{"id":404,"date":"2023-12-12T13:29:44","date_gmt":"2023-12-12T13:29:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ascnet.ie\/blitt\/?p=404"},"modified":"2024-01-03T15:35:27","modified_gmt":"2024-01-03T15:35:27","slug":"breaking-barriers-blended-learning-transformation-in-software-testing-at-technological-university-dublin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ascnet.ie\/blitt\/2023\/12\/12\/breaking-barriers-blended-learning-transformation-in-software-testing-at-technological-university-dublin\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking Barriers: Blended Learning Transformation in Software Testing at Technological University Dublin"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"404\" class=\"elementor elementor-404\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-61b7bea1 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"61b7bea1\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-7de8e6cf\" data-id=\"7de8e6cf\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7025d05d elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"7025d05d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/ascnet.ie\/blitt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/undraw_programmer_re_owql.svg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-image-731\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3dbb7bf3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"3dbb7bf3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7e9586af elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"7e9586af\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Breaking_Barriers_Blended_Learning_Transformation_in_Software_Testing_at_Technological_University_Dublin\"><\/span>Breaking Barriers: Blended Learning Transformation in Software Testing at Technological University Dublin<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-38262789 elementor-align-right elementor-icon-list--layout-inline elementor-list-item-link-full_width elementor-widget elementor-widget-icon-list\" data-id=\"38262789\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"icon-list.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"elementor-icon-list-items elementor-inline-items\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item elementor-inline-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-hashtag\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Software Testing<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item elementor-inline-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-hashtag\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\">Extrinsic Motivation<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item elementor-inline-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-hashtag\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\"> Industry-Standard Tools<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4b0d5d6f elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"4b0d5d6f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6bfe5f7e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6bfe5f7e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">With rising costs of living and rent in the Greater Dublin area, many students remain at home while attending university and have a long commute to university. This has had an impact on attendance. The primary goal of this transformation was to allow students to engage even when they cannot be physically present. In addition, the module aimed to give students an authentic experience of working in teams, which in the software development industry, in particular, is becoming more and more blended in nature.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:true,&quot;134233118&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1b14ef11 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"1b14ef11\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6632ff79 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6632ff79\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Context\"><\/span>Context<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4910973f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4910973f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The lecturer first designed this module in 2022 under the assumption of an in-person mode of delivery. The module is delivered to full-time third-year undergraduate students of Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin). The module is mandatory on the BSc in Computer Science (Infrastructure) and one of a range of options available to students in the BSc in Computer Science and BSc in Computer Science International. As third-year students on a computer science programme, students are expected to have some familiarity working with technology and to have some experience in the Python programming language. The module gives students the skills and tools they need to apply a rigorous testing regime to their projects, which is particularly helpful for the final year project students are expected to complete in fourth year. As a practically oriented module, students are graded using 100% continuous assessment, with students required to submit two individual assignments and a multiple-choice quiz.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:true,&quot;134233118&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Due to timetabling constraints, the lingering impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on student behaviour, and the rising cost of living in Dublin leading to significantly increased average commute times for students, attendance was lower than expected in the module\u2019s first delivery in 2022. However, feedback from students indicated that the lab work, in particular, was very worthwhile and paid dividends in their other modules. With this in mind, the lecturer decided to redesign this module for blending to allow students to participate in labs remotely.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:true,&quot;134233118&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This case study describes the changes made to the model to begin a blended mode of delivery starting January 2023.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:true,&quot;134233118&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-29ed00ee elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"29ed00ee\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a80040d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a80040d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"People_Involved\"><\/span>People Involved<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4fe9c2e8 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4fe9c2e8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The lecturer delivering this module has a strong interest in blended learning techniques and is a member of the university\u2019s Hy-Flex Community of Practice. As the university campus was closed during Covid, the lecturer has significant experience in delivering online-only content, but less experience in the mixed-mode delivery characteristic of blended learning.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The Teaching Assistant (TA) on this module is a PhD student in TU Dublin and has deep knowledge and practical experience in the area of Software Testing. Traditionally, the student group would be split in two for the labs with the lecturer leading one lab group and the teaching assistant leading another. This was the TA\u2019s first experience of teaching on a blended module.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Between all three programmes, there were 37 students taking this module. As TU Dublin participates in a large number of double degrees and exchange programmes, primarily taking place in third year, the class has a larger-than-average ratio of non-native English speakers. Student ages ranged from 19-22 meaning there were no <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">mature students<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> (as defined by the Higher Education Authority, Ireland) in this class.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">While this course is mandatory for some students, a survey of the students who chose the module revealed that they did so for the following reasons<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><ul><li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"22\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Interest in the subject (software testing)<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li><li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"22\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Applicability to the Final Year Project<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li><li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"22\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Usefulness in future job applications<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li><li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"22\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Interest in the programming language used (python)<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Students had the option of attending labs in person or online using Microsoft Teams, access to which is provided by the university). All content was delivered through the university Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and was available both on campus and off. Students required internet access to participate but were given the opportunity to complete the lab-work asynchronously if they were unable to join the lab session. As computer science students, all participants had sufficient technological skills to benefit from the blended learning techniques.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:true,&quot;134233118&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><table data-tablestyle=\"MsoTableGrid\" data-tablelook=\"1184\" aria-rowcount=\"4\"><tbody><tr aria-rowindex=\"1\"><td data-celllook=\"4097\"><p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Fictional Name:<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Sarah<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Demographics:<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">19-22<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Irish<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/td><td data-celllook=\"1\"><p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-337\" src=\"https:\/\/ascnet.ie\/blitt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/undraw_Female_avatar_efig-300x269.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"131\" height=\"118\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ascnet.ie\/blitt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/undraw_Female_avatar_efig-300x269.png 300w, https:\/\/ascnet.ie\/blitt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/undraw_Female_avatar_efig-768x688.png 768w, https:\/\/ascnet.ie\/blitt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/undraw_Female_avatar_efig.png 772w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 131px) 100vw, 131px\" \/><\/span><\/p><\/td><td data-celllook=\"1\"><p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Fictional Name:<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Stefan<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Demographics:<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">19-22<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Non-native speaker<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/td><td data-celllook=\"17\"><p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\"> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-408\" src=\"https:\/\/ascnet.ie\/blitt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/undraw_Pic_profile_re_7g2h-300x269.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"137\" height=\"123\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ascnet.ie\/blitt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/undraw_Pic_profile_re_7g2h-300x269.png 300w, https:\/\/ascnet.ie\/blitt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/undraw_Pic_profile_re_7g2h-768x688.png 768w, https:\/\/ascnet.ie\/blitt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/undraw_Pic_profile_re_7g2h.png 772w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 137px) 100vw, 137px\" \/><\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr aria-rowindex=\"2\"><td data-celllook=\"4096\"><p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Profession:<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Full time undergraduate student<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/td><td data-celllook=\"0\"><p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Motivation for joining the course:<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Interested in acquiring the knowledge of software testing to apply to her Final Year Project next year<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/td><td data-celllook=\"0\"><p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Profession:<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Full time undergraduate exchange student<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/td><td data-celllook=\"16\"><p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Motivation for joining the course:<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Mandatory module for the exchange programme<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr aria-rowindex=\"3\"><td colspan=\"2\" data-celllook=\"4096\"><p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Their challenges as a student:<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><ul><li data-leveltext=\"-\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"26\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335551671&quot;:0,&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;-&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"0\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Lives outside the greater Dublin area and has a long commute<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li><li data-leveltext=\"-\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"26\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335551671&quot;:0,&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;-&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"0\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Does not attend as often as she would like as a consequence\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/td><td colspan=\"2\" data-celllook=\"16\"><p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Their challenges as a student:<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8211; <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Has excellent English but sometimes finds that instructors speak too quickly and with an unfamiliar accent<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8211; <\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Is new to the university and does not know many of his classmates<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/td><\/tr><tr aria-rowindex=\"4\"><td colspan=\"2\" data-celllook=\"4352\"><p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">How did the transformation help them:<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">&#8211;<\/span> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">Allowed her to engage without needing to be physically present in the classroom<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/td><td colspan=\"2\" data-celllook=\"272\"><p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">How did the transformation help them:<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><ul><li data-leveltext=\"-\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"26\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335551671&quot;:0,&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;-&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"0\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The team exercises helped him meet new people<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-24f12a58 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"24f12a58\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-279e7e78 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"279e7e78\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Before_the_transformation\"><\/span>Before the transformation<br><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-607e9820 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"607e9820\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">During the initial (2022) delivery, the module took place fully in person. Labs were held in person at 09:00 on Monday mornings. Many students had no further lectures or labs until 16:00 on Monday afternoon. Feedback from students indicated that this, coupled with the fact that some had commute times in excess of two hours, was a major factor in their decision not to attend lab sessions.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Within industry, software testing is usually done by larger organisations and is inherently team-based. One of the lecturer\u2019s aims in designing the original module was to give students an authentic experience of the software development process. All lab work was undertaken in teams of four, with students working in pairs within their teams. Students initially disliked the idea of working in teams, but as the module progressed and they became more used to working with each other they enjoyed it more and more. It was observed that students who worked in the same team each week had a more positive experience of the teamwork aspect of this module than students who were often switched to another team due to non-attendance of their team-mates.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Anecdotal evidence suggests that younger students are more extrinsically motivated than mature learners. Feedback from the 2022 cohort revealed that some students based their decision not to attend in part on the fact that lab work was not directly assessed. The lecturer was reluctant to begin assessing lab work directly, as, in his experience, this approach can have a negative impact on the students\u2019 enjoyment of the session, and ultimately reduce the learning involved. Students of other modules had previously raised concerns with the lecturer about the fairness of assessing teamwork, and often responded negatively to team projects which are graded. A strong correlation between lab attendance and module attainment was observed in 2022, and it is the lecturer\u2019s belief that engagement with lab work is an essential pre-requisite for students to enjoy and succeed in the module.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The main goals of the transformation were:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><ul><li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"29\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">To remove barriers to participation in lab work for students with timetabling or commuting constraints<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li><li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"29\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">To extrinsically motivate students to engage with the lab work without directly allocating marks to the outcomes of the lab work<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li><li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"29\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559684&quot;:-2,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">To improve the student experience of teamwork in the module<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a504482 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"a504482\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-27bd2c28 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"27bd2c28\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_transformation\"><\/span>The transformation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2e8f8715 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2e8f8715\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW63098800 BCX2\" lang=\"EN-GB\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW63098800 BCX2\">Lab work was delivered in-class <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun AdvancedProofingIssueV2Themed SCXW63098800 BCX2\">more or less similarly<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW63098800 BCX2\"> to the previous year. To <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW63098800 BCX2\">facilitate<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW63098800 BCX2\"> the blending, a group call on Teams was <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW63098800 BCX2\">initiated<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW63098800 BCX2\"> at the beginning of each lab session and students were given access to this through a link on their VLE. <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun AdvancedProofingIssueV2Themed SCXW63098800 BCX2\">In an effort to<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW63098800 BCX2\"> increase the <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW63098800 BCX2\">immersiveness<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW63098800 BCX2\"> of the experience for on<\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun SCXW63098800 BCX2\" lang=\"EN-GB\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW63098800 BCX2\">&#8211;<\/span><\/span><span class=\"TextRun SCXW63098800 BCX2\" lang=\"EN-GB\" xml:lang=\"EN-GB\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW63098800 BCX2\">line students, a webcam was used so that students at home could see what was going on in the classroom.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-64fa64da elementor-widget elementor-widget-toggle\" data-id=\"64fa64da\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"toggle.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toggle\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toggle-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-1691\" class=\"elementor-tab-title\" data-tab=\"1\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-1691\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-toggle-title\" tabindex=\"0\">Read More<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-1691\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"1\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-1691\"><p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The Transformation:<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:true,&quot;134233118&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Lab work was delivered in-class more or less similarly to the previous year. To facilitate the blending, a group call on Teams was initiated at the beginning of each lab session and students were given access to this through a link on their VLE. In an effort to increase the immersiveness of the experience for on<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">&#8211;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">line students, a webcam was used so that students at home could see what was going on in the classroom. As fewer students attended in person, delivery took place in a single classroom and instructors took turns with one instructor assigned to monitor the on-line session while the other focussed on the students in the classroom. Students were encouraged to use their microphones to ask questions but preferred to use the chat functionality in the virtual classroom. The online-instructor either answered questions directly or relayed them to the in-person instructor who would answer them for both on-line and in-person attendees to hear.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Initially, the aim was to allow students to complete the tasks asynchronously if they wished. Whereas previously students often completed tasks using pen-and-paper or by demonstrating code to the instructor, tasks were updated to require students to post the results of their work to YouTrack, (a project management \/ bug-tracking system used widely in industry) to facilitate asynchronous delivery. A short video was recorded for each lab walking students through the exercises to ensure that they had understood the brief.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This did not work out as well as expected, as many of the on<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">&#8211;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">line teams who did not attend the live lab session did not complete their lab work. Student feedback revealed that many teams were having difficulties finding a time to suit all team members, and consequently, the work was not completed.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">From week 4, all teams were asked to attend the live session, whether on-line or in-person. This significantly increased the lab completion rate.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Changes in Activities<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In an effort to extrinsically motivate students, a lab task was added for each team to create a mind-map of the topics covered during the lecture. This was a guided task, as many students preferred to be given some direction rather than left to work on an open-ended project. The lecturer and TA selected the best submission each week which was announced at the beginning of the following week\u2019s lab session. Students enjoyed the low-stakes competitive nature of this task, and the response from some teams was outstanding.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">A nice side-effect of this was that at the end of semester, all students had a ready-made study-resource which helped them prepare for the class test. This cohort\u2019s performance on the test was an improvement on the previous year\u2019s, which may in part be due to the effort they put in to producing these materials.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Changes in Assessment<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Students are required to complete two individual assessments as part of this module. As feedback on the teamwork was generally very positive, the lecturer gave the class the option to instead complete a team-work assignment on a real-world problem taken from a Google coding challenge. Somewhat surprisingly, students voted overwhelmingly in favour of the individual assignment. This is most likely due to the fact that while students enjoy low-stakes teamwork they become more apprehensive when they feel that their attainment depends at least in part on the performance of others.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Early Termination<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">While the transformation worked well, in Week 7, it was brought to the lecturer\u2019s attention that students on one of the three programmes had a module directly after software testing which was delivered in-person only. A small number of students attended the software testing labs online and then did not attend their in-person delivery for the following module. When asked about their non-attendance they said that they did not have time to travel into campus from their homes after the software testing module. Removing barriers to student engagement was a core principle of this exercise and in blending, and it was very important that the exercise not be seen to have the opposite effect. At this point, it was decided in conjunction with school management to end the option of remote attendance for the class as a whole.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p>\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2fc7509e elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"2fc7509e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-67375721 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"67375721\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-85e4566\" data-id=\"85e4566\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3e0eda9a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3e0eda9a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"After_the_transformation\"><\/span>After the transformation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6e8d9f83 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6e8d9f83\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Feedback from the students was generally very positive. Separate surveys were distributed to students who participated online and in-person. Roughly 30% of the online attendees felt that they would have had a more engaging experience in the classroom, but every one of them felt that the option was very important, as they would not have attended in-person due to their own personal circumstances. This was borne out after the remote option was withdrawn as overall class attendance dropped.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">When delivering hybrid sessions with both on<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">&#8211;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">line and in-person attendees it is important that the on-line option does not negatively impact the experience of students who attend in person. In-person attendees reported unanimously that they did not feel that the on-line option had a negative impact on their learning experience. This was possibly a result of the division of labour between the TA and lecturer. As one instructor monitored the virtual classroom while the other monitored the physical classroom, issues with divided attention were avoided.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">The students praised the authentic experience of using industry software, and learning about software testing using the tools they will likely encounter when they begin their careers in software development.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Many online students reported difficulties in organising meeting times when working on tasks asynchronously, though one team actually enjoyed the experience and appreciated the flexibility it offered them. It is likely that asynchronous delivery is better suited to the more mature students in this cohort, and that in many cases it is unlikely to work well for young undergraduate students with less experience in independent time management.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Students\u2019 attainment on the end-of-semester class test improved this year, which may, in part, be due to the time spent building collaborative study resources as part of their lab work.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3461133c elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"3461133c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-214d2444 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"214d2444\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-5b76aa0e\" data-id=\"5b76aa0e\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-596ef719 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"596ef719\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Normal_0_false_false_false_EN-GB_X-NONE_X-NONE_Style_Definitions_tableMsoNormalTable_mso-style-name_%22Table_Normal%22_mso-tstyle-rowband-size_0_mso-tstyle-colband-size_0_mso-style-noshow_yes_mso-style-priority_99_mso-style-parent_%22%22_mso-padding-alt_0in_54pt_0in_54pt_mso-para-margin-top_0in_mso-para-margin-right_0in_mso-para-margin-bottom_80pt_mso-para-margin-left_0in_line-height_107_mso-pagination_widow-orphan_font-size_110pt_font-family_%22Calibri%22sans-serif_mso-ascii-font-family_Calibri_mso-ascii-theme-font_minor-latin_mso-hansi-font-family_Calibri_mso-hansi-theme-font_minor-latin_mso-bidi-font-family_%22Times_New_Roman%22_mso-bidi-theme-font_minor-bidi_mso-ansi-language_EN-GB_Technologies_Employed\"><\/span><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;-->\n \n  \n \n<!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;-->\n \n  Normal\n  0\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  false\n  false\n  false\n  \n  EN-GB\n  X-NONE\n  X-NONE\n  \n   \n   \n   \n   \n   \n   \n   \n   \n   \n  \n  \n   \n   \n   \n   \n   \n   \n   \n   \n   \n   \n   \n  \n<!--[if gte mso 9]&gt;-->\n \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n \n<!--[if gte mso 10]&gt;-->\n\n \/* Style Definitions *\/\n table.MsoNormalTable\n\t{mso-style-name:\"Table Normal\";\n\tmso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;\n\tmso-tstyle-colband-size:0;\n\tmso-style-noshow:yes;\n\tmso-style-priority:99;\n\tmso-style-parent:\"\";\n\tmso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;\n\tmso-para-margin-top:0in;\n\tmso-para-margin-right:0in;\n\tmso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt;\n\tmso-para-margin-left:0in;\n\tline-height:107%;\n\tmso-pagination:widow-orphan;\n\tfont-size:11.0pt;\n\tfont-family:\"Calibri\",sans-serif;\n\tmso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;\n\tmso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;\n\tmso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;\n\tmso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;\n\tmso-bidi-font-family:\"Times New Roman\";\n\tmso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;\n\tmso-ansi-language:EN-GB;}\n\nTechnologies Employed<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-6039857d elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"6039857d\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2be96431\" data-id=\"2be96431\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-846c40d elementor-widget elementor-widget-toggle\" data-id=\"846c40d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"toggle.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toggle\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toggle-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-1381\" class=\"elementor-tab-title\" data-tab=\"1\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-1381\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-toggle-icon elementor-toggle-icon-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-toggle-icon-closed\"><i class=\"fas fa-caret-right\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-toggle-icon-opened\"><i class=\"elementor-toggle-icon-opened fas fa-caret-up\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-toggle-title\" tabindex=\"0\">Virtual Classroom <\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-1381\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"1\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-1381\"><p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW230994703 BCX2\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW230994703 BCX2\">Bongo is a solution integrated into the VLE adopted by the university. It provides an environment where the lecturer can broadcast their classes, record the sessions, and interact with the students via web chat. Having one instructor dedicated to <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW230994703 BCX2\">monitoring<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW230994703 BCX2\"> the VLE chat and another dedicated to <\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW230994703 BCX2\">monitoring<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW230994703 BCX2\"> the physical classroom<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toggle-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-1382\" class=\"elementor-tab-title\" data-tab=\"2\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-1382\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-toggle-icon elementor-toggle-icon-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-toggle-icon-closed\"><i class=\"fas fa-caret-right\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-toggle-icon-opened\"><i class=\"elementor-toggle-icon-opened fas fa-caret-up\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-toggle-title\" tabindex=\"0\">Figma \/ Stormboard <\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-1382\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"2\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-1382\"><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Figma and Stormboard are online tools for collaborative design and brainstorming. They allow students more flexibility in creating a document that standard word-processing tools and can easily be adapted to create mind-maps and other study resources. The lecturer was unfamiliar with <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Figma<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> before the transformation, but although students were guided through using Stormboard they were given the flexibility to use any tool they liked, and Figma was selected by one team for their collaborative work. One of the benefits of teaching a very technically literate cohort is that they are often aware of additional online tools, and giving them the freedom to bring their own technology can be very beneficial.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toggle-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-title-1383\" class=\"elementor-tab-title\" data-tab=\"3\" role=\"button\" aria-controls=\"elementor-tab-content-1383\" aria-expanded=\"false\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-toggle-icon elementor-toggle-icon-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-toggle-icon-closed\"><i class=\"fas fa-caret-right\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-toggle-icon-opened\"><i class=\"elementor-toggle-icon-opened fas fa-caret-up\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-toggle-title\" tabindex=\"0\">YouTrack <\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-tab-content-1383\" class=\"elementor-tab-content elementor-clearfix\" data-tab=\"3\" role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"elementor-tab-title-1383\"><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">YouTrack is a project management and bug-tracking tool used widely in industry. It is designed to allow teams to collaborate and works well for managing team-based software development projects.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-50a3a249 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"50a3a249\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-312c7733\" data-id=\"312c7733\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1d228fc4 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"1d228fc4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-1b2d6a9a elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"1b2d6a9a\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-3b78ff70\" data-id=\"3b78ff70\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4f981229 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"4f981229\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Reflections\"><\/span>Reflections<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-39760105 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"39760105\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-393f5af8\" data-id=\"393f5af8\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-18d67213 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"18d67213\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-55dc3cff\" data-id=\"55dc3cff\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-35e40d66 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"35e40d66\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Challenges Faced<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1e3920ff elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"1e3920ff\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/ascnet.ie\/blitt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/undraw_track_and_field_33qn-150x150.png\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-image-89\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-255d4d08\" data-id=\"255d4d08\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-14632fe5 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"14632fe5\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">It was unfortunate that the blending exercise was terminated prematurely. The lecturer would have hoped that students with timetabling commitments which required them to be on campus would not have taken the option to attend on<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">&#8211;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">line. If this had been foreseen, however, it could have been avoided. A lesson learned from this is that it is important to consider the impact that blending one module may have on other modules on the programme. It should be made clear to students that the opportunity to blend should only be taken up where it does not impact other modules.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Care should also be taken in offering an option for asynchronous delivery, particularly when teamwork is involved. Students benefit from the structured experience of timetables and in-person deliveries. Giving students the option to complete work in their own time gives them much greater flexibility, but also gives them much more responsibility over managing their schedules. While some students thrive in this environment, not all do. The instructor believes this approach would be better suited to mature students.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6c049d42 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"6c049d42\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-inner-section elementor-element elementor-element-32472046 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"32472046\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-2aed5e71\" data-id=\"2aed5e71\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-48941ef4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"48941ef4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The online option increased overall engagement. Students who would otherwise have only rarely attended engaged fully with the module. This increased engagement of online students did not come at a cost to the in-person learners. Students appreciated the authentic experience of using industry-standard collaboration tools to work with their teams, and reported in a terminal survey that they particular enjoyed the practical orientation of the module.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The weekly low-stakes competition for best mind-map worked very well and many students put a lot of effort into this task. It sometimes feels like awarding marks for work is the only tool available to lecturers to extrinsically motivate undergraduate students. This approach has the unwelcome side-effect of increasing the stress and decreasing the enjoyment of the task, particularly when teamwork is involved. In future years, the lecturer intends to explore online badges as a more concrete motivator for these low-stakes exercises.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-inner-column elementor-element elementor-element-3157955a\" data-id=\"3157955a\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2da9bc7d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2da9bc7d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">What went well?<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ab61f2c elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"3ab61f2c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/ascnet.ie\/blitt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/undraw_Certification_re_ifll-150x150.png\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-image-90\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-3fe2c954 elementor-section-full_width elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"3fe2c954\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-c91fb89\" data-id=\"c91fb89\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-14678171 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-position-top elementor-widget elementor-widget-image-box\" data-id=\"14678171\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image-box.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-image-box-wrapper\"><figure class=\"elementor-image-box-img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/ascnet.ie\/blitt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/undraw_team_effort_yj7m-150x150.png\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-image-88\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"elementor-image-box-content\"><h3 class=\"elementor-image-box-title\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Alternatives\"><\/span>Alternatives<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3><p class=\"elementor-image-box-description\">Adding digital achievement badges for the team with the best project, and other aspects of module engagement may be a more tangible reward and will be explored in future deliveries. \n\nMany teams reported using Discord for their teamwork. Discord is a voice, video and text app popular with gamers. Students enjoy the platform, and many have set up unofficial chat rooms for modules and programmes within the university. It would be interesting to see if incorporating Discord as an ad-hoc communication platform for project teams would increase engagement in future. <\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-50 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-417c6f55\" data-id=\"417c6f55\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-77daefca elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-position-top elementor-widget elementor-widget-image-box\" data-id=\"77daefca\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image-box.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-image-box-wrapper\"><figure class=\"elementor-image-box-img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/ascnet.ie\/blitt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/undraw_Credit_card_payments_re_qboh-150x150.png\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-image-92\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"elementor-image-box-content\"><h3 class=\"elementor-image-box-title\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Costs\"><\/span>Costs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3><p class=\"elementor-image-box-description\">Some initial work was required in tailoring assignments to fit the YouTrack platform. This was, however, beneficial to students and well worth the time investment. \n\nAdditional was required to record videos for each lab. Recording videos can be very slow if the instructor strives for a perfect delivery. The instructor had experience in recording videos and had become much quicker at doing so, as they are more willing to let the recording flow even when script mistakes were made. Instructors new to blended learning may find video recording to have a high cost in terms of additional workload, but this pays off as the videos may often be re-used and the time spent recording becomes comparable to the time spent delivering the material in front of a class. \n\nAll software used in this transformation offers a free tier so there were no additional financial costs incurred as part of this experience (assuming the infrastructure is in place e.g. a Virtual Learning Environment, webcams etc.).  <\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Breaking Barriers: Blended Learning Transformation in Software Testing at Technological University Dublin Software Testing Extrinsic Motivation Industry-Standard Tools With rising costs of living and rent in the Greater Dublin area, many students remain at home while attending university and have a long commute to university. This has had an impact on attendance. The primary goal [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"zakra_page_container_layout":"customizer","zakra_page_sidebar_layout":"customizer","zakra_remove_content_margin":false,"zakra_sidebar":"customizer","zakra_transparent_header":"customizer","zakra_logo":0,"zakra_main_header_style":"default","zakra_menu_item_color":"","zakra_menu_item_hover_color":"","zakra_menu_item_active_color":"","zakra_menu_active_style":"","zakra_page_header":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascnet.ie\/blitt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascnet.ie\/blitt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascnet.ie\/blitt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascnet.ie\/blitt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascnet.ie\/blitt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=404"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/ascnet.ie\/blitt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/404\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":734,"href":"https:\/\/ascnet.ie\/blitt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/404\/revisions\/734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ascnet.ie\/blitt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascnet.ie\/blitt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ascnet.ie\/blitt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}