LSE have recently launched a new repository, LSE Learning Resources Online (http://learningresources.lse.ac.uk/|) for sharing teaching and learning materials. The service complements LSE Research Online where staff can deposit their research publications in open access format.

Open Educational Resources (OERs) are teaching and learning materials that have been made available under an open licence to encourage sharing and re-use. A number of universities make a selection of their teaching materials available in this way to promote access to learning. UNESCO also recognise the value of OERs arguing that they ‘provide a strategic opportunity to improve the quality of education as well as facilitate policy dialogue, knowledge sharing and capacity building.' (UNESCO, 2012)

It can be particularly helpful for new teachers to see examples of how others teach a specific topic or theory in their discipline. Open educational resources can also be used by students to support their learning. This poster session will show case the new repository LSE Learning Resources Online. LSE Teachers will be invited to submit any teaching materials they wish to share more widely with colleagues from other institutions using this service. Where possible the materials will be released under a Creative Commons Attribution ShareLike licence, which means the original author will get credit and anyone reusing their materials will also need to share them under an open licence.

During the lunch break there will be an opportunity to talk to colleagues from the Library and CLT about using this repository, as well as how to find OERs in your subject discipline to enhance your own practice.

UNESCO (2012) Open Educational Resources. Available at: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/access-to-knowledge/open-educational-resources/| (accessed 24th February 2012)

Online testing for an essay type examined course - an LSE pilot

Dr Sunil Kumar, Social Policy, Ms Athina Chatzigavriil and Mr Kris Roger, CLT

This study evaluates the use of online testing for an essay type examined course (not quantitative) in a half unit Social Policy elective.

Students taking 'SA4H7: Urbanisation and Social Policy in the Global South', a half unit elective participated in a formative pilot online examination using Moodle.

The aim of the pilot is was to investigate the students’ experience of typing in answers to short essay questions compared to the traditional practice of hand written exams. In preparation, students were asked to take an ‘online practice test’, a week before the actual ‘online test’. The ‘online practice test’ was intended to give students the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the system and provide feedback about any issues they may have faced.

On the day of the actual 'online test', students were asked to answer 15 short answer (essay type) questions under real examination conditions. They were asked to answer 3 of the question on paper (hand written) and 12 of the question online (type in answers). This was to provide a comparison between the hand written and the typed in answers (the nature of the questions were similar).

All 15 questions were related to and designed to test their conceptual understating of the topics covered in the course, and were set at the same level of difficulty. 16 (out of 23) students took this test, participation for which was voluntary. Immediately after the test, students were asked to provide feedback of their experience of this experiment. Focus groups run in early March 2012.

Visit us during the lunch break to find out the findings of this pilot, and talk to us about the use of online testing at LSE.

Mendeley - a solution for researchers and course managers

Dr Antonio Moneo, LSE IDEAS

Mendeley is an open-source free reference manager software which has proven very useful to tool to organize your pdf library.

With more than 1,000,000 researchers, Mendeley is something more than a reference manager. It allows to discover new literature and to meet other researchers, share collections and increase your impact as a researcher.

Mendeley can be integrated in other platforms, such as Wordpress and Moodle. In this presentation.

Dr Antonio Moneo will provide more information about Mendeley and explain how it can be used in various ways. Visit the stand during lunch break.

The LSE Language Gateway|: supporting student learning

Ms Helen Mayer and Mr Matteo Fumagalli, Language Centre

We created the Language Gateway in order to support students in their independent study. Students can enhance their language learning outside of the classroom through this collection of easily accessible online resources. The Gateway is an innovation in personalised language learning.

We like to think of the Language Gateway as an alternative way of using Moodle. It is a repository of resources, rather than digital support to a course, where students can browse and pick the resources they find most useful. Exploiting Moodle’s relative simplicity and the security it offers (login required), we have created a gateway for language resources where students can, for example, practise their pronunciation, read newspapers and listen to the news, all in the language of their choice.

The Web offers far too many resources to choose from: via the Gateway, students are presented with a variety of quality materials, selected for them. Users can choose the resources they find most appropriate to their learning style and leave us feedback about what is already there/what they'd like to see there. They can also suggest any resources they may have discovered and these can then be added if deemed appropriate.

Visit us during lunch to find out about the rationale behind creating the Language Gateway and to see a demo.

Learning Research: An Innovation beyond the Class Room in Higher Education (An Indian Experience)

Dr Manju Singh, Asia Research Centre

The modernisation of higher education is crucial to the knowledge triangle (education, research and innovation).Measures to achieve excellence in higher education should focus on education, research and knowledge transfer alike. Currently, this dimension is addressed less often in undergraduate teaching in India. Higher education in general in Indian context, still largely concentrates on the cognitive aspect of the mind. But, the core objective of higher education ‘to educate, train, and undertake research and to contribute to the substantial development and improvement of the society as a whole’ remains largely yet to be achieved. The fundamental missions of the higher education system should be able to produce qualified graduates, who are responsible citizens, and, at the same time, provide them with opportunities for lifelong learning.

Undeniably, it means that emphasis, now, needs to ‘extend beyond the specific aims of education in terms of skills, capacities or economic potential, to one that emphasizes the development of the complete person.’ (Delors Commission Report, UNESCO, 1996). There is a perceived need for a fresh vision. Among the three referents of the curriculum ‘the learner, knowledge, and society, it is imperative, now for the focus to converge on the first’ the students, the citizens of tomorrow. They need to be ‘educated’ to meet the demand of the new millennium.

Present article discusses about a part of educational innovation aimed at inculcation of research skill, carried out in India with a group of under graduate students in Rajasthan in western India. The experiment was focus to understand the Women Leadership in Panchayati Raj (an institution for local self-governance in India). This collaborative experiment was supported by Ford Foundation. The broad objectives of the study were to widen the learning area; to learn through participatory activities and shift the curricular orientation from mere book learning; to create awareness, in the students, of the issues through a comparative studies, to develop questioning ability, think logically and analytically; to create interest in the research and to create a change in the curriculum, at the undergraduate stage, with particular reference to pedagogy, and introduce a paradigm shift.

Thus main thrust of this collaborative inquiry was-in the context of focused effort to improve the quality and process of learning. At the same time the project attempted to provide teachers an opportunity to assess the way they transact the curriculum in the classroom and beyond and to explore new ideas and method of teaching.

To find out more visit the stand during the lunch break.

Student-led education

Ms Meena Kotecha, Statistics & Mathematics

A poster to support the session 'Strand 2: Student-led education', a small scale study in which conscious efforts were made to encourage students to actively contribute to various aspects of their education.

Visit the stand during lunch break to find out what students say.

Information stands

Information stands from the Centre for Learning Technology (CLT), Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC) and Library will highlight their services in support of teaching.

Teaching Day 2012