ELI Web Seminar, March 2, 2009 1:00 p.m. ET (12:00 p.m. CT, 11:00 a.m. MT, 10:00 a.m. PT); runs one hour

Creating Media as Learning: The Charms and Challenges of Digital Media-Based Assessment

Special Guest

Louise Thorpe
Head of Academic Innovation
Sheffield Hallam University

Louise Thorpe is the head of academic innovation at Sheffield Hallam University in the United Kingdom and is based in the university's instructional design unit, the Learning and Teaching Institute. Thorpe leads the Academic Innovation Team and coordinates its activities to enhance the student learning experience through the creative application of technology, information, and pedagogy. Her remit includes institutional responsibility for, and research into, e-learning, new and emerging learning technologies, digital fluency as a graduate attribute, and the evolution of learning spaces. She has also recently taken the lead for a project that seeks to shift the balance of academic quality management at Sheffield Hallam from assurance-focused to being enhancement-led. Thorpe describes this diverse portfolio as exciting and challenging, providing great opportunities to see connections between seemingly unrelated activities and to approach all aspects of institutional practice with creativity and drive.

Summary

Julie Little, director of teaching, learning, and professional development at EDUCAUSE, will moderate this web seminar with Louise Thorpe, who will share how Sheffield Hallam University is approaching digital media-based assessment in the classroom.

Just as faculty seek to harness both established and emerging technologies to enhance learning, attention is turning to how technology and digital media can be integrated into the assessment experience of students. Easy-to-use devices and the growth in media sharing have shifted individuals’ perceptions of themselves from users to producers. Used effectively, digital media-based assignments can offer opportunities to engage students in assessment tasks that are authentic to the vocation or discipline, replicating practice and drawing on real-world resources and experiences.

At Sheffield Hallam students across a wide range of subjects including engineering, journalism, built environment, and nursing have been assigned media-based coursework. This session will explore the pedagogical and conceptual design of digital media-based assessment, the benefits to faculty and students, and the challenges of translating that initial "Hmm, interesting idea" moment into a reality. The session will draw on our experiences at Sheffield Hallam as illustrations of the broader themes and also provide opportunities for participants to share their experiences, observations, and questions.

Additional Resources

• A white paper: Making the Grade: The Role of Assessment in Authentic Learning
• An example: The Best Development Practice Video Ever!
• A case study: Studying Journalism (podcast interview)