Educational Enhancement

New academic reading skills resources for students

Posted on 25th February 2020 by Kitty Horne

When students arrive at university, and throughout their studies, one activity they may find challenging is reading academic texts. This may be due to a number of reasons: students may not have any prior experience of reading this type of material, they may be unfamiliar with the style and language used, or they may be struggling with the volume of readings that they must complete. To help students in their reading, the Business School sought to create an Active Reading resource that can support staff to embed the teaching of academic reading skills into their modules.

Technology Enhanced Learning has worked in collaboration with the University’s Academic Skills team to develop a reusable Canvas resource which staff can quickly import into their modules and use within their teaching. The resource draws on the model for active reading (watch the video below to learn more about this model) is designed to be flexible so that staff can adapt the resource to fit their teaching. It can be used before, during and/or after a teaching session or as an independent study resource. The Active Reading resource features:

A guidance page for staff which takes them though each aspect of the resource and highlights where it can be adapted to suit their teaching.
A ‘Check your reading skills’ quiz where students can identify areas they need to work on.
Introductory videos that take students through the module for active reading.
A template for students to complete as they read a journal article, with seminar activities and prompts for staff.
An extension activity for students to develop their critical thinking skills.

When developing these academic skills resources we were keen for them to be embedded within teaching rather than standalone resources. By embedding these activities within taught modules students will be learning academic skills in relation to their course content and will be able to see the relevance of these skills and how important they are to their learning.

The Active Reading resource has been shared to Canvas Commons and can be used by any member of staff at the University. To get started simply follow the steps in the following guide – How do I import and view a Commons resource in Canvas? – and search for ‘Academic Skills: Active Reading’. Importing this into your module will create a copy of the resource which you can then use with your students. If you have any questions about importing or using this active reading resource please contact tel@sussex.ac.uk.

Tagged with: academic skills, reading
Posted in Canvas

Focus on Panopto: adding ASR captions

Posted on 20th February 2020 by George Robinson

Panopto has the capability to generate automatic captions for any of your recordings using a process called Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR). Captioning of recordings can be very useful for students both in terms of accessibility and inclusivity, helping students who may for example have an auditory disorder, dyslexia or those for whom English may be a second language. The University’s lecture capture policy thus strongly supports and encourages staff to add captioning to recordings in order to create a consistent and inclusive student learning experience.

ASR captions also enable students to search through ASR transcripts for certain words, this means for example if a student wishes to know when in a lecture recording the word ‘history’ was mentioned they can search for the word and find every point in the recording where the word was mentioned.This can be very useful when students may wish to review or revise a certain topic within a lecture.

Adding ASR captions

After you have made a recording there is a time delay until the option to add captions appears for that specific recording, how long this takes is dependent on the length of the recording. For recordings under an hour you should expect the ASR captions to be available in 8 hours and for longer recordings this can take 24 hours.

Once this time period has passed you’ll be able to add in ASR captions, to do this first navigate to the recording and edit the recording.

Within the edit window, on the left hand side of the screen, locate and click the option marked Captions. Once you’ve clicked the Captions option a new button marked Import captions will appear. Locate and click this button.

You’ll then be presented with a dropdown box with two options: Import automatic captions and Upload or request captions. Click the Import automatic captions option.

screenshot of 'import automatic captions button'

The ASR captions will then be generated and below the Import captions button a transcript of the generated subtitles will appear with a timestamp indicating when they will appear during the recording.

The ASR subtitles are not 100% accurate, this is due to the fact their primary function is to support the word search function and you may find there are some inaccuracies within the transcript. If you wish to manually correct these inaccuracies you can do so by left clicking on the text you wish to correct, this will then allow you to edit the text, deleting and adding text as you wish.

How ASR captions appear

When viewing a recording viewers can toggle captioning on and off through the closed caption button next to the video timeline along the bottom of the screen.

Clicking the ellipsis button at the bottom of the screen will also give viewers access to the Caption Settings menu, from here the position, color and size of the captions can be adjusted to suit the needs of the viewer.

If you have any questions around using ASR captions or Panopto please do contact tel@sussex.ac.uk.

Tagged with: Accessibility, Lecture Capture, Video
Posted in Accessibility, Panopto

Focus on Panopto: livestreaming

Posted on 18th February 2020 by Daniel Axson

With Panopto you have the ability to livestream any recording you make through the Panopto recorder app on Mac or Windows. This lets you In doing so you can share your recording with any audience you wish by sharing the private link. Panopto refers to this as a webcast.

Scenarios where Livestreaming could help

There are many teaching and learning situations where livestreaming would be useful. Here are just a few examples:

Accessibility. If a student is at home or unable to be on campus for any reason. You just tick the button, share the link and they can watch and take notes as if they were there.
Research seminars. You may wish to open the audience of these by allowing remote viewers to take part and submit questions.
Teaching across campus or institutions. If you have a module that is being taught across institutions and the same lecture you give here is relevant there. You can set up a live stream and give a simultaneous lecture.
Lab demonstrations. where there might not be enough space to safely demo, students can observe from a distance.

How to set up a Panopto webcast

There are two ways to set up a webcast; you can do this in advance, or at the time of recording. Both these routes give you a viewer link. Share this link via email or perhaps as an Announcement in a Canvas module.

Creating the session in advance, gives you the benefit of being able to share the link before you start recording and to add things like a description and Preview image. Setting a webcast up at the time of recording is a one click process, you just then need to share the link.

See below for a step by step guide on how to set up a webcast via each route. For more detailed guidance please see the links to Panopto support at the bottom of this post.

Setting up a webcast in advance

Go to Panopto Recordings from a Canvas module and click the Open in Panopto icon

screenshot showing the 'Open in Panopto' icon

Or use a web browser to go to sussex.cloud.panopto.eu
Click Create and select Webcast

screenshot of the dropdown menu showing Create / Webcast

Give your webcast a title, choose the recording Folder and add a description (optional).
Click Create
When your webcast is created you will see the usual Overview window, where you can add a Preview image if you wish.
Below this you will see the Viewer link, this is the link to share with your viewers.

screenshot of the Overview showing Preview image and Viewer link

When you are ready to stream, go back to the recording, click Settings and under Actions, click Record.
This will open Panopto from where you can manage the captured sources and click the red Record button when you are good to go.

Setting up a webcast at the time of recording

Start the Panopto recorder by going to a Canvas module. Click on Panopto recordings > Create > New recording or launch Panopto directly on your computer.
Set your sources, name your session and check the folder you are recording to.
Tick the Webcast box

screenshot showing where to tick Webcast

Once you start recording a Viewer link will be created at the bottom of the recorder window below the discussion posts.

Where can I get more help and support?

As ever, if you want to chat further about livestreaming with Panopto for teaching and learning, or need support in setting it up, get in touch with us by email tel@sussex.ac.uk. Or contact your learning technologist directly.

Below are links to the support pages on Panopto, with more detailed guidance.

Tagged with: livestream, Video, webcast
Posted in Panopto

Focus on Panopto: recording at your desk

Posted on 13th February 2020 by Matthew Taylor

Panopto’s headline function is lecture capture but you don’t have to be in a classroom to record a Panopto video. The ability to record at your desk or elsewhere using your own laptop opens up a range of other use cases. Here are a few ideas for how you can use Panopto for more than recording a lecture.

Short introductions or summaries.You can make a short screencast presentation to share with your students. This might be an introduction to a module or some concepts you’ll explore further in class (as with flipped learning), or a condensed version of your lecture designed as a more effective recap.
Manual (eg lab) processes. In many subject areas there are simple practical processes that students need to learn. You can create a short video to explain this and students can revisit it as and when they need. This approach particularly lends itself towards short processes that change little over time. Here is an example of a setup for recording in a lab.
Student screencasts. Rather than you doing the recording, let your students capture and share their presentations. This can be a great way to summarise project work and give students practice at real work life skills.
Marking and feedback. Written feedback for assignments can often be difficult for students to understand. Screen capturing the marking process and providing this to the students as a Panopto video can be a good alternative or addition. This might involve working through common issues on a sample paper or marking actual student papers and restricting the access to the video to just the relevant person.
Field trip recordings. Field trips may be inaccessible to a number of your cohort. Capturing the trip and sharing via Panopto can help to plug the gap for those who were unable to attend as well as providing a good record. Here is an example of using Panopto in the field.

How to get started

To record a Panopto video you need the Panopto recorder app. You can install this on your work PC from the software centre.

You can also install the Panopto recorder on your home computer or laptop:

From your Canvas module select the link to Panopto recordings.
Select Create
Select Record a new session
You should now see an option to download the Panopto recorder.

Panopto will also allow you to upload video created from other sources. So you are not just limited to what you can capture from your desktop or laptop.

Remember to add captions. From September 2020 all pre-recorded videos will need to provide captions so do make sure you add them to your videos. Guidance on how to add and edit captions is available on the Panopto website.

More information on recording a Panopto video is available on the TEL website or contact your learning technologist via tel@sussex.ac.uk.

Tagged with: Lecture Capture, Video
Posted in Panopto

TEL:US Podcast S3E4. Conference round up and the Digital Practice Awards

Posted on 11th February 2020 by Daniel Axson

In this show I caught up with fellow learning technologists Matt and Paolo to discuss the various conferences and training events we attended over the last couple of weeks. Including BETT, AUA, Microsoft Teams and the Assistive Technology Network meet up.

I also chat to our head of Technology Enhanced learning David Walked and relatively new member of staff Faye Tucknott (I may or may not have needed to ask how best to say her surname!) about the Digital Practice Awards (DPAs). The DPAs is our annual grant giving initiative to support and promote innovation in teaching and learning with technology at the University of Sussex.As ever you can check out the links below and get in touch with us on Twitter, details below.

Tagged with: assistive technology, Association of University Administrators, AT, AUA, Bett, Conference, Innovation, Teaching with tech, University of Sussex
Posted in Podcast

What’s new in Canvas?

Posted on 4th February 2020 by Anne Hole

There are some great updates and new features coming to Canvas soon. In this post I am going to focus on the enhanced Rich Content Editor (RCE) and the new Direct Share function. Both of these are available for staff to try now and the Rich Content Editor will replace the existing RCE in June 2020.

Rich Content Editor enhancements

The Rich Content Editor (RCE) is the screen that appears when editing most types of content in Canvas. The updated RCE includes a condensed, more intuitive toolbar and the ability to resize the editing field. When you are editing, the RCE will expand to the full width of the screen, but if your screen is not wide enough to show all the icons you will find the others under the 3 vertical dots menu at the end of the toolbar.

The new RCE moves the Accessibility Checker and HTML edit option to underneath the editing window and adds a word count, keyboard shortcuts and the ability to resize the editing window.

screenshot of icons underneath editing window

Linking to other content

The options to insert links to files, images or other parts of the module which used to be in separate tabs on the right of the screen when editing are now integrated into the RCE toolbar. Options are grouped together under recognisable icons such as these which indicate links, images, media and documents.

When you choose to link to content that is already in the module site, a sidebar will appear allowing you to choose what you want to link to. The list will show which items are published, so it is easier to find the right thing.

Embedding images

Images can be added via the image menu where you can choose images already in the module or your own Canvas files. If you want to add a new image you can drag and drop a file from your computer, browse your computer, choose an image from Unsplash or add an image with a URL. Unsplash has replaced Flickr as the platform for finding images within Canvas and gives you over 1 million free-to-use images to choose from.

When your image has appeared, you can click on it to see an Options button. This will allow you to edit the alternative text (a text description for students with visual impairments using screen readers and others unable to view images directly), choose whether to embed the image or link to it and choose from some standard sizes or set a custom size. You can also adjust the size by dragging the blue squares in the corners of the image.

screenshot of image with options button and resizing points

Direct share

It is now possible to share content between modules and with colleagues, without using Commons. On Pages, Assignments, Discussions and Quizzes, you will see additional options to ‘send to’ or ‘copy to’ when opening the 3 vertical dots menu.

screenshot of 'send to' and 'copy to' options

‘Send to’ allows you to add the emails of Sussex colleagues with whom you wish to share the item. Any shared item you have received will appear under Shared Content in your account, from where you can preview it and/or import it into one or more of your modules. ‘Copy to’ allows you to copy an item from one of your modules to another.

Some possible uses for his functionality would be sharing a mid-term student feedback survey with colleagues or copying a Page with your contact details and office hours to all your modules.

How can I start using these features?

Direct Share is already enabled on all Sussex modules, and you can enable the RCE Enhancements on your module via Settings and Feature Options. This is a per-module setting so if it is enabled, all editors on the site will see the new RCE.

You can read more about enhancements to the RCE and Direct Share in the Canvas Guides. If you would like any help using any of these new features please contact tel@sussex.ac.uk. You can learn more about making your Canvas sites and digital resources accessible in our Digital Accessibility Toolkit.

Posted in Canvas

Make your teaching memorable: just add music.

Posted on 28th January 2020 by Paolo Oprandi

Music is an important part of all cultures. It is used in all sorts of aspects of everyday life, such as business and healthcare. Rich Allen, author of The Rock’n’Roll Classroom, reports that people spend more money and time on music than on books, movies, and sports and the most popular cultural icons are not statesmen or saints, but singers. Archaeological evidence suggests that humankind has been making music for at least 30,000 years and for much of that time music has been used to teach people things. Information has been embedded in songs to pass down to future generations.

There are many ways that music can be used effectively in the classroom. There has been a great deal of research in various fields which has indicated that music helps us feel less tired, can energise us, increase our concentration and deepen learning. When accompanied by music new information becomes easier to remember. Students can connect particular data to a rhythm, and then use their memory of musical elements to recall the information following their association. Research indicates that students consistently respond positively to music in your classroom. However, despite the potential of music, it is not used as much as it could be in education, particularly higher education.

How can we use music to improve our teaching practice?

There are a number of ways in which you can use music to help with knowledge retention. Many tutors play the same score of music when they cover certain points, which helps students make associations between the point and a particular score, which actually helps the point stick in their minds. Associations between the music and the concept leads to increased retention, disambiguates the topic from others and allows the topic to be recalled more easily.

Some teachers use music as a soundtrack for various activities. Music has been shown to increase the interest of students in the learning material and it is argued that it increases students’ ability to recall knowledge at the time it is needed so they can use it effectively. According to Elizabeth Petereson of The Inspired Classroom music activates learning material at an emotional, physical and mental level.

Music can help build a connection between the students and the discipline and students and their peers. Some tutors play a tune when students are entering the classroom. This can help set an inclusive atmosphere from the beginning and one which is conducive to learning. Other tutors read summaries of class topics with with appropriate music in the background. This can make it feel like a trailer to a movie and increase students’ concentration and anticipation of the lesson to come.

History is an obvious candidate for using music to bring to life cultural traditions and historical events. Equally literature is set in different times and places and has particular music associated with it. Using music to contextualise literary texts has been shown to be useful for students’ empathy and framing of the setting.

Inclusivity issues when using music in your teaching

There are benefits to using music in terms of accessibility and inclusivity. For example, students suffering from stress can benefit from listening to music because it can help with concentration, focus and help build associations between concepts organically.

However, care should be used when using music. Some students will find it distracting and if overused it can cause some students to have headaches. Furthermore, cultural considerations should be considered. Ideally the source of the music chosen for a given module should stem from a range of cultures and backgrounds to avoid it only being relevant to a subset of the cohort.

Posted in Learning Design

Scenario based learning

Posted on 21st January 2020 by George Robinson

Thankyou for reading this EE blog post this is representative of the time it was written.

Let’s start with the first question I’m sure you’re dying to ask, hypothetical reader: what exactly is scenario based learning?

Scenario based learning (SBL) involves, as the name implies, teaching through the use of simulated scenarios which use narratives to guide learners through certain situations which can be adapted based on the choices and responses of the learners.

Much of the basis for scenario based learning comes from situated learning theory, a theory developed by Jean Lave whose theory is that learning occurs best when understood as knowledge that is embedded within an authentic context, activity and culture and which occurs naturally as opposed to knowledge existing as abstract and out of context knowledge as it would be traditionally taught in a classroom environment.

Scenario based learning is therefore an attempt to try and bridge this gap, bringing scenarios that use and simulate elements of context, activity and culture into a classroom environment.

These scenarios work best when they mirror real world situations that learners are likely to encounter within their subject, i.e. medical students dealing with patients, engineering students dealing with a building project.

How is scenario based learning useful for my teaching?

So how can it help in regards to teaching, what’s the use of scenario based learning? It enables a safe space for failure, learners are able to make decisions, including mistakes, and see the consequences of those mistakes play out within the safe confines of the simulated scenario, students can then reflect and evaluate their potential mistakes without suffering negative consequences.

For example a social worker playing out a potential simulated interaction with a client may make the wrong choices, but they’re able to then reflect on their wrong choices and correct them.

Forging a strong link between theory and practice, by seeing how the theory learners have learnt in an abstract sense can be applied in a practical sense so that learners can gain a greater understanding of the use of the theory and its real world applications.

There may be many discipline specific issues that only really arise and which learners can only learn to deal with when they emerge organically in practical situations, given that these sort of organic situations cannot be brought into the classroom environments learning scenarios provide the next best thing to a real world practical situation.

How can I use scenario based learning in my classroom?

There are various ways SBL can be applied. One way is to use digital tools to present a scenario to students, scenarios don’t have to be complicated and can be created with simple tools such as a Powerpoint or Google Slides or by using a storytelling tool such as Twine (link to Twine blog post).

On the other end of the scale there are more in depth tools such as Articulate which allows for the creation of complicated branching scenarios (please note that Sussex does not hold an institutional license for Articulate). Sussex’s online media platform Panopto could even be used for this purpose by creating videos that take the learner through a situation and using a tool such as Slides or Twine to link together the various different videos based on the learner’s choices.

You don’t necessarily need to use digital tools as you can pose scenario questions to students or even act out scenarios with them within a classroom environment and react to their decisions as they make them.

If you are interested in developing or using scenario based learning within your teaching at Sussex please do get in touch with the Technology Enhanced Learning Team at t el@sussex.ac.uk.

Tagged with: Active learning, Scenarios
Posted in Learning Design

New academic reading skills resources for students

Focus on Panopto: adding ASR captions