Case studies

There are a myriad of different approaches to elearning. Change can be small or large. Change can be simple or complex. Such a lot out there, but where to start?

Sharing ideas and examples is a great way to get going. To help this, we've gathered together some case studies of good practice in eLearning at NTU. Ranging from use of specific tools such as Electronic Voting Systems to different approaches to assessment. We're gradually building up a rich pool of knowledge and have gathered together some excellent examples from across the university.

We're also keen to carry on building up the case studies we have on offer. If you would like to submit an example to the site, please feel free to complete and submit the eLearning Case Study Template.  Alternatively, send an email to the eLearning Community Website team and we'll arrange to contact you.

eVoting - Student participation: engagement and interaction

Initially seen at NTU's Annual Learning and Teaching Conference 2008, the electronic voting system, TurningPoint, seemed ideal for engaging students on the School of Education's BA and PGCE programmes. For groups of students working towards external examinations from the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, lectures beforehand form an important element of preparation. In order to be successful accurate recall of key information is vital. Strategies to foster involvement in lectures have proved effective in the past.

Using Questionmark Perception (QMP) in formative assessment

Between 2002 and 2003 a set of three online interactive tests were created by a small team (Jane McNeil, Ann Liggett, Ed Foster and Trevor Pull) to help students test their knowledge of grammar, plagiarism and referencing. It aimed to help them improve their academic writing skills, suggesting areas for development and directing them to appropriate learning resources as feedback outcome of taking the assessment.

Second Life at NTU - Exploring the educational use of virtual worlds

A Nutrition Clinic set up within Second Life for 60 third year students. Students had to use their avatars to diagnose and research their SecondLife patients, all of whom had been created with different symptoms, ages, ethnicities, genders etc so students could take a case history, ask relevant questions and explore the diagnosis as they might do in real-life. Using note cards, students could ask questions of the clinic doctor, and have them answered by the tutor.

Developing a blended learning module to be copied and adapted by colleagues

A 26-week blended learning International Relations module was designed to act as an exemplar for colleagues and as a means of showcasing technology in action. It also aimed to offer students with flexible learning opportunities, combining face-to-face and online elements. The module was designed to build on ongoing work in the existing Contemporary Latin American Society module. 

Effective discussion activities

A single online, discussion-based activity was presented in the first week of the course after a full-day induction session. The theme for this session was Critical Analysis and the format of the task was simple and clear, requiring little or no tutor moderation while in progress. Read a given article or paper, critique the article and post your comment and find a relevant further resource and post a link to this.

Use of eAssessment in NOW

Using this online assessment has significantly enhanced the student learning experience. The lecturer discovered a way to move beyond the simple adoption of the minimum standards to find a creative, valid use of the tools embedded within the VLE  that has delivered real educational value.  Developing the question bank for use on the programme will be an ongoing process, potentially to be rolled out to other level one and two programmes, so building this into teaching practice is important.  As the process becomes more established and matures, it may be of use in level three programmes as well.

Using Release Conditions to restrict access to further learning materials and ensure understanding

This eLearning unit was taken as part of a level one module, 'Understanding Professional and Business Skills'. It covered the transition to Higher Education, some of the skills that are necessary to perform well academically and details of academic misconducts and good practice with referencing. The lecture sessions had been poorly attended and, in the following seminars, the students had showed little evidence of having understood the material. It was felt that a traceable system where we could examine each student's progress would be beneficial. Furthermore, we could incorporate elements such as surveys and assessments where the students had to actively engage with the material and check their understanding.