International peer assisted learning (iPAL) - continuation, improvements and sustainability through innovative e-learning programs. Expanding research collaboration with student participation

Project summary

The objectives are to strengthen and develop the academic collaboration between Bergen University College (HiB) and Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) within the field of Radiography. We also want to increase the quality and internationalization of study programmes within Radiography at the two institutions. Lastly, we want to increase student and staff mobility by creating mobility windows.
Our goal is to develop an on-line peer assisted teaching approach (iPAL) for higher education study programmes based on a pilot study. The iPAL idea was initiated by PolyU and was tested in HiB in June 2016, when PolyU senior students delivered teaching content to local junior students. The evaluation was very good and we want to develop the project further to form the basis for implementing iPAL as a joint curriculum. In addition to implementing iPAL, and thus create “virtual mobility” and increase internationalization at home, we want to develop mobility windows for students and staff.
In order to reach our goals, we seek funding to develop joint curriculum and new educational materials including digital content, implement student mobility particularly within research activities/projects and windows for guest lectures.
By the end of the project, we expect to have iPAL implemented within the curriculum in Radiography at both intstitutions, thereby increasing the quality and internationalization of those study programmes. We expect this on-line component to be a sustainable form of collaboration with a strategic partner in addition to set mobility windows for students and staff. We expect increased virtual and physical mobility.
 

Method

Workplan for subgoal 1: Develop the on-line iPAL programme.

Spring 2017:
Students from HiB will prepare and deliver an iPAL programme to students at Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

January: Recruitment/nomination of students and teachers
February: Student preparation - mutual communications (such as Skype) between peer teachers and peer learners to plan teaching topics (PolyU and HiB).

February/March: Supervision of students: presentation techniques, organization and leading skills, student-active learning methods (HiB).
March: Preparation of teaching materials (pre- and post-test) and presentations (HiB). To initiate the use of an e-learning platform (HiB).
Staff members involved in the project will develop instruments to assess quantitatively and qualitatively the expected learning outcomes for peer-teachers and peer-learners (PolyU and HiB).

April: Preparation workshop and feedback from teachers and students at HiB.
May: Fine-tuning teaching presentations.
June: Student and teacher mobility from Bergen to Hong Kong. Implementation of iPAL in Hong Kong (PolyU and HiB).
Assessment of learning outcomes for peer-teachers and peer-learners. 
August. Data analysis : Quantitative - HiB, Qualitative - HiB
October/November. Staff members visit Hong Kong PolyU to enhance and establish iPAL as online learning modules and to develop evaluation instrument the effectiveness and sustainability of iPAL as a virtual and physical (face-to-face) learning approach (PolyU).

Spring 2018:
PolyU senior students will prepare and perform the first on-line iPAL teaching programme based on virtual mobility. They will plan and teach based on the routines developed during the two iPAL programme visits and at the same time develop new routines for on-line teaching (PolyU).
Preparing peer-learners (iPAL) using e-learning platform (HiB).

June 2018: Continuing and assessment of iPAL using e-learning platform only. Both institutions and HiB has the responsibility for this.
August-September 2018 - Evaluation of e-learning platform for quality improvement. Both institutions. HiB is responsible
October-December 2018 - Improvements based on the result of evaluation. Both institutions. HiB is responsible
Autumn 2018: Prepare joint scientific articles . Both institutions. HiB is responsible

We aim to create synergies between joint research collaboration and education by meetings to evaluate and improve continuously the iPAL Further to collaborate in performing research and publishing scientific papers.
June 2017 and November 2017: Teacher visits
Subgoal 3. Create mobility windows for staff and students.
We want to explore the possibilities of both virtual and physical bilateral student- and teacher-exchange in areas such as practical placement, theoretical courses and guest lecturing. We plan for mobility windows for students in relation to the iPAL programme in the sense that joint project assignments and bachelor thesis will build on cases and challenges discussed during the iPAL programme. Students will face potential project descriptions/assignments during the iPAL programme and be offered the possibility of doing their bachelor project abroad with joint supervision. Project descriptions will also be linked to ongoing joint research.