Towards developing a collaborative video platform for learning

The work presented in this paper outlines issues relating to the development of a collaborative video platform for learning. Student adoption of collaborative and video technology is increasing dramatically, becoming part of their everyday lives. The aim of this paper is to propose a system and framework for the successful integration of these technologies into teaching and learning. At the outset we assess current trends and previous research, using these findings to inform the development of a new platform. System specifications are then presented with specific needs identified for students and educators. Finally our tentative framework for a integrating a collaborative video platform for learning is presented

Knowledge Cartography: Software tools and mapping techniques

Knowledge Cartography is the discipline of mapping intellectual landscapes.The focus of this book is on the process by which manually crafting interactive, hypertextual maps clarifies one’s own understanding, as well as communicating it.The authors see mapping software as a set of visual tools for reading and writing in a networked age. In an information ocean, the primary challenge is to find meaningful patterns around which we can weave plausible narratives. Maps of concepts, discussions and arguments make the connections between ideas tangible and disputable. With 17 chapters from the leading researchers and practitioners, the reader will find the current state–of-the-art in the field. Part 1 focuses on educational applications in schools and universities, before Part 2 turns to applications in professional communitie

Swimsmart: An Interactive and instructional multimedia application

The thesis project, SwimSmart, created by Rebecca Natalie Berent, is an instructional CD-ROM designed for coaches and intermediate to advanced swimmers seeking to improve upon their swimming skills. It is designed for use on both a projector for group training and on a personal computer as an individual teaching aid, and it runs by inserting it into a computer. The CD includes videos depicting proper swimming technique and is organized within a graphical interface broken down by stroke technique, coach advice, and tips, exercises, and downloadable practice routines. There are two additional sections devoted to credits and an explanation of the application, and a library where the user can watch all videos found throughout SwimSmart in one place. The program is interactive, meaning the user uses the mouse to click through and view various types of content related to swimming. Teachers and professors typically use some form of multimedia to assist in instructing students in the classroom. The intent of SwimSmart is to improve upon a physical activity using the same principles behind the instructional multimedia used in classrooms. The physical skill is depicted by video that captures the actual movements of a swimmer, along with demonstrations of exercises, practices, and drills. These demonstrations are explained in terms of the muscles they affect as well as how they will improve personal swimming skills, times, and strokes. There are also sections devoted to common mistakes swimmers tend to make and how to correct them. For the creation, design, and implementation of SwimSmart, videos were shot, edited, and made into short, stand-alone clips, which were then combined and organized into a structured format within the SwimSmart application. Each clip is devoted to an area of swimming and is set up like a short documentary of the particular topic or subject. Video content includes coaches giving advice and explanations of strokes, swimmers in the pool demonstrating various aspects of swimming, and dry-land training. The designer shot and edited video of coaches and swimmers and created videos to teach the principles of swimming and the various strokes and to present drills, exercises, and other content. All the videos were combined into a dynamically generated video player embedded within a graphical interface using ActionScript and XML code and Adobe Flash. Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe After Effects, Adobe SoundBooth, Adobe Premiere, and Adobe InDesign were all used to create elements for the application, including its brand, video and user-interfaces, buttons, photos, imagery, icons, and more. Positive usability testing showed that the application was easy to use and understand, well organized and designed, and educational. Additional materials that accompany the CD are CD labels, a user guide, and posters marketing the product

Reviews

Researching into Teaching Methods in Colleges and Universities by Clinton Bennett, Lorraine Foreman‐Peck and Chris Higgins, London: Kogan Page, 1996. ISBN: 0–7494–1768–4, 136 (+ vii) pages, paperback. £14.99

Developing Online Learning Materials for Higher Education: An Overview of Current Issues

The changing roles and challenges for higher education and the increased productivity required of faculty are driving forces for the development of more diverse and efficient teaching methods. Educational trends are toward more learner-centered materials. In response to these trends, colleges and universities are now offering courses at a distance and in forms other than traditional delivery. Online courseware materials may be a viable means of fulfilling these numerous requirements but are very resource-intensive to develop. Multiple approaches to developing online learning have been tried, with limited success. The primary approach has been for faculty to enter their own course materials into the computer. To maximize university resources, the most effective approach for developing online learning materials must be determined and institutionalized. While faculty are the most logical persons to provide course content and design, faculty should not be expected to complete the technical tasks associated with developing online learning materials

The influence of student characteristics on the use of adaptive e-learning material

Adaptive e-learning materials can help teachers to educate heterogeneous student groups. This study provides empirical data about the way academic students differ in their learning when using adaptive elearning materials. Ninety-four students participated in the study. We determined characteristics in a heterogeneous student group by collecting demographic data and measuring motivation and prior knowledge. We also measured the learning paths students followed and learning strategies they used when working with adaptive e-learning material in a molecular biology course. We then combined these data to study if and how student characteristics relate to the learning paths and strategies they used. We observed that students did follow different learning paths. Gender did not have an effect, but (mainly Dutch) BSc students differed from (international) MSc students in the intrinsic motivation they had and the learning paths and strategies they followed when using the adaptive e-learning materia

Instruction of throwing events in track and field : an historical analysis

Track and field throwing events (discus, javelin, hammer and shot put), originating in ancient Greece and pre-Medieval Ireland and Scotland, require complex physical interaction. An historical analysis of the features of traditional media which have been used as coaching tools in these events - books, video, audio, diagrams, photographs and hypertext - provides the foundation on which future multimedia tools can be developed. Variables associated with effective coaching are based on technique, science, use of expert models, and motor learning theory. Training in these events is enhanced through the use of multimedia, a tool uniquely suited to the variables of track and field instruction. Additional variables - interactivity, usability and cost - are associated specifically with multimedia and should be considered in the development of future multimedia coaching tools

Cougar swing: A web site model curriculum devoted toward improving hitting productivity for varsity baseball competition

The main goal of this project is to develop a curriculum for hitting by designing an instructional web site and evaluation unit for high school baseball players at Canyon Springs High School

Multimedia Sotho-English E-dictionary for Undergraduate Students in Design and Studio Art

Published ThesisWhen students study at tertiary institutions they are often confronted with disciplines that are unfamiliar to them. Many of these disciplines are rich in terminology and concepts that students have never been confronted with in their past. In most South African tertiary institutions the language of instruction is English, making it difficult for second language speaking students to grasp the meaning of these terms and concepts. Research has shown that e-dictionaries with multimedia enhancements have greatly facilitated the comprehension of difficult terms and concepts. The inclusion of pictures, videos, animations, cartoons and audio clips into e-dictionaries have been proven to aid students in learning and comprehending new terms and concepts. Aim: Undergraduate students at the Department of Design and Studio Art, CUT-FS could greatly benefit from the development of a multimedia enhanced Sotho-English e-dictionary. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a multimedia enhanced Sotho-English e-dictionary that can be used by undergraduate students from the Department of Design and Studio Art, Central University of Technology, Free State. Methods: The study was divided into five phases in order to meet the aims and objectives. Firstly, English art and design terms and concepts were sourced from the relevant literature. The English art and design terms and concepts were for first year students at the Department of Design and Studio Art at the Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT-FS). Secondly, Sotho equivalents of the sourced English art and design terms and concepts were devised. Thirdly, the instructional multimedia aids for the multimedia e-dictionary were designed. Fourthly, the user interface of the e-dictionary was developed. Lastly, the multimedia e-dictionary was tested by undergraduate students at the Department of Design and Studio Art at the CUT-FS. The students were randomly divided into two groups. The control group, Group A, did not have access to a multimedia enhanced e-dictionary while studying art and design terms and concepts. The multimedia group, Group B, had access to a multimedia e-dictionary while studying art and design terms and concepts. Furthermore, purposeful semi-structured interviews were conducted with five Sotho speaking participants of the multimedia group to gather qualitative data about their experience with the multimedia e-dictionary application. Results: The results of the online comprehension test revealed that the multimedia e-dictionary application successfully facilitated learning amongst the multimedia group students. The group of students that had access to the multimedia e-dictionary application significantly outperformed the group of students that did not have access to the multimedia e-dictionary application (p = 0.0007). The semi-structured interviews that were conducted with a few Sotho speaking students that had access to the application also supported the success of the SEADD application

The effectiveness of online instructional videos in the acquisition and demonstration of cognitive, affective and psychomotor rehabilitation skills

The use of instructional videos to teach clinical skills is an ever growing area of e-learning based upon observational learning that is cited as one of the most basic yet powerful learning strategies. The aim of the current study is to evaluate the effectiveness of online instructional videos for the acquisition and demonstration of cognitive, affective and psychomotor skills among undergraduate students, throughout formative assessments with two different durations of instructional videos. The research suggests that the use of videos to support traditional learning should be encouraged. While a conclusive evidence—base for their usage has not yet been established they are a medium which is likely to benefit a proportion of a cohort, and it is very unlikely that they will be harmful to students' learning