Electronic Voting Systems: Making the most of the technology

Mark Russell

The Blended Learning Unit

The University of Hertfordshire

What do we know?

• Learning is not a spectator sport• Good teaching ≠ Good learning• If it’s worth teaching …• Aligned teaching, yes but … • Learning depends on feedback

• Learning is not a spectator sport• Good teaching ≠ Good learning• If it’s worth teaching …• Aligned teaching, yes but … • Learning depends on feedbackLectures still

dominate?

Lousy practice

What would you do (in a lecture) if you wanted to provide a lousy student / learning experience?

What would you do (in a lecture) if you wanted to provide a lousy student / learning experience?

lecturer talks to boardreading from notes (tone - how you use them)no contexttuesday 2.00pmoffering a video is not always goodrelationshipscontent - too high / too low

What things are likely to support learning

Rehearsal (student) and repetition (teacher) (Bligh)

Maximise students’ awareness of their own misconceptions (Biggs)

Admitting error leads to better understanding (Biggs)

Formative (low/no stakes) tasks provide opportunities for students to share (mis)conceptions -> admit error

Teachers (not just students) make use of feedback (and misconceptions)

Engage students at their current level of understanding (Ramsden)

Stop them thinking they’re lucky or grade X students (Ellen in McKechie, Stobart)

Rehearsal (student) and repetition (teacher) (Bligh)

Maximise students’ awareness of their own misconceptions (Biggs)

Admitting error leads to better understanding (Biggs)

Formative (low/no stakes) tasks provide opportunities for students to share (mis)conceptions -> admit error

Teachers (not just students) make use of feedback (and misconceptions)

Engage students at their current level of understanding (Ramsden)

Stop them thinking they’re lucky or grade X students (Ellen in McKechie, Stobart)

A Case for EVS?

Continuing the argument … for EVS?

“As you enter a classroom ask yourself this question: If there were no students in the

room, could I do what I am planning to do? If your answer to the question is yes, don't do it.”

Gen. Ruben Cubero, Dean of The Faculty, United States Air Force.

Student vs. content-centric view of T&LTeaching or learning focus?

“As you enter a classroom ask yourself this question: If there were no students in the

room, could I do what I am planning to do? If your answer to the question is yes, don't do it.”

Gen. Ruben Cubero, Dean of The Faculty, United States Air Force.

Student vs. content-centric view of T&LTeaching or learning focus?

Highlights the (disruptive)

stuffed curricula!

Technology for its own sake?Technology for its own sake?

Electronic Voting Systems

Supporting the learners (bandwidth)

What sort of questions?

• Selecting response from a list– MCQ– Multi-select– True/false

• Constructing a response (from activity)– Results of calculations

But it’s not ju

st

about questions!

• Predict and share (misconceptions too)• Predict and share (misconceptions too)

Abstracting and debate…

Framing questions differentlyQ1. The pressure gradient (dp/dz) in a stationary fluid …

a) is always zerob) is always negativec) is always positived) can be either positive or negative depending on the fluid propertiese) is equal to the gauge pressure

Q2. The pressure gradient (dp/dz) in a tank of water, 2m deep, is approximately …a) 9790 Pa/m b) -9790 Pa/mc) 19580Pa/md) -19580 Pa/m

Q3. The pressure gradient (dp/dz) in a fluid can be calculated from …a) -ρgb) ρgc) -ρgHd) ρgH

Q1. The pressure gradient (dp/dz) in a stationary fluid …a) is always zerob) is always negativec) is always positived) can be either positive or negative depending on the fluid propertiese) is equal to the gauge pressure

Q2. The pressure gradient (dp/dz) in a tank of water, 2m deep, is approximately …a) 9790 Pa/m b) -9790 Pa/mc) 19580Pa/md) -19580 Pa/m

Q3. The pressure gradient (dp/dz) in a fluid can be calculated from …a) -ρgb) ρgc) -ρgHd) ρgH

Testing and seeing student understanding

Another look at the questionsQ1. The pressure gradient (dp/dz) in a stationary fluid …

a) is always zerob) is always negativec) is always positived) can be either positive or negative depending on the fluid propertiese) is equal to the gauge pressure

Q2. The pressure gradient (dp/dz) in a tank of water, 2m deep, is approx’ …a) 9790 Pa/m b) -9790 Pa/mc) 19580Pa/md) -19580 Pa/m

Q3. The pressure gradient (dp/dz) in a fluid can be calculated from …a) -ρgb) ρgc) -ρgHd) ρgH

Q1. The pressure gradient (dp/dz) in a stationary fluid …a) is always zerob) is always negativec) is always positived) can be either positive or negative depending on the fluid propertiese) is equal to the gauge pressure

Q2. The pressure gradient (dp/dz) in a tank of water, 2m deep, is approx’ …a) 9790 Pa/m b) -9790 Pa/mc) 19580Pa/md) -19580 Pa/m

Q3. The pressure gradient (dp/dz) in a fluid can be calculated from …a) -ρgb) ρgc) -ρgHd) ρgH

Testing and seeing student real? understanding

Contradiction – irony?

Some student feedback

Think more about the subject Answer to best of my ability

More confident in the subject Did not feel threatened

Some student voice…• I found that the clickers became an important part of

the lectures, providing opportunity to express our true understanding of the work that had been covered.

• Makes me think about the module and makes the lectures more productive.

• Good way of realising how much you have understood the topic, gets you used to answering questions on the topic and how to go about it.

• Made a change to the usual teaching plan, made the subject more understandable.

• Brings a bit of excitement to each lesson, the in-class test feedback is also a good idea giving you a small competitive approach to the work.

Questions bubbling around?• Answer guessing an issue? (and so…)

– Don’t cue their guesses– Provide ‘I don’t know’ as a response choice– Tell them guessing is not helpful for them (ground-truth / real JiTT?)

• How do we know they really understand? (why not…)– Link questions in different formats (and post-process results)– Ask them? Confidence rating on response too– Re-use questions next week

• Life is not multiple-choice! (and so…)– Mix question types– Don’t forget we interact in other ways too– Use the responses for other tasks / discussions

• Answer guessing an issue? (and so…)– Don’t cue their guesses– Provide ‘I don’t know’ as a response choice– Tell them guessing is not helpful for them (ground-truth / real JiTT?)

• How do we know they really understand? (why not…)– Link questions in different formats (and post-process results)– Ask them? Confidence rating on response too– Re-use questions next week

• Life is not multiple-choice! (and so…)– Mix question types– Don’t forget we interact in other ways too– Use the responses for other tasks / discussions

Don’t forget …

We cannot guarantee student success, because students have to contribute their effort

BUT …

We can, however, ‘bend the odds’ significantly in favour of success if our approach to ‘the student experience’ is informed by theory and empirical evidence. (Yorke)

We cannot guarantee student success, because students have to contribute their effort

BUT …

We can, however, ‘bend the odds’ significantly in favour of success if our approach to ‘the student experience’ is informed by theory and empirical evidence. (Yorke)

It’s about le

arning

design

Conclusions #1

• EVS has the potential to enhance the student learning experience– Enhancing the classroom experience – eg using

face-to-face time more effectively (Learning vs Teaching centric)

– Enhancing the out-of-class experience – eg better guided study, better communication, prompt feedback

– Needs anchoring on …

• EVS has the potential to enhance the student learning experience– Enhancing the classroom experience – eg using

face-to-face time more effectively (Learning vs Teaching centric)

– Enhancing the out-of-class experience – eg better guided study, better communication, prompt feedback

– Needs anchoring on …