Project Summary 5/5/9

Project has been running well within the two key diplomas involved in the project. The machines were used as a resource within the Fashion course and will now not be included in the research or final report.

All focus groups have been conducted to gauge the student experience of their education prior to M Learning.The results of these follow;


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Video 0

ND A&D (Duncan M) Studio. Peter , Katie Pete



How are classroom activities in supporting your learning ?

Studio adaptable, own workstation, all materials you need. All extras in College sometimes at a small fee.

Students had spent - £10, 68p.

Printing all set up, mac suite available, library really good.


Do you have opportunities to continue learning before and after session ?

Yes, College open until 9am at night. Work can be taken home. Studio used until late by few students. Students used personal study time to come in rather than to stay late on evenings.

Do you have access to your individual learning plan and achievement records ?

Yes, from Sue Brown
All had tutorials with ILP’s embedded.
Students were aware of assessments and which criteria they needed to address through ILP.


Are there opportunities for you to link contextual studies with studio practice ?

You can use it in your artists research.
Similar subject areas are covered, colour, Bauhaus.
Students found making links helpful.

Are there opportunities to learn from each other ?

Crits. 10 mins at the end of each day to pin work up and discuss.
Students would like more big group crits.
Tutors often show examples of good practice.

Do you have access to learning materials outside of sessions ?

No. Students have to wait for the material until they are next in College.
They can take notes but it doesn’t replace access.

Do you have access to computers, printers, moodle and internet ?

In college if macs are free. Printers very slow, everyone wanting prints at the same time.
Print credit is not enough, gone in several weeks. It’s used for every project and colour usually required for artists research and own development. Tutor prints as much as he can on their behalf. Access to internet in mac suite and a few machines in the library. Internet was the basis of their sketchbooks. Students were aware of moodle and felt it would help in these sessions also to access T&L materials and to enable work from home. 2 of three students had experienced loosing their briefs. Moodle already experienced in Contextual Studies, found it really useful. Moodle did not effect attendance, material was sequentially released and didn’t record conversations that were held in session.

Do you have access to facilities that support the development of your research skills?

Library is used. Internet also good and easier to find specific and broader range of information. Some students, including one in the forum, relied on the net.

Is there enough variety of learning activities ?

Students had, within the context of their current project done Photography, drawing, sculpture. They felt there was diversity of activity and this was preferred.

Are there enough opportunities to work on briefs in class ?

Yes, time was an issue and work could be rushed at times. Some people neglected their sketchbooks as they did not work outside of taught sessions.

Is there enough variety in the ways you are asked to evidence your learning ?

Folio, sketchbooks, essays. PPD sometimes makes use of email but this was isolated. Disks would be easier to submit. Digital work could be sent if ill. Students felt there was enough variety.

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Video 2

Katie Stanworth AS
Adam Dodson, Joab Coutain, Alex Pemberton, Laura Spinali, Emily Long

How are classroom activities in supporting your learning ?
Resources are good, always enough for everyone without much need to share. Had to keep going to Mac Suite for research. Could get stretched as a department, especially printing.


Do you have opportunities to continue learning before and after session ?
Yes, mainly mac suite for research and printing.

Do you have access to your individual learning plan and achievement records ?
Yes, within sessions.


Are there opportunities for you to link contextual studies with studio practice ?
Not covered this question !

Are there opportunities to learn from each other ?
Yes, as self directed and tutor led activity.

Do you have access to learning materials outside of sessions ?
Dependent upon access to the tutors. If sheets were lost then you had to wait unti you saw that tutor or had to find them.

Do you have access to computers, printers, moodle and internet?
All equipment at home and at College (2)
Internet but cant afford to print at home (1)
Sometimes sessions don’t allow you to leave when you need to use a computer. (1)
No equipment at home. (1)

Do you have access to facilities that support the development of your research skills?
Library an uncomfortable environment. (2)
Info in library good but it’s very difficult to find what you need. You find it eventually.
Most rather us the internet.
Photocopying expensive.
Asked to use a scrap of paper and was told to buy a book.

Is there enough variety of learning activities ?
Yes, and this prevented individual from getting bored and switching off.
Variety offered lots of experience and made you think about what you were doing.
The variety of work contributed directly to the assessment criteria.

Are there enough opportunities to work on briefs in class ?
Mainly enough time although sometimes activities through you off your train of thought. All agreed there was enough time. Student liked the sketchbooks, to have a tactile account of their work.

Parting comment was that the studio was quieter with the introduction of the ASUS machines. Not all students used them productively and it proved a distraction for some.

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Steve Anderson – A&D Contextual Studies
Rosa Lauren, Esta Mcglaughlon, Tess Connor, Lauren Hart, Rachel Nevison

How are classroom activities in supporting your learning ?
Basic. Got Mac Suite but often full, time consuming to get anything done. Takes time to leave the class to go to library to wait in the Mac Suite. Computer to student ratio is odd (no enough). Print queues can be huge, it’s rubbish.

Do you have opportunities to continue learning before and after session ?
Can go to library but books are not always there. Mac suite but too many people to too few machines. Cant access work from home if it’s been stored at College. Does not like Macs, would prefer PC’s.


Do you have access to your individual learning plan and achievement records ?
Don’t know what they are.

Are there opportunities for you to link contextual studies with studio practice ?
Maybe evident in sketchbooks.
It’s difficult to make the links.

Are there opportunities to learn from each other ?
No real opportunity. Sometimes through seminars. Would be easier if they had access to other peoples work but there were concerns here from students regarding plagiarism.

Do you have access to learning materials outside of sessions ?
Too easy to loose. Outside College if you don’t have it you don’t have anything. You have to be reliant on your notes. If your ill your reliant upon the notes of others which can sometimes be substandard. Handouts would be better kept in one place.


Do you have access to computers, printers, moodle and internet?
Access to internet and computers. Were aware of Moodle but not sure what relevance it had to their studies. Liked the idea of an online system. Are not many computers. Probably better leaving it until you get home. Even when you get one there’s pressure to get off it again with people waiting.
Transferring material from machines at College to machines at home is difficult and you can forget to back it all up.
A bank of support material would be good as it is difficult for staff to meet the needs of all learners without some becoming lost or others becoming bored.


Do you have access to facilities that support the development of your research skills?
Have Library and computers but it’s knowing where to go so research has it’s limits.

Not enough time to b able to do it and books are not always available.


Is there enough variety of learning activities ?
It’s hard to find a balance that’s right for all.
Some find it difficult to sit through a lecture and make detailed notes.
There are seminars but no space for 1-2-1 but without taking time away from the sessions as they currently exist.
Not much variety, a bit boring. Activities should be more fun. Too much info all at once, needs breaking down and mixing up. Needs to be more linked to learning styles with different source material available for them.

Are there enough opportunities to work on briefs in class ?

Have time allocated as PST but other studies need to fit into this also. Most CS work is done at home. Some people come ill equipped to work in College, don’t bring diaries, only use their CS time as a break and work on it at home instead later. Practical work always seems more immediate so CS can take a back seat. Take notes but don’t always write them up. Not enough space in the lecture theatre to make notes.

Is there enough variety in the way your asked to evidence your learning ?
Sketchbooks – sometimes become a bit clinical, you write what you feel you need to rather than really using it. Maybe other ways could be considered but they could not think of any. One suggested a video diary but were conscious of differing levels of technical ability with the group. One suggested online forums. One suggested a variation of ways to submit but felt this was resource dependent. Preferred more visual work over written work.

Most agreed a wider range of ways to submit would be beneficial.

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Janine Sykes – Graphics Contextual Studies
Adam Dodson, Robert Hatton, Emily Long, Joab Coutain, Joanne George

How are classroom activities in supporting your learning ?
Not really, not as easy as in the studio. Too cramped. (2)
Like it, more focussed.
Cant do much group work because of the room


Do you have opportunities to continue learning before and after session ?
Mac suite, library and computers at home

Do you have access to your individual learning plan and achievement records ?
Yes, copies given but a pain if you loose them.


Are there opportunities for you to link contextual studies with studio practice ?
Yes with all AS briefs. Used Bauhaus. Another used an artist and an idea of who to look for.

Are there opportunities to learn from each other ?
No in the lecture theater, too intimidating. A bit restricted

Do you have access to learning materials outside of sessions ?
Just whats given and it’s dependent upon finding the staff.
Do you have access to computers, printers, moodle and internet.
Not in the lecture theatre.

Do you have access to facilities that support the development of your research skills?
Handouts, trips/study visits.
Quizzes games, educational films etc good learning tool and enjoyable too.


Is there enough variety of learning activities ?
Yes eg: Article, Presentation

Are there enough opportunities to work on briefs in class ?
No but increased personal study time helps.

Project Summary

Extending ILT provision.

All equipment was purchased over the Christmas and whereby this represented a significant task for the IT team the machines were still issued as planned on the first day of term. Wireless provision was extended within the City Center site although we are still waiting for the print stations to be installed. The equipment has arrived but network points need to be installed first.

The table below illustrates how the 65k of funding has been deployed;











Not all students elected to take the ASUS machines home. On ND A&D 95% of the group opted to take them on long term loan, on ND Graphics 65% took them away. Many of the ND Graphics students already have IT equipment at home. Graphic Design as a discipline is more digitally focussed than Art & Design which may account for the difference in uptake. All students utilise the machines when in College.

ND Fashion elected to treat their ASUS provision as a resource rather than loan them to YR1 students as outlined in the project plan. This does however give us the opportunity to measure the success of a different approach.

Several machines have developed hardware issues which we hope will not become an evolving problem. Only 10% (20 machines) were purchased as spares and a number of these were deployed to staff involved in the project.

Staff Development

The project manager conducted a two day training event during the January staff development week. This involved;

• project recap
• showing good examples of e learning
• tuition on using the Moodle system
• group discussions on the potential of m- learning within curriculum areas for forthcoming projects
• presentations of m –learning intentions

A follow up meeting this week (28/01/09) saw significant online developments in both ND Graphics AS and Contextual Studies.


Summary of proposed M Learning Activities

ND Graphics

• Forums – for students to share research
• Blog – used to replace summary boards for AS work.
• Galleries – to showcase student finals for each project
• Links made to external sites of relevance.
• Co-ordinate a field trip, maybe to a gallery. Students to make use of video, audio, imagery to upload and share.
• Embed youtube videos that are of relevance
• Students to develop presentation skills through video based presentations, pitch work, crits etc.
• Interactive task sheets, possibly ebooks.
• ILP (Moodle system)
• Digitise and upload all handouts and relevant T&L material
• Use video capture software to teach design applications

ND Fashion

• Video demonstrations to students on practical techniques, safe operation of machinery etc.
• Quiz to check learning
• Online evaluations
• Image analysis and analysis guidance sessions
• Summaries of discussions
• Peer review through forums
• Digitise and upload all handouts and relevant T&L material
• Show case examples of best practice

Contextual Studies

Enhance learning through the use of forums.
Homework activities set for students to comment upon uploaded imagery/video.
• Digitise and upload all handouts and relevant T&L material
Create a revision zone with a summary of content covered in lectures
Tasks set online
Embed you tube video
Utilise quizzes to measure learning
Extension activities to be uploaded for G&T cohort.
War of the Worlds project to utilise M learning to help with student presentations – eg uploaded Powerpoints
Great Tales project to share design work online for peer review and to receive student essays.
Student support tips
Helpdesk interface, FAQ’s etc


ND Art and Design

Links to film sites, relevant video (youtube)
Gallery and peer critique
Zone of unexpected things.
Used for research guidance and student research.


Measuring Impact

Focus groups have been arranged to commence WC 02/02/09. The Molenet consent form for Video footage of students was issued last week with a slow return rate from students. We are confident that we will have enough returns to conduct the activity but would have preferred to have been more selective as to who was involved. This ideally should have been considered earlier as 1 week was clearly not enough time for students to fill in and return the documents. Initial focus groups will measure student perception of their educational experience at LCAD prior to the implementation of the MNet project.

Focus Group Questions

Students (Prior to M-Learning)
The following questions apply to the AS and Contextual Studies sessions only.

1. Do you find that studio based resources are supporting your learning?
2. Do you have the opportunity to continue learning in-between class sessions?
3. Do you have access to your individual learning plan and achievement records?
4. Are there opportunities to link the information you learn in-class to your studio practice?
5. Are opportunities provided for you to learn from each other? E.g. see each other’s work and/or hear each other’s ideas and opinions?
6. Do you always have access to learning materials in and outside class? E.g. handouts, PowerPoint slide shows?
7. Do you have access to computers, printers, Moodle and the internet?
8. Do you have access to facilities which support the development of your research skills?
9. Is there enough variety of learning activities: lectures, tutorials, quizzes, group work, discussions (with peers and tutor) and image analysis exercises?
10. a) Are there enough opportunities for you to work on briefs in-class? B) Is there enough variety in the ways you are asked to evidence your learning?

In addition staff have been asked to consider similar key questions through a reflective wiki. http://molnetlcad.wetpaint.com

All I want for Xmas is 220 EEEEEEPc's!

Its easy to order 220 EEEpc's but the problem came with the deployment of these.

We decided to go for Windows XP over Linux, due to the fact that we can support Windows XP but have limited knowledge of Linux.
We also have the added benefit of being able to use our own anti-virus s/w and also Microsoft Office 2007.


Security these days is always the top issue when IT equipment is concerned.
The main issues we found were....

Straight out of the box the EEEpc installs as administrator, giving unlimited access to the Windows operating system. When you have potentially 200 students taking the EEEpc's home and installing all manor of software this can be a huge security risk.
If a student contracted a virus whilst at home then proceeded to plug the EEEpc into our network, this could have disastrous effects.

So with this in mind we decided to..
Password lock the bios
Rebuild the EEEpc's with our own custom image.

Imaging the EEEpc's was the next mission, ASUS uses a cut down version of Windows XP Home and the bootable drive is only 4GB.
We set out with 2 goals in mind.
1. adapt the existing XP Home to our needs or.
2. create a new build using XP professional.

A couple of tweaks we had to do above the ASUS build was to move the Programe Files folder and local user profile over to the larger 8gb drive. With the primary use of these being internet based we knew that over time the disks would become filled with temporary files and documents.

After a week of development we had 2 images to benchmark against each other. We tested the builds for speed of opening applications, boot up time and free hard disk space.
Both builds were amicable but in the end we decided to use the XP Professional build as it had more scope for additional software and file storage.

The next issue was to see how we to get this new image onto 220 EEEpc's!

We discovered that the bios supported network booting, so we could image the EEEpc's using our GHOST software.

With the technical side complete a production line was devised, it consisted of.
1. Unbox the EEEpc's.
2. Asset Tag and record serial number.
3. Change Bios settings and apply password.
4. Remove unwanted manuals and disks from the box.
5. Add a USB pen stick and custom user guide the box.
6. Ghost the C:\ drive.
7. Ghost the D:\ drive.
8. Reboot and test.
9. Rebox and store.

This process involved the whole infrastructure team.
We had myself, Ian and Chris unboxing and changing bios settings.
Nari was chief Ghoster and finisher.

The whole process was completed by the 5th of Jan, a fantastic project turnaround.