An Elluminating foundation

Synopsis

Christine has found that using new technologies has enabled her to communicate mathematics more effectively.

Description
Christine produces video snippets using Camtasia (video capture), eg 10 minute snippets of SPSS Practicals demonstrated to Data Analysis students. She also uses Elluminate for online tutorials which are run from home. Elluminate allows Christine to use multi-way voice and video, chat and interactive whiteboard.
In addition, she makes use of asynchronous discussion groups (message boards, etc). Christine uses these both for assessed specific problem-solving (with her Foundation Maths students) and for more informal non-assessed uses with the Data Analysis students. Christine also uses MSN Messenger (instant messaging) for a virtual office hour.

Target audience
Foundation Maths or Data Analysis students. Each course has about 900 students (about 200 on campus and 700 off). Students are of different ages and cultures and have varying levels of technological ability and experience.

Learning goals and objectives
Christine's aim was to give the distance students more support and extra channels of communication, giving them a similar experience to the on-campus students. Because mathematical subjects use symbols and diagrams, it has been difficult to communicate about specific problems by email or telephone, but Elluminate allows this with ease. Camtasia, while not interactive as such, provides an opportunity to give support in a more visual manner (important with mathematically-based courses).
In addition, Christine is encouraging on-campus students to use the video snippets, and this has allowed some practical classes to be cut – for example, on-campus students will now receive two sessions of SPSS training rather than the four they used to have, and they will then be directed to the video snippets for the remainder.

Who did/does what
Christine sees her role as an early-adopter, encouraged and mentored by Birgit Loch. Christine applied the technology to her own context, but doesn't see herself as a technological person, saying, "I don't see myself as particularly technologically able. If I can do it, anyone can!"
Students in Foundation Maths are required to participate in the asynchronous discussion groups, and this may also become the case with Data Analysis. Synchronous chat, though, says Christine, must remain voluntary to allow for flexibility.

Results
Because these are service courses, and obligatory, there is a certain amount of anxiety from students about them, and Christine has found that students are keen to use any channels of help and support available to them.
For Christine, it's an ongoing learning process of how best to provide support and a sense of community for distance students. With MSN Messenger, the tutorial groups have to be kept small. However, Elluminate allows for bigger groups – the problem then becomes how to avoid the tutorial turning into a lecture. It's often a question of student expectations.

Difficulties and advice for others
Christine says it's helpful to have a mentor like Birgit who can show you the ropes and give you the extra nudge you might need to get started. Co-development of the use of the technologies has been helpful, and Birgit's enthusiasm has been infectious.

General recommendations
For people using video snippets, short bursts are definitely best – about ten minutes maximum.
Ideally, Christine would like all her students to have tablet PCs, which would allow them to use handwriting with ease to speed up communication with mathematical symbols. Without them, the options are either time-consuming or require special software – writing it by hand and scanning it or entering the symbols into a mathematical word processor.

For Christine, Camtasia is more flexible than Breeze (audio-enhanced PowerPoint) for lecture presentation online, as it does not require PowerPoint, and both are better than iPlod, because the student can rewind or jump forwards.

Christine says Elluminate is a must for online synchronous engagement of students in a learning community, in both small collaborative group work and larger lecture/tutorial groups.