New learners in more diverse classrooms, by Jasper Shotts

1. Tools and Habits for flipped learning success
New learners in more diverse classrooms
Jasper Shotts Principal Lecturer
School Director of Teaching and Learning
School of Health and Social Care
jshotts@Lincoln.ac.uk

2. Background
• University of Lincoln has students as producers ethos and well established
student engagement strategy with 48 Student Engagement Champions
• This presentation draws on 5 years experience in the flipped classroom
experience and training students for the Student Consultants on Teaching
project to observe and give feedback on teaching and assessment practice.
SCoT recruits shortly to be trained and set in motion across the institution!

3. Focus
How do Teachers and Learners interact
to learn in digital and physical spaces?
Dialogue to change student engagement practice beyond my institution
Informing a Principal Fellowship HEA application ; strategic leadership to enhance student learning

4. Cross-Sector Activity
• So much new technology and change – easy to get overloaded with “good
practice examples”
• Increasing reliance on online platforms to share practice – good website
design needed to maintain accessibility, currency and relevance of examples.
“Successful online learning takes place in a clear context”
(Jisc successful online learning consultation 2016)

5. Pedagogy before technology
Flipped–classroom approach co-constructivist and participatory
• Virtual learning environment designed to engage students individually and earlier
online, preparation for more active engagement/co-production in class.
• Use short introductory films online to reduce length of presentations/lectures.
• Create more teaching time and space for varied activities, reflection and critical
thinking to support different learning styles and self-regulated learning.
Mayes and De Freitas (2013,26)

6. Framing Flipped Learner Experience
Student views
within and
beyond a
discipline
Jisc National meet
up showcase June
2015

7. My topic; New Learners in Higher Education
1) Transition from School /(and increasingly) FE
2) Exposure to new approaches
3) Not every new student is digitally ready
4) Catering for different learners in the flipped classroom

8. A Teaching Challenge
How to meet, greet and seat diverse new learners?

9. Ways to know new learners better
Before Class
Prepare More
• Profile learners
• Make online materials highly accessible
• Give students a preparatory online task
In Class
Vary
Experiences
• Introduce varied teaching diet
• Offer learners participation choices
• Co-produce learning
Beyond Class
Involve
Students More
• Recruit students to
review session

10. Ways for Students to know HE Culture Better
student-student international discourse
1) Film international student exit interviews to share with new students.
2) Short films and survey activities to introduce learning culture and module
concepts ahead of teaching sessions.

11. Case study; a diverse learner group
• Out of 64 students in a 1st year undergraduate student cohort starting 2017;
15 are certificate entry level students (needing overall mark of 50% at level 1)
8 are mature learners and some are international students
In this study I will show you no student was familiar with digital tools used the
teaching session (wordle and google forms)

12. Increase Digital Readiness
Before Class
• Give new students digital tasks to do online so they consider and scale their
digital readiness against teacher expectations
During Class
• Get students to bring their preferred device and use to do digital tasks. While
they do this observe student digital behaviour and intervene as needed

13. I`m a quiet learner get me out of here?
1) Use real world case studies and do not rely on groupwork/ discussion.
2) Use intuitive digital tools to frame learning activities, keep individual responses
anonymous and widen participation. (google form)
3) Display the range of responses (word clouds) – Use wordle to display google
form content and present online contributions in class
Tips - Give many learner groups a common task and compare word cloud responses
- Use word clouds chronologically to measure changing student experience.

14. Real World
Case Studies

15. Roundtable ( round the room) activity
• Split students into smaller groups in different parts of a large room. Get
each group to work on a poster activity. Each student records their response
• Every 6 minutes each small group rotates clockwise to the next activity until
each group has contributed to all (5) poster activities.
• Dovetail technique - One activity get already well engaged learners to give
some feedback on their learning experience (learning style)
1
2
3
4
5

17. Most enjoyed the poster activity but for different reasons
- As individuals (solitary and visual)
- Working in small groups (social, aural and verbal)
- As a whole group, reflecting and overview of the process (logical and visual)

18. Review a Teaching Session with Students
MWhat worked well in teaching ? How useful /what could be better ?
“A new and great experience even on group chat
afterwards we said it was quite fun.”
“Spend less time reviewing contributions – keep this
part shorter otherwise it gets boring.”
“I feel more comfortable working in smaller groups
rather than sitting there alone trying to figure it out.”
“As a verbal learner paired exercises would also have
helped my learning.”
“You hold back from saying things in front of the
whole group but given choices in small groups and
online you say more.”
“More physical activities has given me a lesson to remember…we did that then.”

19. Habits for Flipped Learner Success
- Engage before, during and after every class
- Plan for working through all the materials and with other learners
- Pace your learning to get into the right rhythm early on
- Clarify often what teachers expect and what to expect of yourself

20. Flipped Teacher Habits
1) Prepare your materials earlier
2) Layer your materials, give very clear instructions, put objects together in the right places
3) Sequence and reshape delivery to facilitate learner self-efficacy
4) Capture the learning digitally to connect learners and different groups
https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/blog/talking-teaching-why-i-became-hea-fellow-jasper-shotts

21. References
• Jisc webinar What makes a successful learner 12.01.17 accessed 17.10.17
https://www.jisc.ac.uk/events/what-makes-a-successful-online-learner-12-jan-2017
• De Mayes and Freitas (2013) Technology enhanced learning; the role of theory in Beetham
and Sharpe (Eds) Rethinking pedagogy for a digital age Abingdon;Routledge
• Shotts J (2016) Higher Education Academy Blog Article “Why I Became a Fellow”
https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/blog/talking-teaching-why-i-became-hea-fellow-jasper-shotts