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Xerte in Health PsychologyLevel 6 Assessed Project Using Xerte

Anatoli Karypidou (Health Psychology)Bob Ridge-Stearn (e-Learning)

EXPECT TO ACHIEVE

The module

• PY631-SEP2013 - HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY• The module explores the theoretical models which attempt to explain and

predict health behaviour and examines the practical application of these models in health promotion campaigns.

• It focuses upon the relationship between stress, health and illness, and the factors that mediate this relationship.

• It considers the impact of living with a disability and/or a chronic illness from the biopsychosocial perspective, and considers the impact of illness cognitions on behaviour.

• AssessmentComponent 1: Reflective commentary & Xerte (50% of the module)Component 2: Written exams (50% of the module)

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• You are a consultant health psychologist working for an Independent Health Psychology Consultancy Agency.

• You are approached by a charity counselling service to provide a training resource on Health Psychology Principles, Practices and Services for counsellors.

PBL Scenario1

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• You work for a NHS Primary Care Trust. Clients are referred by GPs.

• GP has asked you to provide information for patients on preventable health behaviour (inactivity and consumption).

• Info should deal with risks, impact on health, factors relating to behaviour and possible interventions.

PBL Scenario 2

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What students did• Approx. 50 level 6 students• Not a new module – previously

designed workshops and used PowerPoint.

• This semester had to use Xerte.• And develop a Critical

Commentary.• Worked in groups submitted

group LO.• Submitted individual CCs.

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Why Xerte?Anatoli Karypidou (Health Psychology)• Blended collaborative learning and PBL are currently perceived as

effective innovative didactic approaches to enhance learning outcomes in HE (Lim & Morris, 2009)

• A hybrid module combines traditional approaches (such as lectures) with computer mediated activities (Lopez-Perez, et al., 2011)

Bob Ridge-Stearn (e-learning)• To provide greater opportunities to develop digital literacies• To provide students with transferable skills and enhance their

employability

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How supported• Initial Xerte training

session (whole morning) with external trainer.

• Scheduled two hour session each week to work on project.

• Learning technologist sat in on session and remained in room for hour afterwards

• Online support from e-learning office (materials and forum)

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Example http://www.xerte.org.uk/

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Was it a success?How did the students’ and staff’s digital literacies

develop thought this type of approach?

JISC Infokit - http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/infokits/digital-literacies/

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EvidenceA mixed method approach was used• Surveys

– Pre-project– During project– After project

• After project focus groups to avoid bias • Analysis of students’ critical commentaries• Anecdotal observations

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“I found it was [the module] even more exciting because of the Xerte package that you incorporated… because I think it brought it alive, so it was not just listening to lectures, you were actually going to apply the information you have learnt and you were going to develop a package which I think was excellent…”

Student Words – Focus Groups

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“It’s about learning and applying at the same time … it was not just listening and taking notes. It was more incorporating everything into your own package that displays your personal understanding, and learning new skills at the same time, learning technical skills…”

Student Words – Focus Groups

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“It wasn’t a package that we have used before, so all the aspects were new to us. For example, incorporating videos in our package is not stuff we are doing on a daily basis or taught before in our degree… So it was really beneficial”

“… or the picture database, looking for pictures suitable to the aims of our assessment. It was not an area that we have looked at before”

“You do get involved in coding which I haven’t done before, so this is a skill. Yes definitely it has increased my computer literacy skills… exploring how it will look at the end if I adjust this and that”

Student Words – Focus Groups

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“You could find pictures that are suitable for professional use… these pictures are copyright free, and you can included them without having any consequences in future.

“The support we had it was great, we had so much support and at the same time we had to play around and figure out things ourselves and how we wanted them. So personally I feel confident in the skills I have gained. It is about independent learning, isn’t it.”

Student Words – Focus Groups

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“It was a learning curve throughout the module, it was not like, Oh we know how to use it from day one, but it was a learning curve… We came across challenges which we were trying to fix. It was exciting, and great and rewarding”

“There are absolutely a vast amount of things you can do with that tool, probably too much to focus only on one module… I have tried many different applications even the cartoon bit, which I loved, and I have actually put that in”

Student Words – Focus Groups

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“I thought it was fantastic and in fact sitting at my doctors recently I have seen such a programme in the waiting room… you have leaflets there but no one picks them up, and I thought that is really good - so applicable”

“I believe that learning psychology here at Newman and especially the knowledge we have gained throughout this module was excellent and I have seen it even in jobs recently, such as in sexual health, and thought if it had been the right time, I could have applied for that on the basis of this”

Student Words – Focus Groups

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“I would definitely put this on my CV as a skill and I will highlight my experience of using Xerte, like SPSS, for example. It will build up my CV” “It felt like more professional with the use of different features to communicate information. It was just giving that professional touch and this is a benefit. Maybe PowerPoint has been used a lot, so it is always nice to use new technology and appear up-to-date with current trends. It just looks more professional”

Student Words – Focus Groups

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“It could be used for revision like quizzes, and you can incorporate the videos you find useful and it is beneficial for your personal use. If you want to make like your own revision tool, like I have used Mahara in the past as a revision tool at the end.”

Student Words – Focus Groups

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“I could have used it for interventions… so more research related. I would have used it for designing an intervention and see whether people’s knowledge may have changed after the information presented in Xerte, because you can use so many different features to communicate information and this can be accessible via laptops, tablets and mobile phones”

“You could use it for an experimental study, as a way to collect data perhaps, or maybe incorporate a questionnaire in Xerte, true or false questions. You could actually test things and you could provide scores.”

Student Words – Focus Groups

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“It definitely gave us the ability to go out there and try something new, something we have never used before and go out there in the big wide world… There so many things that we may need to learn… It just opens your mind to new horizons”

Student Words – Focus Groups

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“I find it really exciting and rewarding. As well at the end product, you have worked those months developing it and creating it, and you feel quite proud you have produced that”

Student Words – Focus Groups

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“Its difficult to customise it. Even editing the arrangements of a picture. I believe it’s limited”

Student Words – Focus Groups

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“I think Xerte is complicated. It takes time to use it but I think this because we were in our third year and the final year. If we had started in the first year, it would have been so much more beneficial for us I think”

Student Words – Focus Groups

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Critical Commentaries• Not formative diaries – summative reflections

• Don’t tell us much about the process, about problems encountered and solutions found.

• They tell us about the rationale for the design.

• They do not tell us much about the skills they acquired along the way.

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CC - Student wordsAnother tool used on the Xerte programme was shocking images of alcohol poisoned body parts, including the brain, liver and heart. This is because research has shown that shocking visual images are able to significantly increase the level of cognitive processing and increase the intentions to quit the behaviour they suggest, in this case excessive drinking of alcohol (Veer and Rank, 2012, p. 231).

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CC - Student wordsQuizzes were also used on the Xerte programme. Quizzes have been found to increase motivation of the reader, as well as encourage them to actively take part and interact with the learning (Braun and Sellers, 2012, p.269). Cushard (2013) also states that quizzes are beneficial for memory, especially in e-learning situations.

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CC - Student wordsImportant skills have also been used throughout the development of the xerte programme, including simple things such as the use of html, and patience when creating a piece of interactivity.

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CC - Student wordsThe Health Psychology cohort has been provided with the opportunity to gain new computer-based skills, as well as become actively involved in an exciting and innovative form of health promotion

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CC - Student’s wordsThe Xerte learning tool has exhibited such great potential for health promotion that recommendations have been made to a community outreach project…

It is now hoped a specific learning tool can be designed to support the project’s work promoting harm reduction. This highlights how valuable the Xerte training has been, not only for the health psychology cohort, but potentially for the local community as well.

Image – CC licence

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Anecdotal / Observations• Students enjoyed it• Helped each other• Saw it as useful and worth adding to their CVs• Learned a huge amount about working on the web• Many didn’t understand copyright• We need to be clear on expectations – some students tried to

use the whole toolkit

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Anecdotal / Observations

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How did students’ and staff’s digital literacies develop?

JISC Infokit - http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/infokits/digital-literacies/

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What would we do differently• Shorter technical input sessions at start• Input session on copyright vs academic referencing• Groups – Individual projects ???• Insist on an assessed weekly critical commentary• Provide a template or choice of templates• Encourage/demand image/video creation• Change submission process – GIVE not only EXPORT

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Xerte in Health PsychologyLevel 6 Assessed Project Using Xerte

Anatoli Karypidou (Health Psychology)Bob Ridge-Stearn (e-Learning)