Caroline ColesLeicester Institute of Legal Practice

6th May 2010

The Student experienceLearning beyond the

classroom: part time, work-based, mobile

DiversityInteractive digital

technology

Aims for Higher EducationRigour, disciplined thought, curiosity

(NCIHE 1997)Social constructivism (Vygotsky 1986,Laurillard 2002)Creativity.Autonomous learnerDynamic learning (Sabry,Barker 2009)Knowledge economy (BIS 2009)

What is a wiki?Collaborative web sitePublic or privateInside Blackboard or use a free external

host e.g. www.wikispaces.com, www.pbwiki.com

For text, diagrams, pictures, live web links

This session wiki http://wikisession-seda2010.wikispaces.com/

Wikis in Law

Graduate Diploma in LawLeicester Institute of Legal Practice,

post graduate in time but graduate in nature

Issues: Engagement; diverse; scarce discussion

Aims: engagement,express ideas, synthesize, collaborate

Structure: series of tasks, minimal tutor involvement, reward with documents

Blackboard wiki

Student response“Very helpful”“could be filled in at your own pace

and enhanced learning”“Would like to use it in tutorials more

– this way students will have to make a comment and become more confident”

DMU GDL students 2009

Student response- tutor reflectionGreater evidence of engagementHigh quality of contribution – reflective,

criticalImproved academic writing skillsBUTMinimal collaboration:

Evidence of protective ownership of pages?

“Lurking”

Student response other examples“The Wiki page is a good part of

learning because it encourages class members to integrate, which was quite helpful…”

“I learnt a lot from other people's input, whenever I got stuck alone

Cubric 2007

Aligned assessmentGeneral :

Group assessment issues Assessment criteria: criticality, wider

research, academic presentationStorage for external examiner

Specific:Formative

FutureIn class role? Observation project

(Coles 2010)Practice page “sandbox”Assigned student roles eg summariserExplicit construction tasks eg legal

draftingCommunity building tasksRSS alert

FutureApproach of non-westernised

culturesEmotive issues of technology

enhanced learning

DiscussionCan you see a role for wikis in your

practice?If you answer yes, what tasks do you

believe may be appropriate?If you answer no, what are the

barriers to using wikis in your practice?

ReferencesBIS 2009: Great Britain.Department of Business,Innovation and Skills

(2009) Higher Ambitions .Also available at http://www.bis.gov.uk/Policies/higher-education/shape-and-structure/higher-ambitions

Bostock,S. E-learning:engaging learners through technology.SEDA Paper 119.Available from www.seda.ac.uk

Coles ,C.( 2009) The role of new technology in improving engagement http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/law/elj/jilt/2009_3/Coles

Cubric,M.(2007) Good practice in using wikis to enhance learning,student support and retention for business students BMAF HEA Issue 1 April 2007

Laurillard,D.(2002) Rethinking University Teaching :a conversational framework for the effective use of ICT, 2nd edn.London: Routledge.

ReferencesMaharg,P.( 2007) Transforming Legal Education.Ashgate

Publishing.Also available at www.transforming education.org.uk

NCIHE (1997). National committee on Inquiry into Higher Education. London. Also available at www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/ncihe

NACCCE (1999).All Our Futures http://www.hmie.gov.uk/documents/publication/hmiepcie.html

Sabry,K. and Barker,J. 2009 Dynamic Interactive Learning Systems. Innovations in Education and Teaching International Vol 46,No 2 May 2009 pp185-197

Vygotsky,L.S. (1986) Thought and Language.Cambridge,MA:MIT Press

Images: BIS.gov.uk;ljmu.ac.uk;nikkichrager.com