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Elluminate synchronous audio-conferencing tutorials: students’ and tutors’ perspectives. Karen Kear, Frances Chetwynd, Hazel Heath, Helen Donelan and Judith Williams (COLMSCT and MCT Faculty). Piloting Elluminate. Elluminate Audio-graphics conferencing Voice, whiteboard, video
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Elluminate synchronous audio-conferencing tutorials: students’ and tutors’ perspectives Karen Kear, Frances Chetwynd, Hazel Heath, Helen Donelan and Judith Williams (COLMSCT and MCT Faculty)
Piloting Elluminate • Elluminate • Audio-graphics conferencing • Voice, whiteboard, video • text chat, icons, polls etc. • The course context • ‘Networked Living’ (T175) • 5 tutorials over 9-months • Face to face and via forums
Rationale • Problems • Low attendance at face-to-face tutorials • Difficulties with numeracy material • Limitations of online ‘tutorials’ via forums • … Therefore piloted Elluminate numeracy tutorials with 6 tutor groups
Preparation • Training of 6 volunteer course ALs • Familiarisation sessions for students • Course team developed resources for ALs • ALs modified and used these as they wished
The Elluminate tutorials • 6 tutors each offered a one-hour numeracy tutorial • Optional, non-assessed • 1-3 students took part in each • Practised equations, calculations • Used: • audio, interactive whiteboard • text chat, interaction icons (, , )
Evaluation • Focus groups with ALs via Elluminate • Feedback from ALs via tutor forum • Online survey of students • Elluminate recording of tutorials
Feedback from students “It was very helpful - interactive brainstorming, clear presentation, audio, chat possibilities very good, online numeracy explanation was much easier to understand than when studying it alone from a book.”
Feedback from ALs • “It does feel very slow to me in comparison with a f2f tutorial, required a great deal of preparation and was quite tiring. I guess this is like any new tool and it should get better with practice.”
Conclusions • Elluminate: • Overcomes the problem of distance • But still leaves the problem of timing • Need training and resources for ALs • Elluminate tutorials compare well with face-to-face tutorials for: • learning and teaching • getting to know each other