Cover Sheet for Proposals (All sections must be completed) Name of Capital Programme: Capital Programme Users and Innovation Next Generation Technologies and Practice Phase 2 Please tick ONE BOX ONLY, as appropriate ¤ ¤√ a)Small-scale pilots b)Large-scale institutional demonstrators Name of Lead Institution: University of Leeds Name of Proposed Project: Academic Writing Empowered by Social Online Mediated Environments (AWESOME) Coventry University; Bangor University. Name(s) of Project Partner(s): Full Contact Details for Primary Contact: Name: Dr Rebecca O’Rourke Position: Senior Lecturer Email: r.k.o’[email protected] Address: Room 7.57, EC Stoner Building, Lifelong Learning Institute, School of Education, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT Tel: 0113 343 3181 Fax: 0113 343 3246 Length of Project: 15 months Project Start Date: 1 January 2008 Total Funding Requested from JISC: Project End Date: 31 March 2009 £199962 Funding Broken Down over Financial Years (Apr–Mar): Apr07 – Mar08 Apr08 – Mar09 £46659 £203294 Total Institutional Contributions: £49991 Outline Project Description: The distinctive contribution of this institutional demonstrator is that it adopts a user-centred methodology, actively engaging users (students, lecturers, staff developers, and student support) to tailor technology to the widespread pedagogic challenge of developing expertise in writing undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations. We propose to design, develop, and evaluate the AWESOME-Dissertation environment (ADE); a novel social virtual environment to support dissertation writing based on sound pedagogical models, using authentic examples, and following Web 2.0. tenets, notably collective intelligence and active engagement of users in creating and sharing content. The project will be conducted by an experienced interdisciplinary team and will be embedded in institutional practices. The potential for sustained and extensive take up across the sector ensures value for money. I have looked at the example FOI form at Appendix A and included an FOI form in the attached bid (Tick Box) I have read the Circular & associated Terms & Conditions of Grant at Appendix B (Tick Box) 1 We do not require the JISC to withhold any information YES1 YES FOI Withheld Information Form We are not requesting that any information contained in this bid be withheld Section / Paragraph No. Relevant exemption from disclosure under FOI Justification Please see http://www.ico.gov.uk for further information on the Freedom of Information Act and the exemptions to disclosure it contains. Example: Section / Paragraph No. 2.4 Relevant exemption from disclosure under FOI s.43 Commercial Interests Justification Contains detailed description of our proposed system design which would damage our commercial interests if disclosed, by making this information available to competitors. AWESOME: Academic Writing Empowered by Social Online Mediated Environments Lead Institution: Partners: Collaborators: University of Leeds Bangor University, Coventry University Association for Learning Development in Higher Education, De Montfort University, Emerge CoP, Manchester University, Salford University. 1. PROBLEM DESCRIPTION 1.1 Writing a dissertation is both unique and central to higher education. It is a multi-stage project usually consisting of an independent research phase accompanied by the writing of a substantial document: in the case of MA students, this may be up to 15,000 words. It requires sustained and complex demonstration of expertise in academic writing, thus condensing many of the anxieties about this area of academic practice and pedagogy (Ganobscik-Williams 2006, Royal Literary Fund 2006, Ivanic and Clark 1997, Lillis 2001, 1 Bartholomae 1985, Elbow 1973 ). The challenge, long-standing and seemingly intractable, is currently a particular concern due to the expansion and changing composition of the university student population: the Bologna agreement and internationalisation increases the number of L2 students; UK widening participation policies increase non-traditional students; and changes in workbased learning increase the number of students following professional rather than scholarly routes into PG study. Many technological solutions for writing development have been tried with varying degrees of success. However, a solution known to be effective is explicit pedagogy and social scaffolding. It is well-established that inexperienced writers who can support each other and work in collaboration with explicit models and processes show characteristics of more mature writers 2 (Lillis 2001; Coffin et al 2003 ). Social collaboration is also at the heart of Web 2.0 technologies. Because of its multi-stage nature, the dissertation is particularly suitable for support through a range of social technologies such as blogs during the project phase and wikis for writing the report. More importantly, however, the dissertation has been identified by a number of user-group representatives at Leeds as a part of the student experience that is especially challenging and where students often lack appropriate support. This view is not unique to Leeds; it pertains throughout higher education. 1.2. A recent JISC report shows the extent to which modern learners make use of technology in every aspect of their work and expect technology to be integrated into the learning experiences provided for them by their institutions. Of particular relevance to this project are the findings that social software, such as blogs, can encourage reflection and the emergence of a critical voice. The study underpinning the report also shows the value of community in the student experience of today and the way in which technology maintains and 3 facilitates learning communities (JISC 2007, Conole et al 2006 ).However, whilst students can skillfully draw on a full range technological tools and networked community support, traditional assessment processes expect students to work without this support. The dissertation, a crucial point in the HE experience is a notable example of this, ADE will create a step change here by making use of social software to both promote the development of a reflective, critical voice and to provide networked social support. 2. PROPOSAL AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 2.1 Our project – AWESOME-Dissertation Environment [ADE] - aims to develop, deploy and disseminate a social virtual environment to support UG and PG dissertation writing that is based on sound pedagogical models, uses authentic examples, and follows Web 2.0 tenets. We will extend a Web 2.0. wiki tool suitable for writing and successfully adopted in HE (MediaWiki) by integrating a range of social technologies and relevant open software tools to support the processes associated with dissertation writing, including: developing an idea and sharing with others (e.g. by using blogs or engaging in argumentative dialogues); developing bibliographies and review of literature (e.g. by using social tagging and bibsonomies); receiving feedback on writing style (e.g. by using annotation tools and web stickies); using examples of good and bad academic writing practice (e.g. by maintaining a community directory);gaining an understanding of dissertation writing from example use cases (e.g. by using podcasts). This holistic environment will be designed to embody the pedagogy of social scaffolding and actively engage users in collaborative creation and sharing of content. (See appendices B and 1 Ganobscik-Williams, L ( 2006) Teaching Academic Writing in UK Higher Education, London: Palgrave; Royal Literary Fund (2006), Writing Matters http://www.rlf.org.uk/; Ivanic and Clark (1997), The Politics of Writing, London: Routledge; Lillis, T (2001) Student Writing: Access, Regulation, Desire, London: Routledge, Bartholomae, D (1985) ‘Inventing the University’, Journal of Basic Writing, 5:1, 4 –22; Elbow, P (1973) Writing without Teachers, New York: Oxford University Press 2 Coffin, C et al (2003) Teaching Academic Writing: A toolkit for academic literacies, London: Routledge 3 Conole, G., de Laat, M., Dillon, T. & Darby, J. (2006) JISC LXP Student experiences of technologies:Draft final report http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/elearningpedagogy/lxp_project_final_report_nov_06.pdf; JISC (2007) In Their Own Words: Exploring the learner’s perspective on e-learning www.jisc.ac.uk 1 C for scenarios). However, we recognise that some of these tools do not have the full range of functionaliities to provide optimum support to students. For example, the functionality in wiki tools tends to be extremely limited when compared to a full-featured word processor. Our project will investigate the functionality most appropriate to academic writing and add this to an open-source wiki program such as MediaWiki (already in use at Leeds). 2.2 Objectives (a) Develop technology that utilises effective writing development pedagogy to address a significant concern in contemporary UK HE - dissertation writing skills (b) Actively involve users (students, lecturers, staff developers, and student support) in the design and development of technology to appropriately support learning (c) Deploy ADE at Leeds University (as part of the Blended Learning Futures Group’s 5 year vision), partner and collaborator institutions, Emerge and Learning Development networks (d) Integrate with relevant open software platforms (Mediawiki), existing academic writing tools (InterLock, 4 Compendium, Wrasse ) (e) Actively involve users – through partners and collaborators - in the evaluation of ADE (f) Disseminate findings to UK and International academic development and learning technology networks 2.3 Illustrative Scenario To illustrate the vision, below is a snap-shot of how a final year design student, Susan, uses the ADE (Appendix C gives complete description). Susan has to hand in a literature review chapter in a few days. It’s Wednesday 2 pm, Susan picks up her project folder to continue her work that she has left off since Sunday. From previous feedback from her supervisor, she needs to be more ‘critical’ in her review and the quality of some of her sources was also slightly dubious. Susan logs onto the ADE and clicks on ‘Investigating Problems’. Looking at the ‘Bibsonomy’ there is a big display of the tag ‘problems in literature review’ which reassures Susan that this is a hot topic and she is not alone in wanting to learn more about it. After noting some pointers, Susan goes into ‘Communicating Ideas’ area to see if there are any examples of good or bad writing for literature review…but there is none. Desperately wanting to get some quick pointers, Susan writes in her blog about the difficulties she is facing, points to the wiki page which she has used to build up her review chapter, and put in a plea for a concrete example to show her the difference between a good and a bad literature review. Susan then moves on and follows up the pointers that she has noted from the bibsonomy. While reading through the second article, an alert shows that a fellow student in her ‘circle of friends’ has responded to her plea and has highlighted a couple of problem areas on her wiki page from a reader’s viewpoint. She also subsequently gets a message from her supervisor that an example is now put into the ‘communicating ideas’ area so she quickly goes there and checks that out. By 4pm Wednesday, Susan logs off for a break, but now she knows exactly what she needs to do and is confident that she can complete the task on time and to the standard she wants. 3. APPROPRIATENESS AND FIT TO PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES AND VALUE TO THE JISC COMMUNITY 3.1 The project will develop a methodology for innovative applications of technologies which complies with the objectives of “Next Generation Technologies and Practices”, to address a complex and persistent challenge in higher education: how to develop student expertise in writing dissertations. Although there is strong evidence to believe that Web 2.0 technologies can facilitate some aspects of academic writing, the existing tools appear to offer only partial solutions to this complex problem. Our hypothesis is that a major paradigm change is needed to move from the current fragmented technological settings to holistic social online environments, where all aspects of the practice of academic writing are taken into account. 3.2 AWESOME is firmly situated within the institutional priorities of Leeds University, the lead institution. The University of Leeds is currently carrying out a large scale project to develop a virtual learning environment to support institution-wide blended learning. The virtual learning environment will include Blackboard Academic Suite, Luminis Portal, a range of home-grown e-learning tools and Web 2.0 applications including Mediawiki, Elgg and del.icio.us. The institution has established 2- and 5- year visions for this project in line with its Learning and Teaching Strategy. The University of Leeds has established a Blended Learning Futures Group to oversee the development and use of web 2.0 tools on campus and to horizon-scan for future developments. This group is charged with the piloting and evaluation of new tools and to establish systems to embed those found to be useful. The group includes representation from each of the faculties, central computing services and 4 InterLoc (www.interloc.org) is a tool for teaching argumentation skills, students engage in dialogue games aimed at helping them improve the structure of their arguments. The system is developed at London Metropolitan University by Andrew Ravenscroft and colleagues funded by JISC. Compendium is a knowledge-mapping tool helpful for structuring the argument. Wrasse is a LearnHigher CETL project Writing for Assignments E-Library repository project. 2 learning and teaching support. Both the VLE Project and Blended Learning Futures Groups report to the Learning and Teaching Systems Steering Group chaired by the PVC Learning and Teaching. Project members serve on each of these three groups. Our partners and collaborators can demonstrate similar integration into their institutional strategies for blended learning (confirmed with support letters) This ensures that the project is adequately scoped and scaled to fully capture the complex, multi-dimensional issues surrounding development of undergraduate and postgraduate dissertation academic writing skills across institutions and that the findings will be reliable. 3.3 We will build on previous JISC work in the area of Academic Discourse, in particular the InterLoc project which gives us a tool that can be used for the argument building phase of academic writing. We will be integrating this tool within an overall methodology that combines a wide range of other social tools into a coherent whole, including collaboration with the proposed project on Personalised Learning Environments from Manchester. We also build on and benefit from innovation and research in related fields: Coventry’s expertise in writing development and institutional-wide pedagogic change; Bangor’s expertise in dispersed learning with non-traditional students. Apart from the three partner institutions, the project will involve close collaboration with several UK HE institutions – the universities of Manchester, Salford, Manchester Metropolitan University and De Montfort University. 3.4 The project will target the JISC aims of developing “innovative and sustainable ICT infrastructure, services and practice that support institutions in meeting their mission” and “promoting the development, uptake and effective use of ICT to support learning and teaching”. Improving the arrangements for assessment, especially enabling students to get more and better feedback on their work and integrating new technologies into teaching and learning are two of the three elements of the lead university’s learning and teaching strategy, and echoed in those of our partners and collaborators. 3.5 Finally, the project complies with the JISC strategy for wide dissemination of technological solutions and best practices to the academic community. The strong support from the lead and partner academic institutions and the active engagement with the Staff and Departmental Development Unit and the Association of Learning Development in Higher Education guarantees quick and extensive dissemination of the results of this project to the academic community. We will contribute to the e-Framework portal taking part in the development of: (a) domain maps for academic writing and social software to capture consensus-based practices across the sector; (b) scenarios and use-case models for the use of Web 2.0. technology in HE practices; (c) software demonstrator delivered as open source and applicable to a wide range of academic practices; (d) good practice and process models for supporting academic writing. 4. METHODOLOGY 4.1 AWESOME follows closely the Users and Innovation Development Model (UIDM). In the initial exploration stage (March 2007 - September 2007) we examined how current Web 2.0 tools were being used through the institution and how they met the needs of specific aspects of academic writing. This helped us identify user needs and determine the focus and scope of the project. During the starting period of this proposal (January 2008 – March 2009), software developers will work together with pedagogical experts and users to design and develop a social medium that facilitates the dissertation writing process. The system will be integrated within institutional structures and deployed in representative use cases, which will allow us to evaluate the effectiveness of the software solution in situ and to make conclusions about the adoption of the approach in wider academic contexts. 4.2 Agile software development methodology (Beck et al., 2001) will be adopted to: (i) allow rapid development and quick deployment of innovative software solutions; (ii) ensure active involvement of users throughout; (iii) establish an effective collaborative team of developers, pedagogy experts, students, and tutors; (iv) follow an evolutionary development model to enable frequent changes of the application to accommodate changes of 6 user requirements. The Adaptive Software Development (Highsmith, 2002 ) will be adopted following the 7 guidelines in (Scott, 2007) which will be synchronised with the timing of UG and PG dissertation writing 8 activities, see Figure 1. To start the implementation, we will follow a scenario-based approach while in the later stages user studies will be conducted to gather feedback. 5 5 Beck, K. et al. (2001). Agile Manifesto, available at http://agilemanifesto.org; Highsmith, J (2002). Agile Software Development Ecosystems. Addison-Wesley, Boston, MA. Scott Wilson, E-Framework 2007 Agile development, http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/eframework/agile_development_scott_wilson.ppt 8 Chris Fowler, Scenario-based design, Chimera: Institute of Social and Technical Change University of Essex, http://www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/programmes/eframework/scenario_based_design_chris_fowler.ppt 6 7 3 Figure 1. Outline of the overall AWESOME project methodology. 4.3 Phase 0 (May-Sept 2007, completed): Understanding the users and identifying needs [UIDM Stage 1] Interdisciplinary collaboration between the schools of Education and Computing, and the Staff and Departmental Development Unit formed the core of the AWESOME teamand identified the scope of the project, user needs and institutional embedding requirements, Table 1 presents a summary. A small scale project ‘Focus on Feedback’ (funded by Leeds University) brought together staff and students to examine how blogs and wikis could support academic writing, particularly focussing on tutor feedback on academic writing for assessment. It enabled us to develop our methodology for a more coherent approach to the use of Web 2.0 tools (Appendix A). In a study funded by the Staff and Departmental Development Unit, Leeds University staff already using the institutional Web 2.0. tools were interviewed in order to map the way that such technologies were currently used on campus and to identify their potential use to support academic writing processes (Appendix C). Critical for the technological choice were discussions with the Pro-Deans and Pro-Vice Chancellor for learning and teaching at Leeds University who stressed the importance of building on tools already adopted by the institution. A follow-up interview with the software manager for the institutional Web 2.0. installations, clarified that MediaWiki would be most appropriate as the base platform and confirmed the feasibility of integrating additional functionality and synchronising the installation with institutional settings. Through participation in the Emerge community, we created links with relevant projects, clarified the focus of our project, and confirmed potential interest in the problem AWESOME team identified for this proposal. We held a project working day which included usergroup representatives, potential steering group members, and representatives from relevant Emerge projects. This stimulating event refined our focus on UG and PG dissertations, helped identify user communities, planned the methodology, and produced several initial scenarios that gave an overview of the required functionality. (see Appendix B). With this in place, we sought external partners for trialling who had not been part of Emerge in order to genuinely test usability and relevance to the wider academic community. Activity 4.4 Table 1. UIDM Stage 1 (AWESOME Phase 0 Mar – Sept 2007) activities and findings Findings Workshops (‘Focus on Feedback’ project) [Jan – Sept 2007] Workshop with institutional stakeholders and Emerge partners [19 July 2007] Pedagogic model identified, technology drawbacks pointed out [Appendix A] Problem/domain clarified, focus on UG and PG dissertations, user involvement confirmed [Appendix B] Questionnaires & interviews with Leeds University users of institutional Web 2.0 tools – Elgg & MediaWiki [Aug-Sept 2007] Engage in Emerge CoP, via the blog, Manchester, Nottingham & Leeds events. Consult on institutional strategies (Leeds) – the Pro-deans and PVC for learning and teaching, Leeds University Union Education Officer, Blended Learning Futures Group Identify Partners and Collaborators Technology identified, drawbacks pointed out, commitment to the project expressed [Appendix C] Technology feasibility confirmed, interest in the problem expressed, collaboration identified. Ensuring the bid has institutional support and is sustainable; high level institutional support, architecture clarified, risks identified and mitigation strategies discussed. Partners chosen are outside Emerge but inside the problem and bring added value – pedagogic knowledge, sources for dissemination – with strongly aligned institutional priorities. Collaborators from Emerge bring affinity and complementarity. Following is an overview of the continuation of the project including the work plan for the main phases in this proposal and the timing of the deliverables (R1: Project Implementation Document. P1: Prototype 1with three releases - P1a, P1b, P1c. P2: Prototype 2 with three releases - P2a, P2b, P2c. R3: Final project report): 4 Figure 2. Project work plan for the duration of this proposal (Jan 2008 – Mar 2009), including phases 1-4, as described below. 4.5 Phase 1 (Jan-Feb 2008) – Transition and decisions [UIDM Stage 2] In this phase we formally establish the steering group and select specific individual students and tutors to be initial users of the ADE methodology. With users, we clarify the scenarios to be used for the prototyping of the ADE in Phase 2. We also develop a detailed Project Implementation Document with clear indication of the timing for each software release and how this will be synchronised with the time scale of UG and PG dissertation use cases. During this phase, we create the MediaWiki installation for ADE; and identify existing plugins that can be integrated. This enables us to prepare a matrix indicating which tools will be used or developed to implement the main functionality of ADE. 4.6 Phase 2 (Feb-July 2008) – Initial Prototyping and Content Development [UIDM, Stage 3] This period is the beginning of dissertation preparation for Education and Design undergraduates at Leeds University. We recruit two groups of dissertation students, with tutors O’Rourke and Walker, who use, shape and test ADE. The development is coordinated by the School of Computing and conducted in close collaboration with the pedagogical experts from Education. Frequent engagement with students, partner and collaborator institutions ensures that ADE is suited to their practices. There are two fully integrated development activities – software implementation and content creation conducted by a collaborative team. MediaWiki is extended to include the functionality presented Figure 3. Architecture of ADE developed in Phase 2. in Figure 3 (software releases follow the sequential order from the figure). Each software release includes content created by tutors and pedagogical experts (e.g. initial comments and annotated examples). This enables us to overcome the initial lack of engagement with Web 2.0 tools due to lack of useful content, as reported in Phase 0. Once the students are engaged in the AWESOME community, collective content will be accumulated as the process of support is rolled out which includes the use of blogs and collaborative bibsonomies. 4.7 5 9 4.8 In parallel with the development of the ADE prototype, we examine potential external tools, such as PLE or Compendium, and InterLoc, to be integrated in the next phase. For this, we use a class of Walker’s MA students, who are at the early project stage - just beginning to develop their ideas and research instruments. 4.9 Phase 3 (Aug 2008-March 2009) – Development through deployment [Stage 3-4] This phase concentrates on developing a robust, stable and usable system in further teaching scenarios. Additional functionality is added to enable flexible search, e.g. using WordNet to search for similar tags or offering recommendations based on . identifying similarity between users This is based on algorithms implemented in a recent MSc project (supervised by Dimitrova) which developed a prototype for flexible search through British Library resources, and in an ongoing PhD project (also supervised by Dimitrova) developing personalised access to community resources. We also extend ADE to integrate the external tools identified in Phase 2. The architecture Figure 4. Architecture of ADE developed in Phase 3. The shaded is given in Figure 4. areas show functionality added to the prototype from Phase 2. 4.10 Phase 4 (Sept 2008 - onwards) – dissemination and securing sustainability [UIDM Stage 4] From December 2008 – March 2009 we concentrate on writing the project report and preparing papers to disseminate the project findings. We will also develop and trial training materials. Dissemination and sustainability is a critical factor for the success of AWESOME and we have prepared a strategy to address it: 4.11 Dissemination and sustainability strategy. Quality is the key to dissemination and sustainability. If the project can build value and usability into the environment and its content creation, if it can make explicit, through social scaffolding and explicit models, the social and intellectual practises of dissertation writing expertise and 10 enact the challenge set by Beetham and Sharpe, ADE will be widely taken up across the UK HE sector, and beyond. Leeds, Bangor and Coventry provide contrasting models of development configured to institutional learning and teaching strategies, enabling comparison and refinement in relation to self-access, programme-led and learning support services. Bangor adds a further dimension, namely guiding and supporting learning in the medium of Welsh, providing a testbed for deploying ADE in and through languages other than English. The articulation of a user-led technology and methodology based on collective intelligence and active engagement of users in collaborative creation and sharing of content ensures that ADE is both a distinctive and discrete learning technology and one that is capable of personalisation – to the learner discipline, programme of study or geography, language or culture. Writing development has moved from considering events to processes; here the paradigm moves again, from process to actors and networks (Clarke, 11 2002 ) – enabling us to create a sustainable ecology of learning technology for writing development. 4.12 These aspirations, and our ability to deliver them through our extensive national and international networks (across learning technology, technology, education, learning and writing development), underpins our commitment to disseminate findings through the Emerge CoP, other JISC initiatives (e-forum) and through conference presentations reflecting the two main disciplinary strands in this project. We will use conference presentations developmentally to build user acceptance and support (Stage 5 of the UIDM model) and plan presentations at Wring Development in Higher Education Conference, (25-27 June 2008, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK (to disseminate results from Stage 1); the 11th international conference of the EARLI Special Interest Group on Writing, June 2008, the Academic Literacies Seminar, June 22, 2008, London, UK (to disseminate interim results; and 2009 to disseminate final results); and ALT-C , 9-11 September, Leeds, UK 2008 and iPED (Innovative Pedagogies) Conference, September 2008, Coventry (to disseminate final project results). 9 PLE (Personal Learning Environment) is being developed at the University of Manchester, link established via the Emerge community Beetham, H and Sharpe, R (2007) Rethinking Pedagogy for a Digital Age: Designing and Delivering E-Learning, London: Routledge 11 Clarke, Julia (2002) A new kind of symmetry? Actor-network theories and the new literacy studies, Studies in the Education of Adults, Vol 34 No 2. 10 6 4.13 Sustainability will be ensured through the institutional take up of ADE in provision and staff development at the partner institutions and their use as exemplars throughout the wider academic community. 5.1 5. PROJECT MANAGEMENT The project team has substantial experience in working in multidisciplinary teams. The Project Coordinator (O’Rourke) has engaged with relevant user communities at institutional and national level, previously collaborated with all partners, and engaged fully with the Emerge community. She will liaise with the JISC project manager and will coordinate the overall project implementation ensuring that users are engaged and their needs met. The Technical Development Coordinator (Dimitrova) will coordinate the software development tasks, the integration with institutional and external systems, and the management of a project web site and a file repository. She has relevant experience in coordinating technology development in multidisciplinary projects at international and national level. The User-centred implementation coordinator (Lau) will ensure that the agile methodology is appropriately followed and user needs adequately addressed. Lau has extensive experience in people-centred design and evaluation of collaborative systems. Critical for the success of ADE is the active engagement of users, effective communication with user communities, and careful planning of user studies. These tasks will be coordinated by the Deployment coordinator (Walker) who has relevant experience in conducting user studies and contacts with the user communities established during the ‘Focus on Feedback’ project. To ensure sustainability and wider deployment, we will have an Institutional embedding coordinator (Highton) who will monitor the effectiveness of the integration of the system within institutional Web 2.0. strategies (including the ADE partners and UK HE in general) and will coordinate the dissemination activities. 5.2 Figure 5. Project management structure. The Project Management Board will meet fortnightly f-2-f in Leeds. Monthly joint seminars involving all people involved in the project will be conducted to monitor progress and discuss joint work. Appropriate f-2-f project meetings involving partners will be conducted at key points of the project: kick-off, interim/plan for dissemination (M9, at the ALT conference held in Leeds), evaluation & dissemination (M14). Effective communication will be ensured via project mailing list, team file repository, and a project web site for public dissemination. To minimise risk, ensure sustainability, and facilitate wider deployment, a Steering Board will be formed including representatives from partner institutions and project collaborators. 5.3 Feedback from the steering board will be sought at critical stages of the project in M7 (on completion of Phase 2 and planning of Phase 3) and in M13 (on system deployment and project dissemination). The Steering Board and Project Management Board will monitor the work and will formally review the project. 5.4 Project Evaluation. In line with the principles of agile methodology and user-centred design, we will be adopting an iterative methodology for evaluation. We will develop pragmatic protocols tailored to the different contexts of use in relation to concept, purpose, effectiveness and usability for the early stages of development, which will utilise scenarios and paper mock-ups. As the tools are rolled out, we will develop a twin-track evaluation method utilising expert and real-end users. In the spirit of UIDM, the precise nature of the evaluation methodology will be devised with and for our users. Towards the end of the project we plan a symposium at the Institute of Creative Technologies, De Montfort University for 360° degree scrutiny of our findings. 5.5 User engagement. We bring well established user engagement to the project, from our Phase 0 activities and from research and pedagogic practice. We will engage with the wider Users and Innovation (U&I) community through membership of the steering board, through attendance at JISC events and by hosting two occasional U&I working days during the life of the project where we can share ideas for further user engagement and development of the U&I model. The role of the steering board is to: maintain user engagement with and input to the project; ensure that the project is meeting objectives at each stage; provide an outside perspective to ensure the ADE methodology is transferable to other institutions; design and oversee project evaluation and dissemination. 5.6 Risk assessment. Following the requirements of agile models, we will conduct regular risk assessment at each iteration (Avison & Fitzgerald, 2006). Risk will be assessed and responded to based on experience and 7 perception rather than by long cycles of quantitative analysis. Initial assessment given below. The project management board will assess risk on a monthly basis. Table 2. Risk assessment and mitigation strategy Risk Evaluation Mitigation strategy Delays in recruitment Probability Medium Impact High Key personnel leaves Probability Medium Impact Medium User community not Probability Medium engaged Impact High Consortium is not Probability Low harmonious Impact High Technology and user Probability Medium communities conflict Impact High Low institutional support Probability Low Impact Medium Scalability and code compliance Probability Low Impact Medium Plan recruitment early, alert people to the forthcoming advertisements. The AWESOME team includes people with complementary expertise and at least two key people are involved in each task (see role matrix table below). Experience of engaging with the user communities over several years and in various contexts, including Phase 0. Project co-ordinated by manager with good leadership and conflict resolution skills. Communication will be a priority for the project. All members of the AWESOME team, partners and collaborators are experienced multidisciplinary team workers and have collaborated well in Phase 0. The technology team has a proven track record of working with pedagogical experts and users to deliver user-centred learning technologies. The AWESOME team and partners have received a high level of institutional support in developing this bid. Highton and Walker are active in Web 2.0 and Blended Learning Futures strategy at Leeds and nationally. Adding external functionality to an existing platform (MediaWiki in our case) is prone to reduce the overall scalability. This risk will be taken into account when deciding what plugins or external tools to integrate. 5.7 Compliance with Standards. This is an inevitable risk with Web 2.0 development – while there are existing 12 patterns and philosophy (O’Reilly,2005) , usually Web 2.0. tools are not linked to particular standards. To 13 minimise this risk, the ADE demonstrator will follow as closely as possible both the JISC and the W3C 14 standards with regard to accessibility and usability. Content will be delivered either as plain ASCII text, RTF, or XML (the latter being the preferred format). Browser compatibility and compliance with the institutional 15 image will be followed using CSS and DOM. We will explore the REST approach followed by Web 2.0 applications (e.g. recommender systems, blogs) and will aim for service-based delivery. Compliance with standards will be addressed in the technology audit and technical requirements, and will be included in the evaluation stages. 5.8 Intellectual Property Management. The University of Leeds agrees to make the material developed available on an open source, licensed basis. Under the licence users would use the material at their own risk, the University may reserve the right to require some form of acknowledgement of authorship and may ask users to feed back developments into the material so that in can be improved for the benefit of all users. Partners and collaborators understand that they are working within JISC IPR guidelines as set out in paragraphs 50, 51 and 52 of JISC Circular 02/07. 6 BUDGET AND BUDGET JUSTIFICATION 6.1 We believe this project can have a significant impact on learning and teaching quality in UK HE and therefore represents excellent value for money. The lead and partner institutions will benefit from this project in two ways. They will have a sound and reliable means of developing expertise in student dissertation writing and they will have a user-centred methodology for developing and embedding institutional change in relation to blended learning. The writing of dissertations is a key skill in the higher education environment and tools developed to support this process can be used across discipline boundaries. The sector as a whole will benefit from the existence of these high quality exemplars and the expertise in developing pedagogy-led learning technology which it will represent. 6.2 Staff. The main costs incurred in developing, deploying and disseminating ADE come from staff, and the associated on-costs required under FEC. Two RA posts provide vital in-depth understanding of the challenges posed by the web 2.0 technologies (RA1) and the pedagogic problem in academic writing (RA2). Leeds provides a complex interdisciplinary case highly suited to undertake a large-scale institutional demonstrator. 12 Tim O’Reilly, What Is Web 2.0 Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software, 2007, http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html 13 http://standards.jisc.ac.uk/catalogue/Home.phtml 14 http://www.w3.org/TR/ 15 This is already integrated in MediaWiki. 8 This requires the engagement of several staff members (Dimitrova, Highton, Lau, Walker) and a significant allocation for project co-ordination (O’Rourke). Understanding / modelling institutional embedding and engagement with the user community is critical to the project’s success and sustainability, hence the combination of technologists, educationalists and institutional champions in the project team (see role matrix below). See role matrix below for further justification of staff involvement. 6.3 Equipment. The hardware costs include a computer for RA1, a laptop for RA2 and the hosting of the environment and content on university server. We will solely open source technologies and plan no software costs. The AWESOME survey of staff use of elgg for blogging and how blog and wiki tools might support writing processes has been used to make the case for embedding elgg blogging tool into the learning environment on campus and, building on this success, the work funded through this bid will deliver an institution wide trial of an enhanced wiki tool [ADE] to be used alongside the other e-learning tools as part of our blended learning and teaching environment. Integration and appropriate use of learning technology represents a cost-saving to institutions and maximises their investment. The costs of trialliing are significant here. If successful, ADE will be integrated into Blackboard as a building block and offered to the Blackboard user community. Once integrated, ADE will be supported and offered to academic staff via the academic staff development programme which includes support for e-learning tools and professional standards in university teaching. 6.4 Evaluation, Dissemination, Travel. The costs of dissemination should be read in light of the iterative evaluation, regularly feeding out tools and strategies and refining them in the light of feedback. We require travel costs to ensure that e-based networking is supported and enhanced by face to face meetings and discussions with users, and to ensure that we can see the partner trials in situ. Dissemination through existing JISC channels is essential for the project to be configured with other JISC initiatives. The paradigm shift at the heart of this project needs to be secured in the wider HE community, so we prioritise dissemination through conference and networks which shape decision making in the two central domains – writing development and learning technology. (see dissemination strategy above). Table 3: AWESOME Dissertation Environment Project Budget Directly Incurred Staff Researcher, grade 6, 100% FTE for 14 months Researcher, grade 6, 100% FTE for 14 months Total Directly Incurred Staff (A) Apr 07– Mar 08 £4777 £4777 £9554 Apr 08– Mar 09 £29996 £29996 £59992 TOTAL £ £34773 £34773 £69546 Non-Staff Travel and expenses: 2 x Steering board, Project team, Partner Visits Hardware: pc/laptop and server hosting Dissemination: Conferences, Training Materials, 2 x U&I events Evaluation: 1 x Steering board, Evaluation with project users, De Montfort University event Other: recruitment costs, partner trialling costs Total Directly Incurred Non-Staff (B) Directly Incurred Total (C=A+B) Apr 07– Mar 08 £1100 Apr 08– Mar 09 £1800 TOTAL £ £2900 £2300 £300 £4455 £2600 £4455 £1600 £1600 £2000 £5400 £14954 £7000 £15155 £75147 £9000 £20555 £90101 Directly Allocated Rebecca O’Rourke (PI, 20% FTE) Aisha Walker (CI, 10% FTE)) Vania Dimitrova (CI, 10%FTE) Lydia Man Shan Lau (CI, 10%FTE) Melissa Highton (CI, 10%FTE) Apr 07– Mar 08 £2766 £1018 £643 £690 £972 Apr 08– Mar 09 £11767 £4330 £2713 £2943 £4052 TOTAL £ £14533 £5348 £3356 £3633 £5024 Estates Directly Allocated Total (D) Indirect Costs (E) Total Project Cost (C+D+E) Amount Requested from JISC Institutional Contributions Percentage Contributions over the life of the project £4983 £11072 £20633 £46659 £37327 £9332 JISC 80 % £19812 £45617 £82530 £203294 £162635 £40659 Partners 20 % £24795 £56689 £103,163 £249953 £199962 £49991 Total 100% 9 7. EXPERIENCE OF THE PROJECT TEAM 7.1 This is a fully interdisciplinary team of researchers and practitioners from Education (Walker / O'Rourke), Computing (Dimitrova / Lau) and Educational Development (Highton). The University of Leeds is ideally placed to offer resources to become an early adopter testbed and institutional demonstrator for research into uses of Web 2.0 social and collaborative writing technologies because we already have a track record in this area. The University has been hosting Elgg as a learning and teaching tool on campus since Summer 2005 and now has more than 1600 users and 60 registered communities. In 2006/7 we are piloting the use of mediawiki on campus for educational projects, supported by staff development workshops on tools for e-learning and personal development planning. 7.2 The team has already been involved in previous technology development projects which followed the open 16 source development models. Dimitrova coordinated the Leeds team in the EU Edukalibre project which 17 created Moodle-integrated tools for community-based development of educational resources . Lau has been 18 involved in the design and evaluation of the Virtual Knowledge Park at Leeds University. 7.3 We can offer a variety of user groups including undergraduates, postgraduates and work-based learning and the range and scale of disciplines available at Leeds ensures that academic writing support can be firmly embedded within individual disciplines. The University of Leeds strives to provide high-quality support for writing through the Skills Centre and the Language Centre, with both of which team members have excellent collaborative links. The team also benefits from the expertise and networking of the University Teaching Fellowship scheme: O’Rourke recently completed a cross-institutional project on Academic Literacies and Highton recently commenced one on personalised learning environments. 7.4 The involvement of the central staff development unit in this project ensures that implications for good practice in pedagogy arising from the project will feed directly into the teaching of the University’s postgraduate certificate in learning and teaching in higher education programme (PGCLTHE) / professional standards programme (PSP) which is compulsory for all new academic staff from 2007/8, thereby ensuring that the project will benefit users as swiftly as possible. Any developments or additional functionality which arise out of this research will be rolled out as appropriate across campus as part of the ongoing development of our elearning tools through the Blended Learning Futures Group. 7.5 The depth and range of experience brought by the Leeds team is complemented to the partners and collaborators, extending the scope of the project in Education (Bangor) and Computing (Manchester), Writing Development (Coventry), Learning Technology (Coventry, De Montfort, London Met, Manchester, Salford), Learning and Staff Development (Association of Learning Development in HE, Bangor, London Met). * Table 4: Role Matrix. Dark colour – high involvement, light colour - low involvement, - leading role VD MH LL RO AW RA1 RA2 Cov Ban DM Man Sal Ald Activity Engagement of user community Deployment and user trials Integration with external partners Technology development Project management Pedagogical insight Institutional embedding Platform integration Agile methodology implementation Engagement with Emerge CoP Dissemination and sustainability Project evaluation * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 16 www.edukalibre.org Gonzalez-Barahona, J.M; Dimitrova, V. et.al. Community-driven development of educational materials: the Edukalibre approach in: Nejdl,W &Tochtermann, K (editors) Innovative Approaches for Learning and Knowledge Sharing, pp. 125-139 Springer, LNCS. 2006. 18 http://vkp.leeds.ac.uk/ 17 10 LM AWESOME project Support Letters PARTNERS Leeds University § Prof. Vivien Jones, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Learning and Teaching (and coordinator of the Blended Learning Futures Group – institutional embedding of the project); § Tom Roper, Head of School of Education (the department of the PI for the project) § Chris Butcher, Principal Academic Staff Development Officer, Staff and Departmental Development Unit (critical dissemination channel for AWESOME) § Susan Nash, Education Officer, Leeds University Union (user engagement, dissemination, sustainability) § Maggie Boyle, Leeds University Skills Centre (user engagement, dissemination, sustainability) § Jeremy Harmer, Web master, technical manager for Leeds institutional installation of Web 2.0. tools (technological feasibility, platform integration) § Prof. Miriam Zukas, Director of Life Long Learning Institute (support for the project) Bangor University § Prof. C.R. Barker, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Teaching and Learning (project support, confirmed expected impact) § Dr. Brec’hed Piette, Head of Life Long Learning (significance of problem, user engagement, evaluation, dissemination) Coventry University § Prof. Donald Pennington, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Learning and Student Experience § Dr. Lisa Ganobcsik-Williams, Coordinator, Centre for Academic Writing (user trials, user engagement, evaluation, dissemination, impact); COLLABORATORS Manchester University § Dr. Mark van Harmelen, Coordinator of the PLE project (cross-project collaboration); London Metropolitan University § Dr. Andrew Ravenscroft, Deputy Director, Learning Technology Research Institute (director of JISC funded Digital Dialogue Game project, integration with the InterLoc tool) Salford University § Dr. Frances Bell, Salford Business School (director link with the CABWEB project) Association for Learning Development in Higher Education § John Hilsdon, Chair, ALDinHE Steering Group (dissemination, prepare wider deployment, project evaluation) Staff and Departmental Development Unit Learning & Teaching Team • UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS JISC Executive Northavon House Cold harbour Lane Bristol BS161QD JISC Capital Programme Users and Innovation: Next Generation Technologies and Practices Academic Writing Empowered by Social Online Mediated Environments (AWESOME) Dissertation Environment (ADE) Leeds University in partnership with Bangor, Coventry, De Montfort, Manchester and Salford Universities and the Learning Development in Higher Education Network. Following their success in Phase 1 of this call, the AWESOME team at Leeds are now proposing a project to develop academic writing by extending MediaWiki, a Web 2.0. wiki tool suitable for writing and successfully adopted here at Leeds and elsewhere in higher education, by integrating a range of social technologies and relevant open software tools to support the processes associated with dissertation writing into a virtual environment to support dissertation writing (AWESOME-Dissertation). As Head of the Learning & Teaching Team in the Staff and Departmental Development Unit, I have been fUlly supportive of the project and especially the involvement of Senior Staff Development Officer Melissa Highton, who has a background in educational development and the use of technology in teaching. In SDDU she is responsible for staff development in the use of C&IT in learning, teaching and assessment. She runs the open programme of C&IT in teaching workshops and is module leader for module 4 of the PGCL THE. This will ensure that development of the AWESOME Dissertation Environment is thoroughly informed by the practices and needs of users across the whole institution and that its development and deployment will be equally extensive, with partner institutions also benefiting from the staff development insights and experiences she brings. Chris Butcher Principal Academic Staff Development Officer SDDU Leeds University Library Univeristy of Leeds Leeds LS2 9JT T +44 (0) 113 343 5306 F +44 (0) 113 343 4095 W www.leeds.ac.uk/library/training 27 September 2007 LETTER OF SUPPORT To Whom it May Concern Awesome Dissertation Environment As Head of the Skills Centre at the University of Leeds I am delighted to support colleagues at Leeds and elsewhere in developing and deploying the AWESOME Dissertation Environment. Writing a dissertation is unique to the higher education experience and condenses many of the issues in learning support and writing development which a Centre such as this deals with on a daily basis. Adequate support for this process, for home-based and International UG and PG students is a pressing issue. AWESOME Dissertation Environment is distinctive because it puts equal emphasis on the pedagogic soundness of the content created for and delivered through the learning technology, as well as seeking to successfully harness Web2.0 technology and principles which may well be more advantageous to students in HE because the advice and examples they provide are not time and place specific. I have worked with the AWESOME Team in Phase One of their project, and with several members of the team on numerous projects over several years. I have every confidence that their work will be designed and delivered to the highest standard: innovative, original and theoretically grounded. I have been impressed by their commitment to consulting and involving students and staff in the development of their project. If they are successful in Phase Two, I am confident that their work will continue to reflect these high standards of design, development and evaluation. I look forward to continuing to work with them, especially in the dissemination and promotion of AWESOME Dissertation throughout the UK HE sector through our connections with the AIM HIGHER CETL and the Association for Learning Development in Higher Education. Your sincerely MAGGIE BOYLE Leeds University Library From [email protected] Fri Sep 28 21:33:16 2007 Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 21:33:15 +0100 From: Jeremy Harmer <[email protected]> To: Rebecca O'Rourke <R.K.O'[email protected]> Cc: Vania Dimitrova <[email protected]> Subject: Support letter for the AWESOME project JISC Executive Northavon House Coldharbour Lane Bristol BS16 1QD 27th September 2007 JISC Capital Programme Users and Innovation: Next Generation Technologies and Practices Indication of support from the University of Leeds Academic Writing Empowered by Social Online Mediated Environments (AWESOME) Dissertation Environment (ADE) The University of Leeds in partnership with Bangor, Coventry, De Montfort, Manchester and Salford Universities and the Learning Development in Higher Education Network. Following their success in Phase 1 of this call, the AWESOME team at Leeds are now proposing a project to develop academic writing by extending MediaWiki, a Web 2.0 wiki tool suitable for writing and successfully adopted here at Leeds and elsewhere in higher education, by integrating a range of social technologies and relevant open software tools to support the processes associated with dissertation writing into a virtual environment to support dissertation writing (AWESOME-Dissertation). I currently work within the Web Solutions Team in Information Systems Services (ISS). My primary role is that of University Webmaster, and I also work heavily in web development and in particular in the introduction of Web 2.0 technologies. My responsibilities include the authorisation of all websites and webspace within the leeds.ac.uk domain. I am the main site contact for all web-related issues. I can confirm that the AWESOME team have discussed the technical arrangements for the AWESOME dissertation demonstrator with me and I am confident that the technology development plan in the bid is feasible. The choice of MediaWiki as the base platform for AWESOME dissertation is appropriate, and is in line with the institutional use of Web 2.0 tools. The Awesome team's planned wider deployment of the tool as part of the Web 2.0 suite is feasible and supports institutional priorities. I am very happy to support their bid. Jeremy M. Harmer Webmaster University of Leeds [email protected] School of Computer Science The University of Manchester Oxford Road Manchester M13 9PL Tel:+44(0)161 275 6209 Email: [email protected] 27 September 2007. JISC Executive Northavon House Coldharbour Lane Bristol BS16 1QD Dear Sirs Re: Using the outputs of the AWESOME Project I would like to trail the outputs of the AWESOME Project in the School of Computer Science at the University of Manchester during the project in order to provide feedback to the project. If my proposal to JISC for further development of the Manchester Personal Learning Environment (PLE) is funded, I would like to consider how AWESOME materials and methods could be embedded in our PLE. I believe that there is a natural fit, and that AWESOME could benefit our project and its use by students. Yours faithfully Dr. Mark van Harmelen Honorary Research Fellow Combining the strengths of UMIST and The Victoria University of Manchester From: Frances Bell [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thu 27/09/2007 17:17 To: Maggi Savin-Baden; Rebecca O'Rourke Subject: Participation in CABWEB I am delighted if you take up the offer to host a discussion event on CABWEB HELP Network - for tutors and learning technologists who are interested in international student online collaboration. I believe that your work will be of enormous interest to our members and that they will bring insights based on their diverse expereinces and perspectives. Frances Bell, CABWEB, Salford Business School, University of Salford, Salford M5 4WT The CABWEB portal http://www.cabweb.net for international student collaboration online, was developed in the Socrates-Minerva Collaboration Across Borders project using the Open Source Software Moodle. As well as hosting collaboration spaces for student collaborative activities, the portal is home to a Community of Practice for tutors and learning technologists called HELP, Higher Education Learning Professionals. There have been 10 discussion events on HELP, facilitated by a range of international contributors, including Jan Visser a former UNESCO Director. CABWEB HELP will be an excellent venue to test ideas and products from Users and Innovation projects in a rich international dialogic context, with a more diverse set of potential users. Contacts formed on CABWEB have fordmed the basis of project partnerships for bidding for European and International funds. From: John Hilsdon [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Sat 29/09/2007 17:25 To: Rebecca O'Rourke Subject: RE: Request for help 31st September 2007 JISC Capital Programme Users and Innovation: Next Generation Technologies and Practices Indication of support from John Hilsdon, Chair of ALDinHE (the Association for Learning Development in Higher Education) and Convenor, JISC Mail list Learning Development in Higher Education Network Academic Writing Empowered by Social Online Mediated Environments (AWESOME) Dissertation Environment (ADE) The University of Leeds in partnership with Bangor, Coventry, De Montfort, Manchester and Salford Universities and the Learning Development in Higher Education Network. Following their success in Phase 1 of this call, the AWESOME team at Leeds are now proposing a project to develop academic writing by extending MediaWiki, a Web 2.0 wiki tool suitable for writing and successfully adopted in higher education, by integrating a range of social technologies and relevant open software tools to support the processes associated with dissertation writing into a virtual environment to support dissertation writing (AWESOMEDissertation). Content creation for the MediaWiki will be informed by the Awesome team's considerable experience of teaching in higher education and participating as research practitioners in learning and writing development networks. This will ensure that that the project is shaped by sound pedagogical principles. I can also confirm that their decision to focus on dissertation writing - for undergraduate and postgraduate students - is timely and appropriate. Students, lecturers and learning development staff alike are aware that while all students must necessarily struggle with the writing of a dissertation - that is part of the educational experience - there are many instances in which the struggle between the student and the writing is unevenly matched, creating problems for how the text communicates, and potentially for how it is assessed. I very much support the work of this project in making opportunities for students to engage in activities to develop academic writing skills for dissertations. I would be very happy for the AWESOME Dissertation Environment project to collaborate with the Association and Mail List of Learning Development in Higher Education Network in whatever ways seem mutually beneficial. John Hilsdon Co-ordinator, Learning Development University of Plymouth Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA 01752 232276 [email protected] http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/learn VANIA DIMITROVA Lecturer, School of Computing, University of Leeds Role in the project • Coordinate software development and platform integration; • Take active part in integration with external partners; • Contribute to project management, agile methodology implementation, dissemination and sustainability. Personal Information Date of birth: 04/09/1965 Address: School of Computing, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK Phone: +44 (0)113 3431674 E-mail [email protected] Web: http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/vania/ Qualifications PhD in Artificial Intelligence in Education, (1997-2001) Computer Based Learning Unit, Leeds University: "Interactive Open Learner Modelling" [ORS Award] MSc in Computer Science, (1987-1989), University of Sofia, Bulgaria. Higher Degree Diploma in Mathematics (= BSc & MSc in Mathematics), University of Shoumen, Bulgaria, [Distinction for high achievements from the Bulgarian Ministry of Education] Employment Nov 2001-present, Lecturer, School of Computing, University of Leeds. Sept 2005-Dec 2005, Researcher, Intelligent Interfaces Group, DFKI (The German AI Centre), Saarbruecken. April 2001-Oct 2001, Research Officer, Computer Based Learning Unit, Leeds University, LArflast EU (F5). July 1989-August 1997, Assistant Professor in Computer Science, University of Shoumen, BG. Skills and Experience Strong theoretical and practical background in the design, development, and evaluation of interactive learning environments which promote novel ways of learning and teaching. Co-authored some 60 papers and served on the programming committees of international conferences about intelligent learning environments, personalisation, and web-based technologies. Lead researcher from the Leeds team in the Larflast project (EU, Oct 1998 – Nov 2001) which developed an intelligent learning environment to assist with acquiring a technical vocabulary in a foreign language. Co-ordinated the research and technical activities within the joint UK-NL SWALE project (British Council, Apr-Dec 2004) which developed reusable semantic-enhanced tools and integrated them in an advanced user-adaptive environment for recommending research articles to university students. Co-ordinated the Edukalibre project (EU, Oct 2003 - Dec 2005) that produced a collaborative writing environment by reusing open source tools and methods. Currently involved in two EU Networks of Excellence – Prolearn (novel ways of technology-enhanced professional learning) and REWERSE (rules and semantics for reusable web services). Past and current PhD students have examined the design and development of novel web-based interactive personalised learning environments; currently supervise MSc and UG dissertations examining Web 2.0. tools for personalised access to digital collections. Relevant Recent Publications Dang, T.M., Dimitrova, V. & Djemame, K. (2007). Personalised Mashups: Opportunities and Challenges. In Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on User Modeling, Springer, Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Dimitrova, V. Tzagarikis, M. & Vassileva, J. eds. (2007). Proceedings of Int. Workshop on Personalisation and Adaptation in Groups, Teams, and Communities, SociUM2007. Kosba, E., Dimitrova, V. & Boyle, R. (2007). Adaptive Feedback Generation to Support Teachers in WebBased Distance Education. User Modeling and User-Adapted Interaction Journal, Springer. Gonzalez-Barahona, J., Dimitrova, V., Chaparo, D., Tebb, C., Romero, T., Canas, L., Matravers, J., Kleanthous, S. (2006). Community-driven development of educational materials: the Edukalibre approach in: Nejdl,W &Tochtermann, K (editors) Innovative Approaches for Learning and Knowledge Sharing European Conference on Technology Enhanced Learning EC-TEL 2006, pp. 125-139 Springer, Lecture Notes in Computer Science. MELISSA HIGHTON Senior staff development officer, Staff and Departmental Development Unit, University of Leeds Role in the project • Coordinate institutional embedding; • Coordinate project dissemination and sustainability; • Takes active part in engagement with user community through existing SDDU contacts and staff network; • Takes part in project evaluation and pedagogical insights. Skills and Experience Melissa has 10 years experience in staff and educational development and the use of technology in teaching. At University of Leeds she is responsible for staff development in the use of C&IT in learning, teaching and assessment. She runs the open programmme of C&IT in teaching workshops and is module leader for the ‘Teaching with Technology’ module of the postgraduate certificate in learning and teaching in higher education (PGCLTHE) which is offered to all new academic staff at the University. She was awarded a University Teaching Fellowship award in 2006 to explore the application of Web2.0 technologies to teaching and learning. Melissa has previously worked for Royal Holloway University of London, Napier University in Edinburgh and City University in London. She has qualifications in teaching with technology and online tutoring and a master’s degree in Education. She is also a member of the HEA. She regularly speaks at national and international events including, most recently, ElearningAfrica2006 and HEA Blended Learning Conference. In October this year she co-authored a book ‘Designing Learning’ as part of the Routledge series of key guides to teaching. At the University she sits on a number of project teams and steering groups which inform and develop University strategy in the use of technology for teaching on campus. LYDIA LAU Lecturer, School of Computing, University of Leeds Role in the project • Leading the user-centred approach in the implementation of agile methodology; • Contributing to the design and development of the collaborative software and project evaluation; • Contribute to user trials, as well as to dissemination and sustainability. Personal Information Date of birth: 29/11/1958 Address: School of Computing, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK Phone: +44 (0)113 3435454 E-mail [email protected] Web: http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/llau/ Qualifications PhD in Information Systems, University of Leeds, 1987. BSc in Computational Science and Management Studies, University of Leeds, 1981. A full member of the British Computer Society and a Chartered IT Professional. Employment Sept 1987 - present, Lecturer, School of Computing, University of Leeds. Oct 1984 – Aug 1987, Teaching Assistant, School of Computing, University of Leeds. Skills and Experience My special interest is in collaborative computing, user requirements capture and evaluation. I am currectly involved in a project SeCE (Scientic e-Community Environment) which aims to provide a sustainable and flexible infrastructure for the Chemical Kinetics research community to share resources and knowledge. I was principal investigator for a two-year KTP project (2002-2004) entitled “Integration of Human Factors into the Design of Virtual Project Management Software. I designed and conducted several evaluation exercises (1999-2003) for the Univeristy of Leeds’s Virtual Knowledge Park (formerly Virtual Science Park). I also delivered a pilot study on an intranet system for the University’s Press Office using Lotus Notes (1998) which operated for a number of years. Selected Publications Lau, Lydia M.S. Scenarios are only part of a story? In Ned Kock (ed.) Encyclopedia of E-Collaboration, USA, Idea Group Inc. (to be published in 2008). Lau, Lydia M.S. & Dew, Peter M. A Reflection on E-Collaboration Infrastructure for Research Communities. In Ned Kock (ed.) Encyclopedia of E-Collaboration, USA, Idea Group Inc. (to be published in 2008). Lau, Lydia M.S. Articulating a Grass-root View of Research Communities. International Workshop on Virtual Research Environments and Collaborative Work Environments, e-Science Institute, Edinburgh, 23-24 May 2007. Pham, Tran Vu; Lau, L.M.S.; Dew, P.M. An ontology-based adaptive approach to P2P resource discovery in distributed scientific communities. International Transactions on Systems Science and Applications, vol. 2, pp. 391-404, 2007. Pham, Tran Vu; Dew, P.M.; Lau, L.M.S.; Pilling, M.J. Enabling e-Research in Combustion Research nd Community. In proceedings of e-Science 2006 – 2 IEEE International Conference on e-Science and Grid Computing, Dec, 2006. Le, Duc Minh & Lau, Lydia. An Open Architecture for Ontology-enabled Content Management System – a Case Study in Managing Learning Objects. In On the Move to Meaningful Internet Systems 2006: CoopIS, DOA, GADA, and ODBASE, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Volume 4275/2006, pp. 772-790, Springer Berlin / Heidelberg, 2006. Tian, Yang; Lau, Lydia; Dew, Peter. Importance of mutual benefits in online knowledge sharing communities in Remenyi, D (editors) Proceedings of the 4th European Conference on Knowledge Management, pp. 823831 Academic Conferences International. 2004. Lau, Lydia M S; Adams, Craig A; Dew, Peter M; Leigh, Christine. Use of scenario evaluation in preparation for deployment of a collaborative system for knowledge transfer in: 12th IEEE International Workshops on Enabling Technologies (WETICE 2003): Infrastructure for Collaborative Enterprises, pp. 148-152 IEEE Computer Society Press. 2003. REBECCA O’ROURKE Senior Lecturer, Life Long Learning Institute, University of Leeds Role in the project • Lead, co-ordinate and manage the project • Expertise in academic writing development and pedagogy to oversee content creation • Ensure user engagement in design, deployment and evaluation of project • Contribute to dissemination and sustainability Personal Information Date of birth: 10/8/1955 Address: Lifelong Learning Institute, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK Phone: +44 (0)113 3433181 E-mail r.k.o’[email protected] Qualifications PhD Creative Writing Policy and Practices, University of Birmigham, 1999 PGCTLHE, University of Leeds, 1994 MA in Cultural Studies, University of Birmingham, 1977 BA English Language and Literature, University of Hull, 1973 Employment 2005 – present, Senior Lecturer, Lifelong Learning Institute, University of Leeds 1994 – 2005, Lecturer/Snr Lecturer, School of Continuing Education, University of Leeds 1992 – 1994, Research Fellow, School of Continuing Education, University of Leeds 1991 – 1992, Research Associate, Community Education, Goldsmiths’ College 1980 – 1991, Various adult education and community arts post in London Skills and Experience Excellent leadership and management skills first developed in the voluntary sector (regularly bidding for and managing project funds, chairing voluntary organisations and managing developmental projects) and consolidated by managing University of Leeds Adult Centre in Cleveland (1994-2003) (managing an academic programme promoted and developed in partnership with regional providers and competitors, a building, its budget and staff). Held research assistant and research fellow posts (1991- 1992, 1992 – 1994) using participative and action-research methodologies. Awarded and successfully completed a University Teaching Fellowship (2002 - 2006) 'Academic Literacies: Raising the Profile, Researching the Practices'. Awarded and directed a successful ESRC Research Seminar Series, Rurality, Regeneration and Lifelong Learning, in 2003. Worked with writers and writing development in a variety of settings - adult basic education in community and prison settings, community writing and publishing projects, access and return to learning – which demand a user-centred approach and successfully adapted this pedagogy to academic writing development and qualitative research in higher education. Active member of national and international networks in lifelong learning and writing development, including the European Association of Teachers of Academic Writing, the Writing Development in Higher Education network, the European Association of Research on Learning and Instruction Writing Special Interest Group and the Standing Conference on University Teaching and Research into the Education of Adults. Selected Publications O’Rourke, R (2007) Creative Writing as a Site of Pedagogic Identity and Pedagogic Learning, Pedagogy 7:3 (In Press) O’Rourke, R (2005) Creative writing: education, culture, community, Leicester: Niace AISHA WALKER Senior Lecturer in ICT in Education, School of Education, University of Leeds Role in the project • Coordinating deployment and user trials and takes active part in agile methodology implementation; • Leading integration with external partners; • Leading (together with Highton) dissemination and sustainability; • Provide pedagogical insights. Skills and Experience • Research Group Coordinator– ICT in Education • Programme Leader – MA ICT and Education • Faculty representative to University Blended Learning Strategy Group • Teaching includes: Modules “Learning with Virtual Worlds”; “Design and Evaluation of Web-based Learning Environments”; “Language Learning and Teaching with ICT” and academic writing workshops for MA students. Qualifications PhD University of Leeds. 2003 – The Contribution of Computer-mediated Communication to the Development of Argument Skills and Writing-related Self-esteem MEd (Educational Technology and TESOL) University of Manchester PGCE (Primary Education) Bradford College 1988 BA (Hons) Linguistics University of Lancaster 1980 Recent Relevant Publications Walker, S. A. (2005) “Is s/he really necessary? The effect of tutor presence before and during synchronous CMC discussion” in A. Méndez Vilas, B. Gonzalez Pereira, J. Mesa González and J. A. Mesa González Recent Research Developments in Learning Technologies Proceedings of III International Conference on Multimedia & ICTs in Education, Caceres, Spain, 7-10 June 2005 pp 516-521 Walker, A., & Pilkington, R. M. (2005). “Using Computers to Assist in Developing Key Literacy Skills”. In M. Monteith (Ed.), Teaching Secondary School Literacies Maidenhead, UK & New York: Open University Press, McGraw Hill Education pp 71-96 Walker, S. A. (2004) “Socratic Strategies and Devil’s Advocacy in Synchronous CMC Debate” Journal of Computer Assisted Learning 20/3 pp 172-182 Walker, S. A. (2004) “Social Strategies and Group Development in Discourse for e-Learning” in P. Isaias, P. Kommers and M. McPherson Proceedings of IADIS e-Society 2004 Conference, 16-19 July 2004, Avila, Spain pp.251-258 Pilkington R M and Walker S A (2003a) “Facilitating Debate in Networked Learning: Reflecting on Online Synchronous Discussion in Higher Education” Instructional Science 31 pp. 41-63 Externally Funded Projects December 2006 – December 2009: Building Capacity in Visual Methods funded by ESRC Researcher Development Initiative Jan 2006 – Sept 2006: Construct Relevance of Sources of Difficulty in Information Technology Testing at Key Stage 3 funded by Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. Leeds University Funded Projects Education, Social Sciences and Law e-Learning Network 2007, Focus on Feedback 2006-7 Development of Online Learning and Teaching Research Methods 2004-6 RECRUITED STAFF: RESEARCH ASSISTANT 1 st st Start 1 Feb 2008 – End 31 March 2009 Grade 6, up to spine 25 (currently 24,403) Role in the project • Coordinates (together with Dimitrova) technology development and platform integration; • Develops the software produced in the project; • Takes active part in agile methodology implementation; • Takes active part in the user trials; • Involved in project dissemination and evaluation; Job summary: The RA will be expected to coordinate the design and implementation of the core platform for the AWESOME dissertation tool in close collaboration with the AWESOME team and the university Web 2.0. emergent technologies group. Requirements: (a) to undertake research in collaboration with other members of the project team and with users in line with the aims and objectives of the project; (b) to undertake software design and implementation in line with the objectives of the project and to coordinate the integration of all components in a flexible architecture; (c) to contribute to the dissemination of the project results via presentations and publications at relevant events; (d) to attend and contribute to regular project meetings. Qualifications: Essential: Degree in Computer Science related subject Desirable: MSc or PhD in a relevant subject Desirable: Relevant research or industrial experience Skills & Experience: Essential: Relevant computer programming experience Essential: Experience in Web 2.0 development Essential: Good organisational skills and ability to meet deadlines Essential: Good communication skills including written Desirable: Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team and collaborate successfully with co-investigators and project partners Desirable: Knowledge and experience in Web 2.0 standards Desirable: Knowledge and experience in developing learning environments Desirable: Experience in usability and user interface design Desirable: Ability to write up research findings for academic publications. RECRUITED STAFF: RESEARCH ASSISTANT 2 st st Start 1 Feb 2008 – End 31 March 2009 Grade 6, up to spine 25 (currently 24,403) Role in the project • Coordinates (together with Walker) deployment and user trials; • Produces content, as appropriate; • Facilitates active user engagement; • Takes active part in agile methodology implementation; • Contributes to engagement with partners and wider user community; Job summary: The RA will be expected to coordinate the content creation, user involvement, evaluation and dissemination of the AWESOME project. Requirements: (a) to undertake research in collaboration with other members of the project team and with project users (students and staff involved in dissertation writing) in line with the aims and objectives of the project; (b) to identify and develop learning materials to support dissertation writing which will be integrated in the AWESOME dissertation environment; (c) to coordinate the involvement of users from AWESOME partners in the design and evaluation of the learning environment developed in the project (d) to contribute to the dissemination of the project results via presentations and publications at relevant events; (d) to attend and contribute to regular project meetings. Qualifications: Essential: Degree and relevant experience in teaching/supporting academic writing Desirable: Postgraduate qualification in a relevant subject Desirable: Relevant research or learning development in HE experience Skills & Experience: Essential: Relevant experience of working in the UK HE environment Essential: Relevant experience of using technology to support and develop learning Essential: Knowledge of current practices in academic literacy and learning development Essential: Good organisational skills and ability to meet deadlines Essential: Excellent written and interpersonal communication skills Desirable: Relevant experience of writing development / academic literacy Desirable: Ability to work in a multidisciplinary team and collaborate successfully with co-investigators and project partners Desirable: Relevant experience in using technologies to support academic writing Desirable: Knowledge of user-centred technology design Desirable: Ability to write up research findings for academic publications. Desirable: Excellent presentation skills. PARTNER: CENTRE FOR ACADEMIC WRITING CENTRE, COVENTRY UNIVERSITY Role in the project: • User engagement defining appropriate support • Piloting and evaluating the ADE demonstrator • Contributing to dissemination and sustainability Coventry University's Centre for Academic Writing (CAW), founded in 2004, is the first UK university centre dedicated to teaching and researching Academic Writing. CAW offers students individualised advice on writing essays, reports, dissertations, theses, exams and other assignments. Help is available on topics ranging from how to organise an academic argument to how to improve grammar and sentence structure. CAW offers staff individualised support in designing writing assignments and in teaching writing within subject courses. Advice is also available on writing grant proposals, journal articles and other types of academic prose. Many CAW staff are members of iPED, the Inquiring Pedagogies Research Network, which is a major Coventry University initiative offering an encouraging environment in which critical inquiry can take place and facilitating a research community. CAW will contribute to the Awesome Dissertation Environment project by: • trialling students’ use of the tool under the guidance of Academic Writing tutors during one-to-one appointments • making the tool available for student self-access via the CU Student Portal, • running seminars on how to use the tool for academic staff across the disciplines • offering expert advice on the development of the content and scope of the ADE • contributing to the evaluation and dissemination of the project • joining the Project Steering Group CAW Staff in the AWESOME Project Partnership Dr Lisa Ganobscik-Williams founding Co-ordinator of the Centre for Academic Writing. She has taught and tutored writing in US universities and, since 1999, has had input into the Royal Literary Fund Fellowship Scheme for writing tuition in UK universities. Published in Rhetorica, The Writing Center Journal, and Computers in Composition. Recent publications include an edited book, Teaching Academic Writing in UK Higher Education: Theories, Practices and Models (Palgrave Macmillan 2006), and A Report on the Teaching of Academic Writing in UK Higher Education (2004). In 2005, Lisa serves on the board of the European Writing Centers Association and the European Association for the Teaching of Academic Writing. Dr Mary Deane has been a Lecturer at the Centre for Academic Writing (CAW) since January 2005. Her research specialisms Academic Writing tuition and online peer review. Currently, Mary is leading Coventry’s contribution to an international research project called Developing Academic Literacy in Context (DALiC). Key partner institutions include the University of Wollongong, Australia, Cornell University, US, Queen Mary University of London, UK, and the Open University, UK. Erik Borg heads CAW’s writing component of the University’s Pre-Masters programme. He works in a consultancy role with staff in the disciplines to cascade strategies for teaching Academic Writing, and he offers advice to colleagues on their own scholarly writing. Erik was formerly a Lecturer in Applied Linguistics at Northumbria University. He has published articles in Art, Design and Communication in Higher Education, ELT Journal and the Journal of English for Academic Purposes, and given presentations at conferences on topics related to intertextuality and plagiarism, the assessment of writing and writing in art and design. Ray Summers is Learning Technologist at the The Centre for the Study of Higher Education. Ray is interested in interactive media and developing electronic media as a teaching and learning resource for students and staff at Coventry and works across the institution to promote and develop this field. He is chief technical advisor for the Coventry University Harvard Style Project and a founding member of the Harvard Style Working Party, collaborating with members to design and construct e-resources which are used by undergraduate and postgraduate students to enhance their research and academic writing abilities. PARTNER: SCHOOL OF LIFELONG LEARNING, BANGOR UNIVERSITY Role in the project: • User engagement defining appropriate support • Piloting and evaluating the ADE demonstrator • Contributing to dissemination and sustainability The School of Lifelong Learning, at the University of Wales Bangor, provides high quality and flexible educational opportunities across North Wales - from NVQ to Masters level study. It has centres at Bangor, St Asaph, Wrecsam and Mold with teams working to develop stimulating and relevant lifelong learning programmes, through the medium of English and Welsh, which are delivered in communities and workplaces across North Wales. The development of distance learning also allows students to study in their own homes - whilst fully supported by the School. The School works with a number of partners including local authorities, statutory and voluntary organisations and community groups across North Wales and operates as a portal into the University. It is also a key player in the Community university of North Wales: a partnership of further and higher education institutions that are working together to develop a network of educational opportunities for the people of North Wales. In addition to community programmes, the School offers Undergraduate Studies, awarding Diplomas and BA Degrees in socal studies, Literature with Creative Writing, Combined Studies and Fine Art. It runs Foundation Degrees in Community Development, Early Childhood and Learning Support Studies and Management of Care. Higher Education Certificates are offered in Socal studies, Literature with Creative Writing, Combined Studies, IT & Community Enterprise, Local History, Open Studies, Personal and Professional Skills and Fine Art. Postgraduate Studies (PG Cert and MA) are offered in Community Development. Women’s Studies and Writing. The School of Lifelong Learning, Bangor University will contribute to the Awesome Dissertation Environment project by: • • • • • • trialling students’ use of the tool under the guidance of module and programme leaders running training and awareness sessions for staff and students as the tool is developed offering expert advice on the development of the content and scope of the ADE advising about how to adapt the tool for use in mutli-lingual contexts contributing to the evaluation and dissemination of the project joining the Project Steering Group Staff in the AWESOME Project Partnership Dr Brech’ed Piette, Acting Director of School of Lifelong Learning Dr David Sullivan, Academic Co-ordinator, Undergraduate Programmes Dr Zoe Skoulding, Academic co-ordinator, Writing Programmes Ms Delyth Murphy, Academic co-ordinator, Community Programmes
© Copyright 2024