learning - Academic Conferences Limited

Glenn Duckworth
some of the key concepts involved with the subject matter. There follow a few examples of tasks used
for pre-workshop activities:
Glossary Exercises: A version of this was deployed on all three of the modules with content tailored to
each module. It is an interactive exercise, developed in-house and delivered online. The first part
involves matching key concepts to definitions. The second part requires the students to recall the
definition and attempt to enhance the short definition provided in part one. As well as providing
computer based marking for part one, it encourages self assessment in part two. It also aims to
encourage students to read key sections of relevant texts.
Finance Resources: This was used on the ‘Managing Decisions’ finance module and is made up of
online mini lectures and exercises designed to teach the basics of financial reporting. Students are
encouraged to work through the exercises building up three key financial reports for a fictional
business (statement of cash flows, statement of comprehensive income and statement of financial
position). The original version of the resources comprised mostly interactive exercises with directions
to read key chapters in text books. The resources were modified for the next group of students taking
the module. This version included online mini lectures and more background information which
introduced the key concepts, as well as some tweaking of the exercises based on student feedback.
Online communication, blogs and wikis: Students were encouraged to communicate with each other
online using tools such as discussion boards. A social networking web site was also set up for them
to use. Students were encouraged to post profiles to help familiarise themselves with each other and
to aid social cohesion within the group. Blogs and wikis were deployed on certain modules. A typical
example might be where students were asked to choose a key topic and write a short piece on that
subject.
4. Evaluations
Evaluations were centered around student views on the usefulness of the pre-workshop activities and
resources.
For the three modules identified students were asked to fill in a questionnaire for each module,
comprising likert-type questions and more open ended questions. Informal group discussions were
also conducted to elicit their thoughts.
The student evaluations were concerned with the pre-workshop resources and activities in general,
but also went into some detail about specific components – most notably the glossary exercise and
the finance resources/exercises.
Views of the academic staff teaching on the modules were also sought. Module leaders were
interviewed to assess their views on the usefulness of the pre-workshop activities.
5. Findings
This section will examine the findings from the questionnaires, group discussions and interviews with
lecturers. It will begin by looking at the pre-workshop components as a whole and will then go on to
look at two aspects in more detail – the glossary exercises and the finance resources/exercises. For
each sub-section a set of quotes from students will be included to provide some insight into student
views. Sections from the interview transcripts of the lecturers will also be included.
6. The pre-workshop activities in general
The majority of students on all three modules did engage with the online resources and tasks. A few
students did comment on the potential for these tasks to cause ‘overloading’ but on balance they were
seen as useful preparation for the modules.
A recurring theme was the notion that the activities forced them to prepare. Students on the EMBA
had always been encouraged to read key texts before beginning the module, but with the introduction
of these structured online tasks students were able to assess their understanding of the reading and
learn more actively. From informal group discussions it became clear that they thought the tasks had
helped them to structure their reading and attempt to understand the issues and concepts rather than
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