John Stather

Twitter.com/jstather

Aim of the study

Evaluating the Impact of an

ELearning resource upon the

attainment of Year 8 pupils

during their Design and

technology home learning

project.

John Stather

Teacher of Design Technology

Teaching 8 Years spread

between two 11 – 16

Comprehensive Schools

Responsibilities include Co-

ordinating Key stage 3

Technology

Aims of this presentation

Introduce the enquiry, how it fits

with the school agenda and

define terms used within the

presentation

Review major findings

of the enquiry

Outline implications for policy implementation

Outline future orientation of the

Elearning App

School Context

At Key Stage Three, the traditional model of homework has been replaced with a project based Home learning Model.

Pupils study 5 projects per half term, completing a project in each subject every full term.

Pupils are supported in their home learning with materials to download from the School’s VLE.

The home learning app is being developed and tested as an E Learning tool to further enrich the learning experience of pupils in their home learning.

To ensure consistency a standardised mark sheet has been used

Basiel – VLE it self does led to transferable

learning skills

Oftsed 09 – VLE population is largely down to

few keen members of staff who have an interest

in the field

Brenham – 50% more courses within the next 5

years will have 50% of content delivered online.

Bates – Argues that a major role of the vle and e

learning is to prepare learners for work

Hargreaves – had argued that it is this tinkering

and discussion between staff that can and staff

that what to that leds to knowledge being

transferred

Model of learning embraced by the schools’ home learning model

Basiel, A (2008) ‘ELearning Pedagogy Literature Review’ Accessed at http://www.elearning.mdx.ac.uk/research last accessed on 13/06/2010

Methodology used

A sampling frame of three year 8

Questionnaires given to all these pupils

Questions were mostly quantitative and the Likert

scale was used to increase qualitative feedback

Results were triangulated against statistical analysis

from pupils’ attainment data.

Feedback from other teachers was collected through

qualitative questionnaires.

Pupil attainment in Design Technology Compared

against other subjects and previous results

Overview of results

19%

52%

19%

5%5%

On how many different occasions did you use the home learning APP?

Once two - five six - ten 11 or more none

38%

62%

Did you save it to your home computer?

Yes No

14%

48%

38%

Did you use the worksheets or did you lay out your work in your own way?

used work sheets used some did not use worksheets

10%

48%

10%

10%

19%

5%

Rate how easy you found the guide to use

excellent good satisfactoryfair confusing n/a

71%

29%

Do you think the home learning project guide made your learning easier to manage?

yes no

4b 4a 5c 5b 5a 6c 6b 6a

NOT HANDED IN0

1

2

3

4

5

6

TML

TML

Comparison of home learning attainment against the students

18

15

12

9

6

3

0

No.

of p

upils

Art

Drama Dt

English

GeographyHito

ry ItMusic Re

Science

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

% whole school homelearning submissions

% submissionsLinear (% submissions)

Review of attainment data

7 students did better than their TMG3 students met their TMG8 students were 1 sub level below7 students were more than 1 sub level below

6 student didn’t hand it in

32% met or did better than their TMG

58% of students achieved at least 1 sub level below their TMG or better

All returned responses appear to

be in favor of the app as a learning

resource. A number of responses

from across the questionnaire

suggest that there is a lot of

potential for the app but only if

changes are made which focus on

the specific learning outcomes,

which the app is looking to take the

learners to. The data gained here

will be invaluable in the future

development of the App.

Teacher Questionnaires

The questionnaire returns did show

a gap in the understanding of how

Rapid ELearning products in the

Secondary Education sector could

be deployed as learning tools.

Teacher Questionnaires

The final conclusions of all

the data analysis, especially

the questionnaire data

suggests that the app could

support the pupils’

independent learning and

with more work on the

instructional design within

it, will create greater

support.

Final conclusions

However, at present the statistical analysis of

attainment data suggests that the impact of

the app is on average minimal and suits some

learners better than others.

The actual impact of the app cannot be

totally measured using the methodology

deployed in this assignment.

The full scope of evaluating the app goes

beyond the research methodology which I

have used.

Final conclusions

Implications to introducing this Innovation Policy

Kai Zen Approach - let people tinker

Be aware that a school is a complex system –

everybody will have a different

understanding/knowledge level of elearning +

Computer literacy but also of the role of homework

Be aware of peoples values. Elearning is part my

working practice and is valued as part of my grounded

theory but not everyone else.

Except that once introduced the innovation policy will

be shaped by comprise for all the reasons above.

Be sensitive and intrapersonal to other peoples

training needs

Trowler argues that the

outcome may not be what is

intended as in deed a

compromise between the

policy and the stakeholders.

Rapid Elearning content on the VLE to support and develop learning from the classroom.

Similar style booklets are now used in the classroom lessons with a strategic plan in place to introduce a wider range of Elearning activities over the next two years.

Future orientation

References Basiel, A (2008) ‘ELearning Pedagogy Literature Review’ Accessed at http://www.elearning.mdx.ac.uk/research last accessed on 13/06/2010

Bates, T. (2009) Can you move classroom courses online quickly and cheaply? Accessed at: http://www.tonybates.ca/ Access on 15/3/10

Brenman, J. (2006) Shift Happens. Accessed at: http://www.slideshare.net/jbrenman/shift-happens-33834: Accessed on 01/07/10

Bush, T. (1998) ‘Organisational Culture and Strategic Management’ in Strategic Management in Schools and Colleges, London: Paul Champman

Fullan, M. (2001) ‘The Meaning of Educational Change, London: Routledge

Garret, V. (2005) ‘Leading and managing Change’, in Davies et al. (2005) School Leadership in the 21st Century, London: Routledge FalmerGladwell, Malcolm. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference.New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2000.

Martin T. (1994) Institutional Blockages to learning and Changing a Psychodynamic Perspective (Paper presented at an annual conference, British Educational Management and Administrative Society September (1994)

Ofsted (2009) ‘Virtual learning environments: an evaluation of their development in a sample of educational settings’ Crown Copyright.

Trowler, P., Saunders, M. and Knight, P. (2003) Change Thinking, Change Practices ITSN Generic Centre

West-Burnham., Farrar, M. and Otero, G. (2007) ‘Change and Complex Communities’, in Schools and Communities, London: Continuum