Abstracts
Piloting Social Software Technologies for Assessment Task: A Usability Perspective
Tuesday 5 May 2009, 1130 - 1200
Presenter: Barbara Cram
University of Canberra, ACT
Presenter Biography
Barbara is presenting the paper on behalf of the author Lubna Alam Barbara Cram works as an Educational Designer at the University of Canberra, leading projects that support academic staff across a range of disciplines. Her projects derive from Faculty needs and include curriculum design and mapping, assessment design and the application of educational technologies to enhance teaching and learning practice.
Abstract
Social software technologies known as web 2.0 have features that focus on the social construction of collective knowledge, communication, reflection and peer networking. Previous research indicates that there are beneficial aspects of social technology use in education including increased student-staff interaction, anytime anywhere access to teaching and learning resources, peer networking and building communities of practice (Barrass & Fitzgerald 2008; Berg et al 2007; Bryant 2007; Bryant 2006; Cochrane 2006; Cych 2006; Fitzgerald 2006). However, while there are many claimed pedagogical benefits, little is known about the impact and effectiveness of social technologies to support innovative approaches to assessment tasks (Choy & Ng 2007), in particular for first year classes.
This paper describes two exploratory pilot projects using the social software technology (i.e. blog and wiki) for assessment purposes to teach an introductory Information Systems subject at University of Canberra in 2007. In this paper the author reflects on the process of integrating social technologies into the teaching syllabus for assessment purposes and presents a reflective account of the outcomes from a usability perspective based on both student and staff reflections. This analysis confirms the importance of usability and ‘fit for task’ for technology-infused teaching and learning for large classes. Reflection shows that the process of integrating social software into the Information Systems unit was beset early on by a combination of usability and technical challenges that most likely interfered with the implementation of an effective assessment task, in particular for a large class. The student surveys and feedback show these issues have negative consequences for the learning experience for the assessment. The theories on the usability suggest that the student experience and learning outcomes can be improved if the assessment was run again with the knowledge of usability issues and workarounds identified in these pilots.
