Simulation refers to the imitation of real-world activities and processes in a safe environment. Simulations aim to provide an experience as close to the ‘real thing’ as possible; however, a simulated activity has the advantage of allowing learners to ‘reset’ the scenario and try alternative strategies and approaches. This allows learners to develop experience of specific situations by applying their wider learning…
Critiquing is an approach that encourages students to consider their own work by drawing comparisons with the work of their peers. Traditionally, students will submit their work to be critiqued by fellow students and perform their own critique on the work of one or more peers. Through this process the students get feedback on their work from their fellow students and,…
At its simplest, Micro-research (also known as Inquiry-based Learning) involves getting students to undertake a relatively small research project and report back to their peers. The purpose of the approach is to encourage students to develop a deeper understanding of the material they have been researching while also developing skills that will be useful for other parts of…
This is part of a regular series of articles exploring some of the terms used in e-learning (view other articles in the series). We’ll do our best to break down the jargon and explain what things are from a basic perspective. Augmented Reality (AR) refers to technology which overlays additional information onto a person’s experience…
This is part of a regular series of articles exploring some of the terms used in e-learning (view other articles in the series). We’ll do our best to break down the jargon and explain what things are from a basic perspective. An ‘Electronic Voting System’ (EVS) is a system that allows presenters to ask multiple…
Pecha Kucha (or, more formally, Pecha Kucha 20×20) is a style of presentation where each presentation lasts exactly 6 minutes and 40 seconds. The reason for this is that the presentation is made up of 20 slides, each of which is displayed for 20 seconds before automatically moving onto the next. The format originated in 2003 as…
What is it? In this sense, Audio refers to sound recordings that are shared with students in some way, typically through Blackboard. The recordings could be speech, music, ambient sounds, etc. or a mix of these. Uses for Audio There are many uses for audio in Learning, Teaching and Assessment, both by students and staff. These…
In May, Stuart Hepplestone and I asked SHU staff members to contribute to the development of a framework identifying different teaching approaches in use at SHU and the technologies that can support/enhance them. Over the summer, along with representatives from across the institution, we have been collating the huge amount of information that we received…
This is part of a regular series of articles exploring some of the terms used in e-learning (view other articles in the series). We’ll do our best to break down the jargon and explain what things are from a basic perspective. Open Badges are a visual way to recognise and display learning, personal development and…
What are they? Powerpoint (and similar software such as Apple’s Keynote) is an extremely popular tool for supporting presentions and lectures, and has almost become synonymous with ‘presentation’; however, while it is widely used, there has also been criticism that it is responsible for dull presentations that, among other things, don’t engage the listener and are often too dense in information…