1. September 2010
TECHSHOW
Case Study
Demonstrating the
effective use of
education technology at
City University London.
Moodle is a
Virtual Learning
Environment (VLE). It is
replacing CitySpace and
educators can use it to
create effective learning
environments.
LIZA SCHUSTER, ACADEMIC IN SOCIOLOGY
Speaks on how she feels about using Moodle at City University London. Liza used Moodle as part of her
teaching on her “Global Migration” module and plans to use it again this year in the run up to full Moodle
implementation in September 2011.
Interviewer: Hi Liza, what did you hope to get out parts to be answered each week. Other than that
of becoming involved with the initial Moodle they liked most of it.
implementations?
Interviewer: Okay, what have been the most
Liza: I was partly involved in choosing Moodle so positive aspects of the project for you?
I’d seen some of how it worked and getting
involved in the Moodle pilot allowed me to find my Liza: It was the chance to work with a small group
way around what seems like an exciting piece of of students to find our way through the
technology. Being an extremely curious person, I technology and to learn all the jobs so to speak. It
wanted to find out what all the whistles were was also the flexibility, once I understood the
about and I thought it would be a good structure. In particular in relation to the
opportunity, so I though if I get involved in the assessment, using a Wiki to have full continuous
initial implementation then I’ll have undivided assessment that allows the student to assess
attention, lots of support and be able to make themselves and me to asses and give them
mistakes and be forgiven. feedback.
Interviewer: Excellent, did the technology meet Interviewer: Okay, are you planning to do the
your expectations? same project next year? Liza Schuster
Is a lecturer in both
Liza: Yes, it did actually…It didn’t meet my Liza: Definitely, the module will go a head again, I undergraduate and
expectations in terms of being able to use the have learned lessons and I will make alterations. I postgraduate modules, senior
technology quite as well as I wanted but that was am going to change the assessment because it tutor for research and chair
mostly due to not really having enough time in the was a bit clunky but that was just because I didn’t of APPSC.
lead up. Having the support meant that when I know what I was doing then.
went wrong I had somebody there to very quickly
Liza came to City in 2005
explain to me that it was my mistake not the Interview: Finally, what advice would you give to
technology. other academics? from the Centre on
Migration, Policy and
Interviewer: How do you feel that the students Liza: Start small and work your way up, don’t try Society at Oxford
responded? and do everything at once because you’ll confuse University.
the students and confuse yourself. The other thing
Liza: Amazingly… they really liked it; they were is you will not remember everything you’ve been Liza’s work focuses on
very nervous in the beginning as they didn’t like taught by the education technologist so you need domestic and European asylum
being pushed out of their comfort zone with the to keep going back and get continuous support. policy and is developing her
wiki-formatted assessment. They needed a lot of This can be quite frustrating if you are trying to
research interests in
hand holding for the first three weeks but that was do this on a whole range of subjects.
migration and racism and
in particular in relation to the novel assessment,
which asked them to divide their essay in smaller migration and rights.