Conclusions


 * 6. Conclusion and Recommendations**

We will end the screencast by offering some concluding thoughts and recommendations to help to further improve the collaborative opportunities in the SBOSE module to enable further the successful deployment of Bigg's constructive alignment and the 3E framework. We can view the Module as both constructively aligned (Biggs and Tang, 2007) in terms of Learning teaching and assessment strategy and that it employs the 3E framework effectively. All three activities discussed offer opportunity for collaboration and 'deep' learning. But collaboration could be supported further to enable further both curriculum design models. The use of Second Life in the module can be seen to extend students' knowledge and offer new opportunities for learning. In addition its' inclusion empowers students to use it in their individual and group projects. As such the use of Second Life in the module is closely linked to Smyth's 3E model. By allowing students to explore Second Life, rather than just reading about it, it offers an ideal opportunity for experiential learning. One recommendation, regarding the use of Second Life in the module, could be by extending it to make greater use of the discussion boards, to allow students to reflect on and discuss their experiences and be assessed on this. It may also encourage greater engagement with what is an optional, albeit very worthwhile, activity.

In terms of the student led seminars, the critique has suggested that further opportunities for collaboration, and enhancing the learning experience for students through the sharing of knowlede in 'authentic' ways could have been achieved by allowing an additional collaborative element around the peer and self assessment activities. Either the discussion forums or the elluminate platform could have been used for the proposed enhancement of this activity.

In addition constructive alignment could have been further enabled if LTA strategy had included an element of assessment around all student's participation in the asychronous discussion boards used during the student seminars. To conclude we would argue that SBOSE provides rich opportunities for experiential learning and collaborative activity. However, it could be further extended to facilitate greater empowerment of students by the forementioned changes.

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