1. Layered Conversations:
a Blended Learning Approach to
Building Critical Reflection Skills
Dr. Beth Cross
Karen Timoney

2. Context
Community Learning and Participation Degree
Programme delivered through a blended approach of
12 face to face hours, 50 hours on-line learning, and 50
hours independent learning.

3. Course Context
The course requires students to synthesise
information from several social science
disciplines and apply it to the development of
professional skills, framed by the CLD Standards
Council’s competencies(2009).

4. Problem
• How to develop critical thinking and group
discussion skills that underpin both academic and
employment skills in a limited time frame for a
dispersed student group of non-traditional
learners?
• How to:
“establish patterns of reciprocal communication
and create a place of trust and respect in which
reflection and exploration can flourish” (Boud and
Walker 1998: 204).

5. Theoretical Underpinning
Fink’s Taxonomy (2003)

6. Theoretical Underpinnings
Community of Enquiry
(Sapere 2013)
Touchstones Programme
(St. John’s College 2013)

7. Year One Approach
• Set targeted readings
• Set a framework for discussion
• Video discussion
• Host on Vimeo
• Link to forum within Module Moodle site.
• Moderate Forum
• Link to subsequent discussions until all members
of class have participated.
• Provide consistent advice on how discussion links
to practice and assessment.

8. Year Two Approach
• Students participate in a recorded field visit
where practice is relevant to core issues in
citizenship curriculum.
• Engage in a post visit reflective recorded session.
• Both are posted to moodle site and provide
content for a forum discussion.
• In second face to face day text based approach
for year one is followed and supplemented by
also drawing on key moments in discussion and
forum posts.

9. Intended Outcomes
• Students enrich their understanding of key concepts
through sharing multiple perspectives and building on
each other’s knowledge.
• The opportunity to replay what they have discussed
supports transition from spoken to written analysis.
• The sequencing of discussions provides entry to text
encouraging engagement that otherwise might falter.
• Provided a sense of continuity without demanding
weekly travel to campus thus supporting students’
development of learning identity within the blended
course delivery constraints.

10. Technical Aspects
• Class and Field Trips recorded on a Flip
Camera
• Consent to be recorded gained.
• Loaded to Vimeo
• Field Trips supplemented by Flickr slideshow.
• Forum created on Moodle

11. Excerpt from Forum
http://moodle.uws.ac.uk/mod/forum/view.php?id=188471

12. Student Feedback
• The tactic fit with students who were already working
and could bring experience to the discussion.
• Allowing time to go over text, breaking it down into
smaller manageable chunks at the beginning of the
discussion time together was really helpful.
• People could compare meanings come forward with
what they really thought throughout the discussion.
• Students felt much more likely to look at the video
than if it was just readings and forum.
• Students who participated in forum made further links
to practice on the topic discussions.

13. Quotes Year One Students
“It was more like an everyday situation rather
than just reading theory. It was looking at
context and relating it to everyday practice.”
“The lecturer brought a lot of the connections
out within the discussion.”

14. Quotes from Year Two Students
On reviewing videos and posts during face to
face day:
This aspect came along at the right moment for
me. Sharing the experience and the online posts
after others had been able to look at them really
brought the module together for me.

15. Student Perception
• Students had technology challenges (sound).
• Many students are still reluctant to post in
forums.
• Guidance on how to use discussions within
assessment presentation and report could
have been clearer.
• Students would like more continuity between
module delivery and assessment.

16. Student Feedback: Meeting Challenges
“If you are in a discussion when you say
something, you’ve said it, but if you are writing
you stop and think, does that makes sense, how
are people going to take that. Will people think
I’m stupid. Will they really get what I meant.”
“It would be easier if it was anonymous.”

17. Future Adaptations
• Students Nominated as forum moderators
• Further Use of Structured Discussion
• Use off Voice Thread or other app (Nvivo ?) to
make the post-discussion forum more
interactive.
• Make clearer links from discussion to
assessment

18. References
• Boud, D. and Walker, D. (1998) Promoting Reflection in Professional Courses:
the challenge of context, Studies in Higher Education 23(2): 191-206.
• CLD Standards Council (2009) The competencies for Community Learning and
Development.
• Fink, L.D. (2003) Creating Significant Learning Experiences : An Integrated
Approach to Designing
• College Courses. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
• St. John’s College, (2013) St. John’s College Program, accessed 29 May 2013,
http://www.stjohnscollege.edu/admissions/learnmore/admission/program.ht
ml.
• Sapere (2013) Community of Enquiry, accessed on 28 May 2013,
http://www.sapere.org.uk/Default.aspx?tabid=76.
• Stewart, M. (2012) Understanding learning: theories and critique in Hunt, L.
and Chalmers D. (2012) University Teaching in Focus: a learning-centred
approach, London: Routledge.

19. Further Discussion?
Beth Cross
beth.cross@uws.ac.uk
Storyseeds on Flickr
http://bethatuws.wordpress.com/