What’s new in

Teaching with Technology Seminar, 28 August 2008

Stephen MarquardCentre for Educational Technologystephen.marquard@uct.ac.za

What’s new (August 08)

• Vula Blogs

• Questions and Answers (Q&A)

• LAMS: Learning Activity Management System

How to add the new tools

• Site Setup / Edit Tools (course and project sites)

Blogs Overview

What is it?

A blog tool that allows participants to create blogs or journals within a site.

Use it to …

• Create a sense of community

• Record learning experiences in reflective journals

What are the alternatives?

• Forums (topic-focused rather than blogger-centric)

• blogs.uct.ac.za UCT blogspot(public blogging, UCT-wide community)

• Any other Internet blogging platform(public blogging, global community)

Blogs

StrengthsVery simple!No registration, easy to get started.Keeps site-related blogs in one placePostings can be private, site or publicConfigurable permissionsAllows commentsDon’t have to worry about blog spam

WeaknessesSingle layout (no templates or customization)Just a blog (not as capable as dedicated blog sites)

Blogs home page

Blogging

A blog post

Q&A Overview

What is it?

A tool for asking, answering and managing questions.

Use it to …

• Allow students to ask questions anonymously• Respond quickly and efficiently to student questions• Find out what questions concern students the most• Create a knowledge base through managing a set of frequently

asked questions

What are the alternatives?

• Forums (less structured, fewer workflow options)• Email (no benefits for other participants)• Wiki (more setup required, fewer workflow options)

Why questions?

• Many students ask the same question• Students will ask a question online which they wouldn’t or

couldn’t ask face-to-face• Students may ask a question differently (or at all) if they

can ask it anonymously• Students answer each other’s questions• The student questions and answers provide a window into

student thought processes, their difficulties, confusions, misconceptions and successes.

• Questions and answers provide academic support, peer support, and diagnostic insights.

Q&A supports different workflows

• Expert: Student asks question > lecturer or tutor responds publicly (in the site) and/or privately (by email)

• Collaborative: Student asks question > peers respond > lecturer or tutor may also provide or nominate a definitive answer

• Questions may be moderated, i.e. only become visible in the site once reviewed

• Site members may be allowed to ask questions anonymously

• Q&A works equally well in project sites

Student view of questions

Viewing a question

Choose the behaviour you want through Permissions and Options

LAMS Overview

What is it?

An environment for designing, managing and delivering online collaborative learning activities.

Use it to …

• Set up structured sequences of activities which students work through in a scaffolded way.

• Create tutorials or activities where students interact with each other

• Track student progress through a set of defined tasks

• Create activities for students which provide different pathways according to the student’s level of knowledge

What are the alternatives?

• Structure activities using the Vula tools, linked together using the Wiki or web pages (harder to create, less scaffolding and feedback)

LAMS (Learning Activity Management System)Define a sequence of activities (like a flowchart) through which students progress.

Applications include tutorial activities or simulation games.

Piloted in Inkundla yeHlabathi - World Forum Online (PBL2001H)

More info at www.lamscommunity.org

“LAMS is a revolutionary new tool for designing, managing and delivering online collaborative learning activities”

A simple LAMS sequence

A simple LAMS sequence

A simple LAMS sequence

LAMS caveats

• Needs a recent version of Flash• Relatively new and complex: responses to

help queries about LAMS may be within days rather than hours.

• Data from LAMS is not available inside Vula tools (e.g. Assignments or Gradebook)

• Check with the Vula team first before using LAMS for high-stakes assessment (tests, exams) or large groups of students