Same chassis, different module leveraging common core content in a research methods module

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Same chassis, different module leveraging
common core content in a research methods module

• Dr Carmel de Nahlik
• JISC ROCOCO project
• Coventry University

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Suppose

• You need to design a new module for a course,
  what are your options?
• What about those learning outcomes?
• Who are your stakeholders, especially students
  and staff?
• How to engage them?
• What study capabilities do they bring with them ?
  What study patterns suit them?

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Operationalising it

• Perhaps you might want to recycle material, but
  how to do this most effectively?
• Many versions of one module?
• Consistency issues..internally and across the
  course?
• Teachability/Accessibility issues? SENDA
• Assessment ?
• Optimisation best of the best ? VLE?

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Our Problem

• Research Methods courses at all three levels U,
  M, D
• Need to manage large diverse module groups and
  teach remotely
• Consistency across levels
• Were there common elements ?
• Should we cop out and go with a text book plus
  on-line resources ?

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We started off by .

• Looking at M level.
• Looking for money to redevelop it technology
  enhancement is expensive !!
• Looking for partners to bid with..
• Finding a Funding Council
• and what happened was that we came up with a
  modelrecognisable by many disciplines

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The Rococo idea
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The project themes

• 1. The development of re-usable generic
  postgraduate Research Methods content
  incorporating examples of research methods best
  practice2. Modules can be customised at the
  point of delivery by including appropriate
  additional disciplinary content, so a Common
  Spine or Common Core of content with a
  subject-specific Wrapper3. Specific
  integration needs of international students with
  a different prior learning culture can be met via
  a front-end package
• 4. Blended learning delivery supports large
  cohort groups of diverse learners offering
  back-up material for re-use by students.

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And then we ran into a few small
problems.?.But we carried on ..?
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So we went for take 2

• And this time we were successful ..

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The Project

• E-support to a short face to face week long
  module equivalent to many universities opening
  research methods week
• Gives students the opportunity to come back and
  look at enhanced support along the thesis
  journey
• Manage resourcing issues for staff - specific
  support provided by centres of excellence in
  practice and CETL .

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Why is the pyramid a good metaphor?

• Mirrors chapters in thesis
• Works for all faculties(even engineers!!)
• Offers a good metaphor for progress
• Breaks up module in to bite size bits.

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Who was on our initial project team?...(and who
survived ?)
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Specific Objectives 2008-9

• The objectives of the Rococo project are
• 1. To test the feasibility of using a common
  curriculum platform for core content to use
  across a number of modules
• 2. To investigate the usefulness of a learning
  culture-specific front-end introduction to
  assist international students in managing
  research projects to deliver outcomes more
  closely aligned with UK university expectations
• 3. To deliver blended learning Research Methods
  content to a value of 10 CATS points at M/D-level
  into an appropriate module VLE (Moodle) and to
  run the module and collect feedback.
• But the approach may be used across many
  applications.

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And the issues we could have encounteredbut
didnt

• Technology.new versions of software ?
• Change of VLE?
• Downward compatibility /access issues?
• Staff engagement and turf issues ?
• Singling out one group to look at prior learning
  culture integration issues ?
• Locating the material (repository issues)
• Support from our Funding Council.

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So as of now we are

• Taking the existing content apart and updating it
  on to the university website why?
• Looking at enhancing Rococo
• Doing another front end learning culture
  integration package for another Faculty for
  another student groupand amending our own one
  why?
• Going live in September fingers crossed

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And the lessons learned so far

• We have probably been very lucky with the
  members of the team
• We have had a lot of support from some unexpected
  places
• The project enjoys visibility without being too
  obvious
• Our Funding Council have been wonderful in terms
  of support !!

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And finally

• We would all say come and join us the water is
  lovely .thanks for listening!