A large majority of the students believe that they will not make it in the subject as they have been away from attending classes for many years. This on its own is enough to de-motivate the students from performing well. There have been various other factors that the students were exposed to that may have led to this. Changing lecturers and being exposed to different teaching styles has put them in a situation where they may feel it could affect them somehow in their examination.
I have recently been lecturing the subject Self Management 1 for the past month now. The use of formative assessment has also not been extensively utilised for this course from what I gathered. This on its own is enough to instil a certain amount of anxiety in the students regarding the exams. According to Nicol and Debra Macfarlane-Dick (2006:199), formative assessment and feedback should be used to empower students as self regulated learners. It then becomes clear that the use of this form of assessment does empower the student in developing a certain level of confidence in dealing with the subject content.
Prior to being able to enter the assessment room (formative or summative), it is imperative to ensure that the students has all the necessary knowledge. This then would prompt the use of Wiki’s for ensuring that the students have the additional information that they need. It does not only end there. Wiki’s may deliver the information’ however, a discussion needs to be established regarding the information presented of the various platforms (wiki’s, Facebook & blogs etc).
I have chosen to use online platform to deliver information to my students. I have previously used Facebook, however, after starting with the Emerging Technologies to improve Teaching and Learning in Higher Education course, I have decided to include wiki’s as a form of providing additional information regarding my course. The reason for choosing wiki’s is that it enables the Lecturer to upload information for students to view. In my course, i plan on providing links for students to follow. I prefer this method as opposed to downloading the information myself as it promotes self-discovery and self directed learning.
As the Wiki provides various possibilities as a learning space, it is crucial to identify at least one of the core issues that will be taught through the use of wikis in Self Management (1). Referencing if a major concern for many first years, they are given sessions on referencing by communication lecturers and are later expected to display their understanding in an assignment (summative). This has in many cases proved tricky for many students. I see this as I work in the Centre for Higher Education Development (CHED), although I Lecture in the Business faculty on a part-time basis. The first year students at large require referencing classes in order for them to understand the practice of referencing as a whole; the principles behind it as well as the purpose behind it. This would then culminate in them putting a greater effort in mastering referencing.
I plan on introducing my students to referencing in a class session. After that, refer them to online platform where they can find out more about how this is done (e.g. http://www.cput.ac.za/files/images_folder/research/documents/Harvard%20for%20beginners.pdf), as well as how it can be simplified by using of software such as Endnote and Mendelay (e.g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6yXHZATKrM).
The use of wiki allows me to direct the students learning path by providing them with direction in terms of where they need to be looking for information. I can share more information on what was taught in the classroom. This tool, coupled with the use of Mendeley as a referencing tool will equip the students with a thorough understanding of the referencing practice as well as a means to ensure that they never struggle with how to reference in an assignment and managing their sources.
Mendeley allows students to manage their sources and stores the data on an online database, unlike other software which stores only on the hard-drive. The student will be able to access their source list from any internet enabled computer. This is especially useful for students who do not own their own computers as yet. The software also provides a preset format for the different referencing formats available (Harvard, Vancouver, MLA etc). This means students do not have to worry about getting the formatting incorrect, especially at the beginning where they are unsure about it.
After the students discover all this, formative assessments on the use of referencing will be undertaken prior to the summative assessment. This will ensure that the students have full understanding of what is the purpose of referencing and how to execute a proper reference list as well as in-text referencing.
The Wiki's affordance match well with the learning needs of these students as after participating in tasks by viewing information on the wiki, the students will slowly develop a sense of understanding about the content of the course. This will intern impact on their performance in class. This however relies on the individual student. They would need to take the time to visit the wiki. This has been made easier with the provision of wifi-hotspots in many classrooms, where the students will be shown how useful and important the use of this tool is.
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