Author: David Gill, d.w.j.gill@swansea.ac.uk

JISC e-Learning Activity Area: Technology-enhanced Learning Environments

Higher Education Academy Subject Centre: History, Classics and Archaeology

This case study illustrates...use of video, an effect on learning, an effect on student personal development, student satisfaction with e-learning, innovation in learning and teaching, an influence on educational research, staff satisfaction with e-learning, staff personal development, a positive effect on retention, an influence on policy, use of resources, modifications to learning spaces, management of learning assets, an effect on social equality

Further Evidence

There is the benefit of teaching as part of a wider team and sometimes colleagues from other institutions attend the seminar. I have found this beneficial for the Greek epigraphy module where we have been discussing complex texts and two academics can emphasise different aspects. Students seem to have enjoyed the dialogue aspect of the module especially when they see staff members explaining difficult issues, for example possible reconstructions of damaged texts. They can also observe how academics handle scholarly disagreement in a gracious and friendly manner. (The nature of the videonetwork encourages politeness.)

There are clear cost-saving benefits. An institution might not be able to employ four epigraphists to contribute to a single module - but across three institutions there can be experts in the field of (say, taking areas from the current grouping) 5th century Attic, late classical Greek, Roman provincial Latin, and Greek from the eastern provinces. It encourages staff to think about their dress sense.