The document describes an iterative process of developing an authentic mobile learning task to help international students develop research skills. In the task, students work in groups to create "suburb profile" blogs recommending suburbs for other international students to live in. The task was improved by adding a requirement for students to visit and collect information about their chosen suburb using the Blackboard Mobile app. This enhanced engagement and led to higher quality blog outcomes by incorporating first-hand experiences into their research. The mobile task design facilitated real-time teacher feedback and interaction between remote teacher and student groups. Future iterations could address bandwidth issues and further develop the use of literature in the task.

1. Using Blackboard Mobile Learn to
Develop Research Skills through
Authentic Learning Experiences
Katherine Olston
Deputy Director (Digital Learning)
The University of Sydney Centre for English Teaching
Lydia Dutcher
Education Manager (Graduate Programs)

2. The University of Sydney Page 2
Overview of this Session
- Project Overview
- Task Development Stages
- Outcomes
- Affordances of the Task
- Future Directions

3. The University of Sydney Page 3
Project Overview
Context
- Graduate Academic Skills course – preparing students for tertiary-level
study at the University of Sydney
- International students in their early 20s
- Onshore in Australia 1-10 weeks prior to course start date
Purpose of Task
- Develop learners’ graduate attributes → skill transfer to university
context
- Research skills
- Digital literacy skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Group work skills
- Autonomy

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Theoretical & Pedagogical Underpinnings
‘Learner-centered teaching strategies provide students with increased responsibility;
promote critical thinking; and support student development, peer learning, and
teaching’ (McCoobs & Whistler, cited in Stefaniak, 2015, p. 49).
Learner-centered instructional strategies (Doyle, 2008)
• Perform/present learning publicly
• Take part in discovery learning
• Solve authentic problems
• Take learning risks
• Demonstrate use of teacher feedback to improve performance
• Work in teams/groups
• Collaborate with others
• Listen in class
• Engage in reflection
• Self-teach
• Teach others
• Evaluate own learning
• Evaluation of other’s learning
(Stefaniak, 2015, p51)

5. The University of Sydney Page 5
Task Overview
Aim: Design a task to develop learners’ ability to use the research process to
create an original, informative multi-modal text for an authentic audience.
Task: Create a ‘suburb profile’ to assist international students in making
informed decisions about where to live. Address the question - What suburb
would you recommend for international students to live in, and why?
Stage 1
Scaffolding &
Input
Stage 2
Group Blog
Development
& Creation
Stage 3
Peer
Evaluation &
Assessment
Stage 4
Reflection
- Task introduction &
staged development
- Research strategies
- Group work strategies
- Blog design &
technical principles
- Independent &
group
research
- Synthesis of
research
- Creation of
multi-modal
text
- Presentation
of Blogs
- Peer
evaluation via
use of rubric
- Assessment &
feedback
- Introduction to
reflective
writing
- Produce
reflection on
group process
- Submission of
reflection
assessment

6. The University of Sydney Page 6
Task Learning Objectives
- Use research strategies to effectively and efficiently search, collect and
process information
- Use critical thinking skills to evaluate information based on criteria
- Apply group work strategies to improve the quality of group processes &
outcomes
- Synthesise multiple ideas and develop innovative solutions to real-world
problems
- Use appropriate technological tools to engage the audience and present
complex information
- Reflect on and evaluate individual and group strengths and weaknesses in
terms of group work

7. The University of Sydney Page 7
Task Description
In 2008, the City of Sydney conducted a study investigating and analysing the
issues facing international students in Sydney (Turcic, 2008)
This study revealed a number of key issues, including: accommodation, public
transport, safety, social isolation, financial hardship, lack of support services.
“I have been told that it
was easy to find
somewhere to live. (It)
was difficult and my whole
first semester was
messed up by that and I
ended up feeling that I
actually wanted to leave”
(Turcic, 2008, p. 8).

8. The University of Sydney Page 8
Task Description
You are part of a select group of international students, brought together by the City of
Sydney, to produce this series of ‘suburb profiles’.
Your team (4-5 members) has been tasked with creating a profile of a particular
suburb of Sydney in order to assist international students to make informed decisions
about where to live; the ‘suburb profile’ you produce will be presented in the form of a
blog.
The ‘suburb profile’ blog you produce will need to answer the key question,
What suburb would you recommend for international students to live in, and
why?
In creating your ‘suburb profile’, you should consider the following factors (although
you may decide to omit some, or add new ones, depending on the outcomes of the
group discussions):
- Accommodation (including cost, type)
- Transport
- Safety
- Food
- Community Services & Facilities Shopping centres
- Demographics (including education, nationality, religion, ethnicity, age)

9. The University of Sydney Page 9
Task Outcome - Requirements
‘Suburb Profile Blogs’
The City of Sydney has stated that the blogs must effectively assist future
international students make decisions about where they live in Sydney, taking
into account the various factors that influence well-being, including
accommodation, safety, support services, and opportunities for social
engagement.
The City of Sydney has stated that the ‘suburb profile blogs’ must be of high
quality in terms of design (content and visuals), and must include the following –
- At least 2 pages (one of these pages must be an ‘About’ page)
- Profiles of each of the writers/bloggers, including a photo and short bio
- At least 6 posts, including one introductory post with an overview of the
suburb (location, history, summary of the key features) and one post per
factor that describes the suburb in more detail
- At least 2 pictures per post
- At least one original video on the blog
- 90% original content in terms of text, pictures, video etc.
- Ethical attribution/referencing of sources of remaining 10% of content

10. The University of Sydney Page 10
Task - Iteration 1
- All groups engaged with the topic – lively debate and evaluation of suburbs
- One group made a site visit to their chosen suburb – gathered primary
sources & reflected personal experience
Resulted in:
- High level of engagement with task & group
- Deeper achievement of learning outcomes – synthesis of sources,
critical evaluation of information, stronger group dynamics
- Higher quality outcome – blog
- Three groups made no site visit – relied on secondary sources & second-
hand experience of suburb
Resulted in:
- Lower level of engagement with task & group
- Superficial achievement of learning outcomes – lack of synthesis of
sources, academic integrity issues, less cohesive group dynamics
- Poorer quality outcome – blog

11. The University of Sydney Page 11
Task Iteration 2
Aims of re-design
- Build authenticity and task engagement
- Facilitate deeper realisation of learning objectives – working in groups,
synthesising information, engaging with the research process
- Produce higher-quality blogs
Changes to task design
- Emphasis on the research process and collection of different types of
information, e.g. gathering first-hand observations and experience
- Incorporating mobile learning via Blackboard Mobile Learn

12. The University of Sydney Page 12
Task – Iteration 2 – Added & refined activities
Stage 1
Scaffolding &
Input
Stage 2
Group Blog
Development
& Creation
Stage 3
Peer
Evaluation &
Assessment
Stage 4
Reflection
- Perform
analysis and
evaluation of
factors that
make a suburb
the best place
for
international
students to live
- Suburb visit for
all groups to
collect
information
about life in the
suburb using
Blackboard
Mobile Learn

13. The University of Sydney Page 13
Task - Iteration 2
Implementation
• Developed a set of questions to guide the suburb visit, aligned with the blog
task description and course attendance requirements
‘Suburb Profile Blogs’
The City of Sydney has stated that the blogs must effectively assist future international students make
decisions about where they live in Sydney, taking into account the various factors that influence well-
being, including accommodation, safety, support services, and opportunities for social engagement.
The City of Sydney has stated that the ‘suburb profile blogs’ must be of high quality in terms of design
(content and visuals), and must include the following –
- At least 2 pages (one of these pages must be an ‘About’ page)
- Profiles of each of the writers/bloggers, including a photo and short bio
- At least 6 posts, including one introductory post with an overview of the suburb (location, history,
summary of the key features) and one post per factor that describes the suburb in more detail
- At least 2 pictures per post
- At least one original video on the blog
- 90% original content in terms of text, pictures, video etc.
- Ethical attribution/referencing of sources of remaining 10% of content

14. The University of Sydney Page 14
Task - Iteration 2
Implementation
- Posted questions to the Blackboard discussion board

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Task - Iteration 2
Implementation
- Students accessed the task from the suburb via Blackboard Mobile Learn
- Teachers viewed the discussion board activity from Blackboard in the
staffroom

16. The University of Sydney Page 16
Task - Iteration 2
Implementation
- Teachers simultaneously
monitored multiple
groups in different
suburbs
- Teachers provided
feedback in real-time via
responses to the posts

17. The University of Sydney Page 17
Task - Iteration 2
Outcomes
- Task questions
facilitated a
student-led
process of
discovery
- Learners
produced
images and
notes that fed
into their blog
creation
process

18. The University of Sydney Page 18
Task Outcomes

19. The University of Sydney Page 19
Task Feedback
“[The learners] enjoyed doing the blog stuff as it involved all of their skills and
challenged them. It gave them a sense of ownership of the material, which
can be pretty motivating and brought them into the digital environment and all
its variables. Good stuff.”
- GAS Teacher

20. The University of Sydney Page 20
Affordances of Using Blackboard Mobile Learn
- Research process enacted through multiple layers of interaction
- Face-to-face interaction with group members
- In-situ engagement with the suburb environment
- Online interaction with teachers via Blackboard Mobile Learn
- Heightened engagement with the task through authentic problem solving
experiences
- Learner-generated content through first-hand experience, selected according to
learner interest areas
- Real-time and timely informal teacher feedback and guidance

21. The University of Sydney Page 21
Future Directions – Task iteration 3
- Ask all teachers to update the factors on the discussion board to reflect class selection
- Address bandwidth issues: crashing software and use of learners’ mobile data plans
- Scaffold use of evidence from the literature in developing the factors
- Promote the use of blogs as a resource for future students to build authentic audience

22. The University of Sydney Page 22
Questions?

23. The University of Sydney Page 23
Bibliography
Pegrum, M. (2014). Mobile Learning: Languages, Literacies and Culture. Palgrave
Macmillian
Puentedura, R. (2014). SAMR: a contextualised introduction. Retrieved November, 23,
2013.
Turcic, S. (2008). Needs assessment of international students in the City of Sydney:
Project Report. Commissioned by the City of Sydney, Australia
Retrieved from www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/71428/Needs-
Assessment-International-Students.pdf
Stefaniak, J. (2015). Promoting learner-centered instruction through the design of
contextually relevant experiences. In Hokanson, B., Clinton, G., & Tracey, M. W. (Ed.),
The design of learning experience: Creating the future of educational technology (pp.
49-62). Cham: Springer.