Details of forthcoming workshops and links to LTI workshop resources and presentations.
Exploring Social Media as data sources for research
Last Wednesday, CLT ran a workshop on Exploring Social Media as data sources for research as part of our NetworkEd series.
There was an excellent turnout of around 35 academics and PhD students from across the LSE’s departments attending, which shows that there is real interest in developing effective research methods to analyse the wealth of data social media can provide.
Some of the tools we explored can be found here. We got the ball rolling by discussing the advantages and disadvantages of using social media data for research, which Jane presented below:
LSE cited as example of best practice in digital and information literacy
I am delighted to report that LSE’s MY592 Information Literacy for Research programme (run jointly by the Library and CLT), has been highlighted as an example of good practice in enhancing the information literacy skills of postgraduate students and early career researchers in UK higher education. On behalf of the Research Information and Digital Literacies Coalition (RIDLs), the Research Information Network (RIN) and Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL) have announced the results of this research, which showcases fifteen resources for information literacy training provision in a variety of UK higher education institutions.
The analysis draws from these cases, which provide a range of online and in-house training resources, and incorporates various recommendations that may be of value to those planning to develop such resources. The analysis is founded on the provisional criteria developed by RIDLs to describe and assess training provision in information literacy.
Project officer Dr Charlie Inskip said: “A number of self-selected information literacy resources have been evaluated, leading to a shortlisting of a selection of 15 good practice examples.”
RIN’s Stéphane Goldstein went on to say: “The value of the RIDLS criteria in this research has been to provide an analytical framework for such evaluations (for the researcher) and act as a reflective tool (for the developers/deliverers). Hopefully some of the recommendations and comments within the report, combined with a reflective look at the examples – and contact with their helpful representatives – may assist those attempting to deliver good practice information literacy in UK HE in 2013 and beyond.”
The full report and short list is now available on the project website, http://rilads.wordpress.com/
Learning at work day: all about MOOCs
2012 was described by some as the year of the MOOC, or Massive Open Online Course and as part of the Learning at Work day activities CLT are going to be at the Learning Cafe on Thursday 23rd May from 3pm in the Bean Counter, 32 Lincoln’s Inn Fields.
There is a lot that has already been written about MOOCs (for example. see this recent Guardian article about MOOCs as the scourge or saviour of higher education), but essentially this blog post is aimed at staff at LSE and provides some useful links to MOOCs you may wish to explore as part of your learning and development at work. There are many MOOCs you may wish to do to further your knowledge outside of work, so why not check out this list of over 300 MOOCs from elite universities. There is also a list of MOOCs in all shapes and sizes on the Open Culture website. You’ll see some of these courses offer some form of certification, although you may need to pay a fee for that. You may also wish to browse the list of courses offered by Coursera, Udacity or keep an eye on developments from FutureLearn.
However we’ve tried to pick out some interesting courses which might be useful for LSE staff, who wish to develop their knowledge, skills and competencies in some key areas.
Communication Skills
There are a whole series of courses available via Coursera on Teaching and Learning, such as this course on Learners and Learning. The University of Washington are also offering this course on an Introduction to Public Speaking.
Management and finance skills
If you want to learn more about leadership and critical perspectives on management, this course on Coursera may appeal to you. There is also a course entitled Introduction to Finance starting in June and provided by the University of Michigan. Another course this time from the University of Pennsylvania covers Operations Management teaching you how to improve and analyse business processes.
Technical Skills
Interested in finding out how to set up a blog then how about this course provided by San Jose University on Web Development. Or this one on Programming Languages. The University of Washington are offering a course on Building an Information Risk toolkit. There is also another course by the University of Washington starting next week on Computational Methods for Data Analysis.
Creativity
Closer to home the University of London are offering a six week course in Creative Programming for Digital Media & Mobile Apps. There is also a 7 week course starting next week entitled Introduction to Art offered by Penn State University. And if you are interested in Creativity, Innovation and Change, this course again from Penn State may appeal to you.
Whatever you choose to study, whether it’s for personal or professional reasons, they say no knowledge is wasted. But as Albert Einstein said “Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.” So why not explore the world of MOOCs!
Learning Cafe for Learning at Work Day
CLT will be taking part in the Learning at Work day activities this year on Thursday 23rd May. There will be a Learning Cafe in 32 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, on the mezzanine floor of the Bean Counter Cafe. The theme of the day is ‘many ways to learn’ and we will be a chance to find out more about:
- using Moodle for staff development
- using private social networks to communicate with staff at LSE
- learning opportunities provided by MOOCs
The event will run from 3-4.30pm and there will be free tea or coffee for the first 50 staff members who visit the stalls. We are also holding a raffle with a fantastic food hamper for the lucky winner! You can find out about a range of other topics from our colleagues at LSE including: mind mapping software, how to safe a life, neurodiversity and computers and managing disability in the workplace using assistive technologies. We hope to see you there.
Teachers’ Show & Tell
“Show & Tell” events are an opportunity to see LSE lecturers, administrators and teachers demonstrate how they have effectively used learning technology to enhance or better support their own courses. Staff in attendance are invited to network, ask questions about a colleague’s innovative practice and develop their own ideas in an environment supported by individuals from the Centre for Learning Technology.
This instance of the Show & Tell will cover aspects of practice such as e-assessment, blogging, use of Personal Response Systems and a student video project. The event is due to take place 14th February, 12-1.30pm and lunch will be provided. Places can be booked using the LSE Training and Development System under “Teaching”, “CLT Events” and “Teachers’ Show & Tell”.
If you would like to participate in any future Show & Tell event please email the team at clt-support@lse.ac.uk.
Developing digital and information literacy at Cardiff University: next NetworkED seminar
I’m pleased to announce that the next NetworkED seminar will be held on Wednesday 6th February at 2.30pm. The presenters are Cathie Jackson, Joe Nicholls and Janet Finlay who will be talking about the development and implementation of a digital and information literacy strategy at Cardiff University. The work is part of the Digidol Project, which was funded by Jisc under their Developing Digital Literacies programme. You can find out more about the seminar from our NetworkED website. The event is open to all. LSE staff and students should book via the online booking system.
External visitors wishing to attend should email j.secker@lse.ac.uk to book a place. As ever we hope to be live streaming the event and if you wish to watch the seminar online you simply need to visit the event webpage at 2.30 on Wednesday 6th February and do NOT need to book a place. You can follow the event in Twitter using #LSENetEd
The literacy challenge of the digital age – December’s NetworkED seminar
Next Wednesday, 5th December we have Carl Miller from Demos coming to LSE to speak to us about a report that came out last year about young people’s ‘digital fluency’. The report, Truth, Lies and the Internet considered the ability of young people to navgiate an increasingly complex online environment, how they judge and develop critical skills when reviewing content online and the role of teachers in supporting them. The Internet is now the greatest source of information and misinformation for people living in the UK. At our fingertips lies both trustworthy journalism and selective half-truths, both niche expertise and general nonsense. This is asphyxiating as well as liberating. Too many people are unable to find the information they need, or trust the first thing they do. In this talk, Carl Miller, the Research Director for the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media at Demos proposes the skill of ‘digital fluency’ as the key to how we all must react. if you could like to come along to the session LSE staff should book via the Online Booking System.
We hope to live stream the event, but will make a recording on our website shortly after the event. We also use the Twitter hashtag #LSENetEd so you can follow the event live. Visitors who are interested in attending the event should contact j.secker@lse.ac.uk to book a place.
Information Literacy support for LSE PhD research students
- Need help researching academic resources for your major review?
- Want to pick up new tips on using a range of academic databases and online resources?
- Need advice on citing materials and structuring your bibliography?
- Looking for statistical data for your research.
Why not book a place on MY592: Workshop on Information Literacy
This six week programme (part of the Methodology Institute’s Workshop series) is taught by the Library and Centre for Learning Technology. There are six 2 hour ‘hands on’ workshops which enable you to build up your research skills as we cover:
- Literature searching, citation searching and finding materials using such databases as IBSS, Scopus, Web of Science, Econlit, etc.
- Getting the most out of the internet for research
- Managing information – citing references and using software to manage your information, e.g. EndNote, Zotero, Mendeley
- Dealing with data – resources for data and how to use them
- Finding newspaper, conference, theses, research and specialist publications
- Next steps, keeping up to date, sharing your research and building a network.
MY592 is supported by a course in Moodle and all participants receive feedback on resources for their individual research topics. The course is ideal for first and second year PhD students.
This term the programme will start on Tuesday 6 November 10-12 in STC.S018 for 6 weeks. Further information is available at http://www2.lse.ac.uk/library/services/training/MY592.aspx and places can be booked on the LSE Training System.
Please email Library.Enquiries@lse.ac.uk if you have any queries about the course. It will run again in Lent and Summer term.
Diana Laurillard comes to speak at NetworkED
I’m delighted to announce that Professor Diana Laurillard, from the Institute of Education has agreed to give our first NetworkED seminar of 2012/13. Diana is world renowned in the educational technology field and the author of the book ‘Rethinking University Education‘. She also developed what is known as the ‘conversational framework’ which provides a model for embedding educational technologies into teaching. Those of you who have studied on LSE’s Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education will no doubt be familiar with her work.
Professor Laurillard will be speaking on the topic of ‘Teaching as a design science: developing reliable knowledge of learning technology’ to tie in with her book on this topic published earlier this year. The event is being held on Wednesday 10th October at 3pm. LSE staff and students should book if they wish to attend using the Training System. The event will be live streamed so open to anyone throughout the word to watch from their own computer. A recording will also be made of the session which will be available from our website a few days after the event. Further details are available from the NetworkED site.
Find out about the new Moodle before term starts
If you haven’t yet had a chance to attend the ‘Moving to Moodle 2’ training sessions then why not pop along to the Centre for Learning Technology from 12.15-13.45 on 26th September (the week before term starts) to find out what the latest version of the software has to offer. We’re having an open house event, with refreshments and members of staff from CLT on hand to answer your questions. If you would like to see the latest features or find out what’s improved in the new Moodle (which went live at the end of June) then why not book a place. We hope to see you there! Meanwhile enjoy the rest of the summer, while the good weather lasts!
