Staff in the School of Education and the School of Geography have received funding from the VLL to install and research new visual technologies. This has included: video-making to develop visual literacy and communications skills; multi-screen display systems to enhance groupwork; developing online resources based on podcasts, and building software to predict rainfall catchment areas.
Dr Brett Bligh describes his work with colleagues in the School of History tasked with improving student engagement in seminars. He talks about the impact of collaborative visual teachnologies on group-work , and describes some of the processes involved for the staff and the students.
Dr Rolf Wiesemes, Dr Richard Pemberton and Dr Jane Evison from the School of Education have been involved with podcasting initiatives. Rolf was looking at the ethics of podcasting through his work with the Cross-Disciplinary Research Group, and Jane and Richard were developing online resources for the MA in TESOL .
Dr Gary Priestnall from the School of Geography has been using visual technology to describe multiple dimensions through a series of geospatial widgets.
You can also read a research paper he presented on the work he and Dr Jack March from the University of Sheffield undertook in this area.
Professor Michele Clarke from the School of Geography has used video-making as a form of assessment to tap into students' creative energies and to engage them more effectively as learners.
The visual widgets are wrapped up in a blend of different teaching techniques and become part of three or four ways we are trying to communicate, including arm waving, lecturing and papers.
Dearing Building, University of NottinghamJubilee Campus, Wollaton Road Nottingham, NG8 1BB
telephone: +44 (0) 115 951 4424 fax: +44 (0) 115 846 8401 email: vll@nottingham.ac.uk