Month: January 2013

Moodle 2: Improving the help functions

Moodle 2 icon

One of the common critiques of Moodle is that when you need some information on how to do stuff, it may take you some time finding what you are looking for and the information may not always be available in the most user friendly fashion. Moodle 2 promises a range of interesting and useful tools….Continue Reading Moodle 2: Improving the help functions

The New Learning Space: Experiences of Three Different Classes

First-year tutor group on SWOT and Time Management

My final blog post reflecting on newly implemented practices last year is a long-overdue write-up of my experiences teaching different classes in one of City’s innovative Learning Spaces, which have been much talked about recently on Educational Vignettes. I have followed the Learning Spaces project with interest since its inception, so I was delighted that…Continue Reading The New Learning Space: Experiences of Three Different Classes

Shareville

Filming against the TV Studios blue screen

Shareville is an online learning resource developed by the e-learning team at Birmingham City University. In essence, it is a virtual town with a hospital, university, school, law practice and care home. Environments are presented as 3D panoramas that students can explore, accessing material relevant to their area of study. Much of this comprises of…Continue Reading Shareville

Moodle 2: Here’s looking at what’s around the corner

As has already been posted in educational vignettes, Moodle is being upgraded at City University, London in the next three months. Before that happens, all ed. tech teams are on the go trying to ensure that Moodle 2 gets the full body treatment! This blog provides you with an update on what the Moodle implementation…Continue Reading Moodle 2: Here’s looking at what’s around the corner

Artist helps students to visualise Learning Space design at City

 Dont Walk Away, Have Your Say! was an LDC event at the end of last term on the main walkway, aiming  to capture student views and promote three of the ongoing LDC projects. I invited artist Susie Howarth to visualise students ideas on learning space design. With major building work scheduled at City and imminent…Continue Reading Artist helps students to visualise Learning Space design at City

Don’t walk away have your say: Learning Development Associates’ Event

At the end of last year, the Learning Development Associates staged an event:  don’t walk away have your say. We spent a couple of hours collecting input into our projects by stopping students and asking them for their opinions as they walked along the main campus corridor. Participation was voluntary and rewards, in the form…Continue Reading Don’t walk away have your say: Learning Development Associates’ Event

7 things you should know about Lecture Capture

OTLT

What is it? Lecture Capture includes a range of technologies used for digitally recording and distributing lectures. These recordings involve some combination of text, audio and video. The video could be of the lecturer, a whiteboard, a chalkboard, a screencast or any combination of video feeds available (Dey et al., 2009; Gosper, et al., 2008)….Continue Reading 7 things you should know about Lecture Capture

Blogs for Learning and Teaching: More then just a passing phase

Blog wordle

Over the last few years, you may have found yourself subscribing to various blogs. These tend to provide bite sized information on areas that interest you. For instance our educational vignettes(created by the Learning Development Centre) enables the dissemination of case studies, reviews, and guidance on learning and teaching in general. However you may have…Continue Reading Blogs for Learning and Teaching: More then just a passing phase

Twitter in the University Classroom: Live-Tweeting During Lectures

Chris Wiley - Live-Tweeting During Lectures

My second blog post reflecting on teaching innovations of 2012 is dedicated to my use of Twitter during one undergraduate module in the year just passed. My original intention, in embedding a Twitter widget within one of my Moodle pages, was merely to issue the occasional message to students to aid communication of, for instance,…Continue Reading Twitter in the University Classroom: Live-Tweeting During Lectures