Using Online Synchronous Learning Environments in the PALATINE project
Case studies in the project
This mini-project enabled us to trial an implementation of an OSLE (Wimba) within the learning, teaching and mentoring processes of the School of Drama and Creative Industries at QMU and to explore the role of the OSLE in supporting and enhancing learning and teaching within three programme areas for three very different purposes:
- MA Arts and Cultural Management
Facilitating one-to-one tutorials between tutor and students to support dissertation completion for students based in Greece, Bahrain and South Korea;
- BA/BA (Honours) Drama & Theatre Arts
Presenting student performance rehearsals to tutors who were away from the institution and facilitating synchronous feedback from the tutors to the students;
- BA/BA (Honours) Performing Arts Management
Supporting one-to-one academic mentoring – facilitating one-to-one meetings between academic mentor whilst students were off-campus on work placement experience.
It was envisaged that these programmes would explore, through planned implementation, the role of Wimba in supporting and enhancing the teaching processes appropriate for each area including:
- Artistic and creative development;
- Managerial development, placement mentoring and personal academic tutoring;
- International student distance learning;
- Support for 3rd year and honours year students who are off campus and working on external projects.
Case study one
MA Arts and Cultural Management
Level: postgraduate one-year
Number of students: up to 16
Mode of delivery: full-time
Tutor: Douglas Brown
This programme typically consists of one-third UK students, one-third EU students and one-third international students from: China, Korea, Bahrain, USA, Canada, Barbados and Iceland. The full-time programme is very intense and if students fall behind with work, then this must be retrieved. Dissertations and projects are often completed from home.
The use of Wimba in this process offered invaluable learning support for international students, enabling the tutor full access to written work for guidance and facilitating face-to-face tutorials for mentoring and feedback provision.
Case study two
BA/BA (Honours) Drama and Theatre Arts
Level: Levels 3&4
Number of students: up to 10
Mode of delivery: full-time, on campus, as well as site work
Tutors: John Dean and Bianca Mastrominico
Students studying on this programme are exposed to a broad spectrum of arts related disciplines and performance practices, although it is not intended to provide a vocational acting training. These disciplines include community theatre, contemporary performance, directing, arts journalism, and writing for stage and screen. The students then choose to specialise in their honours year. This involves learners undertaking intense periods of work on group or individual projects. Often, these involve creative work that is presented to a live audience as a culmination of the project.
Wimba was used here as a means of enabling the tutors to interact with students’ practical devising work in their Contemporary Performance specialism, where either students or staff were working in different spaces. Supervision of both site-specific work and studio based devising processes were trialled through Wimba. It was hoped that greater support could be offered to students who were working off-site, as well as providing an easily recordable document of student’s practical processes and live tutor feedback.
Case study three
BA/BA (Honours) Performing Arts Management
Level: All levels
Number of students: 26
Mode of delivery: full-time, on campus
Tutor: Simon Girdler
This degree has 50% of practical, industry based learning at its core. Wimba was used here to mentor students who were on placement and to enable one-to-one tutorials whilst students were off-campus. It was hoped that via Wimba, students would have a greatly enhanced experience whilst on placement and benefit from being able to speak to their tutor directly. This would make the placement less removed from the institution and should help at all levels of communication and personal development.
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