Tag Archives: assessment

Add GenAI RAG categories to Moodle at the click of a button

Moodle, ,

Written by Dr. Richard Floyd, Digital Learning Facilitator (ISS)

Each assignment in Moodle needs to have a Red, Amber, or Green category for the use of generative AI. The University has provided some guidance for staff covering what these categories mean and how this should be communicated to students.

To make it easier for staff to share this information with students, we have now added a set of custom components to the text editor in Moodle. This will allow you to choose your category and automatically insert the official icon and text into your assignment description.

How to add an AI RAG category to your assignment description

  1. Edit your assignment settings
  2. In the description field, click the three dots to expand the toolbar, then select the Components for Learning (C4L) option (the Lego brick):The TinyMC text editor in Moodle with the 'Components 4 Learning" (C4L) lego brick icon circled in red.
  3. Under the Custom tab, select the relevant category and then click save:The custom tab for components in the C4L section of the TinyMC editor. The 'RAG AI - Red)' option is selected.
  4. The component will then appear in your assignment description:An example of an assignment with the Generative AI category applied in Moodle in the "description" section of the settings.

If you require any further support, get in touch with a Faculty Learning Technologist or a Digital Learning Facilitator.

Using Peer Assessment to support MBChB students in their coursework

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Context

There are many benefits for students getting together to produce a poster, presentation or some other output to demonstrate their learning. However, peer assessment isn’t something I see very often. There could be a range of reasons for this from concern over cohort dynamics, workload, biased student feedback or lack of knowledge on how to set this kind of activity up. However, the benefits of peer assessment, in my opinion, outweigh the reasons why we, as educators, might shy away from it. Paul Chin highlights that one of the benefits of peer assessment is that students can “critique and review someone else’s work and thereby reflect on their own understanding or performance” (Chin, 2016). However, as we know, there are other professional skills that can be developed through peer assessment activities such as communication skills, leadership skills, organisation and teamwork (sometimes known as “soft skills” but the debate around that name can wait for another day!). Many of these professional skills are extremely important to our medical students, for whom this peer assessment was designed. The design of the assessment was done by myself, Liz Walkden,  lecturer Dr. Faye Tucker, our Faculty Librarian, Gem Sosnowsky and Learning Developer, Dr. Beth Caldwell.

The activities, which formed the peer assessment, were for Special Study Module 1 (SSM1). This module is for first year students on Lancaster Medical School’s MBChB programme. Special Study Modules make up the coursework part of Year 1 and Year 2 of the MBChB programme. Year 1 is an opportunity to teach students the skills that they need to succeed in the coursework in a scaffolded way. This then means that they are confident to conduct their own project in the second year.

What did the activity and assessment entail?

The peer assessment activity took place over several days. Students first took part in a 2.5-hour workshop where they met their group and learned what they needed to do. As part of this workshop, students set ground rules for their own group, assigned themselves roles within the group, discussed how and when they would meet and how they might use Microsoft Teams and other tools to coordinate, chat and share files.

Each group was given a set topic to research with relevant readings which they accessed through Moodle. The groups then worked together to create a poster to present to a selection of their peers. There were 27 groups in total, so the groups were split across 3 different rooms/lecture theatres for the live presentations. On the day itself, the cohort were split into three rooms for a conference style session, facilitated by the SSM1.  In this case, presentations were delivered in-person but, if suitable for the cohort or Programme, they could be delivered online using MS Teams or students could record themselves using the video platform eStream.

Not all students had to speak during the presentation of the poster and students could determine themselves who would present depending on the group dynamic and range of skills.

During the presentations, students filled out a short questionnaire providing their feedback on other people’s presentations. For example, a person in group A would give feedback on the presentation of a person in group B. The questionnaire supported engagement during the presentations and gave students a chance to provide constructive feedback to their peers. The set up of the questionnaire meant that students could not just give one-sided feedback; students gave their peers a “takeaway” and a “giveaway” (positive and negative feedback).

It is important that all types of assessment allow for reasonable adjustments for those students with additional needs. In addition, with first year students, it is especially important to offer flexibility as, for many students, delivering a presentation is nerve-wracking and often students are not that familiar with group work before they come to University. In the design process, we carefully considered how to make this an inclusive activity that would provide the flexibility and support to ensure that students could showcase their skills in a safe and positive environment.

“We are sometimes hesitant to do presentations with students as we don’t want students to feel uncomfortable or anxious. The group project allowed flexibility for students to self-organise, and gave them suitable tools to do so, so students could play to their strengths within the group. The way that technology was incorporated into content delivery, assessment, and feedback supported inclusion and learning away from the classroom. It helped students find their own roles in the group and take responsibility for the activity as a team.” – Dr. Faye Tucker

How was this set up in Moodle?

As the FHM Learning Technologist, the first thing I did was set up the relevant groups in Moodle to reflect the groups that students would be working in. I also set up groupings to reflect the three lecture theatres that the cohort would deliver their presentations in.

I then uploaded the resources from the workshop and I also created a help sheet on how students could use Microsoft Teams effectively when conducting a group project. This sheet included a suggestion that students could also use Microsoft Planner and other tools which might support their collaboration.

On the presentation day, the questionnaire was set up in Moodle and made available on the day of the presentations for students to access. The restrict access rule was applied in Moodle to the questionnaire as well as the other activities/files to ensure that each group only saw what was relevant to them. For example, each group saw their own set reading materials but none of the materials related to the other groups’ work. This meant that the resources they needed were more clearly presented on the Moodle page making it easier for students to find.

Overall, set up was straightforward considering there were 27 groups of five students. For support on how to set up groups and groupings in Moodle, check out this help video.

How did staff and students feel that it went?

Dr Faye Tucker felt that the experience was rewarding and can inform future development in the MBChB curriculum:

“This was a great opportunity to introduce students to different learning, teaching, and assessment. And, although there was only one type of submission (a poster) the students could demonstrate they had met the LOs through self-refection, peer-review, and by providing module evaluation. It would be great to offer alternative formats across our assessments on the MBChB where possible, such as podcasts or group submissions, so this was a great opportunity to trial something new and there is learning we can feed-forward into future assessment design.”

Following the peer assessment, we set up a feedback questionnaire in Moodle to ask students about their experiences. 108/117 students agreed or strongly agreed that their skills synthesising information from multiple sources improved. 104 students said their teamwork skills had improved. 94 students stated they enjoyed the activity with another 14 students saying that they neither agreed nor disagreed. Many students made additional, positive comments about the experience; some are included below:

“I really enjoyed this project. I met students I hadn’t spoken to before and it was quite nice to develop team working skills.”

“The two-and-a-half-hour workshop on Monday was useful as I believed it effectively covered everything we needed to know, and it also helped with meeting our group members. I really like the aspect of assigning roles to each group member since it helped provide structure to completing the poster in a timely manner.”

“I enjoyed it as it’s improved my collaboration skills and honed my ability to extract vital information from various sources.”

“I think that the information of setting up teams group and shared files was incredibly useful.”

Thinking of setting up a group work or a peer assessment activity?

If you want to explore alternative forms of assessment and find some support for setting these up in Moodle, please get in touch. Learning Technologists can support with the whole design process including creating mark schemes, creating resources and activities, and providing support on settings options in Moodle.

References

Chin, P. (2016). Peer assessment. New Directions in the Teaching of Natural Sciences, (3), 13–18. https://doi.org/10.29311/ndtps.v0i3.410

Group Work: Tips, Tricks & Technology

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Group work…often dreaded by teachers and sometimes by students too! When I first started teaching in 2017, I was reluctant to use group work activities. They were tricky and time-consuming to set up and I quite often didn’t get the outcomes I was looking for. I had very little experience with educational technology as it didn’t form part of my PGCE at a time when Microsoft Teams had only just been launched and the Covid-19 pandemic hadn’t happened yet.

Since that time though, I’ve picked up some tips and tricks that have helped me to facilitate successful group projects both inside and outside the classroom. Now working in higher education, post-pandemic and in a world where technology enhanced learning is much more centre stage, I’m more comfortable with facilitating successful collaborations. Group work isn’t something I dread anymore! As a result, I thought I would share some tips and tricks as well as suggestions of activities/tools that are available at Lancaster University that could be utilised when asking students to work together.

Create Connections

Connecting with strangers is hard! Students are forced into a learning environment together and often expected to collaborate and discuss things with each other when they have only just met. This situation is a daunting one for many, even for staff! We have all been asked to “turn to the person next to you” to complete some activity…I don’t know about you, but sometimes this makes me wish I hadn’t attended the session and it can get awkward fast. Creating a comfortable and connected learning community is important to help facilitate successful group work. The community building often needs to happen in advance of the activity or project too so that students have time to form connections and get comfortable in the moment.

One tip is to encourage a digital “water cooler”; a place where students can chat freely. Many staff already encourage students to create their own groups, for example via WhatsApp. However, as staff we can also create spaces, for example a forum in Moodle that you don’t access and leave for students to communicate with each other or a Microsoft Teams space for students. There are many tools and ways to create a communication space for students, I’ve only mentioned a few but it will certainly help create those connections that will support students when they are asked to work together. OneHE has a page full of ideas for “warm up activities” to help students engage in low-stakes conversations which will help facilitate the start of those connections that will eventually support collaborative work.

Roles and Responsibilities

Getting everyone to participate in group work is a difficult task for every educator or facilitator. One recommended, tried and tested method is to establish roles and responsibilities within the group. The roles themselves can be varied and may be specific to the project or task that you set your students. For example, you might have a team leader, a note-taker, an external stakeholder manager, a proof-reader, a meeting chair…the possibilities are endless! AdvanceHE has some excellent guidance with top tips and resources on how to set up groupwork. They too suggest giving students roles and asking them to reflect on the diversity of skills in the group to ensure effective collaboration.

As an institution who uses Moodle, we have the ‘Board’ activity available to use. This activity can be set up in group mode so that each group can collaborate. One use case for group activity is to set it up as project management board with columns such as “to-do”, “in progress”, “done” and “blocked”. That way students can manage their workload together and keep track of their progress. Below is an example of a Moodle ‘Board’ activity set up in this way:

An example of a Moodle "board" activity.
An example of a ‘Board’ activity in Moodle

A similar thing can be created using Microsoft Planner within a Microsoft Teams space. For training and support in creating either of these resources, get in touch.

Continue reading Group Work: Tips, Tricks & Technology →

Moodle My Feedback – New to Moodle for 24/25

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Written by Phil Tubman – eLearning Development Officer, Digital Learning Team (ISS)

Each year in the Digital Learning Team, we try to improve the Moodle experience for students and staff. During this academic year we have held focus groups with students and listened to their concerns, which overwhelmingly speak of their difficulties finding thingson the Moodle course page: 

“Chaotic sometimes, not always grouped together similar documents. Hard to find.” 

“Every Moodle page has a different structure, making it difficult to learn how to navigate.” 

Feedback given through Moodle is arguably the most important aspect of teaching and learning, so we have developed a new feature which collects all the students’ feedback (single course or all courses) onto one page, accessible from the Moodle course page – we are unsurprisingly calling this feature, “My Feedback”. 

A module space in Moodle with the 'Feedback' tab on the secondary navigation menu highlighted with a pink box.
Figure 1: My Feedback link as viewed by a student on Moodle

When a student clicks this link, they are taken to their My Feedback page which displays all their feedback from that course on one page, which has the following features: 

  • All feedback, grades in Moodle, submission dates and due dates on one page 
  • An area to make self-reflective notes (these are only visible to the student themselves) 
  • A button to download all their combined feedback files for the course (the annotated file, feedback comments, feedback criteria, rubric) 
  • note this does not include files that have been uploaded for feedback 
A Moodle space with the self-reflective notes feature and export assignment feedback files feature highlighted with a pink box.
Figure 2 My Feedback page with download all, and self-reflective notes feature

To view all the feedback from all the courses, the student just clicks on their profile link at the top right of Moodle, and choose ‘Feedback’ from there: 

Profile drop-down menu with 'Feedback' option highlighted with a pink box.
Figure 3 Use the profile button to access all feedback across Moodle

Now all their feedback across Moodle is listed on one page: 

My Feedback page showing all modules across all years.
Figure 4 My Feedback page for all Moodle courses

We feel that this feature will be greatly beneficial to students during their academic tutor meetings, 1-1’s, or meetings with Learning Developers. 

If you have teaching staff, course convenor, or administrative staff role on a Moodle course, you can also view as student’s My Feedback page (minus their self-reflective notes, of course), by choosing ‘My Feedback’ (under the ‘more’ option on the course front page), and selecting the student you wish to view: 

The staff page for My Feedback with a drop-down menu in the centre.
Figure 5 Select a student to view their ‘My Feedback’ page as staff

For a preview of My Feedback, you can watch the video below:

Please comment below if you have any suggestions or thought about this new feature or pass your comments on to Phil via email.

Upcoming Training: Exams Moodle

Events, ,

Here at Lancaster, we use Moodle as our virtual learning environment (VLE) and have several customised instances of Moodle where we can host different types of material. One of those is ‘Exams Moodle’ and…it does “exactly what it says on the tin”… hosts exams.

Soon, exam season will be upon us and the exam timetable has gone live today!

For those of you looking at setting up exams for the upcoming season we have some hybrid training available to help you get started.

The training covers:

  1. How exams spaces are created
  2. How staff and students are enrolled
  3. How ILSP adjustments are added
  4. How exam access is restricted to appropriate times and individuals
  5. How grading and feedback works

The sessions are suitable for professional services staff members and anyone else responsible for configuring online exams at Lancaster.

There are two sessions available (both exactly the same!) and you can sign up via the Libcal links below:

  1. Tuesday 5th March, Management School LT10, 2-3pm (hybrid)
  2. Thursday 14th March, Engineering Building Entrance, 10-11am (hybrid)

We hope to see you there but if you have any questions in the meantime, please get in touch with one of the Digital Learning Team. There’s also written guidance available on Embrace Digital – Guidance for setting up open book exams in Moodle.

Making your lecture videos interactive with Panopto

Pedagogy, , ,

From the Digital Learning Team’s recent surveys and focus groups, we know that students really appreciate when lectures are recorded.

Lecture recordings are useful to support revision and to support students when reviewing difficult concepts. At Lancaster, there are a number of Panopto features that are used consistently such as captioning. It is also common for lecturers to review the viewing statistics which can help identify which parts of a lecture students are watching the most.

However, many people are unaware of the ability to add formative quizzes and also short video clips to recordings. This post, will walk you through how to do this to support student engagement and revision.

Adding a quiz

There are four types of question that can be added to a Panopto video:

  1. True/False
  2. Multiple Choice
  3. Multiple Select
  4. Fill in the Blank

To add a quiz to your chosen video, click the edit button (see below) on the banner across the top of the screen.

Edit button on Panopto

Choose the part on the video editing timeline that you would like to add a quiz to. The red verticle line is where the quiz will be added.

Video editing timeline with vertical red coloured bar.

Then you can either click the quizzes option on the left-hand menu as shown below:

Menu with the 'Quizzes' option highlighted in green.

OR

You can click the plus button above the video editing timeline which gives you a pop -up list of options as shown below:

Pop-up menu with the "add a quiz" option highlighted.

This will then give you the option to add a quiz at the point that you have chosen in the video and the quiz editing screen will appear (see below). You can add as many questions as you like and change the type of question from the drop-down menu on the right-hand side.

Quiz editing screen in Panopto

It is possible to have multiple short quizzes in one video and the video will pause to allow the students to complete the quiz. The screenshot below shows the quiz screen that students would see and the number of questions in the quiz appears in the right hand corner. Students get to review answers at the end of the quiz and can see their total score.

The interactive quiz that appears for students as they play through a Panopto video.

You can also view the quiz results of your students from the settings menu. This will give you an insight into which topics your group feel confident with and which topics they might need support with.

A great way to help your students review complex material!

Adding a YouTube video clip

This can be done by selecting plus button and then the option from the drop-down menu below the ‘Add a quiz’ option.

Pop up menu with "Add a Youtube video" highlighted

This editing screen will then appear:

YouTube video editing screen on Panopto

From here you can add the link (URL) to the YouTube video you would like to include, adjust the time when you want the video to start playing and you can also decide whether you want the whole clip to play or just part of it using the “start” and “end” options.

If you keep “Show YouTube controls” ticked by default, this will allow users to view the subtitles for the video if required due to preference or accessibility needs.

For more information on Panopto,  you can visit the ASK page.

If you need further support on making Panopto videos interactive, get in touch with a member of the Digital Learning Team.

 

 

Podcasting For Progress

Pedagogy, ,

In a previous post, we were introduced to Dr. Sayjda Talib and Eleanor Dove’s ‘Education Matters’ podcast. Given the increasing interest in podcasting at Lancaster University, I thought now would be a good time to share some information on how and why to get started and what support is available at Lancaster for this endeavour. I will also be sharing some tips for getting started based on a recent EmpowerEd webinar session (Webinar 10) where Mark Childs from Durham University was giving a session on ‘Podcasting: Performing Professional Practice Publicly’. Mark Childs has been involved in podcasts such as Pedagodzilla, a popular series discussing various aspects of pedagogic theory. More tips and support can also be found on the ASK ‘Podcasting’ page.

Why podcasting?

Podcasting is a creative way to deliver content in a series of episodes. It can be used in all sorts of ways:

  • to share content with students and introduce them to research
  • to share good practice in your field with colleagues
  • to share research and good practice with others outside of the University
  • to engage with visiting speakers 
  • to assess students on their skills and knowledge.

In short, podcasting is versatile!

Podcasts are conversational in style and tone, fairly short (more on timing later!) and straightforward to produce. To be successful they should be relaxed and have some element of fun. A decent recording can be made with some headphones, a microphone and some editing software. Although many podcast hosting websites are now being monetised there are some free ones still out there such as Spotify for Podcasters, formerly known as Anchor.

Podcasting can be used as a creative form of assessment, either formative or summative. Students could form small groups and show off their knowledge of a particular topic. There are several points that could be assessed such as the agreed format for the podcast, the range of knowledge shown, use of key terminology, teamwork, communication…quite a list! However, it is important to decide whether assessing the quality of the podcast production is necessary. While this may be appropriate for some courses, it is important to think about constructive alignment – is the quality of the podcast relevant to the learning outcomes on your course? – if not, if you can hear what is said, that is enough.

How do I start?

  1. Come up with your subject matter

A podcast series is usually set around a particular topic e.g. true crime, comedy, pedagogy, the latest developments in technology

2. Design a format for the podcast

While podcasts are discussion based and should flow freely, to avoid complete waffle they are usually still based around a framework. Prompt questions will help to keep the discussion on track. Your format might also include some additions to improve entertainment value such as a quiz, a fact of the week or a highlight of feedback/comments from listeners. These little sections split up the main segments of content to keep the discussion moving.

3. Come up with a unique name

Take some time to think up a name that stands out from the rest and gives new listeners a sense of what to expect.

4. Use some eye-catching artwork

The artwork draws in listeners too – you can create your own or use an image from online (free images can be downloaded from Unsplash, artwork can be created in Spotify for Podcasters or you could use a tool like Canva to design your own).

5. Assign each person a role

This will also help to facilitate the discussion; roles could include: a host, an improviser, a specialist and an editor.

6. Do a test run

The first podcast should be a pilot, one that you don’t share but use to practice using the technology, review the format and get comfortable with the experience.

What do I do once recording has finished?

Post-production editing is a key part of podcasting. You may edit out any errors or aspects that you think are not suitable. For example, you may have had to repeat yourself as the first time you said something you weren’t happy with the phrasing. You can add sound effects to break up the sections and smooth transition and it is also possible to improve sound quality (to an extent!). The University has free access for staff to Audacity and Adobe Audition which are available from AppsAnywhere. There is some free editing software outside the University such as descript.com. You should also make sure to upload an accurate transcript of your podcast to share with people who cannot access the audio because of an impairment.

Try to promote your podcast through any and all channels available to you. This might be on social media, on a website, via posters or in person at events. You may want to set up your own website or social media account to be able to share resources and engage with listeners.  

What resources are available at Lancaster University to start podcasting?

At Lancaster University there are several suites with recording equipment for podcasting. For example, the Digital Education Suite in Bowland North Seminar Room 19. Our Digital Media Engineers have created a video on how to use it as it is a ‘self-service’ room. This room can be booked by Lancaster staff using the following email address: des@lancaster.ac.uk. There are also other rooms available in the Health and Innovation Campus and in LICA. More podcasting studios are in development.

At Lancaster, we have Digital Media Engineers who can help with video and audio recording and editing. They help staff create content such as recorded lectures, course introductions, research material, promotional videos and podcasts, for example the ‘Education Matters’ podcast. To get in touch with them you can use the following email address: iss.digital.media@lancaster.ac.uk. This same email address can be used to express interest in using room B107 in LUMS as the Digital Media Engineers will support you in using the range of audio and video equipment in this room. Please note that this room is not ‘self-service’ like the Digital Education Suite mentioned above.

If you are thinking about starting a podcast, feel free to get in touch with myself or another Digital Learning Facilitator to discuss ideas and for more recommendations.

Other useful information

You can find more help and advice on how to plan, create and edit a podcast via this ASK page.

Short podcasts are popular, around 15 minutes in length but often they are 30-40 minutes in length. Dan Misener did some research in 2018 and 2019 on the average length. You may also want to consider the average commute length, a time when people may listen to podcasts, which in 2021 was 27 minutes.

You may also want to check out ‘Podcasting for Learning in Universities’, a book by Gilly Salmon and Palitha Edirisingha. This book includes some use case examples as well as information on how to be successful in including podcasts in a higher education context.

Don’t worry about low numbers of listeners to start with. You will begin to gain listeners as you promote the podcast and record more sessions. Remember that a listener who discovers the podcast at episode 5 will often go back and listen to the previous episodes too.