Christina Mainka | University of Edinburgh (original) (raw)
Papers by Christina Mainka
This paper describes work in progress in the development of a short online course for university ... more This paper describes work in progress in the development of a short online course for university teaching staff to encourage and assist them in their use of e-assessment. Two important criteria for the design of the course were that it should be felt to be enjoyable and that its content should include a particular focus on giving feedback.
Research and consultations in session 2003/2004 by a University’s Plagiarism Working Group uncove... more Research and consultations in session 2003/2004 by a University’s Plagiarism Working Group uncovered a poor understanding of plagiarism and inconsistent handling procedures throughout its schools. In an effort to address both these issues, a strategic 2-year Action Plan was developed and rolled out beginning the following academic year in order to improve student support, staff awareness and more consistent practice overall. The plan included a pilot using the detection software service, Turnitin®UK, with five of the University’s 14 schools. The pilot was only one of a series of university-wide deliberations, others included the revision and piloting of a University Plagiarism Code of Practice, implementation of school-based academic conduct officers, improved staff development opportunities and student support materials and events. One school in the University has served as a role model of good practice throughout. Noteworthy is the school’s record keeping practice since session 20...
This paper describes work in progress in the development of a short online course for university ... more This paper describes work in progress in the development of a short online course for university teaching staff to encourage and assist them in their use of e-assessment. Two important criteria for the design of the course were that it should be felt to be enjoyable and that its content should include a particular focus on giving feedback.
Building upon previous work by the authors, this paper describes a small-scale study that involve... more Building upon previous work by the authors, this paper describes a small-scale study that involved analysing the depth of thinking evident within asynchronous discussion contributions. The discussion tasks in question, which were undertaken within the context of a fully online distance course, were designed according to the principles of constructive alignment, and analysed using the SOLO taxonomy. Of particular interest within this study was whether the SOLO taxonomy would provide evidence of surface-to-deep or deep-to-deeper learning having occurred on an individual basis over time, and also how suitable the SOLO taxonomy was as a tool for the content analysis of online discussions. Findings on both counts were encouraging, but not unproblematic.
David J McGarvey School of Physical and Geographical Sciences Keele University Keele Staffs ST5 5... more David J McGarvey School of Physical and Geographical Sciences Keele University Keele Staffs ST5 5BG d.j.mcgarvey@ chem.keele.ac.uk Abstract There is considerable evidence that the use of tangible contexts enriches the learning experience for students. In view of this, the author has developed two ‘industry-linked context-based chemistry practicals’ that illustrate the importance of core chemistry topics within commercial/industrial contexts. A common feature of the practicals is that the students work with actual commercial samples and compare their data with that published by the two companies. The principal features of the two practicals are described and contrasted with conventional practicals. Finally, the results of a student evaluation of the practicals are reported.
Despite a growing research base in support of higher order thinking processes fostered in asynchr... more Despite a growing research base in support of higher order thinking processes fostered in asynchronous online dialogue, the research community seems far from a consensus that would unequivocally anchor a higher level of understanding with asynchronous communications technology. Transcripts of online discussion messages provide rich sources of data about a range of communicative issues. Content analysis to date has seen protocols emerge for rate of interaction, critical thinking, collaboration and tutor presence, for example. The research presented here focuses on depth of understanding as mapped against the SOLO (Structure of the observed learning outcome) taxonomy by Biggs and Collis (1982) which stands out as a content analysis tool as it focuses on structural complexity of text rather than subject specific, manifest content. The taxonomy’s five levels offer a continuum from surface to increasingly deep understanding against which written responses are mapped. A previously publish...
International Journal for Educational Integrity
Research and consultations in session 2003/2004 by a University's Plagiarism Working Group un... more Research and consultations in session 2003/2004 by a University's Plagiarism Working Group uncovered a poor understanding of plagiarism and inconsistent handling procedures throughout its schools. In an effort to address both these issues, a strategic 2-year Action Plan was developed and rolled out beginning the following academic year in order to improve student support, staff awareness and more consistent practice overall. The plan included a pilot using the detection software service, Turnitin'UK, with five of the University's 14 schools. The pilot was only one of a series of university-wide deliberations, others included the revision and piloting of a University Plagiarism Code of Practice, implementation of school-based academic conduct officers, improved staff development opportunities and student support materials and events. One school in the University has served as a role model of good practice throughout. Noteworthy is the school's record keeping practice ...
Building upon previous work by the authors, this paper describes a small-scale study that involve... more Building upon previous work by the authors, this paper describes a small-scale study that involved analysing the depth of thinking evident within asynchronous discussion contributions. The discussion tasks in question, which were undertaken within the context of a fully online distance course, were designed according to the principles of constructive alignment, and analysed using the SOLO taxonomy. Of particular interest within this study was whether the SOLO taxonomy would provide evidence of surface-to-deep or deep-to-deeper learning having occurred on an individual basis over time, and also how suitable the SOLO taxonomy was as a tool for the content analysis of online discussions. Findings on both counts were encouraging, but not unproblematic.
This paper ,describes ,work ,in progress ,in the ,development ,of a ,short online course,for univ... more This paper ,describes ,work ,in progress ,in the ,development ,of a ,short online course,for university teaching,staff to encourage,and assist them,in their use of e-assessment.Two,important criteria for the design,of the course,were that
Interactive Technology and Smart Education, 2006
... Angela Benzies School of Engineering, Napier University, Edinburgh, UK Email: a.benzies@napie... more ... Angela Benzies School of Engineering, Napier University, Edinburgh, UK Email: a.benzies@napier.ac.uk ... of NYU's virtual education, one which strives to replicate the positive campus expe-riences of students, by breathing a lot of humanity into our courses" (Adenekan, ...
... 4 offers a tabled overview of the pre-pilot, pilot and main study (Table 4.1) followed by the... more ... 4 offers a tabled overview of the pre-pilot, pilot and main study (Table 4.1) followed by the final modified SOLO framework presented in Table 4.6 for application in the main ... Examples of asynchronous media include the discussion board, blogging, microblogging, wikis, and email ...
This paper ,describes ,work ,in progress ,in the ,development ,of a ,short online course,for univ... more This paper ,describes ,work ,in progress ,in the ,development ,of a ,short online course,for university teaching,staff to encourage,and assist them,in their use of e-assessment.Two,important criteria for the design,of the course,were that
Interactive Technology and Smart Education, 2006
... Angela Benzies School of Engineering, Napier University, Edinburgh, UK Email: a.benzies@napie... more ... Angela Benzies School of Engineering, Napier University, Edinburgh, UK Email: a.benzies@napier.ac.uk ... of NYU's virtual education, one which strives to replicate the positive campus expe-riences of students, by breathing a lot of humanity into our courses" (Adenekan, ...
British Journal of Educational Technology, 2007
Constructive Alignment in the VLE Christina Mainka1, Keith Smyth1 and Norrie Brown2 1Educational ... more Constructive Alignment in the VLE Christina Mainka1, Keith Smyth1 and Norrie Brown2 1Educational Development, Napier University, Edinburgh, UK 2Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Napier University, Edinburgh, UK c. mainka@ napier. ac. uk k. smyth@ napier. ac. uk n. brown@ ...
… of the Fifth …, 2006
Building upon previous work by the authors, this paper describes a small-scale study that involve... more Building upon previous work by the authors, this paper describes a small-scale study that involved analysing the depth of thinking evident within asynchronous discussion contributions. The discussion tasks in question, which were undertaken within the context ...
British Journal of Educational Technology, 2007
This paper describes work in progress in the development of a short online course for university ... more This paper describes work in progress in the development of a short online course for university teaching staff to encourage and assist them in their use of e-assessment. Two important criteria for the design of the course were that it should be felt to be enjoyable and that its content should include a particular focus on giving feedback.
Research and consultations in session 2003/2004 by a University’s Plagiarism Working Group uncove... more Research and consultations in session 2003/2004 by a University’s Plagiarism Working Group uncovered a poor understanding of plagiarism and inconsistent handling procedures throughout its schools. In an effort to address both these issues, a strategic 2-year Action Plan was developed and rolled out beginning the following academic year in order to improve student support, staff awareness and more consistent practice overall. The plan included a pilot using the detection software service, Turnitin®UK, with five of the University’s 14 schools. The pilot was only one of a series of university-wide deliberations, others included the revision and piloting of a University Plagiarism Code of Practice, implementation of school-based academic conduct officers, improved staff development opportunities and student support materials and events. One school in the University has served as a role model of good practice throughout. Noteworthy is the school’s record keeping practice since session 20...
This paper describes work in progress in the development of a short online course for university ... more This paper describes work in progress in the development of a short online course for university teaching staff to encourage and assist them in their use of e-assessment. Two important criteria for the design of the course were that it should be felt to be enjoyable and that its content should include a particular focus on giving feedback.
Building upon previous work by the authors, this paper describes a small-scale study that involve... more Building upon previous work by the authors, this paper describes a small-scale study that involved analysing the depth of thinking evident within asynchronous discussion contributions. The discussion tasks in question, which were undertaken within the context of a fully online distance course, were designed according to the principles of constructive alignment, and analysed using the SOLO taxonomy. Of particular interest within this study was whether the SOLO taxonomy would provide evidence of surface-to-deep or deep-to-deeper learning having occurred on an individual basis over time, and also how suitable the SOLO taxonomy was as a tool for the content analysis of online discussions. Findings on both counts were encouraging, but not unproblematic.
David J McGarvey School of Physical and Geographical Sciences Keele University Keele Staffs ST5 5... more David J McGarvey School of Physical and Geographical Sciences Keele University Keele Staffs ST5 5BG d.j.mcgarvey@ chem.keele.ac.uk Abstract There is considerable evidence that the use of tangible contexts enriches the learning experience for students. In view of this, the author has developed two ‘industry-linked context-based chemistry practicals’ that illustrate the importance of core chemistry topics within commercial/industrial contexts. A common feature of the practicals is that the students work with actual commercial samples and compare their data with that published by the two companies. The principal features of the two practicals are described and contrasted with conventional practicals. Finally, the results of a student evaluation of the practicals are reported.
Despite a growing research base in support of higher order thinking processes fostered in asynchr... more Despite a growing research base in support of higher order thinking processes fostered in asynchronous online dialogue, the research community seems far from a consensus that would unequivocally anchor a higher level of understanding with asynchronous communications technology. Transcripts of online discussion messages provide rich sources of data about a range of communicative issues. Content analysis to date has seen protocols emerge for rate of interaction, critical thinking, collaboration and tutor presence, for example. The research presented here focuses on depth of understanding as mapped against the SOLO (Structure of the observed learning outcome) taxonomy by Biggs and Collis (1982) which stands out as a content analysis tool as it focuses on structural complexity of text rather than subject specific, manifest content. The taxonomy’s five levels offer a continuum from surface to increasingly deep understanding against which written responses are mapped. A previously publish...
International Journal for Educational Integrity
Research and consultations in session 2003/2004 by a University's Plagiarism Working Group un... more Research and consultations in session 2003/2004 by a University's Plagiarism Working Group uncovered a poor understanding of plagiarism and inconsistent handling procedures throughout its schools. In an effort to address both these issues, a strategic 2-year Action Plan was developed and rolled out beginning the following academic year in order to improve student support, staff awareness and more consistent practice overall. The plan included a pilot using the detection software service, Turnitin'UK, with five of the University's 14 schools. The pilot was only one of a series of university-wide deliberations, others included the revision and piloting of a University Plagiarism Code of Practice, implementation of school-based academic conduct officers, improved staff development opportunities and student support materials and events. One school in the University has served as a role model of good practice throughout. Noteworthy is the school's record keeping practice ...
Building upon previous work by the authors, this paper describes a small-scale study that involve... more Building upon previous work by the authors, this paper describes a small-scale study that involved analysing the depth of thinking evident within asynchronous discussion contributions. The discussion tasks in question, which were undertaken within the context of a fully online distance course, were designed according to the principles of constructive alignment, and analysed using the SOLO taxonomy. Of particular interest within this study was whether the SOLO taxonomy would provide evidence of surface-to-deep or deep-to-deeper learning having occurred on an individual basis over time, and also how suitable the SOLO taxonomy was as a tool for the content analysis of online discussions. Findings on both counts were encouraging, but not unproblematic.
This paper ,describes ,work ,in progress ,in the ,development ,of a ,short online course,for univ... more This paper ,describes ,work ,in progress ,in the ,development ,of a ,short online course,for university teaching,staff to encourage,and assist them,in their use of e-assessment.Two,important criteria for the design,of the course,were that
Interactive Technology and Smart Education, 2006
... Angela Benzies School of Engineering, Napier University, Edinburgh, UK Email: a.benzies@napie... more ... Angela Benzies School of Engineering, Napier University, Edinburgh, UK Email: a.benzies@napier.ac.uk ... of NYU's virtual education, one which strives to replicate the positive campus expe-riences of students, by breathing a lot of humanity into our courses" (Adenekan, ...
... 4 offers a tabled overview of the pre-pilot, pilot and main study (Table 4.1) followed by the... more ... 4 offers a tabled overview of the pre-pilot, pilot and main study (Table 4.1) followed by the final modified SOLO framework presented in Table 4.6 for application in the main ... Examples of asynchronous media include the discussion board, blogging, microblogging, wikis, and email ...
This paper ,describes ,work ,in progress ,in the ,development ,of a ,short online course,for univ... more This paper ,describes ,work ,in progress ,in the ,development ,of a ,short online course,for university teaching,staff to encourage,and assist them,in their use of e-assessment.Two,important criteria for the design,of the course,were that
Interactive Technology and Smart Education, 2006
... Angela Benzies School of Engineering, Napier University, Edinburgh, UK Email: a.benzies@napie... more ... Angela Benzies School of Engineering, Napier University, Edinburgh, UK Email: a.benzies@napier.ac.uk ... of NYU's virtual education, one which strives to replicate the positive campus expe-riences of students, by breathing a lot of humanity into our courses" (Adenekan, ...
British Journal of Educational Technology, 2007
Constructive Alignment in the VLE Christina Mainka1, Keith Smyth1 and Norrie Brown2 1Educational ... more Constructive Alignment in the VLE Christina Mainka1, Keith Smyth1 and Norrie Brown2 1Educational Development, Napier University, Edinburgh, UK 2Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Napier University, Edinburgh, UK c. mainka@ napier. ac. uk k. smyth@ napier. ac. uk n. brown@ ...
… of the Fifth …, 2006
Building upon previous work by the authors, this paper describes a small-scale study that involve... more Building upon previous work by the authors, this paper describes a small-scale study that involved analysing the depth of thinking evident within asynchronous discussion contributions. The discussion tasks in question, which were undertaken within the context ...
British Journal of Educational Technology, 2007