2 Oct 07

present: CW, CJRW, SJ, AC, NY, CC, RB, MG, DW, KC, JB, BG, JS

Journal Club

Christine presented a paper on the use of text messaging at University of Birmingham. The research invovled a very limited cohort and unconventional students but demonstrated that text could be useful for contacting students. JB to investigate the proposed text system for University of Leicester that is currently under review.

External speakers

JS asked for suggestions of external speakers for meetings. It was generally agreed that perhaps only one or two sessions a year should have external speakers as the pattern of meeting once a month was about right. Suggestions included Wes Streeting or other Student representatives. AC asked for suggestions by email.

Feedback from TEF meeting 17 Sept, National Space Centre

JB gave a summary of the meeting.

Alan Cann - Microchunking

Alan gave a presentation and sought feedback on the idea of microchunking which he is trialling in BS3035 using the Learning Objects plug-in for blackboard which allows a blog to be displayed and commented on.

He began with an overview of the 2 sigma problem (Benjamin Bloom) which compared three teaching methods at University of Chicago in the mid 1980's. This demosntrated that tutoring students, providing formative tests and giving one to one feedback provided a dramatic increase in the clas mean and students at the first class level. Although this is generally accepted as true, it is also recognised that it is a prohibitively expensive way of teaching in HE.

David Weinberger's recent book 'everything is miscellaneous'  gave Alan the idea that digital information is more powerful when broken down into small chunks and re-analysed by lots of people. Hence the idea to ask students to comment regularly on the blog on BS3035.

Alan asked for volunteers to trial this new idea later this term.