What about a 'virtual' open evening?

Having recently been succesful in getting the 'distance' (i.e., FDL) version of the MSc Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) validated, I found myself reflecting on why we didn't offer a 'virtual' open evening for prospective distance learners. The more I reflected on this, the more it seemed a bit of a 'no-brainer'... Of course we should offer something like this!

And so I mentioned this to some key people at the university to see what kind of response I would get if we were to try and run something like this for the MAPP, nothing too big, alongside the PG Open Evening on Wednesday 15th July. The PG Marketing Manager, usually very supportive of any activity that might enhance the marketability of a course, was a little reticent. Perhaps this could be something to think about for the future? The E-Learning Services Manager, however, was happy to support this and we arranged to meet.

What made this even better was that the Digital Media Manager had independently considered that the University should consider 'Virtual Open Days' having come across a case study from the University of Derby who had been running such events, via Blackboard (Bb) Collaborate, for a number of years and suggested these were effective ways of converting potential applicants into students. We met, shared our ideas, and became quite excited by the possibilities! We agreed that I would run a 'mock' session a week before the PG Open Evening to see how it might work. We would invite a group of interested parties (including the PG Marketing Manager) to log on and try it out. We scheduled this for Tuesday 7th July...

We're all YouTubers now!

Reflections on creating video content for teaching...

Over the past few months, I have been reflecting almost continually on the challenges associated with creating video content for teaching. This has emerged out of the wish to create video-based materials as part of the development of course materials for the MAPP 'distance'. It has also emerged out of the use of Swivl for the 'Go Luck Yourself!' (GLY!) project, which allowed me to video-record myself (on an iPad or iPhone) running each session and upload the clips on to YouTube. So I am not so much discussing the use of existing video within a course, but instead the value of creating videos of, say, a tutor talking through some of the course content or an interaction between two or more people discussing the course content.

My reflections here focus on weighing up the different ways of creating this kind of video content. In this way, I am in a way side-stepping the question of the need to creat video content fullstop (I will come back to this). I am assuming that video content is desirable that it enhances course materials and that it helps learners/students (you decide what you want to call them!) to engage with said materials. The two main methods of creating video content I will refer to are either (a) self-created or (b) created with the help of a camerman.

Using Swivl to film oneself (or indeed others) falls into the former category, and some examples of materials created as part of the GLY! project are provided on my PGCert Bb organisation. In terms of the latter category, we recently booked time with a Learning Technology Ambassador (LTA) working within the Open4Learning unit to help with the development of materials for the MAPP 'distance'. The still below shows a break in the filming last Friday as we filmed with Dr Andrew Machon, Visiting Teaching Fellow at the University, and key guest contributor on the MAPP.

A  break in filming

The idea about having some segments 'professionally' filmed and edited is that this will produce much higher quality recordings that will be more engaging for learners and generally 'look better'. However, I am quickly becoming of the view that self-created video content (such as that produced using an iPad and Swivl) produces quality that is 'good enough' and importantly one can do without the need for a cameraman and needs little nor no editing. The value of this is that one doesn't need to book time with a camerman well ahead of when the materials will be needed to allow the time needed for rendering (?), editing, etc. This is of enormous importance when considering the pressures on teaching staff to create (or 'convert') course materials as one is often not in the position to create course content months in advance of the scheduled running of the course (see my experience running the Intro to Positive Psychology distance learning module the first time).

In light of this, I am now wondering whether working towards creating video content with the help of a cameraman is such a good idea. Indeed, as part of the filming last Friday, we shot some more 'conversational' material (i.e., conversational interviews between Piers and Andrew) using two cameras. From a learning perspective I would imagine these elements would be more engaging than the original 'talking heads' we were filming, but I felt that these would work just as well (if not better) as simple audio recordings as the video was not adding much of value. Given the extra difficulty created by trying to film these 'professionally', I was left with the feeling that much simpler audi-recording would be preferable here. This would be something I could do myself and could be created as 'podcasts' to form part of the course materials.

So perhaps video content is not needed here after all?

MAPP 'distance' validated!

Today was the validation for the 'distance learning' version of the MAPP... or officially the MAPP-FDL. I am pleased to say it was validated. No conditions, just some recommendations and a commendation. Yippee!

One of the recommendations did relate to the use of the term 'flexible and distributed learning' (FDL) and that we should should clarify what we mean by this term. The documents were modified accordingly, and this also led to us saying a little about what we mean by FDL on the course web pages here.

If you're really interested, the full validation documents are provided in the Bb shell, within the Introduction to Positive Psychology [Distance Learning] folder. Enjoy! ;-)

The context

Still finding it a challenge to make the time needed to read and write as much as I feel is needed for the course. That is not to say that reflection is not taking place!

The context for my taking this MSc is that I have just begun (since early October 2014) delivering for the first time a fully distance learning module, Introduction to Positive Psychology, that forms part of the MSc Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) at Bucks New University. The module runs from October - January, and has recruited 7 students. Not many, though this was without any advertising. I am pleased we have at least some students on the course, and it is a small group to begin with as we find our feet with it! The module is also offered as a stand alone short course, and is part of our attempt to develop a distance learning delivery for the full MAPP. This would be alongside the existing delivery in which students attend one weekend per month. 

As we have a number of students travelling internationally each month, and more enquiring about the possibility of distance learning we feel that there is a need to have this form of delivery. Further development of online materials and support via Blackboard will also further support our existing students. Over the next year, we will seek to validate a distance learning MAPP in time for September 2015. 

Thus the plan is to develop my understanding of t-eL and I see the MSc t-eL as a way of supporting my work on the Intro to PP now as well as the planning for the distance learning MAPP.

UPDATE 1: A later blog-post including reflections on the Intro to PP distance module can be found here!

UPDATE 2 [12 May 2015]: The MAPP 'distance', or MAPP-FDL as it became... is validated!