OLTD Learning Outcome: Critically assess and evaluate resources for best practice in online learning
Evidence: Because the LMS available to me in my workplace is Blackboard, and because I have a literature course offering to plan for May/June, I chose to include an assessment of Blackboard's badges as achievement rewards (see Assignment 4 OLTD 508 below). Providing students the opportunity to earn points for meeting class participation criteria and to be acknowledged with badges as rewards are modest ways (do-able was the important criteria for me for my first gamification) to begin gamifying one of my courses. I assessed the use of Blackboard badges according to three of Paul Gee's principles of GBL, the benefits to students and the user experience (which I failed to discuss in enough detail when I initially submitted the assignment, so I've added to it in the assignment section below).
Context of Evidence in Relation to the OLTD Outcome: The experience of creating this assignment allowed me to learn about the Blackboard Learn LMS, to access more of its potential as a learning tool. To date, I have used Blackboard in my courses as a supplement to my F2F teaching primarily as an organized repository for outlines, text resources and the method that students use to hand in assignments and receive feedback. Eventually, I would prefer to offer some blended deliveries of courses, so I need to learn the opportunities that Blackboard offers to enhance learning. My learning of the badges as achievement rewards within Blackboard was self-directed learning since my college's Blackboard IT support person is unavailable to assist (on stress leave), and therefore I was forced to explore and practice this learning without guidance ... which wasn't a bad thing, as it turned out. My OLTD 508 instructor, Greg Lewis, in his feedback to this assignment, suggested that I design the badges in order to make the rewards more meaningful to students, so I have begun to do that.
Context of Outcome in Relation to my Practice: One aspect of my teaching practice that I have been reflecting on during my experience in the OLTD program is the personalization of learning and customization. Several of my instructors in the OLTD program have modelled these well, and Paul Gee describes them as good principles of learning and teaching. I intend to integrate more choice for students into my courses. Incorporating badges into the evaluation will allow students to choose the participation criteria they want to meet. In the first class of my May/June course offering, I will also co-create the class participation criteria with my students, so this process should make that part of the course evaluation more meaningful for the students.
Assignment 4 OLTD 508: Assessing the Use of Badges as Rewards in a Post-Secondary English Course
Introduction and Rationale for this Topic
If I had been a boy scout, I’d be very familiar with badges as rewards and recognition for competence. But, I wasn’t, so badges hold little significance for me. It seems that children receive stickers as rewards for just about everything today, and my daughter is highly motivated when a little adhesive rainbow-unicorn “badge” is on the line. I mostly missed the sticker tsunami, too; although, I kind of remember my teachers using handmade Bristol board progress charts and little stars as rewards. Gold stars were the rarest and most prized, of course. Did I ever receive one? I can’t remember, but if one was presented for the most times sent to sit in the corner, I must have.
In Avi Luxenburg’s OLTD 509 course, Emerging Technologies, I was motivated to get the XP points because I wanted the percent score attached to them, and I paid almost no attention to the badges or levels I was attaining. I did well, so I must have achieved a badge of brilliance – gold, perhaps. Honestly, I was mostly motivated by the personalized learning in the quests, and it’s the course in OLTD within which I reflected on my teaching practice the most. But, I can’t discount how I was also motivated to get marks, and I am curious as to why I paid no attention to levels and badges.
I know that my stepson, who is twelve, is highly motivated by levels and badges in games, and he is overjoyed when he levels-up. He’s dyslexic, so successes in school are rarer than for his peers. Unlike school, gaming is safe and risk-free. He’s in a Montessori program, so he’s unlikely to experience GBL in his classes, though.
And, while I not motivated by acquiring badges, I am curious to find out whether my students are. Assessing the usefulness of badges as rewards for learning is immediately relevant and applicable to my work because I can do so using Blackboard Learn (the LMS of my college), and I do so for the upcoming May/June semester. I’ve struggled to find in OLTD 508 that which is significantly relevant to my work at North Island College (NIC). Almost all of my cohort members in OLTD teach K-12, and while they may have little more experience than I do with GBL and mLearning, as teachers of children they seem to have potential access to so many more GBL resources at that level. I have searched for a game or a game format that would fit post-secondary English classes, but haven’t found one yet (perhaps I will eventually create one). The introduction of badges into my courses is a small step, but it could lead to developing more gamification in my courses in future.
Age of Learners: Post-secondary (18 and up)
Cost: None. Blackboard Learn is available to all NIC students on PC or Apple platform (and mobile format.
How I Will Use the Blackboard Badges
In past years, my grading of student participation (5% - 10% of the course grade) was looser than it could be, and it’s been based upon my observations of students’ attendance and quality of contributions to class activities. I’ve never been challenged by a student about a participation mark, but it’s perhaps because I’ve erred on the generous side. Recently in a course, I based the participation mark in a course solely on two collaborative assignments, but, in this case, the participation mark did not recognize the efforts that many students made to attend class regularly, engage in the class sessions, and contribute to class discussions that enhanced the learning. It was an experiment, and it was successful in that there was high engagement in the collaborative projects. I am going to continue to include one collaborative assignment, and the marks that were assigned to the other one, I am going move to participation badges that students can earn.
I had it in mind to base the badge-earning on criteria such as creating questions for classmates to discuss, providing a response to a classmate’s question, and contributing to a classmate’s learning (or assisting a classmate). Having revisited Paul Gee’s principles of GBL (2011), though, especially those that empower learners, I have decided to set up the five badges as rewards in Blackboard and to co-create the criteria with my students when they begin the course in May.
Paul Gee’s Learning Principles That Will Be Evident
In the principle of Agent/ Co-Design, students must believe that what they do matters – what they do affects the learning outcomes. By choosing to achieve participation badges, students will be agents in their own learning and agents in the learning of classmates. This principle will also be evident because students will co-design the criteria for achieving badges. I believe that the co-designing will invest the students in achieving the learning related to the participation outcome.
The principle of Customization addresses different types of learners and encourages participants to try a new way of learning. Some students are continually asking questions and/or responding to class discussions and activities. Some students will contribute if called upon or if it’s required and evaluated. By setting badges as rewards, I want to encourage and acknowledge students, in particular, who have been engaged in other aspects of the course learning but have been reluctant to share.
The principle of Identity (Who am I going to become because of my learning?) is important in GBL. It is part of the empowerment of the learning and part of the story. My hope is that because of what I described in the principle of Customization, above, some students will begin to consider themselves as students who have insights worthy of sharing with classmates and that others will be more open to what they can learn from classmates. (Gee, 2013)
Benefits to Students
The MacArthur Foundation in the US says that, “Badges capture knowledge, skills and accomplishments not found on a resume” (What is a Badge? 2013). I am using them in my course to capture specific learning accomplishments.
Blackboard help page, The Lure of Badges, states that, “When students are included in the process that unlocks the access to what they want, you may see a spike in their motivation for additional learning” (2017). I am hoping this occurs with the badges earned for participation, but mostly I am curious whether students will find the badges motivating.
The above screenshot is from the MacArthur Foundation and is linked to the Blackboard Learn help pages: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDmfE0noOJ8
Storytelling, Game Play, User Experience
The Blackboard Help page “The Lure of Badges” states that “… you can allow students to combine a diverse set of badges to tell the story of their accomplishments” (2017). Students are rewarded for specific skills achieved in the course. The “Achievements” page of Blackboard Help says, “You can reward your students throughout the course to keep (them) motivated and create a map of what they can learn” (2017). Despite Blackboard’s allusions to story and narrative, the inclusion of badge-earning on the small scale that I am doing does not create the narrative of a game. It’s a small gamification. I intend for the Blackboard experience with the badges to be clear and easy to use. Blackboard is functional but not an attractive LMS – ease of use and clarity is what I’m going for. Each time a student meets a class participation criterion they will indicate that in Blackboard and receive points and a digital badge level - likely it will be 20 points per level up to 100 points, or five levels. If the badges and points and entirely motivating, the user experience will likely be enhanced because the students will co-creating the criteria.
Conclusion
It seems that I may be the first to use badges as rewards in a Blackboard course at NIC. I’ve had some challenges setting up the badges in the course. It has been time-consuming, and the IT support for Blackboard at NIC has also never assisted an instructor in setting up badges as achievement rewards. I am encouraged by my new confidence (earned through OLTD) in figuring out the uses of an LMS.
References
Achievements. (2017) Blackboard Help. Retrieved from
https://help.blackboard.com/Learn/Instructor/Performance/Achievements
Gee, P. (2013, November 13). Principles on Gaming. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aQAgAjTozk
The Lure of Badges. (2017) Blackboard Help. Retrieved from
https://help.blackboard.com/Learn/Instructor/Performance/Achievements/The_Lure_o f_Badges
What is a Badge? (2013, June 19). MacArthur Foundation. You Tube, Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDmfE0noOJ8
OLTD Learning Outcome: Select strategies and resources appropriate for environment, learners and learning outcomes
Evidence: The evidence I have chosen is: Assignment #2: Extending the Learning Outside the Classroom Using Mobile Technologies: Clark Quinn’s “4Cs” Put Into Practice with a First Year English Literature Course (see below). While working on this assignment I considered two of the learning outcomes of my first-year literature course in relation to how mobile learning could be integrated in order to help meet these outcomes.
- Interpret literature by applying inferential skills and deductive reasoning.
- Represent learning and understanding of literary terms, techniques and styles through written examinations
Context of Evidence in Relation to the OLTD Outcome: First of all, I learned that the students of mine who use the Blackboard mobile app (the majority of these adult students do not use it) mostly do so to communicate with me and to check for messages, add to on-line discussions and check due dates. They do not use it to upload assignments or to do any lengthier reading. Haiku Deck was a useful discovery. Students need to present in my classes once a semester. Sometimes they will use Prezi or PowerPoint, but Haiku Deck allows for mobile creation and collaboration and it provides access to a huge library of engaging images. I also learned more about Evernote. While there are other note-taking applications, Evernote is a good one and it's free. Students can also collaborate on the creation of notes. Most importantly, I think, through this assignment, I became open to considering the use of mLearning in my courses, whereas before this I wasn't. Simply, I wasn't informed and didn't consider them relevant.
Context of the OLTD Outcome in Relation to my Practice: I believe that while some of my students use their phones in class to conduct quick research, take photos of homework and notes on the whiteboard, and check Blackboard for messages, announcements, discussion threads, they are mostly unaware of mLearning apps. I can't predict that all of my students will be interested in learning to use Evernote and Haiku Deck, for instance, but when I add the teaching and practice of these apps to the course, some students will enhance their learning through their use. Despite the Blackboard app being one of three apps that North Island College IT supports (the other two being Ellucian Go, a student-life management tool, and Outlook for webmail) I was unaware of it. I think the functionality of this app is most useful for checking deadlines, adding to discussion threads, checking due dates and communication and I will be able to emphasize these uses to my students.
Assignment #2: Extending the Learning Outside the Classroom Using Mobile Technologies: Clark Quinn’s “4Cs” Put Into Practice with a First Year English Literature Course
By Mac Newton
Synopsis of Activity
Instead of looking at one traditional activity/lesson in my English 120: Introduction to Literature course and applying it to mobile learning, I have decided to look at two learning outcomes of the course and how the learning could be enhanced by using mobile educational technologies.
The learning outcomes I am focusing on are:
- Interpret literature by applying inferential skills and deductive reasoning.
- Represent learning and understanding of literary terms, techniques and styles through written examinations
Two ways that students interpret literature in English 120 are through the discussion threads on the course’s Blackboard Learn site and by creating an interpretive presentation on their choice of one of the literary works studied during the semester.
The mid-term and final exam require students to represent their learning and understanding of literary terms, techniques and styles through written examinations. This requires studying and memorizing some of the notes they took during the course.
Device Requirements
Device requirements for mobile learning to help meet the learning outcomes described above are an iOS or Android phone and/or tablet, and the following mobile apps:
- Blackboard
- Evernote
- Haiku Deck
Clark Quinn’s 4Cs
Quinn says to, “Stop thinking just about courses as the only part of the solution” (n.d.). Formal learning (courses) can be augmented by mobile learning.
(http://www.worklearnmobile.org/mobile-experts/designing-m-learning-clark-quinn-quinnovation/)
Content: Quinn describes this in relation to mobile learning as getting the information you need at the right time.
Compute: At any moment, a device user is able to input information (a question, a search, a problem to solve) and receive more information or an answer or a solution.
Communicate: A mobile device allows the user to communicate with the right person (for instance, the instructor or a classmate) at the right time.
Capture: A mobile device allows the user to capture information (audio, text, photo, location) in the moment.
(Quinn, n.d.)
Blackboard Student App
http://libguides.nic.bc.ca/studenttech/Apps
North Island College’s Student Technical Services offers students support on three mobile apps: Outlook Web App, Ellucian Go and Blackboard Student App. Below is a screenshot of the intro page for mobile Blackboard, which is found on the North Island College website:
Content: Some of my students use the Blackboard mobile to check for content, such as uploaded documents, due dates and grades. The screenshot below of my course discussion forum requirement shows how students can meet the learning outcome, “Interpret literature by applying inferential skills and deductive reasoning.” And students are able to meet this requirement using the mobile app. The advantage of this is that they can contribute to the discussion by using their phone at a time that is right for them.
(Screenshot of Assignment requirement on my English 120 Blackboard course site)
Communication: It’s obvious that having a mobile Blackboard app allows the student to message me, the instructor, when they need assistance. Most of the messages I receive from students do come from their phones.
Evernote
https://evernote.com/
Evernote is a mobile app that allows students to take notes, organize notes, annotate notes, make diagrams, capture audio, text and visual notes and share notes. There is a free version that is adequate for student needs. I have only recently explored this app, so I haven’t suggested to my students that they use it. But, I’m going to, primarily to help them meet the learning outcome, “Represent learning and understanding of literary terms, techniques and styles through written examinations.” Because my literature course has two exams, it is necessary for students to study. I believe that Evernote is a good tool to assist with studying.
Capture: Students can use the Evernote app on their smartphones to capture audio of lectures, photos of whiteboard notes and paper notes. Later, outside of the classroom, they can add to these notes, make annotations and share notes with classmates. Since the phone is so portable, the student can review notes when they need to in preparation for success on exams.
Below is a screenshot from the Evernote app
Haiku Deck
https://www.haikudeck.com/
Haiku Deck is a mobile app that allows users to easily create beautiful slideshow presentations on a laptop, tablet or phone. It’s an app that I have also only recently explored. I will encourage students to use it individually and collaboratively to meet the learning outcome, “Interpret literature by applying inferential skills and deductive reasoning.” One assignment in the literature course is for students to work in a collaborative literature circle group (twice per semester) in which they interpret and analyze literary elements such as character development, themes, symbols, settings, etc. Sometimes students will use PowerPoint or Prezi, creating a presentation on their laptops. However, many of my students do not own laptops.
(Above is screenshot of some of the advantages of Haiku Deck. https://www.haikudeck.com)
Content and Capture: Students will have content from the course – the novels and short stories, the notes – that they will capture and then analyze and interpret to create the content of the Haiku Deck presentation.
Comparison: Mobile vs. Before-mobile
I am in complete support of learning 24/7 (even our dreams teach us), so if a student gets an idea they want to share, or has a question that springs to mind at 1 am, then I want them to fire it off to me from their phone. I’ll be asleep, of course, but I will reply when it really is the morning. I liken it to when I’ve had writing ideas and haven’t had a notepad or a pen handy. That really great, creative idea will be gone within the hour if I don’t record it somewhere (fortunately, now I always have my phone with me to do this – voice record or the Evernote app). Students can collaborate with classmates at any time as well. This past semester for a collaborative group assignment called Literature Circles, most group members connected via Facebook groups to share work and make decisions.
Yes, Blackboard, is easily accessed by students on a desktop or laptop, but again the app allows for anytime, in-your-pocket (or fanny-pack) access to contribute to a discussion thread or a wiki activity. I don’t want my Lit 120 students, for instance, thinking of and sharing ideas about the works we’re studying only on the Tuesday and Thursday mornings we meet f2f. I want them sharing those ideas wherever and whenever they come to them. I don’t want students phoning me or texting me ideas, since my phone is a personal device, but my ‘office hours’ are certainly more fluid than the dedicated ones I have posted on my office door. Blackboard is far from being a ‘sexy’ app but it’s what my college offers and it does allow that in-the-moment ability to engage in learning and I’ve noted that some students are using it.
I like, too, that Haiku Deck offers the mobile ability to share and collaborate on presentations. Students can sit in the cafeteria on phones and create an audio-visual and textual interpretation of literature from their smartphones. Sure, they could sit around someone’s laptop and create a PowerPoint together, but Haiku Deck also offers a vast selection of great images, a feature which is helpful to students.
I certainly want to broaden my use of mLearning and GBL. Currently, my perspective is that there’s a lot of development of these in K-12, and not much in post-secondary. I’m going to seek some out with like-minded colleagues. I have the feeling that it will be some time before there will be administrative support for initiatives.
References
Quinn, C. (n.d.) Designing mLearning. WorkLearnMobile. Retrieved from
http://www.worklearnmobile.org/mobile-experts/designing-m-learning-clark-quinn- quinnovation/
Student Technical Services. (2017, March 17) North Island College. Retrieved from
http://libguides.nic.bc.ca/studenttech/Apps