The central tenets of the Programme Level Approach (PLA) require staff to 1) take a team approach, 2) articulate programme aims clearly, 3) engage students, 4) provide quality assessment & feedback and 5) foster graduate attributes. In the Department of Psychology, we have designed a new curriculum, based on these tenets, that is supported by the appropriate use of technology to facilitate programme coherence, without requiring staff to be advanced technical gurus. Discussions related to Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) involved the team (as part of our team approach) and resulted in a programme that uses a range of learning technologies to plan and deliver our programme. In the session we will focus on how the development of standardised Blackboard (MOLE) sites facilitates the clear articulation of our programme, how we use Google Sheets and online platforms to engage students and the use of MOLE and Turnitin to maintain consistency in the delivery of exams, coursework & feedback.
A clearly organised Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) enhances student experience by dispelling the confusion and anxiety that can be created by badly organised VLEs. Our coherent VLE benefits all students, but is particularly important for students who require accessible learning materials. In the session we will discuss the importance of raising staff awareness of good practice in creating accessible learning materials and maintaining consistency in MOLE sites when working with a team. Attendees will be introduced to our use of Google Sheets (linked to MOLE sites) to encourage students to ask questions and engage in a dialogue with us. The session will also cover details related to the standardisation of our coursework and feedback across the programme via Turnitin and the use of MOLE to deliver exams. We will offer our ‘top tips’ and ‘things to avoid’ when delivering exams via MOLE and coursework via Turnitin and finish with an introduction to online platforms we are using to improve student engagement in lectures.
To gain insight into student responses to our use of technology, attendees will be presented with data collected from our 1st year students that highlights their views on learning technology and provides insight into the impact of standardising the delivery of assessments and feedback. In addition, we will discuss the outcomes from a couple of case studies provided by students who are repeating the 1st year and can provide their view of the ‘old’ curriculum and the new ‘PLA’ curriculum.