Patterns of life

Abstract

Each mp3 voice recording accompanies a PowerPoint slide or set of slides. These two files were bundled together with a transcript of the mp3s (mainly for people with hearing disabilities) and a printer-friendly pdf of the slides.

Each set of files is organised into topics, which are set out in two ways. For linear learners they are set out in a suggested order. For non-linear learners they are organised via an interactive “mind map”, which is a diagram showing how the different sub-topics fit together into the main topic. A printable version of the mind map is also made available. All this is done within WebCT. Learners were told to go through the files in place of traditional lectures. This allowed them to go through the material in their own time and in an order determined by them. It enabled portability: learners could, if they wished, download the mp3 files, transcripts and/or the visual aids and study them at any time and in any place they chose. The learners were also asked to read one or more journal articles from the recent literature (within the last two years). In the contact time, class discussions about recent papers of note were held instead of lectures. The aim is to enhance these discussions in future using audience-response systems.