VLE Project Case Study Elementary Phonetics & Phonology E-Learning Development Team Dr Sam Hellmuth, Department of Language & Linguistic Science October 2009
Contents Contents... 2 Overview... 3 Background... 4 Description of approach... 7 Learning activities & tools... 8 Student profile... 8 Outcomes of the module... 9 Activity statistics... 9 Exit survey feedback... 10 Focus group feedback... 12 Course instructor s feedback... 13 Student skills required & developed... 14 Staff skills required & developed... 15 Actions for further development... 15 2 14 th May 2007
Overview Title Pedagogic theme Keywords Subject area Student level & profile Elementary Phonetics & Phonology (Autumn & Spring terms 2008-09) Skills development & knowledge acquisition for large cohorts through use of multiple choice tests & group research. Formative tests; self-paced skills development & group research Phonetics 1st year students in Language & Linguistic Science No. of students 130 Key conclusions 1. The VLE can be used as a useful complement to class-based learning for large cohorts, by providing a space for students to test their understanding and apply conceptual learning through completion of formative assessment activities. The VLE s assessment engine supports formative assessment testing, with feedback options built into each question type. Groups of questions can be uploaded to a question pool, with a facility for students to receive a random selection of questions each time that they attempt an activity, with questions grouped by level of difficulty. 2. Testing on skills development does not need to be credit bearing (i.e. contributing to a final mark at the end of the course) for it to be effective in helping students to progress their learning. Students will engage with formative tests, where they see a clear link between the activity and their mastery of the conceptual knowledge, which will help them to prepare for the summative tests at the end of the course. Students indeed value a private space where they can build up their confidence in completing the tests, identifying areas for further attention and revision. Setting deadlines for the completion of tests can also help students to self-manage their work and keep up-to-pace with the class-based learning. 3. Group-based activities need careful management in terms of the roles that students will undertake in performing the work, with clear expectations set on the outputs that they should produce. Students can struggle in managing group working processes. A feedback loop should always be built into an activity to help students to critically review their work. 3 14 th May 2007
Background Elementary Phonetics & Phonology is a long thin 20 credit module, delivered over the Autumn and Spring terms for first year undergraduate students within the Department of Language and Linguistic Science. The aim of the module is to familiarise students with the basic symbols of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), so that they understand the sounds of speech and the linguistic system that underlie them. At the end of the module students are expected to be able to recognise many of the sounds of the IPA chart and describe them using appropriate terminology and symbolisation. The module is structured around one weekly lecture and one fortnightly seminar session, with independent study time accounting for the rest of the course. The instructor Dr Sam Hellmuth - took over the delivery of the module for academic year 2008-09, which had been running over a number of years. The existing components of the module the lecture and seminars - had been working well before, and students appreciated the in-class tests on phonetic sounds. However, with rising class sizes and a perceived need for enhanced training in key linguistic skills, an opportunity presented itself for the design of more structured coursework, which could provide students with personal feedback on their skills development. something like phonetics is best delivered like a language skill in small groups so you can do what we call ear training learning to hear and recognise different speech sounds Most of our students come in with no prior knowledge of Linguistics at all. There isn t such a thing as an A level in Linguistics and even those that have done English Language A level won t have done much; very few of them will have learnt phonetics, for example. And something like phonetics is best delivered like a language skill in small groups so you can do what we call ear training learning to hear and recognise different speech sounds, particularly those in languages not your own, and map those to the symbols of the phonetic alphabet. However, we have between 100 and 130 students in our first year. In class I m lecturing to 100 plus and they get a seminar every fortnight in a group of 16, so there s not actually that much that you can do. 4 14 th May 2007
So what I added this year was some self-paced tests on the VLE, which they did every two weeks, some of which had an audio component, which proved to be a draw; they just like clicking buttons and listening to things To address this gap in support for individual skills development, Sam saw the VLE as a useful medium for the provision of self-paced formative assessment activities, which would target the skills of transcription and analysis. The existing components that we already had were the onehour lecture per week and seminar every second week, accompanied by coursework. This works really well and the assessment that we had was in-class quizzes Here are some sounds, I produce them, you write them down. Students liked that and it gave me the idea that maybe they might want more. So what I added this year was some self-paced tests on the VLE, which they did every two weeks, some of which had an audio component, which proved to be a draw; they just like clicking buttons and listening to things. The introduction of the formative assessment activities via the VLE helped Sam with the re-organisation of the course, which is now based around two-week units of learning, with the formative tests helping students to assess how they are getting to grips with the content of the course. Screen image showing a multiple-choice question with embedded audio The module was previously done on a week-by-week basis that I turned into seven two-week units. It maps to the content very readily and for each of those two-week units they have to do some tests. There were two kinds what s called the practice test, which is 10 really quick questions, which is anonymous with unlimited attempts, testing you on the IPA and it gives you feedback every time. They also had to do a formative test of 20 questions in multiple-choice format with some use of the IPA, and this mark was recorded in the Grade Center. Sam also saw the VLE as helpful in supporting a group-work project, 5 14 th May 2007
providing students with an opportunity to develop collaborative and presentation skills in tasks directly related to the course content. Screen image of the Group Work area of Sam s module This involved a research task on an Indo-European language of their choice, where they were required to write up their findings in a group report and deliver a mini presentation in the seminar session. For example, they might be asked to compile an inventory of vowels for their chosen language (Gaelic, Guajarati ) and in the seminar session they were asked to explain any of the unusual sounds they had come across in their research. This activity was intended to encourage students to use the IPA for a task which was closely linked to the final exam, where they would be presented with data from a language that they were unfamiliar with, and presented with a range of tasks to solve. The VLE therefore had a key role to play in this redesign of the course, serving as the location for students to complete formative assessment exercises in phonetic observation and transcription, using the IPA, as well as phonological analysis. It also supported a group work element, directing students through a set of research tasks on the phonetic or phonological properties of a given language, with students building up a description of the language as the course proceeded. Indeed this group work activity prepared students for the final closed exam, training them to apply the IPA to the context of an unfamiliar language. 6 14 th May 2007
Description of approach The blend for this module was based on lectures and seminars with an online component, which consisted of a series of individual and group-based formative assessment activities. Screen image of the Course Information area of Sam s Module The lecture component of the course introduced students to the key concepts and terminology in phonetics and phonology. Skills in IPA use, transcription and phonological analysis were practised in seminars. The learning objectives for the on-line component aimed to offer: Much needed reinforcement of content-related skills of transcription and analysis, as well as self-paced diagnostic assessment of key skills specifically in: the recognition and description of sounds of the International Phonetic Alphabet, using appropriate terminology and symbolisation; the production of phonetic transcriptions of short stretches of speech; sample skills in phonological analysis. An opportunity for students to develop collaboration and presentation skills in tasks directly related to course content, engaging them in an academic writing activity linked to core content material. 7 14 th May 2007
Learning activities & tools The online component of the module included: Announcements. This was used as an information channel to the cohort, alerting students to the release of the practice tests and mid-term test, as well as offering instructions on the group exercise. Course information. This area of the module site outlined the aims of the course and provided details on the formative assessment tasks. Course resources. The module site was organised into 7 themed content areas, which reflected the combined lecture blocks which were delivered every two weeks. For example, Anatomy of Speech was delivered over weeks 2-3 of the module, with Consonants following in weeks 4-5. Each themed area contained links to the lecture slides, practice and formative tests. Groupwork area. The sub-groups of a seminar group were presented with their own dedicated space to complete the research exercise on their chosen language. The space included wiki pages for the write-up of their research, which they were required to use. A blog was also made available to support group discussion, although its use was optional. Finished Wikis. This was a presentation area for the completed research reports on the various languages. Useful links. A resource area with URL links to additional reading on phonetics, which also included video and audio recordings of the sounds of the IPA. Reading list. An EARL reading list was set up for the course, enabling students to access the Library s catalogue and electronic resources. Revision / exam resources. The revision lecture handouts and slides were stored in this area, along with a link to a past exam paper and marking scheme. Student profile The students were first year undergraduates who also used the VLE to support their learning in other modules during their first year. This blended module was delivered across the Autumn and Spring terms (October 2008 March 2009), and required students to engage in a series of formative assessment activities which were completed online. 8 14 th May 2007
Outcomes of the module The module was delivered to a cohort of 130 students. Feedback was collected from the instructor and students on the learning outcomes at the end of the course, before students had completed the exam and received their final marks. Activity statistics Statistics on student log-in patterns are not available for the Autumn Term, but for the Spring Term there were on average 400 hits per day, which indicates a high level of usage of the module site by students, with activity peaking in late January / early February with the performance of the mid-term formative test. All students logged in to the site over the term, with the course resource areas attracting the greatest number of hits. The Units of Speech resource area attracted 38% of the total hits for the term, and served as the location for the Term 2 lecture notes, with links to the practice tests and to the mid-term formative test, which remained available to students until 2nd February. The resource areas for Inventories and Vowels (containing Term 1 formative test, lecture notes and practice tests) attracted 23% and 14% of the hits for the term, with the Groupwork area accounting for 11%. Whilst there was no formal teaching scheduled for the Summer Term, the VLE site remained in use by students, with spikes of activity at the beginning of May and in the week preceding the exam the first week in June. 26 students recorded over 100 separate log-ins to the module site during the Summer Term. Again the course resource areas attracted the greatest number of hits, with Inventories (18%), Vowels (15%) and Consonants (14%) representing the most visited content resources. 9 14 th May 2007
In terms of the group activity, all 24 sub-groups developed a wiki page with a summary of their chosen language, but blog usage in support of this activity was quite patchy across the cohort. Exit survey feedback 33 students completed the exit survey which included questions about their use of the VLE and their reflections on particular tools and tasks within the module site. Survey question SA A N D SD A VLE provide flexibility to learners in terms of their study needs (offering access to resources when needed and the ability to choose study times ). 69.7 18.2 9.1 3 0 A VLE enables an instructor to provide a wider variety of learning resources for students 51.5 42.4 6 0 0 A VLE helps students to prepare well before class sessions. 21.2 48.5 27.3 3 0 A VLE makes individual students contributions more transparent to the instructor. 9.1 63.6 18.2 3 3 A VLE increases the study workload for students. 3 12.1 30.3 42.4 12.1 A VLE increases interaction levels between students on the course outside of class. 0 39.4 24.2 24.2 9.1 Using the VLE complemented the classbased learning that I experienced in this module. 51.5 33.3 12.1 0 0 SA: % Strongly Agree A: % Agree N: % Neutral D: % Disagree SD: % Strongly Disagree Student feedback on the value of the VLE was very positive. 10 14 th May 2007
Participants recognised the role of the VLE in providing them with the opportunity to practise their skills in transcription and analysis of sounds using the IPA. Students were able to study at their own pace, applying theory to practice, addressing their individual study needs. 88% of respondents agreed that the VLE provided flexibility to support their study needs, with 93% agreeing that the VLE helped to provide a wide range of learning resources. The practice tests gave them the individual support that they needed and a private space in which they could build up their confidence in acquiring these skills. It gives you deadlines and also highlights areas of weakness and strength which you don t get fully from lectures and reading a book doing individual learning The way I had to interact with the VLE couldn t have been mimicked in a lecture situation. It was great to be able to take the practice online tests where no-one could see my score I could do lots of practice until I had got my score up a bit! VLE tests in particular give first year students some support and structure from A-level. It gives you deadlines and also highlights areas of weakness and strength which you don t get fully from lectures and reading a book doing individual learning. Interestingly, the feedback suggests that students did not view the online component of the course as an additional study burden, but rather as an aid to their learning. Only 15% saw the online activities as representing an increase in their study workload. For the more goal-oriented students, the tests in fact helped them to prepare better for the final closed exam. Screen image showing a question from one of the formative tests The online tests gave me an idea of how well I was doing and if I felt I needed to revise something the resources were also on the VLE. Right from the off, I had a rough idea of what the exams would be like, thanks to the mini-tests I had taken through the VLE. 11 14 th May 2007
Opinion was divided though over the value of the VLE in fostering student interaction in performance of the group research report within a wiki space, with some criticisms on the way the work was assessed. I agree with regard to individual learning practice, but I do not with regard to group work. The fact that you have to submit your tasks online comes down to individual work instead of group work. The online tests help keep learning on track and more motivated to complete the readings and weekly work. They have helped with revision so far, as it helped me to focus where I struggle, and access resources to improve weaker areas Students acknowledged though the complementary nature of the online activities, with 85% of respondents agreeing that they supported the class-based learning experience. The tests complemented what we had, or should have learned across the course, and the online resource links helped support class-based learning in a way that could be personalised for an individual user. Phonetics is a practical subject; using the practice links provided helped me to use theory taught in class and practice how to apply it. The online tests help keep learning on track and more motivated to complete the readings and weekly work. They have helped with revision so far, as it helped me to focus where I struggle, and access resources to improve weaker areas. Focus group feedback A focus group of 12 students participated in a review of the course, which took place after the last class session, but before the final closed exam. Students confirmed the central role of the VLE in supporting their learning over the duration of the course: We used the VLE every two weeks to complete the formative tests which were mandatory, but also accessed resources on an ad hoc basis once or twice a week. The use of the VLE was entirely appropriate and relevant to our learning. It was far superior to other modules, where only lecture notes are uploaded. It was clear the amount of effort put in by the instructor to deliver good and diverse content. Students valued the opportunity to measure their progress and receive feedback on their understanding of the IPA through completion of the formative tests, a learning approach which they would like to see extended to other modules. Following their feedback the extension of this approach to other modules is now underway. The links to the audio files of the phonetic index were 12 14 th May 2007
also very helpful and supported independent learning, enabling them to reference the right sounds of the IPA, without needing to contact the instructor for guidance. There were some technical problems with the formative tests for students using Firefox as a browser, with audio files crashing, but this problem was overcome. Students encountered greater challenges in organising the group work and assigning tasks to group members. The wiki activity could have worked better if we were aware of who was actually working in the group. Some students dropped out of the course but still remained as registered group members, which confused things. It was hard to organise the work online and would have been better if the group met faceto-face, but we didn t have the emails to chase people up and arrange meetings. The need for all group members to contribute to the wiki was a little artificial, forcing us to break the activity down into specific individual tasks. Course instructor s feedback Student engagement with the tests exceeded my expectations Sam had a pecking order in terms of the levels of student engagement that she was looking for with the online activities. The formative tests were the leading priority and the group wiki activity was a secondary concern, as students would spend a lot of time on the research work in the seminars. The outcomes from the course more than met her expectations: I was pleasantly surprised on both accounts with student engagement with the tests and the wiki activity. Student engagement with the tests exceeded my expectations and involvement with the wiki marginally exceeded my expectations. (Group work projects) worked well for the ones who engaged with it they really enjoyed it. The ones who did it, they liked looking at another language, applying the stuff they are doing in the classroom. Sam noted though that many of the study groups within the seminar group failed to gel and struggled to work as a team. There was also limited scope for feedback on the wiki reports, with students expected to critically review their own work. Greater facilitation of the task might have reaped better results. Notwithstanding these problems, the overall engagement of students with the online tasks was pleasing, and there was a marked improvement in the student scores for the end of year examination. This suggested to Sam that the online component of the course had made an important contribution to student learning. 13 14 th May 2007
The online activities give them something to do and to learn. It worked as the scores have gone up. The peak in student scores is in the 1st category and not 2:1. Everyone has gone up I was really pleased and students have generally done better in this year s course. I may have taught better in the lectures. However, the aim behind the online activities was sound. The online activities give them something to do and to learn. It worked as the scores have gone up. The peak in student scores is in the 1st category and not 2:1. Everyone has gone up. Four students failed the course, but there were no Pass classifications the worst category were 3rds people who didn t engage with the tests. Whilst multiple choice tests are not suitable for every course, they appear to have worked really well in this module, helping students to develop their skills of transcription and analysis, meeting the primary objectives for the online work. Student skills required & developed Students did not receive any specific training for this module, with general VLE training offered by the Department to students at the beginning of the academic year. There was therefore no technical guidance on wiki usage for the module. Screen image of one of the group work wikis This did not present a problem, with students able to edit the pages, although formatting problems were encountered with the insertion of tables and phonetic fonts within the wiki pages a challenge related to the software that they were using. Some technical problems emerged with access to the formative tests, but these were overcome by changing browser (from Firefox to IE), and by installing fonts and software such as QuickTime. To mitigate problems, students were provided with up-front advice on software installation, with instructions posted next to the tests on what to do. This appeared to work, with the number of email requests for help to the course instructor dramatically reduced over the course of the module. 14 14 th May 2007
Staff skills required & developed Sam attended three or four of the training workshops put on by the E-Learning Development Team and also attended the lunchtime show and tell presentations, where she benefited most from hearing how things worked in other courses. From a technical perspective, Sam re-used skills that had been applied in other modules, although she did value the ad hoc support which she received from the E- Learning Development Team, which was quick and friendly, particularly in resolving the problems in displaying the IPA font and in the use of audio files for the formative tests. The key challenge in developing the course was in reflecting on the subject matter and designing multiple choice questions around the course content an interesting intellectual exercise. She recognises that there is a skill in writing good multiple choice questions, breaking down tasks into tiny chunks which can reflect meaningful and challenging questions for students to tackle. Actions for further development For the future Sam would like to make use of a facility to review aggregate feedback on the performance of the formative tests, to see how students are faring. This might be a way of closing the loop. I was not able to discuss the tests in class and was not aware of the way to get aggregate feedback on student performance.i would like to make better use of the Grade Center in this module. I was unaware of the information that I could have got. Screen image of the Grade Center from Sam s module Sam will also upgrade the module site in certain areas. The tests will stay, with the question pools expanded and the tests revised and cleaned up in certain respects. Based on the feedback for the groupbased activity, the wiki and the online write-up tasks will be modified. The research task will be tightly managed, with languages assigned to specific groups, and a reading list provided for them. The written assignment will be converted from a group to an individual task, with students required to hand in their own essay. 15 14 th May 2007