Engaging the Xbox Generation of

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Engaging the Xbox Generation of Learners in
Higher Education
ALT-C 2007 Beyond Control
Jebar Ahmed Mary Sheard Zafer Ali University of
Huddersfield j.ahmed_at_hud.ac.uk www.hud.ac.uk/edu/l
t
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The Project
School of Education Students Academic
staff Management Learning Technology
Advisors University Senior Management
Methods Questionnaires Semi-structured
interviews Group interviews Lesson
Observations Case Study
LEA ICT Co-ordinator Secondary LEA ICT
Co-ordinator Primary FE Practitioners ICT
managers
6 Schools Students Teachers
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Case Study

• 3 girls and 5 boys
• Technologies
• Wiki and Asynchronous discussion used for
  marketing task
• Quizdom used for questioning
• Game like approach adopted for tasks (Barbaux,
  2006)
• Instructions provided
• Findings
• Customisation of the technology
• Processes Supported by Technologies -
• Collaborative Problem solving, Personalised
  learning, Critical thinking, Social Inclusion,
  Empowerment, Planning, Organising and Managing,
  Communication

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Problem Solving ( Mayer, 2001 Jucks et al, 2003)
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Reflections

• I think teachers would find it hard to use it. I
  think teachers are set in their ways. I dont
  think they would want to use it. (Jake)
• You could just guess and that wouldnt be very
  reliable. If you typed the answer in youd know
  it more . Other people would know then if you
  know. Its not just guessing. Instead of doing
  the questions a b c d e, try and write the answer
  properly like you do in an exam, instead of just
  a tick box, and then the teacher would know if
  you had got a right answer or the wrong answer.
  (Jodie)

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Evaluations of the Day

• When we did the group work of four I thought it
  definitely worked, but somethings like the
  background you had no option that you could see.
  Altogether the day was very enjoyable. The best
  part was definitely the group work. That was
  something that I havent done (Carl)
• There was nothing that I disliked because I
  liked everything. I think I would improve the
  communication when we were in the two groups in
  different rooms. I think you should have a web
  cam and a microphone so that you are telling them
  how what you think so that they can tell your
  emotions. In the future I would make it a lot
  more easier to communicate with the other group
  when doing the chocolate task (Ellie)
• We got split into two groups, then we had to
  communicate using this messaging thing and nobody
  took any notice of you (Gina)

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in Schools

• Tools included -
• Mobile Phones (1), Podcasts, PCs, Laptops,
  Interactive Whiteboards, Internet
• Guiding Principles in using technology
• Progression and Reinforcement
• Keep up to date with technologies and ways
  students engage
• Challenge and motivate
• Open access and Seamless
• Differentiation and Personalisation
• Exploit existing systems
• Allow to Manage, Manipulate, Communicate

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Students views in THE School

• Death by PowerPoint. Just absolutely boring.
  Just sitting and watching PowerPoints flick over
  and flick over. Its exactly the same at
  University (first degree). Ive just come from a
  four year degree, and its exactly the same here,
  but at least at university you have actually got
  practical work to be getting on with in tutor
  groups
• Similarly
• Weve not seen technology used effectively. We
  all know how to use power point now, and we have
  been bombarded with it.
• And
• Every lecture we have had here has been
  PowerPoint, PowerPoint, PowerPoint. It would be
  nice to have different styles of presentation so
  that people can develop different skills, rather
  than just developing the skill of reading a power
  point.
• The limitations of PowerPoint as a teaching
  method were indicated
• I dont think power point should be used to
  deliver things. You should find other ways to do
  that. It should just be a guide, or a help.
• Also
• They tell us that the kids get bored watching
  people say what is on the Whiteboard, and then we
  get the same thing. The kids find that boring and
  so do we
• Some of the problem areas were -
• Replication of Information, Lack of
  differentiation, Lack of use of Interactive
  tools, Unused equipment in lecture theatres

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Recommendations by Students

• Visualise the VLE
• More 2.0 such as Youtube, blogs, myspace etc
• More sharing of ideas and materials
• Student ownership
• Different methods of delivery and presentation to
  increase student engagement through interactivity
• Use technology to free up taught curriculum
  time
• Change emphasis from teaching to learning tools
• Build more social interaction into the VLE
• Recognise prior experiences of students

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University Strategic Implications

• Cross-Sector and Cross-institutional view
• We need to work in partnership with schools and
  colleges to develop our curricula further in ways
  that stimulate and excite students with different
  expectations (PVC)
• Build and focus cross-sector and cross
  institutional partnership agendas on transitional
  pedagogy
• Build strategic vision and capacity for learners
  in whose lives technologies play an important
  part
• Allow the xbox metaphor for engagement of
  students in learning to guide the development of
  the e-learning strategy
• Use technology for knowledge building
  relationships between people and what there is
  to know

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Cross-sector Cross-institutional Implications

• We need to be thinking about the learning
  process
• Merge VLEs with places that they go to anyway
• Speak to current students and ones coming up to
  see what they expect from the University
• Bring forward new ways of students accessing
  curriculum by recognising and accommodating the
  new learning styles students are developing with
  technology

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School Level Implications

• Gain knowledge on students technology skills
  prior to/on course entry
• Accommodate students technological skills and
  provide more differentiated support
• Seamlessness
• Explore technology to allow students to
  communicate their teaching practices
• Seek to provide opportunities for students to use
  technology to engage learners on placements

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Support Implications

• Focus provision on learners needs
• Build on VLE to be used effectively as
  communication tool to improve learning
• Explore how social communication technologies
  might be used effectively to support scholarly
  learning
• Research the technology-based learning behaviours
  and expectations of future generations of
  university entrants
• Develop cross-sector/cross-institutional
  partnerships to inform good practices
• Monitor relationship between students management
  of digital technologies and the quality of their
  learning

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References

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