Social impacts

Social impacts of the system

Nengjie Zhang Leave a comment

Social impacts are defined as “the consequences to human populations of any public or private actions that alter the ways in which people live, play, work and relate to one another, organize to meet their needs and generally cope as members of society (Glasson 2000).

In addition, social impacts are the “people impacts” of development actions. Social impacts include changes in people’s culture, environment, and political systems, for the project, the module review system has two typical social impacts.

  •  Lifestyle impacts – on the way people behave and relate to friends on a day-to-day basis. The system allows users to provide feedback on them, as well as obtaining suggestions according to user patterns. It leads to a useful application in university life. For example, students can share the module materials if they choose the same module.
  •  Community impacts – on infrastructure, services, activity network and cohesion. The system aims to offer existing and prospective students a source of information about the available modules on each course, also, there will be an activity network like social one. Students will be able to provide feedback on them, and the system can suggest suitable modules for a particular user according to course enrolment which shared in the system.

Reference

Glasson, J., 2000. Socio-economic impacts 1: overview and economic impacts, in: Morris, P. and Therivel, R. (2000) (ed), Methods of Environmental Impact Assessment, Spon Press, London and New York

 

Trust considerations

Niko Leave a comment

In Online Social Networks (OSNs), trust is a key element, serving a connecting function between (initial) strangers. ‘Lessonplan’ has many OSN elements, and, therefore, issues of trust- and rapport-building should be considered.

Web 2.0 environments and social media platforms can cause situations of uncertainty, as they usually provide some level of anonymity. Even though this topic is the subject of a large volume of literature,[1] for the scope of this post we will only look at how trust serves as a mechanism to reduce the uncertainty of users in online interactions, e.g. in disclosure of personal opinions.

Continue reading →

‘LessonPlan’ as a game

Niko Leave a comment

Game Theory is the mathematical modelling of decision making processes. In simple terms, it uses mathematical expressions to analyse strategies employed by players in order to maximize their payoffs from the game. When applied in a social perspective, game theory can model individuals’ behaviours (strategies) in relation to the pursued benefit (payoff). In the context of Online Social Networks (OSNs), Game Theory is used to study user patterns in structural balance (inter-personal relations that have produced gains in the past), strategies for social decision problems and evolution of co-operation in dynamic environments.[1] Prediction of behaviour can be immensely valuable in the designing of an OSN. After all, Social Networks rely on user interaction to derive content. In the case of ‘LessonPlan’, user interaction is what will provide the added value on top of the initial information about the modules. Through module feedback, commentary on the practical aspects of teaching or coursework, students will be able to collaborate, solve problems, improve their performance and communicate necessary or desirable changes to the academics and the University. In other words, social interaction in the platform is essential for students to derive gains from it. Below we will consider the likelihood of random students to see this potential value of participating in the platform.

Continue reading →

Survey conducted on Module Feedback opinions and interests

Niko Leave a comment

In order to confirm interest in the suggested platform, as well as any inefficiencies of the outlets already out there by the University of Southampton, we have conducted an online survey.

The survey was introduced by a short text, informing the participants on what the survey’s goals where, which aspects of module feedback they would be asked to give their opinions on, as well as a brief description of the suggested project and its aims.

The questions were, therefore, divided into three different parts. Questions in part one aimed to discover opinions and satisfaction about the official module feedback forms that the University provides. Users were asked to rate both its usefulness and its effectiveness on module planning. Part two was designed to discover which factors are considered when students select an optional module. Some of those factors are informed by the module feedback forms (such as Coursework style or Student satisfaction, for example), while others were additional (such as the reputation of the lecturer). Participants were given the option to include any additional factors in an ‘Other:’ free text field. Finally part three was investigating interest in the suggested platform (‘Lessonplan 2.0’) and opinions on its features and ambitions.

The results of the survey re-affirmed our assumptions about the deficiencies of the current model and the need for an alternative solution. In summary, the survey highlighted that while half of the students are willing to provide feedback to the University, the majority of them would like some access to the results and does not trust that it has any significant impact on module shaping. All of the participants also agree that ‘Lessonplan’ would be a valuable addition, who could assist them in choosing optional modules, meeting the module requirements and co-ordinating better with their fellow classmates.

Continue reading →

Shortcomings of feedback and student satisfaction in Higher Education

Niko Leave a comment

One of the project’s main aims is to provide a platform for feedback on the courses, accessible to the students undertaking – or considering to undertake – studies at the University of Southampton. Even though student feedback is valued by the University as an integral part of the module assessment – currently being provided by the Module Feedback Surveys at the end of each semester – it is not, at the moment, a transparent process, meaning students do not have access to either the surveys data or their impact on module planning.

It is a hypothesis of this project that access to student feedback on the offered modules will assist current and future cohorts in having more realistic expectations out of the modules, adapting quicker and better to the expectations of teachers, improving their performance and making more informed decisions when choosing optional modules.

Continue reading →