Dr Steve Fletcher School of Maritime and Coastal Studies Southampton Institute

1
Integrating a VLE into classroom teaching a
virtual fieldtrip to Cromarty Firth
Dr Steve FletcherSchool of Maritime and
Coastal StudiesSouthampton Institutesteve.fletc
her_at_solent.ac.uk
2
Motivation

• Limited resources and time for real visit
• Need to transfer concept of Coastal Zone
  Management to reality
• Awareness of benefits of VLE use
• Desire to try something new
• Receipt of funding

3
Virtual Field Course Resources

• Tour of the Cromarty Firth
• Interviews with stakeholders
• Conference proceedings
• Newsletters and reports
• Links and references

4
(No Transcript)
5
(No Transcript)
6
(No Transcript)
7

• How to integrate the VFC into the teaching
  programme?
• PBL!

8

• PBL development tasks
• Write PBL scenarios link to syllabus
• Integrate with teaching programme
• Integrate with assessment
• Design VLE content
• Provide full guidance notes

9

• Each group is provided with
• Specific scenario
• Introduction to PBL and VLE
• Written information pack (papers)
• List of further information available (maps,
  etc.)

10

• PBL process
• Briefing and initial problem orientation
• Review and redefinition of tasks
• Share results Conference
• Then
• Conference presentations placed on VLE
• Student self- assessment

11
VLE Evaluation

• Questionnaire with 22 students
• Review of VLE usage
• Headline results
• Poor group skills was a constraint
• we didnt split up the work properly
• PBL perceived positively
• 76 felt they learned more through PBL

12

• Benefits for poorly motivated students
• Poorly motivated students reported comparable
  learning benefits
• Enjoyable
• 86 felt they enjoyed the PBL process
• Other comments
• want more lecturing
• waste of time (x1)
• Revision concern

13
Reflections

• Success factors
• Integrate the VLE to the teaching programme
• Provide upfront group work training
• Be transparent about the teaching strategy
• Evaluate and modify
• Re-think normal student-teacher roles