DIVERSASIA - Best practices

Context: Fermanagh College of Further and Higher Education provides education and training to approximately 12,000 full and part-time learners from County Fermanagh and beyond. Many learners are based in remote locations. Based in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, the college delivers over 750 vocational and nonvocational programs, covering a wide range of subjects. Focus of inclusive practice: Tutors were presented with the challenge to ensure that learners who could not make it into college for particular sessions were not placed at a disadvantage. Initially, tutors published presentations online through the college’s learning platform following lectures and tutorial sessions, but learners continued to ask for clarification about the content. Feedback from learners was negative. One learner, when asked what was wrong, summed up by saying “what’s missing here is the teacher”. This was the catalyst for change at Fermanagh. Method of inclusive practice: Computing Lecturer Hector McLennan began to investigate how better use could be made of presentations for learners who could not attend taught sessions. He used Microsoft Producer®, which is designed for use with Microsoft PowerPoint® and enables users to edit and publish rich-media presentations to give the look and feel of a live event. This was taken up by a team of staff who explored the idea of adding audio and video to static presentations. The aim was to turn class lectures and practical sessions into in-house resources, linking e-learning with classroom practice. This approach would also allow learners to use the materials time and again. The software captured sessions on video with supporting audio and synchronized with PowerPoint slides. HTML and images were then added, producing dynamic online presentations. Level of success: Learners can now view practical demonstrations with accompanying commentary and listen to lectures at any time. This has proved crucial for those who cannot get to sessions in person. It is also a valuable reinforcement for classroom teaching. This was illustrated by one learner who described his tendency to forget some concepts soon after the class. He was able to revisit the lecture online to recapture the experience and fill in gaps in understanding. Whole course-taught sessions can be compiled and produced on CD-ROMs for learners who may have difficulty with internet access. These are a useful resource for learners, underpinning learning and providing a valuable aid to revision. The automatically generated table of contents compiled from slide titles makes it easy for learners to jump to the content of interest. This approach allows learners to reflect and bring higher order questioning to the learning process.