessions to find out what others are thinking and questioning.

• Explore Opportunities

One of the sweetest things about ATU’s DigitalEd Conferences is that there is a continuous range of teaching and learning topics covered in the conference programmes, so something for everyone.  Interested in learning about a new educational application to enhance student engagement in the classroom?  Have an idea for a teaching and learning project and looking for a funding stream to support your project?  Want to find out where you can avail of training for a new application that has been introduced to your organisation?  Review the programme to find out what sessions are of interest to you, attend the sessions, and take note of important contact details of those that you can reach out to for more information.

Conference attendance is on the rise each year since this gig started in 2021 – it’s never too late to jump on the knowledge bandwagon.  So just don’t attend the next DigitalEd Conference but pay attention to what can be of benefit to you!

Explore past and present ATU DigitalEd Conference outputs at:  DigitalEd Conferences – Digital Ed

The post Why should I pay attention to ATU’s DigitalEd Conferences? appeared first on Digital Ed.

Learning design is a methodical approach to planning, developing and designing good learning experiences. Learning design is particularly important when planning blended and online learning experiences. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, online and blended learning design was quite a slow, tailored and quality orientated process. The large-scale pivot online due to the pandemic necessitated a different approach to learning design, speed, pragmatism and just in time support became key ingredients of emergency remote learning design. This meant that learning designers became the “first responders” during the great onlining due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In this article, I describe the case study of the Digital Learning Design Unit (DLDU) based in Dublin City University (DCU) as an example of learning design and the work of learning designers during the time of Covid-19.

The Digital Learning Design Unit (DLDU) was formed swiftly in 2020 as part of DCU’s response to the pandemic. The unit was tasked with helping as many staff, modules and programmes to prepare for online delivery as possible in advance of the start of the academic year at the end of September 2020. With approximately five weeks to achieve this goal, the team developed a scrum approach to learning design combined with the ABC learning design model, which we called our rapid design approach.

The DLDU rapid design approach was a collaborative process which entailed four, two hour sessions over a two-day sprint which dedicated time for academic staff to explore and learn the pedagogical and technological approaches to effectively engage with hybrid learning. The sprints focused on hands-on tailored professional learning in a small group environment.

By the end of April 2021, the DLDU had worked with 442 DCU academic colleagues. In acknowledgement of the positive feedback and impact of the unit, a permanent learning design service has been created in DCU, incorporating the ethos, approach and people from the Digital Learning Design Unit.

Lessons Learned

In some respects, the pandemic was an enabler for higher education transformation. The pivot online, forced many educators to engage with online pedagogy, learning design and teaching, learning and assessment supported by digital tools. In this case study, the pandemic prompted a strategic approach to learning design for online blended and hybrid education. This strategic approach began as a temporary proactive measure to keep teaching and learning going but has now been cemented into a permanent strategy for online blended and hybrid education at our institution which will continue in the post pandemic environment.

Read the full article:

Farrell, O. (2022). Learning Design in the Time of COVID-19: The Digital Learning Design Unit Story. Open Praxis, 14(2), 162–171. DOI: http://doi.org/10.55982/openpraxis.14.2.485

Listen to a Podcast about the article:

Episode 11 of Lets Talk Education Research https://www.dcu.ie/instituteofeducation/lets-talk-education-research

Author profile: https://www.dcu.ie/policyandpractice/people/orna-farrell

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“eHealth is a term to describe a set of digitising technologies in the health domain. eHealth is an umbrella term and includes electronic health records, ePrescribing, and telehealth”

(HSE eHealth Ireland, 2023) eHealth Functions – eHealth Ireland

Over the past eighteen months I have become involved with a project which aimed to create an eHealth resource for patients who are scheduled to undergo a Robotic Assisted Radical Prostatectomy (RARP) procedure. This was with the project team consisting of Richard Holmes² ATU, and Marguerite Duggan³ Galway Clinic. This project was specifically looking at a subbranch of eHealth as defined by eHealth Ireland as ‘telehealth’. This is a type of eHealth resource, and the aim of this project was to create an online, accessible resource for patients and their support network to access digitally about three key stages of the RARP procedure: 1) Before 2) During 3) After. The aim was to have this be accessed at any time, with anyone i.e. the patients support network, and in its design be accessible for the audience. This project has several phases which are described below:

Phase 1 involved:

• Identification of the issue i.e. patients gap in knowledge of the RARP procedure.
• Researching what has been done within the medical field around addressing a gap in knowledge for patients who undergo a procedure.
• Running a pilot on the concept of additional support and information for the RARP procedure. This involved one to one meeting’s carried out by Marguerite Duggan who has completed a master’s around this project by organising this pilot. Due to COVID-19 these did have to be done online due restrictions around visiting hospitals.
• An evaluation of this pilot by gathering feedback from the patients who took part in these pilot information and support sessions.

Phase 1 Status: Completed.

Phase 2 involved:

• Expanding the research team and bringing in a learning technologist to lead the development and design of the telehealth programme for the RARP procedure.
• Organising, recording, and editing of professional videos involving staff who are involved in the RARP procedure in the Galway Clinic plus a patient recommendation for the information and support for the RARP procedure.

• Professional animations were also developed for self-care which patients and/ or their support network are required to carry out after the surgery. These animations demonstrate these tasks which is hoped will help the patient and their support network complete these tasks after their surgery.

• The project team worked together, and I (Kevin Cunningham – Learning technologist) worked on designing this RARP Patient Information and Support programme. The subject matter experts on the project team guided me and when a draft was developed, further evaluation was acquired from relevant staff in Blackrock Health Galway Clinic.
• Once all feedback was acquired and the final changes were made, this eHealth, telehealth programme i.e. RARP Information and Support Programme, was uploaded to a webpage so that this URL could be given to patients to pilot it.
• Evaluation surveys were created for patients undergoing the procedure which would be given several weeks after their surgery having been given access to the telehealth programme several weeks in advance of their surgery. In addition, patients who took part in the pilot in phase 1 were asked to review the telehealth programme and provide feedback via a survey to compare and contrast versus their experience with the in person i.e. online video calls, pilot which they were involved in for phase 1.

Phase 2 Status: Pilot in progress.

Phase 3 will involve (As of February 2023, this project is at the pilot stage of phase 2):

• This will include making amendments based on feedback gathered from patients as part of the pilot of this telehealth programme.
• Once all amendments have been made to the programme, this will be then added to the Galway Clinic website for use going forward for RARP patients and their support network.
• The project team will finalise other aspects of the project: Editing and finalising a professional video summarising this project and creating a generic version of this programme to be shared with public hospitals who perform this procedure also.
• Finally, and importantly, once the data has been collected, the team are hoping to put together a paper in the hope of publishing a peer reviewed paper on this project.

Feedback on this telehealth programme to date has been largely positive. This is generally because of how it can be accessed anywhere via a device connected to the internet and with their support network present. Those viewing it can do so at their own pace and think about the information which is being presented and may prompt them to have questions they may not think of on the spot had they not had access to the programme. The aim of this programme is to supplement the in-person hospital experience, not replace it or the support which is provided in this way. A key part of feedback while positive, does highlight this and it is something which perhaps could be communicated to the patient and their support network more effectively. This project has highlighted that it is possible to utilise software such as e-learning programme software for the purpose of supporting patients through certain procedures. This type of software is used extensively for various types of training: HSE Land, LinkedIn Learning and many other training platforms which utilise this commercially and even in public sectors for a variety of reasons. It has some limitations, but it can be utilised to enhance a person’s knowledge and awareness in relation to a particular topic and even for tasks, therefore, there is no reason why this cant be applied to medical procedures, especially if there are gaps in knowledge for a medical procedure.

The post What is eHealth and how can it be developed? appeared first on Digital Ed.

The symposium kicked off with an insightful keynote address from Professor Naomi Winstone. Naomi is a Professor of Educational Psychology and Director of the Surrey Institute of Education at the University of Surrey, UK plus an Honorary Associate Professor in the Centre for Research in Assessment and Digital Learning (CRADLE) at Deakin University, Australia. In her keynote presentation, Prof Winstone explored the potential future landscape of assessment and feedback in higher education, discussed the barriers and enablers to the development of practice.

The second presentation of the day was delivered by three lecturers from the BA in Sociology and Politics programme in ATU Sligo. Dr Susan McDonnell, Dr Maire Hanniffy, and Sinead Barrins discussed the development of assessment and feedback practices for the Sociology and Politics programme that align with real-world learning outcomes as identified by an industry stakeholders focus group.

The third presentation was delivered by Dr Bronagh Heverin, Lecturer on the BA in Law and Criminal Justice programme in ATU Donegal. This presentation discussed the introduction of ABC Learning Design Framework to the project and programme team through the participation in the Re-imagining Assessment and Feedback project. The participating academic staff evaluated their experience of implementing the framework and this was shared by the presenter.

The fourth presentation was delivered by four lecturers from the BSc in Medical Science at ATU Galway-Mayo. Dr Debbie Corcoran discussed the re-imagining of a practical assessment carried out as part of the Year 1 Microbiology assessment and the value of re-imagining assessment for students. Dr Trish O’Connell discussed the application of the Moodle Workshop Activity in Year 1 of the programme and for Year 2 and 3 she showed how authenticity can be built into the student experience. Brigid Hooban discussed the design and implementation of an assessment in a year 2 module that related to the ethical communication of patient results. The innovative nature of this assessment was discussed alongside the observed strengths and weaknesses. Finally, Dr Eleanor Rainsford discussed re-imagining laboratory reports for a Year 4 module on the Medical Science programme.

The final presentation of the day was delivered by the Re-imagining Assessment and Feedback project Research Assistant, Emma McDonald. This presentation outlined the research activities and findings from phase 1 of the project.

Through the project a new suite of Assessment Resources has been developed which was launched at the Symposium and can be accessed on the DigitalEd.ie Assessments Resources page.  The collection of the symposium recordings and slide decks, along with outputs from previous sessions can be accessed on the DigitalEd.ie Assessment Masterclass page.

The post ATU Re-imagining Assessment & Feedback for Student Success Symposium appeared first on Digital Ed.

Technology has had a significant impact on higher education institutions (HEIs) over the past number of years. Technology-enhanced learning uses learning and teaching systems that are technology based, allowing students to develop knowledge and skills with the help of lecturers, learning support tools and technological resources (Gros, 2016).The importance of TEL tools and digital teaching technologies, especially in the times of a pandemic, has been highlighted by many researchers, outlining their clear benefits to higher education lecturers. TEL tools and technologies have facilitated higher education lecturers to rethink and revise the learning design of their courses (Pappas & Giannakos, 2021).

In this blog post, I will discuss how higher level educators can continue to use technology to engage their students in the classroom, and also for after class activities.

Software: MSTEAMS – Use for Group Project work, Class discussion forum, Online meetings when required/ use in hybrid delivery.

MSTEAMS is a valuable tool for higher level educators, that can be used as a shared workspace for group projects. Teams folders, shared documents and discussion spaces are an ideal mechanism to monitor student group work and progress. MSTeams is a very useful online space for discussion forums for class groups outside of the classroom. MSTeams can also be used in hybrid delivery where the lecturer is in the classroom with the students but is also allowing a livestream where students isolating can also access the session live or have access to a recording.

Software: Screencast-o-matic – screen recording software is an excellent tool to provide reusable learning resources for your students e.g ‘how to create a pivot table in excel’ – the student can watch the recording over and over to ensure they are clear of the process.

Software: Camtasia – this is a useful video editing tool that can allow lecturers to reuse some pre-recorded material and share with students as an additional resource via a reusable learning object e.g.‘ a video on how to set up software to create an e-portfolio’ – adding titles, captions etc.

Software: MSForms /H5P – Update existing video recordings with MS FORMs / H5P to add interactivity (Quiz etc.) – this will enhance the student learning experience. Many lecturers have engaged in extensive use of H5P integration within videos for increased learning opportunities and enhanced engagement.

Outside the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) – Engagement with additional technologies within the classroom, and outside the classroom for additional learning opportunities (discussion, feedback, assessment etc.) can be very beneficial to the learning process.

Examples include :
Creation of Podcasts, Flipgrid for student engagement, Use of Digital badges to enhance engagement / and as an assessment element
Extensive use of OneNote for teaching Computing/Maths and weekly assessment
Use of Twitter for class engagement.
Use of TEL Tools e.g. Padlet, Socrative, Kahoot etc. for Class Engagement
Providing audio feedback to students via MOODLE
Use of MSOffice Lens App for additional workings for MCQ etc.
Padlet – Class Engagement/ Feedback/Assessment  

Mentimeter/Vevox: TEL tools for polls, Word Clouds, Engagement / feedback within the class session.

Flipped Classroom : Use of technology in your teaching practice can also enhance / complement additional learning methods e.g a flipped learning approach

Flipped learning is a pedagogical approach in which the conventional notion of classroom-based learning is inverted, so that students are introduced to the learning material before class. Classroom time then being used to deepen understanding through discussion with peers and problem-solving activities facilitated by teachers (Bergmann, J. & Sams, A., 2012). One of the core objectives of flipped learning is to move students away from passive learning and towards active learning where students engage in collaborative activity, peer learning and problem-based learning. Pre-recorded videos/screencasts can form the basis of a flipped classroom approach, where students view the material BEFORE the class session.

All tools and reviews of tools listed above can be found on www.digitaled.ie

References:

Bergmann, J., & Sams, A. (2012). Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day (pp. 120-190). Washington DC: International Society for Technology in Education.

Gros, B. (2016). The design of smart educational environments. Smart Learning Environments, 3 (1).

Pappas l.O & Giannakos, M.N. (2021). Rethinking learning design in IT education during a pandemic, Frontiers in Education. Access at https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2021.652856/full

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In this special publication, colleagues from across the CUA share insights and innovations on their teaching and learning practice over the last two years. Many will touch on their experiences of adapting to remote learning and teaching during COVID, and also reflect on lessons learnt and plans for the future.

There are 20 interesting and engaging case studies, that have been prepared by 30+ contributors from across the CUA. The cases will be presented across eight themes including:

Theme 1: Building Digital Teaching and Learning Capabilities

Theme 2: Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Theme 3: Transforming Assessment

Theme 4: Student Engagement and Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL)

Theme 5: Supporting Students in an Online Learning Environment

Theme 6: Supporting Academics in an Online Teaching Environment

Theme 7: Embedding Employability

Theme 8: Students as Partners and Co-creators

Please note: there is a short video available for each case study theme introduction. Go to www.DigitalEd.ie/Book where you can view each themed video presentation.

The journey will begin with the story of building digital teaching and learning capabilities in GMIT and the wider CUA with DigitalEd.ie knowledge platform, under the iNOTE project.

This will be followed by a case study on developing Universal Design for Learning in IT Sligo and plans to expand a UDL toolkit across the CUA.

Moving on to the theme of assessment, this will cover alternative assessment method experiences during COVID, the value of MS Lens and Socrative Pro for online assessments, a case on an applied visual immersive building regulation assessment, and the wide ranging benefits of ePortfolios as a transformative assessment and learning tool.

Exploring the theme of student engagement, we will learn about technology enhanced learning tools, that are having real impact in the digital classroom and how to foster transformational learning in higher education. One particular case study guides us in scaffolding learners in the online learning environment, and a further case study explores the value of engaging and assessing students through the use of the ABC Learning Design Framework. Interesting insights are shared by LYIT colleagues in the area of video imaging and the challenges of Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) standardisation.

Moving to the theme of student support, we learn about an innovative online course on the English language skills and how this is supporting international students across the CUA. In addition, a new Academic Writing Skills Badge, developed by the iNOTE team in IT Sligo is now beginning to gain traction across CUA programmes of study.

A stand out digital teaching and learning support initiative available to GMIT staff, is called the AMA Clinics (Ask Me Anything!) by the learning technology design team in the Teaching and Learning Office. Since May 2020, 400+ one to one clinics have been delivered. This case study will explore the challenges presented to the learning technology consultants and lessons learned to date.

On the theme of Employability, we will learn about the value of a new online Careers module and embedding employability in GMIT, and how this course will be shared across the CUA through the HigherEd 4.0 project and the new Technological University emerging.

Finally, under the theme of students as partner, two interesting cases will explore digital education initiatives in culinary education and a Power App for interactivity in Maths, supporting STEM online education.

On behalf of the DigitalEd and iNOTE project team, we would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere thanks to all the authors who have shared their teaching and learning experiences in this special DigitalEd book of cases. In addition, many thanks to the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Ireland, who have funded this publication, as part of the VIT&L celebration week 2021. 

Enjoy all the learning and teaching stories!

Dr Carina Ginty

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Prior to the pandemic, the Teaching and Learning Office in Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) were busy devising new ways of providing technical teaching and learning support services to academic staff within the institute. One such offering was to deliver more structured and regular assistance through bookable online one-to-one sessions with a Learning Technologist.

The pandemic brought with it the introduction of this new service called ‘Ask Me Anything’ (AMA) – offered initially to a small cohort in June 2020 before being rolled out to all staff in September for the start of the new academic year.

The AMA clinics are simply a 15-minute online one to one session with a Learning Technologist from the Teaching and Learning Office where staff can ask just about anything they like! Teaching and learning approaches, the Virtual Learning Environment, computer equipment, video conferencing, digital tools; no questions are deemed irrelevant or off limits.

Microsoft Bookings is the platform used to schedule the service across multiple timeslots over the course of the week which takes into consideration the personal calendars and availability of the Learning Technology team members. It provides the Microsoft Team meeting link and calendar entry for the client and the selected Learning Technologist.

From March 2020 to April 2021, this service has proven immensely popular with over 300 clinics booked. Feedback from staff indicated a strong demand to continue this service even when students return physically to campus. It has proven popular for many reasons. The obvious being that staff need ongoing support when using Moodle, MS Teams, and online tools to design and deliver effective instruction and assessments. Additionally, it was not surprising that the service also provided a sounding board to staff to talk through ideas and provided inspiration on how to implement them. Furthermore, the AMA service offered a friendly face and support to staff feeling the isolation of remote working and the frustration of having to get to grips with their new way of working.

An advantage of adding this type of support in addition to scheduled training and workshops was to create an environment for staff to ask questions. Before AMA’s staff may have been unsure who or how to ask or even, in some cases, been embarrassed or shy to ask prior to COVID-19. The pandemic likely gave impetus and cover to staff, who could now say ‘I’ve never had to do this before’ or ‘I have had no experience with this’. The AMA clinics created a space to simply ‘ask anything’ especially in a pandemic where there’s no such thing as a stupid question.

Apart from just providing a singular immediate benefit for the AMA participant, these AMA interactions helped to shape and guide our institute wide training as we, the Learning Technologists, heard first-hand the issues, frustrations, and needs of staff. Armed with this insight the delivery of timely and appropriate training materials became simpler and more effective.

The AMA clinics are open for booking all year round and have become a permanent fixture within the GMIT Teaching and Learning resources and support suite.

To learn more and book visit the GMIT TLO Office Internal Website and from there click through to the TLO Learning Technology Services page.

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This post gives a brief overview of an e-portfolio assessment in Human Physiology – a first-year module on the biomedical engineering programme.

The e-portfolio consisted of eight scaffolded tasks. Tasks ranged from students stating their goals in the module to researching engineering solutions to various diseases. There were also some self and peer review tasks. Students were provided with a basic template for each task but were allowed to deviate from that template.

A grading rubric was provided for each task, which detailed expectations in several areas, including content, reflection, and portfolio design. Audio and written feedback was provided to each student after each task.

The outputs created by students for the e-portfolio demonstrate the diversity present in the class. Students used a variety of methods to display their portfolios, including Prezi, and Publisher. Some students opted to scan and upload hand drawings.

Several students produced audio to reflect on their outputs.

Memes also proved a popular means of reflection.

Twenty-four students out of a class of 39 students responded to an anonymous survey on their e-portfolio experiences. 91% of students indicated that the e-portfolio tasks allowed them to research physiology topics that interested them. 96% of students indicated that the tasks allowed them to be creative and it helped with revision for other assignments. All students agreed the tasks allowed them to demonstrate their knowledge, while 91% agreed that reflecting on the tasks furthered their learning. Only a couple of responders thought that the workload for the e-portfolio was too much.

What came through the most in the student comments was the enthusiasm they had for researching topics of their choosing and communicating them in a way that was personal to them.

On the technical side, students developed their e-portfolios on OneNote. While most of the students had not used OneNote before, no one found it difficult to use. Almost all indicated their OneNote proficiency improved throughout the year. Students commented on the ease of accessing their e-portfolio on OneNote. For me, the only drawback of using OneNote was the awkward process of allowing students to share pages for peer-reviewing.

Overall, the e-portfolio assessment was positively received by students. It allowed them to demonstrate their knowledge in a creative way that reflected their personality. I certainly enjoyed reviewing them much more than a final exam!

References

Eynon, B., & Gambino, L. M. (2017). High-impact ePortfolio practice: A catalyst for student, faculty, and institutional learning. Stylus Publishing, LLC.

Haave, N. (2016). E-Portfolios Rescue Biology Students from a Poorer Final Exam Result. Bioscene, 42(1), 8-15.

Reynolds, C., & Patton, J. (2015). Leveraging the ePortfolio for integrative learning: A faculty guide to classroom practices for transforming student learning. Stylus Publishing, LLC.

Weber, K. (2018). Employer Perceptions of an Engineering Student’s Electronic Portfolio. IJeP, 8(1), 57-71.

Yueh, H. (2013). Engineering students’ perceptions of and reflections on portfolio practice in leadership development. Int J Eng Educ, 29(1), 99-106.

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