MyLearn – your questions answered!

MyLearn was launched to the Macquarie community on 10 March. Students have been increasingly accessing the dashboard in recent weeks since it went live. This article is to answer some questions that were asked at the launch as well as share some further developments that have been made within MyLearn over recent weeks. We will also be holding a Forum for Unit Convenors on 21 April, 12.00-1.00pm on ZOOM where a demonstration will be provided followed by Q&A.

MyLearn Demonstration by Shamim Joarder

MyLearn Questions (answered!)

Question: I would like to see what students can see in our actual units. This would be really valuable. Is that possible?
Yes. Please refer to the ‘Student View available for Unit Convenors’ section below for further information on this.

Question: Is this just a website version that is accessible via mobile or will it be an app as well so students can turn notifications on for important assessments to do for example?
This is currently a website that is also accessible via mobile. There are no notifications to turn on within MyLearn, as upcoming deadlines and due dates are all located in the Alerts section. Work is underway on a MyLearn app to make the dashboard even more accessible for students.

Question: How is MyLearn being launched to the students? Are the college students able to use this system?
Information regarding has been communicated to students via the Macquarie Feed (student newsletter), current students website, social media and the SRC. Macquarie University College students have access to MyLearn.

Question: Can information from community units be included in MyLearn platform?
Yes this is possible. Please contact Shamim Joarder via mylearn@mq.edu.au with specific community unit information that needs to be added. As community units do not have any start and end date, we may need to investigate best way to add this info in MyLearn.

Question: Will this be able to link to support units such as PAL?
All iLearn units can be added to MyLearn. Please contact Shamim Joarder via mylearn@mq.edu.au  for further information.

Question: Is the calendar customisable? Can students add their own deadlines or extra curriculum activities? Use it like apple/personal calendar for example
Currently the calendar in MyLearn is NOT customisable. We are very keen to add this functionality in MyLearn, so students can add their own deadlines or extra curriculum activities. This will be a development project over the next few months.

Question: If the activity is not an iLearn activity with a due date, would it help if convenors add ‘offline’ activity due dates to the calendar?
MyLearn does not take data from the iLearn calendar. We will need to investigate this issue and come up with a solution. This will be an element of our ongoing development with MyLearn.

Question: Would it be possible to include support activties tile? Eg PAL sessions, Writing Centre Workshops etc.
Yes. Please contact Shamim Joarder via mylearn@mq.edu.au

Question: If the information on the display layer is that which a convenor can see anyway, is there a reason why you might not allow the convenor to see MyLearn as any individual student from iLearn Insights? I can imagine there may be ethical issues?
I have developed a ‘MyLearn student view’ in iLearn Insights, where an unit convenor can view what student can see for his/her unit. Unit convenor will not be able to view a combined ‘MyLearn student view’, so there are no ethical issues with this.

Question: Will items hidden from students in iLearn appear in MyLearn?
Yes, all items hidden in iLearn as well as restricted using date, group, grouping, AIM badge will NOT show in MyLearn.

Question: Does the MyLearn link and data work for Test Students? ie can the convenor login as a test student to see what their students see in MyLearn?
No, MyLearn does not work with ‘Test Students’. We have developed a “student view” that Unit Convenors can access to view the information a student will see about their unit. See further information below.

Question: Does the display of your mark versus the average run against the Macquarie approach to standards based assessment?

Students consulted in the development of MyLearn told us that they would really like to have some sort of indication of “how am I doing?” in relation to the rest of their class. They wanted information to help them calibrate: “Am I doing enough work in this unit?” “Am I keeping up with everyone?” “Am I falling behind?”  The comparison display aims to provide students with a sense of how they are travelling compared to others in the unit, in order to monitor their own progress. Ideally, it would lead to reflection and exploration of other displays to help guide study and activity. For example, Top 5 activities accessed, schedule of activities, due dates, access frequency and so on.

It isn’t intended to indicate their likely grade, as grades are standards-based rather than norm-referenced. We are very interested in both staff and student feedback on this feature, as it does have the potential to confuse students. It will be immensely helpful if unit convenors and teaching teams build a good understanding of MyLearn and communicate to students about how to use it to their advantage, while reminding them of its limitations.

Student View available for Unit Convenors (new development)

A new column within the unit participants report in iLearn Insights now has a link to ‘MyLearn student view’.

Please login to MyLearn using your OneID in a separate tab and then click ‘MyLearn student view’ link in iLearn Insight. Staff will be redirected to MyLearn to view ‘student view page’ only for the unit that staff has convenor or category access. ‘MyLearn student view’ looks following. This is a single page report without any menu and clearly stated as ‘This is a student view of <student name>’.

Further Questions

Staff who have any further enquiries regarding MyLearn can reach out to Shamim via mylearn@mq.edu.au or attend the MyLearn Unit Convenor Forum on 21 April, 12.00-1.00pm on ZOOM.