DUCKLING: Delivering University Curricula: Knowledge, Learning, and INnovation Gains

The DUCKLING research project undertaken by the Beyond Distance Research Alliance of University of Leicester, is one of the JISC funded Curriculum Delivery Project run under the Transforming Curriculum Design and Delivery Through Technology Programme.

The project is led by University of Leicester

Our project

The DUCKLING project at the University of Leicester develops advanced delivery, presentation and assessment processes to enhance the work-based learning experience for students studying remotely. The project is demonstrating the practical marriage of sound approaches in delivery together with new technologies and work–based pedagogies for learning support, communication and assessment of professional adult learners from commencement to completion of the programme of study.

Impact and benfits to the community

(taken from project final report)

Learners

• Increased personalisation
• Improved quantity and quality of interactions
• Maximised engagement
• Improved curriculum flexibility to accommodate needs of mobile learners
• Highly effective feedback in more formats – no extension requests
• Reduced isolation

Course teams (‘staff’)

• Much higher quality curriculum delivery at a marginal additional cost
• Low-cost, high-value, transferable and sustainable interventions embedded in the curricula
• Awareness of possibilities afforded by a range of learning technologies and how to capitalise on them
• New, powerful approaches to assessment and feedback
• Innovation facilitated by Teaching Fellows and shared across the university and beyond

University

• Carpe Diem workshops (www.le.ac.uk/carpediem) and similar interventions as a successful, proven lever for innovation and change in learning design
• Sustainable, evidence-based innovation across programmes and departments
• Extensive and effective internal dissemination of curriculum enhancements and research findings
• Peer-reviewed publications
• Input into and evidence for the new Learning Innovation Strategy
• A much enhanced experience for learners

Project dissemination

Project website

Project blog

Project outputs

• How Duckling technologies have addressed the challenges in curriculum delivery

• DUCKLING leaflet - Highlights of DUCKLING approaches and key outcomes

• DUCKLING in an eggshell (PDF, 138KB):A poster containing an overview of deliverables from the project.

• DUCKLING technologies - A poster highlighting three of the technologies of the project.

• Cost-Impact matrix  - Shows the cost of each DUCKLING technology against its impact.

• Duckling Psychology Course team overview  - This provides information on how how the DUCKLING technologies were integrated into the two Psychology programmes.

• Curriculum Lifecycle: DUCKLING's alternative diagram - a curriculum design and delivery lifecycle model for effective, scalable and sustainable work-based distance curriculum delivery within a dual-mode university. 

Case studies

• Duckling case study E-book readers in Occupational Psychology

• Duckling case study E-book readers in Education

• Duckling case study Podcasting in Occupational Psychology

• Duckling case study Podcasting in Education

• Duckling case study Second Life in Occupational Psychology

• Duckling case study Second Life in Education

• Duckling case study Voice boards in Education

• Two exemplar delivery curricula for two disciplines to illustrate how DUCKLING technologysupported changes made to design and delivery of the three curricula in two disciplines

• Duckling diagram Occupational Psychology delivery models

• Duckling diagram of Education delivery models

• Duckling exemplar curriculum delivery in Occupational Psychology

• Duckling exemplar curriculum delivery in Education

Guides,Tips and Toolkits

• Duckling Guidelines: for HE practitioners and managers to develop flexible and learner centred workbased curriculum delivery.

Podcast outputs:

• Psychology podcasts: the Psychology team produced 100 podcasts. Five of these podcasts are available as Open Education Resources (OERs).
• Education podcasts: the Education team produced a series of podcasts to supplement module content. One of these podcasts is available as an OER.

Virtual world outputs:

• Duckling Virtual world activities for Psychology and Education (VW-tivity)
• A SECOND LIFE oil rig: The oil rig is available for access at the University of Leicester‟s Media Zoo island (http://slurl.com/secondlife/media%20zoo/168/149/17/)
• SECOND LIFE training guides and resources, available as OERs
• Duckling Second Life Guide for Learning Group Participants
• Duckling Second Life Guide for moderators 
• Duckling Secong Life oil rig evaluation video

E-book reader outputs:

• Duckling e-book guide - converting Word documents into ePub format, available as an OER   
• Duckling e-book reader video - recording of a discussion session with postgraduates at the University of Leicester via the Graduate School Media Zoo about e-books and ereaders

Voice Board outputs:

• Duckling Wimba Voice Board user guide
• Duckling Guide for e-moderating on voice boards

Evaluation

• Evaluation reports: produced by Andrew Comrie, DUCKLING external evaluator
• Examples of research instruments:
• Duckling causal map
• Duckling e-book reader survey
• Duckling SECOND LIFE survey
• Duckling podcast feedback survey

Our Team

Project Manager: Jaideep Mukherjee jaideep.mukherjee@le.ac.uk

Project Team

• Principal Investigator and Project Director: Prof Gilly Salmon gilly.salmon@le.ac.uk
• Project Adviser and CARPE DIEM leader: Dr Alejandro Armellini  aa277@le.ac.uk
• Project Adviser: Dr Palitha Edirisingha pe27@le.ac.uk
• Project Adviser, Technology: Dr Richard Mobbs rjm1@le.ac.uk
• Project Champion: Dr Pam Rogerson-Revell  pmrr1@le.ac.uk
• Project Champion: Dr Ray Randall  rjr15@le.ac.uk
• Research Associate in Distance Learning with Technologies: Dr Ming Nie mn79@le.ac.uk
• Teaching Fellow in Distance Learning with Technologies (School of Education): Ms Gabi Witthaus grw8@le.ac.uk
• Teaching Fellow in Distance Learning with Technologies (School of Psychology): Dr Kelly Barklamb kb179@le.ac.uk

Our Cluster and Critical Friend

We are working with the following projects

Atelier-D Project

ISCC Project

Cascade Project

Our Critical Friend is Peter Chatterton