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The Systematic Use of CMC to Support the Dissertation Process in MIS Education

The Systematic Use of CMC to Support the Dissertation Process in MIS Education. Rosane Pagano Manchester Metropolitan University Business School r.pagano@mmu.ac.uk. Scenario. Expectation that students will be spontaneously active in employing higher-order learning processes not met

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The Systematic Use of CMC to Support the Dissertation Process in MIS Education

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  1. The Systematic Use of CMC to Support the Dissertation Process in MIS Education Rosane Pagano Manchester Metropolitan University Business School r.pagano@mmu.ac.uk

  2. Scenario • Expectation that students will be spontaneously active in employing higher-order learning processes not met • Diversity of backgrounds • Challenge: bring both traditional and non-traditional students to the same desired level of engagement. • Shift in emphasis: less tutor activity to more student activity; less individual activity to more group activity and collaborative work.

  3. Underlying principles • Co-operative disciplined activities • Peer assessment • Flexible learning (ICT)

  4. Structure and Implementation • Platform: WebCT • Users: a sample of undergraduate students in MIS researching and writing a dissertation. • The online conferencing ran along side a series of face-to-face group sessions. • Online moderator

  5. Template for activities • Purpose – why are we doing this? • Task – what do we have to do? • Respond – how can we collaborate?

  6. Purpose To consider appropriate research methods. There is a wide range of methods that you can use to collect the data you need for your dissertation. They can be more or less structured in design. One frequently used method is a questionnaire. Task Post a message on the Post-It Forum thread ‘Collecting Research Material’, which indicates the method of data collection you are planning to use, and a draft of the method structure. For example, if it is a questionnaire, post your draft questionnaire. Take a look at the web page Resources – EvaluationTools - ResearchMethodStructure. This might help you reflect on your methodological design. Respond Post a message on the Post-It Forum thread ‘Collecting Research Material’, which assesses the method structure of other participants, regarding the clarity of their method and its coherence with the research objectives. Position their method in the grid ResearchMethodStructure.

  7. Formative Evaluation • Goals • improve performance on the dissertation module • assist with planning and evaluating their own work • Evaluation questions • how effective was the innovation for different students; • which aspects of the innovation were more effective; • what barriers are being encountered in implementing the innovation; • what views do students hold on the value of the innovation.

  8. Evaluation Methods • On the students’ immediate learning experience • face-to-face questioning; regular monitoring of the WebCT log; and the programme staff-student committee meetings • On student reactions after the experience • written feedback giving suggestions to the tutor on the module approach • On the degree to which the learning outcomes were being achieved • draft dissertation

  9. Quality of Participation • Offering ideas or resources and inviting a critique of them. • Asking challenging questions. • Articulating, explaining and supporting specific positions on relevant issues. • Exploring relevant issues by giving appropriate examples related to professional practice. • Reflecting on and evaluating relevant professional opinions, one’s own and those offered by others. • Critically evaluating the ideas or resources offered by other contributors. • Negotiating interpretations, definitions and meanings of concepts and terms used in professional practice relevant to the topic. • Summarizing others’ contributions accurately and with respect for others’ values. • Synthesizing information from diverse sources in order to facilitate the collaborative development of relevant logical argument. • Proposing reasonable actions in professional practice based on ideas that have been developed in collaboration with other contributors.

  10. Outcomes • Students general view of CMC in the context of dissertation writing was positive. • Students were able to successfully organize for themselves online collaborative work. • Two thirds of the students submitted a dissertation that surpassed the classification expected (50% level of participation). • One third of the students performed poorly (low levels of participation online sessions). • Better understanding of the ‘added value’ of the dissertation module in terms of employability.

  11. From here … • Increase bank of activities • Student perception: • ‘sharing’ and individual performance • preference for synchronous discussions • Not overestimate IT skills • Follow up of non-participants • Grouping of activities / threads according to stages • Compulsory ‘minimum’ participation • Run CMC for all groups

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