Presented at LILAC 2009

1. Welcome
Introduction
Author name
Information Services
Appeal and applicability: using emerging
technologies to enhance the Assignment
Survival Kit (ASK)
Julie Adams, Alison Pope and Geoff Walton
Information Services
31 March 2009

2. Background: What is ASK?
• Web-based tool
• Supports first year undergraduates with first
assignment
• Launched October 2006
• June 2007 – Awarded CILIP UC&R Award for
Innovation

3. Why was ASK Developed?
• Contribution to SU’s Widening Participation
agenda
• IL Statement of Good Practice
• IL Project Group
• Deliverable to support IL at Staffordshire
University

4. How does it work?
• Helps students make the adaptation to study at
a higher level
• Encourages use and raises awareness of the
wide range of resources
• Encourages the development of time
management skills

5. Supports assignment tasks
• Writing a traditional essay or report
• Creating a poster, making a presentation or
submitting a group portfolio
• IL support works best when embedded within the
students’ curriculum
• An intertwined framework approach using ‘hot
topics’ and reflective learning (Bordinaro and
Richardson (2004))

6. TQEF/RiT project strand
• Rationale of RiT introduces students to the process
of research
• IL offers backbone to this process through inquiry
based learning
• TSL offers new opportunities to deliver interventions
• Evidence that Web 2.0 fosters critical thinking

7. TQEF/RiT project strand
• RiT, IL and TSL synergy for a new pedagogy

8. Widening ASK’s appeal
Why do this?
• Focus group feedback
• Awareness of different learning styles
• Involving Faculties to make it less generic
• Updating the interface so that it fits a Web 2.0 world

9. Widening ASK’s appeal
How are we going to do this?
• Identifying appropriate technologies and applying them
selectively
• Choosing new products which will make a real difference
to student learning
• Not using technologies for their own sake to look “trendy”
or “cool”

10. Allowing multiple ‘flavours’
• Starting point:
– Vanilla ASK
• Add your own preferences:
– Virtual chocolate chips
– Technological sprinkles
– Web 2.0 Choc ‘n’ nut
sundae – with optional

11. Widening ASK’s appeal
What are we actually doing?
• Creating podcast/vodcast material
• Designing an empty scaffold framework for ASK
• Linking to repository content produce by Faculties
• Enabling personalization using Web2.0 technology

12. Creating podcast/vodcast material
Research shows:
• Podcasts can encourage active learning (Dale 2007)
• Useful for auditory and distance learners
• Useful for time-shifted learning (Roberts 2007)
• Especially useful for dyslexic students (Berk 2007)

13. Creating podcast/vodcast material
• Created a list of questions to ask academic staff to
encourage them to explain what it is they look for in a
good assignment
• Filmed staff responding to these questions and have
others lined up
• Creating parallel list of questions to ask students
• Looking for willing parties
• Edit and slot results into ASK

14. Designing empty scaffold framework
• Need to create a more flexible framework which can be
used by those creating the content: not just us!
• Need to create a framework which can be used by
students to re-order the content “chunks”- focus group
feedback
• Modification of existing database and using new
technologies such as AJAX

15. Linking to repository content
Two strands:
– Producing learning objects to contribute to the
newly developed institutional repository (HIVE)
– Looking to incorporate material created by
Faculties to make it more applicable to particular
groups of students

16. Enabling personalization using
Web 2.0
• Content re-ordering
• Reminders via RSS and allowing students to
add dates from ASK to iCalendar

17. Pitfalls and problems
• Time!
– The call of the day job…
– Releasing key staff for training and engaging
substitutes
– Timetabling, e.g. for podcast recording

18. Pitfalls and problems
• Money!
– Even though we have received a small amount of
TQEF money it isn’t a lot
– Ring-fencing of how funding can be spent: dates
and what it can be used for

19. Pitfalls and problems
• Obsolescence of Web 2.0!
– Running to keep up
– New developments all the time which then make
ideas from last term seem dated

20. Pitfalls and problems
• User alienation
– Over-complexity may be off-putting
– New technologies may be inappropriate in this
context

21. Progress
• Got the TQEF bid and so the money!
• Staff training courses booked
• Podcasts recorded
• Liaison with repository project team
• Some engagement with Faculty

22. Ultimately, their choice…
VanillaVanilla v Sundae
Image from:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/swamibu/1422981738/sizes/s/#cc_license
conditions of use at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/

23. Welcome
Introduction
Author name
Information Services
Appeal and applicability: using emerging
technologies to enhance the Assignment
Survival Kit (ASK)
Julie Adams, Alison Pope and Geoff Walton
Information Services
31 March 2009