Collaborative portals offer many benefits, one of them being the insights they give into the learning process. How are these insights gleaned and why are they useful?
Let’s start with the how. Participants, facilitators and tutors can see what learning is generating the most interest, where there is the most noise and where there is the least noise. The technology enables users to monitor activity and to pinpoint those areas that are performing well, as well as those areas that are weak and need tweaking.
There’s an example I would like to share with you that I think illustrates the point beautifully.
Edinburgh University was one of the earliest adopters of Noddlepod, using us for an MBA programme. Through using Noddlepod it became clear that a certain aspect of the programme was problematic. Here’s how:
A lecturer had been running the same programme in the same way for a considerable period of time and there was one module that the classes always struggled with. He didn’t know why. When the students started using Noddlepod, he could see that everything was going well in all the other modules and there was lots of interaction, but when it came to this one particular module, everything went quiet.
Then, one student, who had tried really hard to understand the module, found a Ted talk that really helped explain it and he posted it up on Noddlepod. Suddenly, the community went boom, with loads of resources and information suddenly being shared about this topic.
The lecturer realised that he had assumed that the students possessed the necessary underlying knowledge and understanding about the topic, but they obviously didn’t. He also realised that they didn’t have the resources to understand it either. From then on, all the students did a lot better in this module.
Why is the technology useful?
The Edinburgh University case study illustrates how Noddlepod can so easily and quickly identify the impact of learning. Through the technology, the University could see where the network’s activity was strong, what was providing triggers and generating a lot of interest and likes. Just as importantly, it also flagged up the problem area, where the network’s activity was low or non-existent. Armed with that knowledge it was able to do something about the problem module so that future students could enjoy a better, more effective learning experience.
The word ‘effective’ is important here. Learning needs to be effective if it is to have the desired impact. By increasing the insights into the learning process, all those concerned – learners, tutors and facilitators – can work towards having a much richer, deeper learning experience that delivers greater impact.