Group Project

Assessment Task :

Group Work (50%) Ongoing assessment. Final submission 6 December, 2011

Individuals within a Group select a case from the research-based SITES-M2 study to analyze innovative practice at the classroom and the school level. Groups then identify recent examples of IT-based innovative practices (eg the use of Facebook to teach science classes in secondary schools). Case analyses in each group will then be combined and compared to address and discuss a selection of the following questions:

1. Nature of the innovation
   • Why are these practices considered innovative?
   
2. Similarities and differences
   • How are these practices similar and different from one to another?
   
3. Success criteria
   • To what extent have these practices transformed aspects of learning and teaching?
   
4. Contextual Factors
   • What contextual factors are associated with these innovative practices?
   
5. Sustainability and transferability
   • What practices appear to support more sustainable and transferable change? And why, at the classroom and school levels?

Each group will develop an e-portfolio of work associated with their case studies. The e-portfolio should include analysis of the case studies, links to research on innovation and relevant resources in a repository as well as engagement in activities online to address questions about innovative practices.

Students will be marked on the quality of their contributions in the e-portfolio to:

(a) Individual and group completion of weekly activities

(b) Individual and group case study analyses, links to related research, models and resources, presentations and feedback on the case study work and those of the group;

(c) Critical reflections in relation to the integration of innovative practice and change concepts and models; and

(d) Demonstration of active individual participation in group work as well as engagement in reflecting on other groups’ work.