Expert Seminar

Universities' Collaboration in eLearning (UCeL)
www.ucel.ac.uk
Adaptive Statistical Methods

Generative Learning Objects
(GLOs)
Dawn Leeder and Raquel Morales

UCeL Director Eduserv Research Fellow
Adaptive statistical methods in social sciences

Expert seminar: 15 February 2005
www.ucel.ac.uk
Outline:
- UCeL: who we are and what we do
- Generative Learning Object project with C-SAP
- Expert seminar: what we want from you

www.ucel.ac.uk
UCeL partners:
Nottingham
Manchester
UEA (Norwich)
Peninsula (Plymouth/Exeter)
Wolverhampton
Cambridge (hub)
London Metropolitan (advisory)

www.ucel.ac.uk
UCeL working definition of RLO
Reusable Learning Object (RLO):
“a self-contained ‘chunk’ of interactive web-based learning,

comprising a variety of media ingredients that are combined to
support a single learning objective”

www.ucel.ac.uk
Why are RLOs reusable?
Single learning objective means:

• Stand-alone
• Self-contained
Can be joined up in different ways.
Don’t replace face-to-face,

but enhance it.
Can be used in different settings
and across disciplines.

www.ucel.ac.uk
How are RLOs made?
First identify topics to be developed
(e.g. Statistics
Research Methods
Anatomy & Physiology
Epidemiology
Sociology)
Based on real educational needs

Awareness of topics that generalise

www.ucel.ac.uk
RLO production
Stage 1: Content creation
“unlocking content”
content created by subject experts
using template - RLO specification
based on single learning objective
contains activity and assessment
peer review - quality assurance
facilitated by
UCeL content creation workshops
hands-on, one day workshops
brainstorm learning objective
create content in groups
discuss and evaluate
digitally archive results

www.ucel.ac.uk
RLO production
Stage 2: RLO development
content spec developed into RLO
distributed production
media ingredients assembled (images, audio, animations etc)
Macromedia suite - Dreamweaver, Director & Flash MX
technical check - functionality
peer review - second stage
facilitated by
UCeL residential developer training programme
intensive week-long course
‘hot-house’ learning lab environment
get up to speed with templates, tools and software
share skills, tips and tricks
RLOs delivered to web

www.ucel.ac.uk
Use and evaluation
29 questions to determine
• Baseline
comfort with computers
use of web
• Usability
navigation
control
ease of use
• Look and feel
aesthetics
• Content
level
appropriateness

www.ucel.ac.uk
UCeL: A model for the production of collaborative,

multidisciplinary eLearning materials
• Identify topics:
- Based on REAL educational needs
- Broadly generalisable
• RLO content creation:
- Specification
- Workshops
- Peer-review
• RLO development:
- Ingredients and templates
- Training programme
- Peer-review
• Use and evaluation

www.ucel.ac.uk
Summary
RLOs are expensive and time-consuming to make

➾ collaborative creation and sharing
UCeL: A Model for the the production of collaborative,

multidisciplinary eLearning materials

www.ucel.ac.uk
Next generation of RLOs:
Will support adaptable modifications

to meet a range of learning demands.

www.ucel.ac.uk
UCeL is now designing the next generation of

learning objects:
Generative Learning Objects (GLOs):
“those that can be customised by users so materials can be

presented in the most appropriate way for their particular
subject speciality”

www.ucel.ac.uk
Generative Learning Object project with C-SAP:

-18 months: January 05 to June 06
- The project will include: workshops,

content development,
resources development
dissemination and
feedback

www.ucel.ac.uk
Statistical issues arise as important

natural parts of the process of reaching
conclusions.
From astronomy to psychology studies,

statistical methods are required for data
analysis across disciplines.

www.ucel.ac.uk
STEPS Project:
STatistical Education through Problem Solving
As part of the Teaching and Learning Technology

Programme phase 1, the STEPS project
developed problem-based teaching and learning
materials for statistics - specific problems in
Biology, Business, Geography and Psychology.
Taking the STEPS materials as our starting point,

UCeL will be using the different statistical tests as
the core for Adaptive Statistical Methods GLOs.

www.ucel.ac.uk
HANDLING DATA CYCLE
Specify
Evaluate the problem
results & plan
Interpret Collect
and discuss data
data
Process and
represent
data
Adapted from Prof. Neville Davis,
School of Computing and Informatics
Nottingham Trent University

www.ucel.ac.uk
Handling Data Cycle Stage Tutor Action
i) Specify the problem and plan - Provide description of the problem:

determines plan/method to apply
ii) Collect data - Provide data to analyse
iii) Process and represent data - Select statistical method

- Select representation
iv) Interpret and discuss data - Provide interpretation

- Provide space for discussion

Peer LO Template
Review LO Template Design Team
Process Design Process
LO
LO
LO
Template
Template
Template
Library
Library
Library
Peer Tutors,
Review Subject specification students
Process customisation
People
LO
LO
LO
Processes Template
Library
Template
Library
Library
Libraries
www.ucel.ac.uk
REALITY CHECK:
QUESTIONS TO YOU

www.ucel.ac.uk
i) What are the main problems

tutors and students encounter?

www.ucel.ac.uk
ii) What is your strategy for teaching

Statistical Methods?
- is it problem-based approach?
- cover methods first and then
applications?

www.ucel.ac.uk
iii) Which resources

(i.e. software package)
do you use/teach
at your department?

www.ucel.ac.uk
iv) What would be the optimal learning

resource?
What would be the student’s journey?

www.ucel.ac.uk
v) Having chosen a particular method, what do we need

to interrogate our workshops attendees about?
- statistical method name: is there an agreement on which methods

are the most widely used?
NOTE: STEPS uses: - plotting and summarising data,
- confidence intervals and hypothesis test,
- regression, and
- the analysis variance.
-description of the method (optional? links to it?).
-software package tool used at their department: any constrains on the

data used?
-Glossary
- activity/assessment: interpretation of results

discussion of further action
bank of questions - desirable?


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Universities' Collaboration in eLearning (UCeL)

Adaptive Statistical Methods

Dawn Leeder and Raquel Morales

Adaptive statistical methods in social sciences

- UCeL: who we are and what we do

- Generative Learning Object project with C-SAP

- Expert seminar: what we want from you

Adaptive statistical methods in social sciences

Adaptive statistical methods in social sciences

UCeL working definition of RLO

Reusable Learning Object (RLO):

“a self-contained ‘chunk’ of interactive web-based learning,

Adaptive statistical methods in social sciences

Why are RLOs reusable?

Single learning objective means:

Don’t replace face-to-face,

Adaptive statistical methods in social sciences

How are RLOs made?

First identify topics to be developed

Based on real educational needs

Adaptive statistical methods in social sciences

Adaptive statistical methods in social sciences

Adaptive statistical methods in social sciences

Use and evaluation

Adaptive statistical methods in social sciences

UCeL: A model for the production of collaborative,

Adaptive statistical methods in social sciences

RLOs are expensive and time-consuming to make

UCeL: A Model for the the production of collaborative,

Adaptive statistical methods in social sciences

Next generation of RLOs:

Will support adaptable modifications

Adaptive statistical methods in social sciences

UCeL is now designing the next generation of

Generative Learning Objects (GLOs):

“those that can be customised by users so materials can be

Adaptive statistical methods in social sciences

Generative Learning Object project with C-SAP:

-18 months: January 05 to June 06

- The project will include: workshops,

Adaptive statistical methods in social sciences

Adaptive Statistical Methods

Statistical issues arise as important

From astronomy to psychology studies,

Adaptive statistical methods in social sciences

As part of the Teaching and Learning Technology

Taking the STEPS materials as our starting point,

Adaptive statistical methods in social sciences

HANDLING DATA CYCLE

Adaptive statistical methods in social sciences

Handling Data Cycle Stage Tutor Action

i) Specify the problem and plan - Provide description of the problem:

ii) Collect data - Provide data to analyse

iii) Process and represent data - Select statistical method

iv) Interpret and discuss data - Provide interpretation

Adaptive statistical methods in social sciences

Adaptive statistical methods in social sciences

i) What are the main problems

Adaptive statistical methods in social sciences

ii) What is your strategy for teaching

Adaptive statistical methods in social sciences

iii) Which resources

Adaptive statistical methods in social sciences