The Great History Conundrum

TheGreatHistoryConundrum

Alex MoseleyUniversity of Leicester

In 2007…

Student Learning Outcomes

• Know where and how to search for a variety of historical

resources on and off line

• Be able to critically analyse internet resources to

determine their suitability for academic purposes

• Have engaged in collaborative activity online to arrive

at a shared consensus

• Obtain a number of transferable skills

(problem solving, numeracy, team working, IT skills)

A Conundrum of your own

Each group has 12 cards

Match the 6 descriptions with the 6 sources

I’m looking for a Number

The first group to stand up and give the

correct answer wins…

A Conundrum of your own!

Problem solving

Communal working

Competition / prize

Engagement/Motivation

Key Features: ARGs for Higher Education

1. Problem solving at varying levels (graded challenge)

2. Progress and rewards (leaderboard, grand prize)

3. Narrative devices (characters/plot/story)

4. Influence on outcomes

5. Regular delivery of new problems/events

6. Potential for large, active community

7. Based on simple, existing technologies/media

Introducing ARG Features

1. Problem solving at varying levels (graded challenge)

2. Progress and rewards (leaderboard, grand prize)

3. Narrative devices (characters/plot/story)

4. Influence on outcomes

5. Regular delivery of new problems/events

6. Potential for large, active community

7. Based on simple, existing technologies/media

Puzzles/Problem Examples

Basic / non-cryptic Narrative / cryptic

Puzzles/Problem Examples

Communal (minor) Communal (mass)

Motivation: Automated Marking and Return

354 Gracechurch St.

Motivation: Leaderboard

Online Assessment

• Innovative approach: continuous, visible assessment to

maintain and encourage engagement

• High student numbers: needed manageable methods - tutors

used to marking one 1000 word essay

• Used three methods matched to three stages:

1. Automated marking of puzzles

2. Moderator marking of discussion posts

3. Tutor marking of group project

• Students could specialise in one or more stages - allow for

different skill sets

Assessment: Discussion posts

Community/Collaboration: WIKI

Results

• 190/200 students took part over 4 weeks

• They solved 3301 puzzles (average 17 each)

• They posted 4387 messages in the forums

(average 23 each)

• Visited over 50 online/offline resources, covered wide

range of topics during discussions

• 181 passed the course (90%), 92 achieved 60%+

Activity

• Over the four weeks

• By hour of day

Student Feedback: Motivation

“our moderator was excellent, he provided really helpful pointers in

how to improve our posts and sent really motivating e-mails to get

us all working on it!”

“the faceless nature of a solely online activity meaning a group Wiki

was haphazardly put together with some contributing a lot and

others very little”

Student Feedback: Assessment

Student Feedback: Community

63% claimed to know more people on their course as a result of the GHC

“the forums… were highly collaborative and encouraged people to help

others. I certainly got a lot out of [them] both when I was stuck and

when I was able to help others.”

Student Feedback: Skills

“it introduced me to a variety of new resources [and] a new

way of learning about the past; a way I’d not thought of

before”

“It taught me a lot of skills that I probably wouldn't have

learnt in lectures, for example the actual processes involved

with research on a practical level, rather than being told

about them”

“We must go beyond textbooks, go out into the

bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness

and travel and explore and tell the world the

glories of our journey.”

John Hope Franklin (US Historian researching Black American history).

Alex Moseley

Faculty of Arts • University of Leicester

alex.moseley@le.ac.uk

moerg.wordpress.com