Celebrating Learning Gain and Teaching Excellence Through Social

Celebrating Learning Gain and Teaching Excellence Through Social Media and Digital Narratives Sue Beckingham | @suebecks National Teaching Fellow Sheffield Hallam University HEFCE Learning Gain National Conference 7 February 2018 #LGNat. Conf 18

The role of student owned storytelling, digital multimedia narratives and reflection to demonstrate learning gain and how with scaffolded support this can be used to motivate and support student retention and progression.

What is learning gain? Learning gain can be defined and understood in a number of ways. But broadly it is an attempt to measure the improvement in knowledge, skills, work-readiness and personal development made by students during their time spent in higher education. http: //www. hefce. ac. uk/lt/lg/

An expectation improvement is measured

How can ALL students be measured equally?

Measurement concerns…

LARK OR AN OWL? IS THERE A PERFECT TIME TO TAKE MEASUREMENTS?

RECOGNITION THAT LIFE STUFF HAPPENS AND AFFECTS INDIVIDUALS DIFFERENTLY

STUDENTS PROGRESS AND DEVELOP AT A DIFFERENT PACE Unexpecte d Outcomes The Tortoise and the Hare (and other races between unequal contestants) Aesop's Fables

POTENTIAL TO OVER SURVEY IS A RISK. . .

Measurement issues operationalization - a process of defining the measurement of a phenomenon that is not directly measurable proxy measurements are often required to stand in for variables that cannot be directly measured. fuzzy concept where the boundaries of application can vary considerably according to context or conditions, instead of being fixed once and for all. This means the concept is vague in some way, lacking a fixed, precise meaning, without however being unclear or meaningless altogether.

A POTENTIAL PLAN From the moment students enter higher education they are ALL supported to plan and develop a portfolio that demonstrates their ongoing learning gain

A shift in thinking and self belief Half empty or half full….

In order to develop knowledge, skills, work-readiness and personal development during their time in university student need to be able to reflect themselves on where they are at any given point and plot ongoing progress.

Recipe for Learning Gain

What if students chose their own best examples of learning gain?

Measures Affective How students feel and approach their learning, through constructs including confidence, resilience and mind-set. Behavioural Activities students do, such as work-placements, research projects, and engagement with virtual learning environments. Cognitive Critical thinking, problem solving and disciplinary cognitive gain.

Students could plot their own ongoing learning gain CONFIDENCE APPROACHES OUTCOMES COMMUNICATION

CONFIDENCE (affective) OUTCOMES (behavioural) APPROACHES (cognitive) COMMUNICATION

Students need to be supported to develop the communication skills they need to articulate the learning they have gained.

Scaffolding reflective practice Adapted from Gibbs, G. (1988) Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods.

Scaffolding reflective practice Adapted from Gibbs, G. (1988) Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods.

ABSTRACT Climb down the Ladder of Abstraction Answer: How is this important? Through storytelling learn to share both concrete details and abstract principles and lessons. CONCRETE Climb up the Ladder of Abstraction Answer: Why is this important? 'Ladder of Abstraction' Language in Thought and Action - S. I. Hayakawa

ABSTRACT theory - application - critical analysis Through storytelling use multimedia photographs, video, diagrams, charts, concept maps to visualise learning gain CONCRETE context - examples - detail 'Ladder of Abstraction' Language in Thought and Action - S. I. Hayakawa

Defuzzification through holistic story telling to articulate learning gain and how, why, when, where it can be/has been applied

Studen t in refle engagement c • It ne tive practice eds to be embed de course d across the and at every level • It ne eds to be scaffol d ed • Stud ents ne ed to o it to va wn lue the import ance

Sue Beckingham | @suebecks National Teaching Fellow and Principal Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University with a research interest in the use of social media in education. Blog: http: //socialmediaforlearning. com/ Linked. In: linkedin. com/in/suebeckingham