Liza Schuster - PREDICT Project
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Liza Schuster, a lecturer in sociology at City University London, discusses her experience piloting the use of Moodle, a virtual learning environment, for her "Global Migration" module. She was initially motivated to get involved to learn about the new technology and have support during the initial implementation. While it did not meet all of her expectations due to time constraints, she found Moodle to be flexible and the support helpful. Students responded positively overall but needed initial hand-holding for novel assessment formats. Looking ahead, Liza plans to use Moodle again next year, incorporating lessons learned around assessments.
Liza Schuster - PREDICT Project
- 1. September 2010 TECHSHOW Case Study Demonstrating the effective use of education technology at City University London. Moodle is a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It is replacing CitySpace and educators can use it to create effective learning environments. LIZA SCHUSTER, ACADEMIC IN SOCIOLOGY Speaks on how she feels about using Moodle at City University London. Liza used Moodle as part of her teaching on her “Global Migration” module and plans to use it again this year in the run up to full Moodle implementation in September 2011. Interviewer: Hi Liza, what did you hope to get out parts to be answered each week. Other than that of becoming involved with the initial Moodle they liked most of it. implementations? Interviewer: Okay, what have been the most Liza: I was partly involved in choosing Moodle so positive aspects of the project for you? I’d seen some of how it worked and getting involved in the Moodle pilot allowed me to find my Liza: It was the chance to work with a small group way around what seems like an exciting piece of of students to find our way through the technology. Being an extremely curious person, I technology and to learn all the jobs so to speak. It wanted to find out what all the whistles were was also the flexibility, once I understood the about and I thought it would be a good structure. In particular in relation to the opportunity, so I though if I get involved in the assessment, using a Wiki to have full continuous initial implementation then I’ll have undivided assessment that allows the student to assess attention, lots of support and be able to make themselves and me to asses and give them mistakes and be forgiven. feedback. Interviewer: Excellent, did the technology meet Interviewer: Okay, are you planning to do the your expectations? same project next year? Liza Schuster Is a lecturer in both Liza: Yes, it did actually…It didn’t meet my Liza: Definitely, the module will go a head again, I undergraduate and expectations in terms of being able to use the have learned lessons and I will make alterations. I postgraduate modules, senior technology quite as well as I wanted but that was am going to change the assessment because it tutor for research and chair mostly due to not really having enough time in the was a bit clunky but that was just because I didn’t of APPSC. lead up. Having the support meant that when I know what I was doing then. went wrong I had somebody there to very quickly Liza came to City in 2005 explain to me that it was my mistake not the Interview: Finally, what advice would you give to technology. other academics? from the Centre on Migration, Policy and Interviewer: How do you feel that the students Liza: Start small and work your way up, don’t try Society at Oxford responded? and do everything at once because you’ll confuse University. the students and confuse yourself. The other thing Liza: Amazingly… they really liked it; they were is you will not remember everything you’ve been Liza’s work focuses on very nervous in the beginning as they didn’t like taught by the education technologist so you need domestic and European asylum being pushed out of their comfort zone with the to keep going back and get continuous support. policy and is developing her wiki-formatted assessment. They needed a lot of This can be quite frustrating if you are trying to research interests in hand holding for the first three weeks but that was do this on a whole range of subjects. migration and racism and in particular in relation to the novel assessment, which asked them to divide their essay in smaller migration and rights.