Approach

Using the Echo360 Active Learning Platform

I used Echo360 Active Learning Platform in Semester 2 2016, as an early adopter but have not used it since, as I now use a flipped classroom model, running workshops rather than lectures.

What was it that made you start using the Echo360 Active Learning Platform?

Lenka Boorer and I were GGLT Project Members and Lenka suggested that I be an early adopter as it would assist me as grant project team leader.  The project was around  developing "Best Practice Principles for Educational Videos".

How did you go about rolling it into your course? 

I was teaching 2105AFE Introduction to Business Law which is the introductory law course that Bachelor of Commerce Students must complete. I ran it using a flipped classroom model of 1-hour lecture followed by 2-hour workshop. Students would view the pre­workshop videos for the content to be covered each week. The first hour of each workshop was dedicated to reinforcing the weekly key learning outcomes, with special emphasis on those learning outcomes students find challenging. I used Echo360 ALP when presenting my 1-hour lecture.

Outcomes

As an early adopter, there were opportunities throughout the semester to collect feedback from students. I consistently used Echo360 ALP in lectures using the tools:

• Presentation slides
• Activity slides - multiple choice and short answer
• Pre­-recorded video and Q & A (but this was the means for including external links to Google drive on the presentation slides)

In the early stages there were a number of students who did not use the ALP slides in class, but preferred a hard copy of the pre­ workshop slides.

Students preferred answering the multiple choice over the short answer questions. A large number of students lacked confidence in expressing themselves when giving a short answer response (regardless of whether English was the students first language or not).

Very few students use the tools of Q&A or confusion tag when viewing the videos - this may have been because the students were early adopters as well.

Some students wholeheartedly embraced the technology and took advantage of the available tools, while others relied solely on their smart phones for access. The knowledge base of some of these students around the technology varied considerably e.g. a number of students don't know their Griffith email address.

Further Reflections on Using Echo360

The use of the tools significantly slows down the pace of the class so that in some weeks I made a conscious decision not to use Echo360 simply because there was insufficient time. Despite informing students of my decision some students still submitted their answers thru the ALP (which may be indicative of how well liked these tools are).   

I enjoyed using the tools, especially the justification tool which accompanies the multiple choice answers.

There are real benefits from endorsing students’ well-argued justifications (in terms of self-confidence and self-efficacy) and recommending to students how they can improve their answers. Especially in relation to a law course the justifications provided the opportunity to explain to students that there is no one right and one wrong answer, only better answers which contained reasoned argument and are supported by the evidence.

Using the short answer questions and multiple choice questions provides a check on students' learning which is invaluable. However, my teaching is structured around questioning students so using Echo360 ALP did not significantly alter my teaching style.

There is a novelty value associated with the use of the ALP tools as the students engagement  with the tools waned as the semester  progressed.  Less tools rather than more tools may be a good rule to go by.

Implement

Have a definite purpose in mind why you are using the tools in Echo360 ALP and how you plan to use them.  If you already have effective measures for checking on student learning, or encouraging discussion in your classes then perhaps you will use the tool less than a staff member whose students are unwilling to engage or lack the confidence to do so.

Be aware that you will be sacrificing content time by using the tools so you may not want to use Echo360 tools every week.

Using the multiple choice questions with justification can be a wonderful tool for providing feedback and affirmation to students, but it works best in smaller classes as it is too difficult to read all the responses from a large class in the time allocated.

Like all technologies there is a novelty value attached to the use of Echo360 ALP. Don't use the tools every week -  mix it up, so that students don't become bored with the technology.

Support Resources

• Echo 360 (Fact sheet). Getting Started with VLE tools and the Course Design Standards.

  Fact Sheet

• Echo 360 (Module). Getting Started with VLE tools and the Course Design Standards.

  Module

Contributed by

• Griffith Business School
  Department of Accounting, Finance and Economics
  Dr Jennifer Dickfos
  (07) 555 28812
  J.Dickfos@griffith.edu.au
  http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4263-0495
  Griffith Experts profile
• Learning Futures
  

Preferred Citation

Dickfos, J., & Learning Futures (2020). Echo360 ALP - an early adopter perspective. Retrieved from https://app.secure.griffith.edu.au/exlnt/entry/7688/view