Personal Blogs

Activity 16

Part 1

1.identify disconnected (at risk) students;

Affords tutors the opportunity to intervene If a student is disconnecting and find out why this is happening - personal or academic. It can also help lecturers understand their learning design, maybe the task they have designed is too difficult?

Potential drawback: This approach only really tells us something if students are expected to engage in discussion. If a forum is an additional space for student discussion but has no bearing on how a student completes a module, it can give weak evidence of disconnection.

2.identify key information brokers within a class;

Gives the teacher a better understanding of where and with whom to prioritise their time - A form of educational Triage.

Potential drawback: All students should be give equal time and attention as they will all have individual goals. For example, a student may be getting 80% scores on tests and assignments but their goal is to be getting 90%, a teacher may choose not to help that student as they are already 'passing', and with lack of support to reach their goal the student might fall short, and be deflated.

3.identify potentially high and low performing students so teachers can better plan learning interventions;

This is useful information to have but its usefulness is bound to how it is used. The teacher will need to have an understanding of the individual goals of each student to best organise their time when engaging with students.

4.indicate the extent to which a learning community is developing within a class;

Gives the teacher an understanding of who is contributing most, if the conversations that are happening are helping to reach an understanding of learning objectives and allows a teacher to see where they need to interject to get the discussion back on course.

5.provide a "before and after” snapshot of the various interactions occurring pre and post learning interventions;

Helps the lecturer to understand the impacts intervening on a student has both in an academic sense and in a personal sense. Do the lecturers engage less because they feel 'picked on'?

6.provide timely opportunity for students to benchmark individual performance and engagement against fellow peers.

Allows students to measure themselves against peers and create a sort of competition to be the best.

Potential drawback: The idea is to create a community that helps and pushes each other to develop their knowledge and achieve collective goals, competition is contrary to these and creates individuals.