Mimas Learning & Teaching Stories

1. Mimas Learning & Teaching Stories Dr Jackie Carter Senior Manager: Learning &Teaching and Social Science Data Services

2. This Project Briefing • Mimas • The L&T stories project • Reflections - how this has benefited Mimas • Story for JISC conference (April 13th)

3. Mimas • An organisation of experts. Our role is to support the advancement of knowledge, powering world-class research and teaching. Technology is at the heart of everything we do.

4. Mimas • Centre of Excellence, hosted at University of Manchester, UK • Provide a portfolio of data and information services to academics

5. The L&T Stories Project • Context • What we did • How we did it • What we produced • What we learned • What we are going to do next

6. Context • Quantitative data (metrics, KPIs) • We do this already through our Service Level Agreements • http://www.jiscmu.ac.uk/sims/news/view/176 • Increasing need to demonstrate impact • Research and funding councils • Narratives/Case studies/Stories • Value for Money measures

7. Context (references) of skills agenda • Leitch Review of Skills report, 2006 (Prosperity for all in the global economy) http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/leitch_review_index.htmreport • Economic & Social Research Council. 2009. Building a world class social science research base in quantitative methods: a national strategy. ESRC Society Today. http://www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/Images/AQM%20flyer_tcm6-34272.pdf • MacInnes, John. 2009. Proposals to support and improve the teaching of quantitative research methods at undergraduate level in the UK. ESRC Society Today. http://www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/Images/Final%20Report_%20Strategic%20Adviser%20for%20Quantitative%20Methods_tcm6-35465.pdf • UK Commission for Employment and Skills. 2009. Ambition 2020: world class skills and jobs for the UK: the 2009 report: key findings and implications for action. http://www.ukces.org.uk/tags/key-findings/ambition-2020-key-findings • Higher Ambitions http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/higher-education/shape-and-structure/higher-ambitions • Skills for growth http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/further-education-skills/skills-for-growth

8. Who did it • 2009 • Funded through our Strategic Investment Fund • Procurement of services • Sarah Currier acted as consultant www.sarahcurrier.com • Librarian; Metadata; e-learning; Learning object repository projects; worked for Intrallect; co-moderator of DCEd Community; etc. Metadata, Repositories, Resource Sharing for Education Requirements, Research, Implementation, Management, Policy, Training, Evaluation, Interoperability Standards & Web 2.0 Communities .. specialising in e-learning resource management and sharing, with a particular interest in metadata, controlled vocabularies, repositories, and the use of Web 2.0 tools for sharing of materials and practice, and for community development. 

9. The Aims and Outputs • Stories based on 4 services • ESDS International • Census Dissemination Unit • Intute VTS and Internet Detective • Landmap • Final report • Aim 1 • Collective showcase of benefits of Mimas services to L&T community • Aim 2 • How do Mimas services support skills base of undergraduates and taught postgraduates? • Focus on employability • Aim 3 • Who delivers the learning? How can Mimas services be embedded in L&T? • Aim 4 • What can we learn?

10. What we did • Collected stories (SC) • Uncover who’s doing what with the data in L&T • Semi-structured interviews (SC) • Teachers and students • Recorded where possible • Written up (SC with Mimas) • Googledocs • Sign off for web copy • Extracted key issues (SC with Mimas) • Real world real data • News items etc.

11. ESDS International

12. Census Dissemination Unit - Casweb Casweb web interface to census aggregate outputs and digital boundary data

13. Intute VTS and Internet Detective

14. Landmap

15. Who was involved

16. The Stories • All stories still being worked on for service websites • Will contain multimedia and be benefits led • May be web-based articles with embedded short pithy clips of key benefits • Story for JISC conference (13th April 2010) promotional piece

17. The stories in development

18. Example stories

19. Example story A student’s journey through econometrics data Taught 2nd year course; 2 semesters; 10 credits Learning objectives and skills Subject knowledge and understanding; Subject Specific skills; Transferable skills Activity Students assigned combinations of countries (from 9) and variables (consumption, investment, imports) Screencams at Youtube www.youtube.com/watch?v=288KaPjoOy8 And www.youtube.com/watch?v=mX_rdCVzVVk

20. Two news items – quick wins • Real data Real world • Helping economics students keep it real • Census data: from the real world for the real world

21. Presentations and Publications • Submitted – awaiting outcome • ALT (with Sarah Currier) “Building Bridges between Education and the Workplace: Using Real Data to Prepare Learners for the Real World” • EDUCAUSE 2010 “Because we’re worth it” • ALT-N • Book chapter in “Teaching Quantitative Methods: Counting on the Social Sciences” • ELI2010 (after ELI2009) “L&T: telling stories about and with data (research based)” • CNI Spring Meeting “Real Data Real World Real Stories” • JISC/CNI Conference “Using primary research data in L&T” • IASSIST 2010 “Telling stories about and with data” • ESRC Research Methods Festival

22. Recommendations • Theme 2 – Utilise existing networks, conferences and journals • Promote Mimas services specifically for L&T in forums where teaching staff may look • Be targeted • Short pithy articles with visual examples • Theme 1 – Direct contact with teachers • Through routes that teachers feel are authoritative • Find innovative ways for service staff to build direct relationships with key academics teaching in subject areas • Use email and telephone

23. Recommendations (cont) • Theme 4 – Keep services usable and current • Up to date • Available • Integrated with other services • Theme 3- Support open sharing of L&T materials developed around Mimas services • Open Educational Resources (OER) • Will help embedding of services into L&T • Put materials where the users are • Maximise academic exposure to ideas to support their teaching

24. Reflections • Needs resource at service level • Work with professional bodies • Mimas well placed to build on this work • Digital Story Telling • User focused, benefits led • Marketing vs. Service Support • Open Educational Resources (OER)

25. JISC Conference

26. Thank you and questions

28. Title and content slide • Point One • Point One One • Point One One One • Point One One One • Point One One • Second Point • Third of the points • Another point, the fourth one

29. Title only slide