More than 60 participants from all over the country gathered in Bristol
to attend sessions on 'Enhancing Bioscience Student Learning Through C&IT'.
Following an introductory talk on LTSN Bioscience by Prof. Ian Hughes,
the following sessions took place during the day
Using IT to Support Research-based Learning
Dr Mick Roach, TELRI, University of Warwick
Mick gave a stimulating talk on the 'Technology-enhanced Learning in
Research-led Institutions' (TELRI) project. TELRI is a phase 3 TLTP project
based at the Universities of Warwick and Oxford and has developed 'as
a means of encouraging academic staff in research-led institutions to
make effective use of learning technologies in their teaching'.
There is a concern that the guardians of the subject domains (the academics)
are encountering two specific types of learning in the student population.
These have been defined as adoptive and adaptive learning
by TELRI. Academics need to recognise these learning types and develop
appropriate strategies for dealing with them. At present, the pressures
in research-led institutions are such that it is seen as difficult for
the academics to give sufficient time to pass on the 'care' for the subject
domain which would foster adaptive learning. It is essential for those
who care deeply about their subject domain to foster the same spirit of
care in their students, resulting in those students taking their study
of the subject to a deep level. It is important that any teaching and
learning using the new technologies now available makes these learning
processes explicit.
Mick went on to describe the TELRI approach and framework, resulting
in lively and diverse discussion.
Further information regarding TELRI can be found at http://www.warwick.ac.uk/ETS/TELRI/
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Real learning in a Virtual Environment
Dr Andrew Booth, University of Leeds
Dr Booth gave a demonstration of the virtual learning environment (VLE)
developed and used at the University of Leeds- namely, the Virtual
Nathan Bodington Building. He showed how small group activities could
be co-ordinated via an online 'discussion room' held within this virtual
environment and that students appeared to benefit from the flexibility
the system offered in supporting their learning and topic research. Further
types of resource available in the VLE were also demonstrated and issues
concerning development of these resources into Managed Learning Environments
(MLEs) were presented. In addition, Dr Booth laid out the advantages of
developing such a learning environment using a baseline of academic needs
in comparison with the alternative industrial approach taken by the developers
of commercial learning environments.
Further information on the Nathan Bodington Project can be found at http://bodington.org/
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Use of On-Line Multimedia in Biology Education
Paul Shabajee, ILRT, University of Bristol
Paul presented the ARKive project to an interested audience. ARKive is
an initiative of the Wildscreen Trust (a registered charity) that aims
to develop a globally accessible digital library of natural history films,
photographs and sound recordings of endangered species. This library will
serve schools, colleges, academics and professional researchers. Priorities
for inclusion are endangered species (at present 6, 000 animal and 33,000
plant species) and 1, 200 priority species from the UK. ARKive will be
housed in Wildscreen@Bristol- a new multi-media visitor attraction covering
biodiversity and the natural world.
The ARKive library will be a partly web-accessible resource containing:
- Species holdings (web access) - a representative selection
of moving images, photographs, sounds and other scientific information
for each species covered
- A library of full-length films (Intranet access)
- Filmed interviews (web access) with pioneering wildlife filmmakers
- An underlying comprehensive database (controlled web access)
detailing the location and copyright details of all known collections
of natural history images and recordings
- A collection of specialist books and journals
As a further part of the initiative, research will be carried out on:
- The capture and management of high quality video, audio, images
and their metadata
- Streaming delivery of mixed media over narrow and broadband
infrastructures
- The repurposing and publishing of rich media for different audiences
- Links to diverse distributed data resources
- Large-scale long-term storage management
ARKive-ERA
Paul then talked about a parallel research project which is investigating
the issues surrounding the diverse needs of educational users (such as
characterising users, linking to rapidly evolving standards such as metadata
and tracking trends in pedagogy and associated technologies). It is essential
that in addition to developing the resource side of the ARKive project
that user needs are understood and followed through any inevitable change.
These and other issues will in turn have implications on the technologies
and standards required by the project to ensure a long shelf life.
In summary, Paul likened one possible future of ARKive to Apratistha
(one of a number of hells!) 'to settle down where there is no settling
down'.
Further information on ARKive can be found at http://www.arkive.org.uk/
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Video-streaming for the Pragmatic Bioscientist
Terry McAndrew, LTSN Bioscience
Terry outlined rules for getting started with Media Streaming, aimed
at busy academics who needed awareness of the essential components of
this technology. He illustrated the requirements for successful media
streaming, including a demonstration of how to capture media using a digital
camera and the hardware and software used for the associated tasks. Also
shown were media transferred from old video stock.
There followed discussion of where this might successfully be deployed
in learning and teaching, and links to associated projects were given.
It was highlighted that to get the pedagogical aspects right at the beginning
was essential, as the likelyhood of reuse of materials was high. It was
also recognised that there would be a need for a co-ordinated network
to exchange such resources.
Potential problems discussed included the need to open up student accessed
PCs to receive media streams (these machines often being blocked by over-restrictive
port blocks).
Terry has kindly provided his slides
to this presentation for download here
*.
Sites to look at for further information on this topic-
Bioscience media from Lifesign at http://www.lifesign.ac.uk/
Get started with Media Streaming at http://www.clickandgovideo.ac.uk/
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* Copyright over these items sits with the author.
Any person wishing to use these presentations for any purpose must first
approach the author via LTSN Bioscience.
