DIT Teaching Fellowship 2011-12An activity-based approach to the Learning

and Teaching of Research Methods - Measuring student engagement and

learning.

Eimear FallonTerry Prendergast

Stephen WalshSchool of Real Estate and Construction

EconomicsDublin Institute of Technology

Impetus for Project

Dissatisfaction with ‘lecturing’ Research Methods – very abstract subject without specific application

Good fit for DIT L&T StrategyDeveloping new approach to learningSkills transferable academic/professional

Research Methods .... for Learners

Boring

Poor attendance

Little engagement

Poorly learned

Research Methods .... for Teachers

Difficult to engage students

Frustration

Difficult to measure output but general view that ...

Achievement of Learning Outcomes is poor

Project Objectives – 3 pronged

Activity-based approachMeasure student engagementDevise more rigorous and equitable assessment methods

The Activities

Part 1Research methods

Part 2Generating thesis idea

Part 3Developing and peer critiquing thesis proposal

Activities – Different ApproachesTailor-made approach for each activity

The learning approaches include:WorkshopsBrainstorming & mind mappingQuizzesPresentationsPeer to peer critiquingMeet the final year students – speed-datingSelf reflection

Part 1 – The MethodsQuestionnaire Survey

Case Study

Interview

Criteria-based Analysis

The Case Study – 3 TasksInitial students’ perceptions of case

studies

Task to ‘fill in the blanks’ using internet or other resources – very challenging

Preparation of outline of three possible case studies

The Case Study - 1Activity 1:

What are your pre-conceived notions about what it should contain ?

Each Group should write in not more than two sentences what you think a case study is and what it should contain.

We will have a general class discussion after Activity 1.

The Case Study - 2Activity 2: The following sentences discuss case studies. Read them carefully and fill in the blanks. Appropriate answers are given below. (25 minutes) Please email this to us when you are finished. The answers to the above will be discussed after the activity.

Case studies aim to illuminate the by looking at the . Case Studies allow you to study things in and helping to unravel the of the issue. The real value of a case study is that it offers the opportunity to certain outcomes might happen- more than just

finding out what those outcomes are. Normally a case study is not artificially generated specifically for the purposes of the research, it . While may be a consideration in choosing a case study, it is way down the pecking order in terms of criteria Case studies tend to be rather than deal with isolated factors. Case studies focus on the of a subject rather than the of the subject. Cases should not be selected on a but rather on the basis of . Selection should be

established. Cases should not be chosen simply because they are , this is a bonus. In particular, cases should be chosen on the basis of their to the research topic. If the subject of a case study is a group of people and they know that they are being studied, the result may not be reliable. This

is known as the . Some critics suggest that a case may not be , that the results may be to that case and that the results should not be . Sometimes a case is chosen if it is a rarely occurring event and it offers a to study the effect, e.g. a strike in the

electricity supplier companies.

Key Words: unique, complexities, relevance, known attributes, generalised, depth, intrinsically interesting, criteria, explain

why, unique opportunity, all-encompassing, particular, already exists, observer effect, representative, convenience, help, detail, general, random basis, breadth,

The Case Study - 3Activity 3

Think of an appropriate case study as part of a research study Outline in not more than 30 words what the case study would try to illuminate/explain/describe etc.

“The psychological impact on contestants of reality TV programmes”

“Risk sharing in public-private partnerships”“The ‘winner-takes-all’ focus of professional sport”“Are Academy Awards (Oscars) evidence of artistic quality ?” “The growth of international chains in the Irish retail sector”

Part 2 Generating the thesis ideaUsing mind maps to brainstorm ideasDraw a mind map of ideas/ words/ concepts

relevant to one of the topics below.

Taxation and property investmentUrban regenerationTransparency in property investmentIndustrial propertySDZsThe impact of the internet on property investmentCommercial property leases.

Mind-Mapping

Source: http://www.google.ie/search?q=what+is+a+mind+map&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=aJI&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&prmd=imvnsa&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=N9twT9H8KsjIhAfPh73BBw&ved=0CFIQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=707, accessed 26 March 2006

W

Mind Map

Part 3 Peer Critiquing of thesis proposalsEach student’s proposal was critiqued by

their peers (small groups)

Students were given criteria to assess each other’s proposals.

Written feedback and critique given to each student by group

We thought this was a very successful activity but mixed reaction from students

Other activitiesMeet the Final Years

Speed dating format

General student feedback

I felt that working in groups really helped me to get different perspectives on all aspects of the thesis. I thought that the group size was perfect and the time allocation with the groups and the class was just right too

I enjoyed the group interaction in the classes . They were a welcome change of scene from the usual two hour, sit and listen lectures that the rest of the course consists of.

More topics should be learned this way if it is possible.

Good fun

…more time with lecturers would have been beneficial….

The fact that we were all spread across a huge floor obviously made it difficult for the lecturers to see to the every group’s needs. I did feel that when this help did arrive, it was great and often resulted in us being told where we were going wrong, rather than where we were going right.

I felt this was an excellent task (Designing questionnaires), we discussed how to conduct an interview and how to develop different types of questions. I had planned to undertake interviews as a source information and a very useful website was given and this will help me develop my questions for the interviews

I found the proposal writing and peer critiquing very useful. It allowed me to share my thesis ideas and aims which helped me focus more on what I actually wanted to achieve in my thesis.

The constructive criticism enabled me to change aspects of my thesis idea that were too broad and enabled me to create a more focussed idea with a clear aim.

Measuring student engagement Designed questionnaire. This draws from a number of US-based

research projects on student engagement - Kuh, G. D. (2001) National Survey of Student Engagement

Results suggestMeaningful ContributionPositive Learning EnvironmentInteresting and ChallengingFun

Student Engagement Survey 78% of students said that it was very characteristic

or characteristic of them to contribute in class discussions

71% of students said that it was very characteristic or characteristic of them to ask a question of lecturers or class mates when they didn’t

understand something

63% of students said that it was very characteristic or characteristic of them to have fun during this

module

Student Engagement Survey 96% of students said that it was very characteristic or characteristic of them to feel that lecturers created

a positive environment for asking questions

70% of students said that it was very characteristic or characteristic of them to feel that they made a

meaningful contribution to the tasks

70% of students said that it was very characteristic or characteristic of them to feel that they were

challenged by the material and were interested in the material

Have we achieved objectives?

Better way to learn Research Methods

Improved student engagement

Still to devise more rigorous and equitable assessment methods

Progress to date – Assessment Methods Examining potential of self-assessment with

‘penalties’ for over-assessing oneself – challenging

Peer assessment will be incorporated but exact format not yet determined

Examining how to turn facilitators’ subjective view of individual student’s engagement and contribution into objectively measurable metrics.

What else have we learned ?Team teachingContinual self-reflectionNot everything works as we hopedWe listen more Assessing individuals in the context of

Groupwork remains a significant challenge

Where do we go from here ?Mainstream the approach to the rest of the

School

Offer the module throughout the Institute

Continue to try to crack the ‘Assessment’ conundrum

Contacteimear.fallon@dit.ie

terry.prendergast@dit.ie

stephen.walsh@dit.ie