All entries for Tuesday 24 March 2009

Why E–learning? A complete guide to e–learning for the Arts Faculty

Writing about web page http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/elearning/arts/why/

Published today in the Arts E-learning pages, a guide that suggests 6 convincing reasons to use 'e-learning' techniques and technologies in your teaching...

• Rapid access to information
  Get facts and figures, names and dates, accessible in one place.
  • Create department, course, module and personal web pages using Sitebuilder.
  • Begin with standardised departmental templates for your pages, each following the same basic pattern.
  • Add a calendar to your course or module web pages.
  • Create a list of links to pages that contain important information.
  • Create a reading list, with links to library resources (use the Build A Link tool).
  • Put department and course policies, regulations and instructions in a single obvious location.
  • Create a glossary page, with key terms and ideas defined.
• Efficient administration
  Simplify and systematise processes, make them 'self-service', free-up time for other things.
  
  • Create online forms for collecting information from students (e.g. for essay titles).
  • Use online assignment submission forms, along with Turn It In plagiarism detection.
  • Create a frequently asked questions (FAQ) page.
  • Use a Data Reveal page to return assignment marks to students.
  • Use the Mass Mailing system to send emails to groups of students.
• Instant access to resources
  A student asks a question, you know of a video that will illustrate your answer, find it quickly, play it instantly.
  
  • Always give your uploads a meaningful title, description and keywords (helps with searching).
  • Create image gallery pages and upload images.
  • Create a Table of Contents page on your web site, upload important files to it (give each file a description and keywords).
  • Deep-link to online journal articles.
  • Upload audio files to a Podcast page, so that they can be played online or downloaded.
  • Embed videos into web pages so that they can be played online.
  • Create a web page for each lecture or seminar containing the media files and links that you are likely to use.
  • Alternatively, write a blog entry for each lecture or seminar containing everything you think you will need.
  • Create a Table of Tags page for searching for files and pages using your keyword schema.
• Making it discursive
  More than just a transfer of information, get your students to be more engaged and active: students as producers & performers.
  
  • Add a discussion forum to your web pages.
  • Prompt discussions in advance with questions and instructions.
  • Allow your students to comment on selected web pages in Sitebuilder.
  • Get your students to collect and comment on resources (links, images etc).
    
  • Write blog entries about lectures, resources, events, and ainvite your students to comment.
  • Get students to write blog entries.
  • Get students to record podcasts to a podcast page
  • Get students to respond to podcasts so that a dialogue is formed.
  • Get students to create and upload video presentations.
  • Gather feedback using a Formsbuilder page.
  • Create wiki pages and get your students to edit them.
  • Create a glossary page, and get your students to add definitions.
• Making it reflective
  Revisiting past learning activities improves memory and understanding, and allows us to plan to improve. 
  
  • Create Quizbuilder tests to prompt students to review their own knowledge and understanding.
  • Create an image gallery and post photographic records of activities.
  • Get each seminar group to keep a 'class journal' using Warwick Blogs, recording their activities.
  • Encourage individual students to keep an online journal of their learning in a blog.
  • Use blog forms to help students to structure their records of learning in their blogs.
  • Encourage each student to create their own e-portfolio page as a summary of their learning.
  • Get students to record and reflect in videos and podcasts.
  • Encourage students to review their activities that have been posted online.
  • Get students to write reflective reviews of what they have done.

In addition, exposing our students to all of these uses of IT gives them a chance to develop vital skills, making their university experience even more valuable.

In the complete guide, each of these links to a list of suggestions for how you can achieve these gains. This is backed up with an extensive glossary of definitions and explanations.

Read the complete guide to e-learning for the Arts Faculty.

Robert O'Toole : 24 Mar 2009 21:16 |  Tags: E-Learning |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem