Case Study: Assess and give feedback to learners – Using H5P quizzes

I worked with the Diploma in Professional Studies (DPS) team to design, develop and implement an asynchronous learning module that helps staff to track students’ engagement. It also helps students to actively engage with their learning, by providing them with knowledge checks with instant feedback.

The DPS team consulted with me as a member of the Digital Learning team. They were facing a problem that they were struggling to overcome. Every year they schedule inductions for students who want to undertake the DPS. The inductions provided students with essential information, including how to stay safe on the job. However, they were struggling to get students to attend these sessions. After a consultation exercise, I recommended that they replace their live inductions with an asynchronous learning module. 

They had two main requirements. They needed to be able to keep track of students to ensure they had completed the module. It also had to be accessible from multiple course Moodle pages. So, I developed the module out of H5P – an HTML content library. This could then be integrated into Moodle. When H5P activities are submitted the result is recorded in the Moodle grade book. This meant that staff could see who had completed the activity. In every section, I included quizzes that could act as knowledge checks. 

Using digital tools in this way has given us lots of benefits. For example, it provides space for active learning. Students should not be passively told what it is that they need to know. To ensure learning occurs, students’ thinking needs to be stimulated. We can also give students feedback, which is a crucial part of knowledge construction. It allows students to check their own understanding as they progress and provides an opportunity for reflection. Russel (2015) argues that to enhance learning, assessment should be integrated into the curriculum. However, he continues to state that ‘traditional summative assessment often takes too long to be completed by the student and too long to be assessed by the staff’ (Russel, 2015). This type of technology allows us to provide students with formative feedback (feedback for learning) in an instant.

The asynchronous modules have worked well. In 2021, about 25 students attended the core briefings for the DPS year. In 2022 we tracked 227 students who completed the module. This is down to two things. Firstly, students can complete the unit in their own time. So, they are no longer at the mercy of timetable clashes, work commitments or even caring responsibilities. The second reason is that integration with Moodle makes it much easier to track students’ progress. If the student has submitted the module, then it will show up in the grade book. It gives staff the analytics that they need to help them keep track of students. 

However, there is room for improvement. These have been identified from feedback from the DPS coordinator. One issue with the module is that it is embedded on six different Moodle pages. This is because six courses have this sandwich year. Ideally, to make it even easier to track, we want one central Moodle page for all the students preparing to take the DPS. 

While the data shows us that students are engaging with the module. What we need to know now is how useful that information was while they were undertaking their placements. As a next step for the module, I would like to undertake research with students returning from their sandwich year. To see if they found the information helpful, or to find out if there is anything else we should be including.

Evidence

Original submission on workflow

Unit-1: Theories, Policies and Practices workflow portfolio

References

Cambridge Assessment, Getting Started with Active Learning. Accessed March 21, 2023. https://www.cambridge-community.org.uk/professional-development/gswal/index.html#group-What-is-active-learning-FiSKDZPZfF.

Draper, S. W., and M. I. Brown. Increasing Interactivity in Lectures Using an Electronic Voting System: Interactivity in Lectures Using Electronic Voting System. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning 20, no. 2 (April 1, 2004): 81–94. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2729.2004.00074.x.

Russell, Mark. Using an Electronic Voting System to Enhance Learning and Teaching. Engineering Education 3, no. 2 (December 2008): 58–65. https://doi.org/10.11120/ened.2008.03020058.