StudySmart An academic transition website Anna Havir Lyn Bond RMIT Study and Learning Centre

This session Introduction to StudySmart academic transition website: Purpose Rationale- student diversity Elearning principles Student feedback

Purpose -online summer school Reach a broader audience (rural, part time, off campus, international) – Many students work until their course starts – Students work long hours during semester- average 12 hours per week (James 2007; Kirkwood & Price 2005) – International students arrive after ‘Summer school’ – Students returning to study- parents, part timers etc. Target students who don’t come to the workshops

Diversity of student population Shift from elite to mass education (James, Krause & Jennings 2010; James 2007; Watts 2004) Globalisation & student mobility (Carroll 2011) Government equity policy (Bradley Review) More diverse student cohort- need for a range of academic transition programs (Clerehan et al. 2003)

Why online? Quick, easy, accessible and convenient Digital age- new kind of learner- receive and process information quickly and in multiple forms (Prensky 2001) Internet preferred method of accessing information for students (Oliver & Goerke 2007; Jones & Madden 2002) To me the Internet is one of the most useful means to acquire knowledge. I believe it is a good idea to deliver academic and study skills through the Internet. Student comment Main reason convenience (Smith & Caruso 2010)

StudySmart 1. Video clips of students talking about their transition experiences and giving advice about approaches to study at RMIT 2. Short animated tutorials -Based on workshops 3. Links to more in depth information on Learning Lab- scaffolded approach

E-learning principles Identify the learning objective: Introduction to academic skill development Taster leads to exploring more in depth tutorials on Learning Lab Metacognitive approach- ie the students don’t know what they don’t know website Short multimedia presentations Hyperlinks to Learning Lab

Multimedia principle Communicate visually Animate graphics Build up the display Taking notes in class/ when reading Making summaries after class of key points Discuss work with classmates Making diagrams and charts Using mind maps

The Modality principle Good paragraphs are the building blocks of good writing Well structured paragraphs are easier to read The topic or main point is clear and comes at the beginning The information is well organised Therefore good paragraphs make it easier for your lecturer to assess your work and give you a good mark! Present words as speech, rather than on-sceen text

Use conversational rather than formal style Use a pedagogical agent to promote learning Example paraphrasingparaphrasing The Personalisation principle

Segmenting principle Breaking lessons up into manageable segments Helps prevent cognitive overload Example ParagraphsParagraphs

E-learning principles: References E-learning and the Science of Instruction. By Ruth Colvin Clark & Richard E. Mayer E-Learning by Design By William Horton

Usefulness of each tutorial Average for all tutorials 93.7% respondents rated ‘Very useful’ or ‘Useful’ Top 6 tutorials (out of 10) (Rated ‘Very useful’ or ‘Useful’ by over 96% respondents) Time management 98.8% Report writing 96.8 % Successful and efficient learning 96.7% Academic style 96.7% Essay writing 96.6% Efficient reading 96.6%

Student videos

Useability of website

Use of links to Learning Lab

Student feedback- Student videos ‘the content is helpful because... it provides advice from fellow students…’ ‘… [knowing] what to expect can really make a difference …’ ‘Emphasising the importance of the course guide is good – it is the most useful document in every course’ ‘Telling students to ask for and seek out help is good. Students need to show a lot more initiative at uni than at school.’

Student feedback- Tutorials ‘It is useful as it outlines expectations …and gives guidance as to how to learn effectively and efficiently’ ‘…how to structure an essay and … a report are particularly useful to me. Understanding the differences between the two is incredibly important.’ ‘… academic style is particularly useful for me as it articulates the features [and provides] comparison with sample.’

Student feedback- Website design ‘the website is easily accessible... you can always revisit it if you need reminding’ ‘[the animated tutorials are]... interesting to watch and easier to absorb the information... ‘… it is easy to use, navigate and manage. I like the interface of the StudySmart webpage as it is concise and professional …’

Next … Continue as stand alone resource for academic transition... and... integrate StudySmart into new Learning Lab

Conclusion 1.StudySmart a sustainable academic transition resource 2. Scaffolded approach- links to more in depth tutorials on Learning Lab 3. Elearning principles –multimedia, modality, personalisation & segmentation 4. Highly positive student feedback