In the last week I have been discussing my choices of module for semester 2, looking forward to the MSc dissertation and addressing choices of essay topic for ULOE11, amongst other assignment thoughts on IDEL11 and Digital Cultures. It has helped me think about my own learning style and ways in which I work effectively and ways in which I am not so effective. It comes down to this
- I love collaboration, interaction with others and constant exchanges
- I really don’t like sitting still reading on my own and long writing exercises
The choice of modules in semester 2 could involve a the game-based learning module which its high interactivity, work on the research methods module with others to prepare the way for the dissertation, and a largely personal study on a topic of interest to me and that could be useful in my own research. I can see me leaning straight away towards the game-based learning module with its high levels of collaboration and teamwork. That’s a no-brainer.
But I had an interesting experience in suggesting an essay topic for ULOE11. I had ots of ideas on what to do, but was struggling to find something contained enough to do in the time available. I was planning something that would give me a good grounding in educational cognitive psychological approaches that could explain what was happening in mixed-initiative scenario-based training, which is what I am often working with in my research. But initial reading indicated it was vast topic. So I suggested a more limited look at ways in which AI had been used to assist in argumentation about core educational psychology readings in the ULOE11 discussion forum and why having a disembodied “agent” to use as an example helped in such discussions. I was reasoning that I could pick up on the discussion forum threads and present them – hopefully in a coherent way. But soon after I suggested this.. I started to feel uneasy… and I know why… it seemed to be a box ticking exercise… to do the essay… I had no reason to do it for my interferes. It did not fit into the emerging themes of interest to me – into the story. I have made another suggestion for the ULOE11 essay that I believe fits, and could be sufficiently scoped to be something I can get a good outcome on.