All Ireland Society for Higher Education
| Name: | Karen Fraser |
|---|---|
| Email: | k.fraser@ulster.ac.uk |
| Institution: | University of Ulster |
With an increase in the availability of technology in teaching and learning and an increasingly sophisticated 'audience', Higher Education institutions need to rethink the traditional lecture as the sole means of delivering information. It is evident that today's students are used to huge amounts of stimulation from many sources including computer games, the internet, interactive television and even their mobile phones. The result is that they have high expectations of information and technology. Consequently, posting lecture related links onto an academic's home page or an institutional VLE together with some PowerPoint slides is not enough to capture their attention or interest.
As the title suggests, this paper will focus on the development of a blended learning approach to a specific module (Introduction to Multimedia). There are a few concessions to the module and the associated cohort (1st year) but effectively the approach could be applied to most modules.
The paper looks at the web site content from a pedagogical viewpoint, from the student experience and consequent feedback, and also from a re-useable standpoint. It also presents the findings of a pilot project where student involvement and satisfaction were measurable using feedback and engagement.
The project is in its second stage with more areas still to be added including interactive games and audio. There will also be a second project aimed at a different cohort - probably mathematics students.
The second stage will also include more attention to accessibility issues focusing on flexibility to accommodate each user's needs and preferences using CSS.