Automatic extensions: Innovation through integration

Synopsis

The 7 Day Auto-Extension Tool is a new approach to student engagement first piloted within the School of Psychology undergraduate units during Trimester 3 2021, and has since been well-received across parts of all three UNE Faculties.

This project success is due to the Learning Design Team structure within which our team is encouraged to share ideas across traditional areas with beneficial outcomes in both academic workload and student learning. From a staff perspective workload is dramatically reduced in this area, freeing up time to focus on teaching and research.

The tool utilises existing Moodle features in innovative ways, coupled with robust extensions policies and guidelines, allowing students to adjust their own due date from date listed to a new due date a week later. This approach provides an immediate and visual resolution for the student, listing this new date clearly in Moodle. The tool incorporates a self-efficacy model of support allowing students to take ownership of their learning with an instantaneous outcome reducing student stress and making failure or withdrawal from the teaching unit less likely. It is already proving an effective way of empowering adult learners and enabled data-informed intervention strategies as part of a wider engagement strategy.

Mr Mike Franklin, Mr Stephen Grono, Ms Melissa Mitchell, Dr Simone Simpson, Mr Johl Sue