# data[].attributes.body
Subject and module: Finance, Investment Analysis, Level 7

Technology-enhanced element: Designed in a social constructivist perspective, the activity will allow learners to actively participate in stock trading activity and build their understanding around the concepts and structure of stock portfolio management process. Students will have virtual (fancy) money amounting Â£10,000. Trading will last for 6 weeks and students will enter a reason for his/her decision to buy/sell/hold stocks in the online trading activities logs.

Assessment: (formative assessment with the flexibility to give adaptive feedback) Participants' performance will be assessed online by analysing their stocks portfolio management records (downloadable in MS Excel format). Following elements will be considered in the assessment:
1) Frequency of stock trading (buy and sell both) activity

2) Volume and value of stocks traded

3) Reasons assigned for buy/sell/hold decisions

4) Amount of (risk adjusted) profit/loss made on gross and net basis

5) Level of portfolio diversification (to be checked at random points during the trading period)

Most of the assessment parameters listed above are visible on your trading screens at any point in time during the trading period. To allow students to benchmark their performance.

Main challenge in this approach is encouraging participants to sign-up on a virtual trading platform (outside the university infrastructure) and that may involve getting permissions from the exam and quality departments.

# data[].attributes.body
Giving individual audio feedback for assignments is something I have been thinking about doing for a while and I aim to apply it to my upcoming first year AS1’s. In the video the student talks about it ‘giving the personal touch’ and the tutor explains how it makes a personal connection with his students and is not ‘just cold words on a screen’. Both of these are good reasons to explore the benefits of audio feedback. Yes, there can be a time saving factor for the tutor but that is secondary consideration when set against the student experience and besides face-to-face feedback will always be timetable for those who need it.

I see there are three main challenges. Firstly the technology, I believe it is possible to recorded via turnitin but unsure of the format / editing options and, again I believe, the duration is only three minutes. Will three minutes be enough time? Secondly, should I need to have a script rather than free flowing to keep each audio feedback to a consistent template, especially in avoiding misunderstandings in the terminology / phases used. Finally, what about my voice, the tone, accent, speed etc. will I be understood?

# data[].attributes.body
We don;t have the full version of Slack for use within the University. You can use the free version.

However, please do check out Microsoft Teams that essentially does exactly all the same stuff - https://teams.microsoft.com/

# data[].attributes.body
This looks very interesting. Do we have it at UoN?

# data[].attributes.body
Yes, I agree with you about the challenges with DL. I may suggest you  to  use  effective tools from formative assessment. This  to encourage those students to interact with the online activities, material and their peers so this will make better results and grades for them.

Luai Jraisat

# data[].attributes.body
You have raised a very good point here around Asian students finding it difficult to be self-reflective or critical of others. I have found that they are more likely to do if placed in smaller groups so perhaps you could split the students into groups on NILE and provide each group with their own discussion forum? Beginning the discussion in class for them to continue outside of the classroom might also help them develop confidence in a supportive environment to be able to feel comfortable using a discussion forum.

Sam

# data[].attributes.body
Hi Michael, will this activity through the discussion forum be assessed formatively or summatively? If it's the latter, what marking criteria will be applied to this assessment?

Ming

# data[].attributes.headline
Michael E-tivity 5.1: Technology-enhanced assessment for group work.                                                                 I want to embed a group task that will be posted and assessed via the discussion forum on one of the modules that I teach. The use of technology-enhanced assessment for group work is not quite widespread on modules in finance, yet it can enhance student learning, promote peer-to-peer learning, and collaboration opportunities.                                                                         The group task will require students to identify a portfolio of companies that can be selected investment based on financial and other non-financial factors.                                                                        On the forum, I want to encourage and motivate students to post and critic other groups` work.                                                                                                   The benefits of using discussion forums for group work                                              •	Flexible and convenient.   •	Encourages participation, especially for students who may not be confident to speak out in the face to face learning environments.                             •	Offers peer-learning, team-based learning and collaboration opportunities which enhance student engagement and learning experience, while reducing the workload for tutors.                                                                                                                 The challenges of using discussion forums for group work:-                                              •	Message overloads-too many messages.•	Misunderstandings and discussions that can go off topic.                                             •	Reduced motivation to participate in the group discussions.                                •	Domination of discussions by one or a group of student/s that may alienate others.                                          •	Access to the discussion forum may be a challenge.        •	Requires consistent tutor input (may not reduce the workload after all).

# data[].attributes.subject
Michael E-tivity 5.1: Technology-enhanced assessment for group work.                                                                 I want to embed a group task that will be posted and assessed via the discussion forum on one of the modules that I teach. The use of technology-enhanced assessment for group work is not quite widespread on modules in finance, yet it can enhance student learning, promote peer-to-peer learning, and collaboration opportunities.                                                                         The group task will require students to identify a portfolio of companies that can be selected investment based on financial and other non-financial factors.                                                                        On the forum, I want to encourage and motivate students to post and critic other groups` work.                                                                                                   The benefits of using discussion forums for group work                                              •	Flexible and convenient.   •	Encourages participation, especially for students who may not be confident to speak out in the face to face learning environments.                             •	Offers peer-learning, team-based learning and collaboration opportunities which enhance student engagement and learning experience, while reducing the workload for tutors.                                                                                                                 The challenges of using discussion forums for group work:-                                              •	Message overloads-too many messages.•	Misunderstandings and discussions that can go off topic.                                             •	Reduced motivation to participate in the group discussions.                                •	Domination of discussions by one or a group of student/s that may alienate others.                                          •	Access to the discussion forum may be a challenge.        •	Requires consistent tutor input (may not reduce the workload after all).

# data[].attributes.body
I liked reading your ideas and it made me think that maybe something similar would work for my module. I agree that if you were to use a blog as an assessment tool, that it would have to be assessed as a group if they did a group blog. Most of the evidence for group work that I researched (TBL/PBL/ABL) suggests that collaborative learning encourages higher order thinking, so it would suggest that a group blog could be good. It still worries me though...there are students who do not learn well in groups for a variety of reasons, including additional needs. So I think we need to continue with a combination of individual and group learning and assessment.

# data[].attributes.body
One technology that is already being used for our level 4 and 5 students is the use of Pebblepad for practice placement. There are 24 objectives that students needed to complete during practice placement. They are responsible for making the objective tailor made to their placement, and then to provide evidence. This evidence is confirmed with their practice educator during supervision. This also provides opportunity to discuss the student’s learning and to set new goals. Pebblepad is also used for practice educator’s to record the outcome of their mid-placement visits . Additionally,  it is a summative assessment team, first marked by the practice educator and then moderated by the University practice placement team.

An e- assessment tool that might work well for the module that I have been considering called “Understanding Occupational Beings” is using group task and assignments. We do this in L5 (Occupational Engagement) but not as a specific e-assessment. The students work in groups and they build their own forums such as whatsapp groups or using one drive to share work. This kind of shared work group could be introduced somehow on the shared NILE site. This type of assessment has a social constructivist perspective as “dialogue and collaboration are seen as key to learning success” and it “emphasises the roles of others in constructing understanding” (Davies 2010)

# data[].attributes.body
I see a lot of benefits in assessment FOR learning, as it facilitates students’ construction of knowledge through, among others, self-reflection.

One form of e-assessment I would particularly like to embed in my course is a discussion forum. The topic of the discussion would be related to previous experience of presentations, a reflection on the presentation given as part of assessment, and advice how to improve.

I see it particularly valid as it offers students a chance to self-reflect, peer-evaluate, and offer and receive personalised advice, not only from the tutor, but from peers. I treat it more as formative assessment, leading to improved performance in future presentations, which can be summatively assessed by tutors.

The challenges that I am aware of stem from the fact that Asian students are not comfortable with judging others, including their peers. They also expect to be told in a straightforward way what is expected from them, rather than self-reflect. As their culture is the culture of shame, they are quite unwilling to come forward and criticise or be criticised.

A way around this problem is to carefully explain what the purpose of the discussion forum is, and keep an active and encouraging presence as a moderator of the discussion.

# data[].attributes.body
I like the fact that you make references to learning theories when considering assessment, but do you think you could describe a specific example of  an e-assessment in the context of your teaching?
Regards,
Thomas

# data[].attributes.body
I like several of the ideas within the publication 'Outside the Box Assessment & Feedback Practices 2016 Volume 1 Number 2'. With development I could definitely use them within my proposed Teaching with Office 365 tools module.

I very much like the 'Using group blogs to demonstrate learning' idea.  This would aid students over the course of the module to reflect upon their experiences of the practical application of using Office 365 tools within their own teaching. This approach also offers several benefits in that they could even do this 'blog' within either Microsoft Teams or within a shared Class Notebook, further developing their familiarity with and knowledge of using the Office 365 tools. It would also support Peer to peer learning as students would be able to share freely what went well, what went badly and then comment on and delve into each others' experiences. The challenge would be, is this better placed as an individual blog, or is it better to work collaboratively with others on the module (such as within small groups of approx four students) to create a joint blog. If it was the latter, it would better aid students to work together and assist them in jointly refining each other's further work (such as with upcoming lesson plans). Alternatively, a joint blog would be difficult to attribute the contributions of individual users or may cause friction within the small teams due to them not all equally putting in the same effort. Presenting students with clear guidelines would help solve or mitigate these issues.

# data[].attributes.body
Hi Samantha! This sounds like a really interesting idea, and I can understand why you think it would benefit students and help embed knowledge. I also appreciate that none of us can assume digital fluency of students, and that clear guidance and support will need to be available and time spent up front. I am considering vlogs for distance learners, which will also need the same support and guidance! It would be great to hear how you get on in the future. Jenny.

# data[].attributes.body
I like the idea of using a reflective video-log (vlog) for distance learners who are on their year-long (optional) placement, to discuss and ultimately demonstrate the development of their employability skills, knowledge and experience throughout the year.  Managing a distance learning programme means that teaching material, assignment briefs, assessment submission and feedback are communicated electronically already, however, there is little involvement of e-assessments in terms of assignment design, except for an eportfolio.

I think the benefit of introducing an assessed vlog would encourage students to reflect deeper, earlier on in their placement, about how their skills and knowledge are changing because of the experience they are gaining.  Written reflective assignments at the end of each semester are likely to miss the ‘raw’ feelings that students feel at the start of their placement, where a vlog would capture them as they happen, thus providing better reflection, and a greater appreciation and understanding of how the individual is developing.

The main challenge with this approach is that the module it would best fit does not look at the development of the individual, but external factors affecting their host placement organisation.  The learning outcomes would need to be amended to bring in some sort of personal reflection element, or the use of a vlog would be purely formative and therefore rely more on students choosing to participate.  The value in it would remain the same to the student, but participation rates are likely to fall.

# data[].attributes.headline
Samantha's assessment method - Digital Storytelling

# data[].attributes.subject
Samantha's assessment method - Digital Storytelling

# data[].attributes.body
I really like the idea of digital storytelling as a form of formative assessment to assess student progress throughout an assessment period. This would work well with my Advertising module for which the students build up an advertising campaign plan week by week for PJ1. At present each student is given an online journal to work on each week (as is also discussed in one of the Out of the Box case study) but it is then over to the students to apply this knowledge to their final assignment. The approach in the case study (Example 11 from Out of the Box 1) is to use the journal entries to create a 5-10 minute movie as a form of creative communication. I think this could potentially increase engagement in terms of embedding knowledge through creative application. One challenge may be however in relation to students’ digital capabilities; time would need to primarily be given to video creation in class to ensure students can use this approach effectively and not get overwhelmed by this added step in formative assessment.

# data[].attributes.body
E-tivity 5.1

Effective Assessment in a digital Age: Four blended elements below on one of the module at level 7 for both classroom and online sessions.

First is the social constructivist perspective- dialogue and collaboration with others (peers and lecturer) are seen as a key to learning success. This is where assessment would involve group tasks and assignments, sometimes with individual contributions being assessed.

Second is the situative perspective- which sees learning as arising from communities of practice. It reflects formation aspects where assessment tasks would be modelled on what happens in professional practice; feedback would involve peers, disciplinary experts and those in relevant roles and professions.

Third is a blended way of formative and summative assessment and feedback. Formative assessment is extensively used around the model of self-regulated learning by evaluating, generating feedback on others, judgments from others, encouraging lecturer–learner and peer dialogue. Summative assessment is to capture learning at one point in time and this usually at the end of the term.

Fourth is the use of technology to enhance learning. It is designed to help both lecturer and learner to provide better learning and assessments. As the technology is becoming broader and smarter, many facilities should be available for all.  For example, smart boards, websites, similarity software, video plugs, double-screens in one class and digital storytelling and individual and group videos.

Benefits:

-Both individual and community levels for learning and assessments.

-Team based learning for teaching, learning and assessments.

-Assessment more related to better validity and real-life cases.

-Better performance and grades.

-More accurate results from using high-technologies.

Challenges:

-Limited skills of group interactions

-Limited of cognitive learning.

-Ignorance of individual cases.

-Plagiarism and dependency.

- Limited of technological facilities

# data[].attributes.body
Hi Luai, can you share with us an example of an assessment from this Level 7 module to illustrate how you've blended the four elements in the assessment design? Ming

# data[].attributes.body
Hi Samantha - this sounds a great idea. Perhaps students could work in groups to create their videos outside of the classroom? You could distribute any 'experts' within the room across the groups too. Jim

# data[].attributes.body
I see the problem. Yes you'll have to either amend the LOs to bringing in the reflection on personal development. Or can you ask the students in the vlog to reflect on how external factors affecting their host placement organisation, on the basis of their observation and research?

Ming

# data[].attributes.body
Hi Cath, it's a really interesting idea to use social media tools such as whatsapp to provide formative support to student assessment. In  Computing they've used another tool Slack to build a community of learners, see below:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In the coming months, this blog will follow the implementation of Slack in the classroom. Creating Community: Improving Engagement through Real-Time Communication 2017-2018, focusses on improving staff/student communication using Slack, a real-time communication and collaborative tool used extensively in the software and web development industries...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In the coming months, this blog will follow the implementation of Slack in the classroom. Creating Community: Improving Engagement through Real-Time Communication 2017-2018, focusses on improving staff/student communication using Slack, a real-time communication and collaborative tool used extensively in the software and web development industries...

# data[].attributes.body
Hi Jim

I think a blog is a great idea for your module and would enable students to track and reflect on progress made. You could consider structuring it like a journal, where students make entries every week on their progress and how they utilised Office 365 into their practice. Using Office 365 to create this, as you mentioned, is another big advantage!

Jamie

# data[].attributes.body
Hi Jamie, peer assessment is really an interesting idea. I agree that engaging students in giving peer feedback and monitoring the quality of feedback are potential challenges. Have you thought of assessing peer feedback? This way students will definitely engage with the process, and you'll need to set up the marking criteria to measure the quality of their feedback.
Ming

# data[].attributes.body
e-tivity 5.1

I loved reading about the creative assessments in the “outside the box assessment & feedback practices” – examples such as “robbery role play” (students interview suspects), producing videos and creating an online lecture based on a play – these are excellent examples and undoubtedly improve engagement and make assessment exciting.

In my current practice, an assessment method we use is a “microteach”. As one of the courses I teach on is the Award in Education & Training (an introductory teacher training course), students plan and deliver a 15 minute microteach on an area of their choosing. This works excellently as an assessment as students can put into practice their learning and can also choose a topic which is very individual to them.

Reflecting on the different approaches, to enhance the above method I would like to ask students to upload their lesson plan and their reflection on how the microteach went on their VLE and then ask students to comment and discuss each other’s lessons (similar to a discussion board).

The benefits would be that peer assessment would take place and students would give feedback to each other on their plans and delivery. It could also promote collaborative learning and students can continue their microteach development even after the delivery, enabling further reflection to take place.

The potential challenges is the monitoring of the comments and feedback being made: some student may be too critical for example. Ensuring every student engages with the task and gives feedback to others could also be a challenge.