Start date: 14 July 2008
End date: 30 January 2009
Project website:
http://kn.open.ac.uk/public/workspace.cfm?wpid=8655
JISC theme(s): e-Learning
Committees: JISC Learning and Teaching committee
Overview
The term ‘social software’ covers a range of software tools which allow users to interact and share data with other users, primarily via the web. Social networking web sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube are examples of some of the tools that are being used to share and collaborate for a variety of educational, social and other communicative purposes. Educational institutions are increasingly making use of social software tools. Studies are needed of: how activities can be designed to include such tools; what are the benefits and problems associated with their use; and the role of these tools in enhancing the learning and teaching experience. Therefore, in this project, our aim is to collate data for 8-12 case studies from higher and further education institutions where social software tools have been employed.
Aims and objectives
The goal of this study is to produce a report with 8-12 case studies which have used social software to support and engage learners, or have embedded the social software within the pedagogy of a course or a programme. The study will involve identifying suitable case studies in the UK Higher and Further Education (HE and FE) sectors and collecting evidence of the effective use of social software in supporting and enhancing student learning and engagement, and disadvantages, if any, of using such software.
Project methodology
The project will use the case study methodology: the data elicitation and analysis will be guided by a case study template. During the development of the case studies, the team will focus on: benefits that the learners and educators perceive with these tools; design of activities and the challenges involved to situate the tool(s) in the context and learning outcomes; experiences of the educators: obstacles faced by students and educators; and accessibility issues and how they are being (or have been) addressed. The findings from these case studies will be consolidated in a report, together with recommendations.
Anticipated outputs and outcomes
The key deliverables of this project are the report and the case studies. The case studies will be available online and in the Appendix of the report. The report will focus on synthesising the findings from the case studies, and drawing conclusions for future practice. It will also include commentary on the methodology used for the study. The lessons, as captured in the report, will influence the learning and teaching strategies in higher and further education – specifically, the institutions and educators who are considering the use of social software, or in general, undertaking technology-enabled learning and teaching initiatives.