Category Archives: News

Nov 17
sMOOC Step by Step team

MOOC e-teachers support

By | News | No Comments

“sMOOC Step by Step” is a free Massive Open Online Course – MOOC is being made available by ECO, which is a European project based on Open Educational Resources (OER), that gives free access to a list of MOOCs in 6 languages, in most languages via Closed Captions (via YouTube subtitles).

This article forms integral part of that course. Our fourth edition has been already launched so you enrol!

SupportingsMOOC Step by Step teamg instructors of massive open online courses -MOOCs- may be just as important to the creation of long-term, successful courses as attracting and supporting students, according to a group of researchers.

“Most of the research on how we can make MOOCs successful has focused on the student side – how do we attract and retain them, for instance – but now attention is starting to switch to instructors, who make the MOOCs happen,” said Saijing Zheng, a doctoral candidate in information sciences and technology, Penn State. “So, it’s important to know the motivations of the instructors for teaching in this new format and their experiences and challenges when they teach these MOOCs.”

Zheng said that while MOOC students may need support during certain stages of the course, instructors face several challenges throughout the course development and instruction process, which the researchers broke into three phases: preparation, implementation and feedback.

Instructors reported that teaching a MOOC was different from teaching traditional college courses, adding that some aspects that attracted them to teaching a MOOC were also challenges. For example, the size of a class can be a motivation, as well as a burden, Zheng said.

“It’s a significant motivation for the instructors to reach thousands of students, but, in many cases, they are used to providing one-on-one guidance in a traditional classroom format,” said Zheng. “So a MOOC can be a bit overwhelming to them, if they maintain those expectations.”

Having a global impact on students, professional growth, research opportunities and enhanced name recognition were other reasons they gave for teaching MOOCs, but these also may present new challenges.

Workload during the preparation phase of the course was another concern, according to the instructors.

While most instructors and universities use traditional retention rates to determine the success of the MOOC, online courses attract different types of students and may require different metrics to measure success.

“In previous research we discovered that there are lots of data that show about 90 percent of students in MOOC classes leave the course after two weeks, which is very different from a traditional course,” said Zheng. “This may mean that MOOC students may have different motivations for attending the class — they may just be curious, or attend just so they can get materials to study on their own time.”

Feedback is critical to improving the on line courses and may require the creation of technology to provide feedback to instructors in a timely manner.

“The goal, then, as researchers and designers, is to take this feedback and hopefully provide support for the instructors’ needs,” Zheng said. “By improving support for the instructors and their collaborators, we may also improve the MOOC experience for students and other stakeholders.

If you would like to become the instructor of your own MOOC, after completed “sMOOC Step by Step” please apply to “Become an e-teacher”. We can’t wait to see what you create. – Team UoMan.

Note: Article idea and some texts are taken from:https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/160229182538.htm

Nov 17
Khan Tablet Capture style

Guide to creating your own videos MOOC’s: Khan Tablet Capture style

By | News | No Comments

Considering that video is the main method of content delivery in MOOCs, we are going to provide you an overview of one of the most frequently requested type of videos: Khan-Style Tablet Capture.

Khan Tablet Capture styleThis article forms integral part of the on line MOOC course Videos for teaching, learning and communication, created by The University of Manchester. It will end the 4th of December.

Salman Amin “Sal” Khan is an American educator who founded the Khan Academy, a free on-line education platform and an organization with which he has produced over 6,500 video lessons teaching a wide spectrum of academic subjects, mainly focusing on mathematics and sciences.

Khan was motivated even at a young age to help other people learn.In late 2003, Khan began tutoring his cousin, Nadia, in mathematics over the internet using Yahoo!’s Doodle notepad. When other relatives and friends sought his tutoring, he moved his tutorials to YouTube where he created an account on November 16, 2006.

The popularity of his educational videos on the video-sharing website prompted Khan to quit his job as a financial analyst in late 2009.

He moved his focus to developing his YouTube channel, Khan Academy, full-time with the aid of close friend Josh Gefner.
Khan consequently received sponsorship from Ann Doerr, the wife of John Doerr.
His videos received worldwide interest from both students and non-students, with more than 458 million views in the first number of years.

Khan outlined his mission as to “accelerate learning for students of all ages. With this in mind, we want to share our content with whoever may find it useful”.  Khan plans to extend the “free school” to cover topics such as English. Khan’s videos are also used to educate rural areas of Africa and Asia.

Khan published a book about Khan Academy and education goals titled The One World Schoolhouse: Education Re imagined.

Khan Academy, initially a tool for students, added the Coach feature in 2012, promoting the connection of teachers with students through videos and monitor tools.

As an educator, this handy guide to creating your own lectures in Khan Academy style will hep you:

  • First, an overview of what is needed:
  • A program to record your screen, and make a video out of it.
  • A program to “draw” on.
  • Any drawing program could be used for this. Even PowerPoint if you don’t care for the handwritten look. This is the actual content being recorded.
  • A tablet. This is optional. If you want the “handwritten” look of Sal’s videos you will need to buy a pressure-sensitive tablet. This allows for very natural looking handwriting.
  • A microphone. Assuming you want to use your voice in the video, you will need a microphone of some sort.

If you use a Mac, you can use the following programs:

  • If you have Photoshop, use that.
  • If you have Microsoft Office, PowerPoint and Word have drawing functions.
  • Otherwise: search for a free drawing program.
  • Mac has screen recording software built in with QuickTime.
  • Just run QuickTime, and then go file -> new screen recording.

How can you improve your handwriting?

  • Make sure that the tablet is set straight in front of you, on a table. Having it slanted will produce slanted writing.
  • Write slowly.
  • Write small. It seems necessary to write really big, but if you write as if you were using college-rule paper, it will look better.

If you want to work with layers, and / or  import pictures, you could check some video tutorial.

  • If you don’t have sound.
  • If you are using FrontCam, go to Options -> Video,
  • Then click the audio tab, and check “Record Sound”.
  • Otherwise, make sure your microphone is plugged in and that your speakers are up.

We can’t wait to see what you filmed after completed “Videos for teaching, learning, and communication”. You can still enrol! – Team UoMan.

Note: Article idea and some texts are taken from:

Nov 09
Step by step designing a sMOOC

Designing a Social Massive Open Online Course (sMOOC)

By | News | No Comments

“sMOOC Step by Step” is a free Massive Open Online Course – MOOC is being made available by ECO, which is a European project based on Open Educational Resources (OER), that gives free access to a list of MOOCs in 6 languages, in most languages via Closed Captions (via YouTube subtitles).
Step by step designing a sMOOC

This article forms integral part of that course. Our fourth edition has been already launched so you enrol!

This course offers a practical and theoretical approach in the learning process, as well as, help you create your own sMOOC (social MOOC) in a step by step way.In this course you will have the opportunity to learn more about:

  • How to build a sMOOC?
  • How to design a sMOOC?
  • How to support a sMOOC?
  • How to make an accessible and popular sMOOC?
  • How to evaluate a sMOOC and use data?

The following tips and recommendations are based on our experience and on the research we conducted to prepare our MOOCs.

• Participate in a MOOC
The best way to learn about MOOCs is to take one. This will help you learn about what it is like to be a MOOC student and give you ideas for how to design one. You can check our catalogue:  for inspiration.

MOOCs cover a wide variety of topics. Find a course that is similar to the content you want to teach or choose a topic that is outside of your field but interests you. Since most MOOCs are free to take, the only investment is a few hours of your time each week. In fact, it would be even better to sign up for several MOOCs, to see the variety of approaches.

• Learn from colleagues at other institutions who have already created a MOOC
Their experience will help you be informed about the time, effort, and rewards of teaching a MOOC.

• Choose a topic you are passionate about and one that will be appealing to MOOC students
If you believe in your content, that enthusiasm will be visible to your students. A MOOC may be an opportunity for you to teach about something that is too narrow for a course or is outside of the primary focus for your field. You should also consider whether the topic will attract MOOC students. Based on your experience, or on a more formal needs analysis, try to determine whether there is a demand for the topic, and whether other MOOCs or resources exist on the topic.

• Determine your targeted audience, and design the course to meet the needs of that audience
The entire design of the course, from content to language, teaching strategies to assessment, should be designed according to the needs and prior knowledge of your primary audience.
It is important to remember that in many MOOCs a substantial percentage of participants are from different countries, and so English may not be their native language. Age, educational background, and prior knowledge may also vary among MOOC participants; therefore it is a good idea to clearly articulate prerequisites or provide supplementary resources.

• Build a team
Many faculties who have taught MOOCs recommend using a team approach for the design, development, and delivery. Rather than working alone, consider co-teaching with a colleague. Find students or colleagues who can provide feedback on the design. Identify at least one person who can test the course before thousands of students are trying to use it.

• Plan the development process
Unlike planning a course on your own, a MOOC has more complexities. Begin the project by creating a time line for design and development tasks, like writing objectives, creating lectures, recording videos, designing assessments, and building the course. It is important to leave time for testing the course before potentially thousands of students access it.

• Establish learning outcomes for the course before you begin selecting or creating materials
This is, in fact, no different from our recommended practice for any course design. First, establish what students will learn in the course. Then it is possible to design learning activities to support those outcomes and create assessments that measure whether students achieved the desired outcomes. It is also important that the number of outcomes is appropriate for the length of the course.

• Design communication plan and community development strategies
Given the potential size of a MOOC, it is time consuming to manage communication with everyone. It can be helpful to encourage discussion and community development among students, so that you are not the central figure in the course. Discourage contacting you via email by creating discussion forums or using social media. Also, plan how and when the MOOC team will monitor the community and who is responsible for responding to the group or individuals, should it become necessary.

• Create assessments for a massive audience
Assessment is not a required element for a MOOC – many focus on forming networks and discussing content rather than formal assessment through tests or written work. If assessments are used, the scale of MOOCs makes many assessment techniques impractical. Consider using automated grading, like multiple choice exams or programmed response activities, or “grading” on effort and contribution rather than performance. In many cases, MOOCs offer certificates of completion to participants who submit assessments or contribute to the MOOC community.

Other sMOOC Considerations:

• Length and timing of the course
Traditionally, courses follow the academic calendar, but that is not necessary for a MOOC. Courses can begin and end at any time. Currently, there is not any research into the ideal length of a MOOC, but most seem to be between 4 and 8 weeks long, with a few as long as 10 to 12 weeks.

Once you completed “sMOOC Step by Step” course, we will provide you with a space in one of our ECO’s platforms to host – for free – the SMOOC you create. We will provide you with the necessary on line space in our platforms to create your own MOOC for free.  But first, we need you to commit yourself to follow ECO sMOOC pedagogical model, that is, the pedagogical model you can learn by taking the MOOC “sMOOC Step by Step”. According to it, your MOOC shouldn’t be longer than 4 weeks, a period of time during which we will provide you with a free online MOOC space. After the 4 weeks we provide, you will have to pay for the hosting service of the platform.

• Funding
It is possible to offer a MOOC without significant financial investment. If, however, the MOOC requires special technology, paid staff to monitor it, or additional services, it may be necessary to seek out funding for development or delivery. The ECO Project offers a portal where teachers or teaching have access to a new methodology based on the MOOC concept, thus enabling them a lifelong learning objective in a time-efficient manner at little or no cost.

• Promotion
Promotion and marketing are necessary to attract students to a MOOC. This will likely utilize social media and professional networks to advertise the course and gain attention. Consider emailing professional associations, colleagues at other institutions, and other groups that may be interested in the content. It may also help to share information via Twitter or other social networks.
ECO content can be visualized on computers, tablets and/or Smart phones.
You can check our social media sites where we promote our MOOCS:

Legal
MOOCs require caution regarding legal concerns, particularly copyright of any materials created for the MOOC or used from other sources and the privacy of student data and contributions. These concerns are just the beginning, however. It is important to be aware of the many legal issues that impact MOOCs.

The ones who are interested in creating a MOOC are encouraged to enrol “sMOOC Step by Step” and after completed you can apply to “Become an e-teacher”.
We can’t wait to see what you create. – Team UoMan.

Note: Article idea and some texts are taken from: Richter, S. “http://facdevblog.niu.edu/tips-for-designing-a-massive-open-online-course-mooc”

Nov 09
Umar with several video devices. Interview

Filming MOOCs: The perfect “Talking Heads Interview”

By | News | No Comments

Considering that video is the main method of content delivery in MOOCs, we are going to provide you an overview of one of the most frequently requested type of videos: the interview videos. Also known as “Talking Heads”. There are relatively straight forward to produce.

This article forms integral part of the on line MOOC course Videos for teaching, learning and communication,created by The University of Manchester. It will end the 4th of December. You can still enrol!

Our top tips for filming the perfect talking heads interview are:

• Prepping your subject
It is useful to tell them exactly what will happen in the interview process, without letting them know the questions you are going to ask. You want to capture natural, authentic answers and that tends to be hampered by giving the subject a list of questions prior to the interview. Tell the subject the general topics, that there won’t be any difficult questions and for how long you will interview them. Let them know whether if you will need to film any cutaways of them doing things that they talk about during the interview.

• Wearing the right clothes
As well as the time and place of the interview, inform about which clothes they need to wear. Ask them to dress in their normal clothes but avoiding close repeating patterns as that can play havoc with cameras and clothes with logos in order to avoid any copyright issues.
It can be tempting for subjects to put on a nice dress or their best suit if they know they are going to appear on camera but this may clash with the portrait of the person that you are trying to paint in the video, it’s important to mention whether you want them to be casually dressed or not.

Umar with several video devices. Interview• Keep accurate notes
Makes a note of anything that the subject mentions that might require clarification. This can be covered either by asking them to explain further or by using a cutaway to give the audience context.

• Selecting the right location
The best location for a talking heads interview is usually one which gives the audience some information about the person being interviewed. Each frame of the video is an opportunity for the filmmaker to communicate information.

Very often the background will be out of focus in order to give the feeling of depth and to concentrate the eye on the subject so the information available might be quite minimal and may just be a subliminal message that the audience pick up on due to the color pallet of the background or the type of environment we see the person in.

• Position the subject correctly for natural light
If windows are behind the subject you may see unwanted reflections of lights and camera equipment. If the sun is shining through it can silhouette the subject and combating daylight with film lights is difficult and may create a lot of heat.

If the window is in front of the subject then you may get varying light levels coming through as the sun goes in and out of clouds or shifts position in the sky. The amount of daylight will also change throughout the course of a day as the sun rises and falls so if you expect the interview to last a long time you may find a jump in light levels if you were to cut a clip from the beginning and middle of the interview together.

• Setup for sound
When location scouting it’s important to listen out for any sounds that may interfere with filming there. Usual culprits are air conditioning, traffic noise and co-workers.

When considering the sound within an interview it’s essential to have a consistent approach as you may find that the editor wants to cut back-to-back clips from several different interviews, either with the same subject or different people. If there’s a significant difference in the audio gathered the audience will find it jarring and will distract them from the narrative.

The audio recorder should always be setup from scratch to ensure that all settings are correct for the situation you are trying to capture.

• Light your subject correctly
There is a traditional lighting setup used for interviews called three point lighting. This setup involves a key light which is the main source of light pointing at the subject. If you have the luxury of seeing the person before the interview you can choose which side of the face to put the key light. You can complement their features by looking at the subject’s face and casting shadows to compensate for any asymmetry.

You may also use a fill light to balance out the amount of light falling on one side of the face and a back light which will help them to stand out from the background. Once you have mastered this technique it is possible to innovate, experiment and chop and change lighting setups to get across the desired tone for the interview.

• Avoid overheating your subject
Heat coming from the lights is also a factor to consider. In small offices, especially in the heat of the summer or foreign locations, you don’t want your subject to feel uncomfortable or to sweat profusely, so choosing a location and lighting setup to suit will be essential. Before filming make sure that you are aware of the availability of power sockets and the amount of current that can be drawn from them (film lights often draw a lot of current and may blow a normal ring main if too many are on at once).

• Position your camera /s
Typically you will use a two camera setup for interview filming. This allows you to cut from a wide shot to a close up during the edit. The advantage of this is it lets you edit the dialogue without the subject jumping position within the frame.

Sometimes you can position the cameras so they are filming the subject from the same angle and other times it will make more sense to position them roughly 30 degrees apart so one gives you a portrait shot and the other gives a three quarter angle view of the subject.

• Produce the key message/s
Deliver key message/s within the interview. There are two approaches that can help ensure that they deliver the appropriate dialogue, each with pros and cons.

Approach one is to use an auto cue. This allows the subject to read from a screen whilst looking into camera. The eye line will remain correct as they are looking through a piece of mirrored glass. The downside to this approach is that unless the interviewee is a seasoned professional, it may come across as stilted or fake as the person will cleat be reading lines.

The second approach allows you to get around this problem by giving the person bullet points that remind them of the key messages. Their dialogue will remain natural but the downside is that their eyes may be seen to flick to one side of the camera as they read the bullet point which may be held up on a sheet of paper by an assistant.

This is also distracting for the audience so the best overall approach is to keep the message short and for the subject to memories the dialogue and key messages – this easier said than done, which is why we stay firmly behind the camera!

You can still enrol! We can’t wait to see what you filmed after completed “Videos for teaching, learning, and communication” – Team UoMan.

Note: Article idea and some texts are taken from: http://boldcontentvideo.com/2015/03/06/10-tips-filming-perfect-talking-heads-interview/

Nov 07
Step by Step intro video

Would you like to know how to create your own MOOC? sMOOC Step by Step

By | News | No Comments

Now that MOOCs are hitting the scene, everyone wants to jump on board! Granted, some want to get into the game in the hopes of making some money (somehow?), but others genuinely want to know how they can create their own MOOC for educational purposes. Well, you have options!

Create powerful, interactive on line learning experiences has never been easier.

Everyone is an expert at something. But right now if you want to share knowledge on line you’re mostly limited to bogs, videos and slide decks.

This free Massive Open Online Course – MOOC is being made available by ECO, which is a European project based on Open Educational Resources (OER), that gives free access to a list of MOOCs in 6 languages, in most languages via Closed Captions (via YouTube subtitles).

Step by Step intro video

From full courses to short lessons and homework assignments, people can create unique experiences for students and embed them virtually anywhere on the web.

This course offers a practical and theoretical approach, is designed to help you experience a booming 21st century learning process as well as help you create your own sMOOC (social MOOC) in a step by step way.

It has been developed by a multidisciplinary team from a dozen professional institutions and has been built with their own MOOC experience and expertise in the ECO project and in accordance with its specific pedagogical model based on social constructivism.

Once you completed “sMOOC Step by Step” course, we will provide you with a space in one of our ECO’s platforms to host – for free – the SMOOC you create. It will be very easy:

  • Join up with fellow e-teachers and work together on your MOOC contents.
  • Set up your course on the platform
  • Your MOOC starts
  • Your MOOC ends

Align learning with the expectations and empower teachers to create rich interactive multi-media blended learning experiences.

Check it out!. We can’t wait to see what you create after completed “sMOOC Step by Step” – Team UoMan.

Nov 02

MOOC landscape in the UK

By | News | No Comments

The phenomenon of Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs, has attracted a great deal of reportage, debate and research over the past two years. As learning and teaching in higher education continues to be high on the agenda of UK governments, higher education providers and policy makers alike, it is vital that this aspect of one of the most significant developments in higher education in recent years receives attention.

UK MOOC scene is currently undergoing a period of significant growth.

As the activities of the early UK MOOC innovators extend and start to become mainstream (via new iterations of existing MOOCs, the launch of the UK MOOC platform FutureLearn, the expansion of existing platform partnerships, and the emergence of new platform options), there is value in offering a portrait of ‘where we are now’ at this turning point for MOOC engagement within UK higher education.

Here we have elected to focus on another of the UK Higher Education Academy’s core concerns: the provision of evidence-informed support for the development of pedagogic practice across the disciplines. In doing so, we aim to engage not with macro-level debate largely characterised by MOOC hype and MOOC backlash, but rather with the current micro-practices of MOOC teachers, and what these might mean for the role and place of online teaching in the open and at scale.

As the national body for learning and teaching in higher education, the Higher Education Academy (HEA) has been involved with MOOCS since their earliest implementation: the first MOOC to be named as such was the part-HEA-funded Oxford Brookes course “First Steps into Learning and Teaching in Higher Education” (May-June 2012). In 2013 this course included an option for gaining credit for its completion.

As at the end of 2013, 25 MOOCs had run in the UK, five of them at least twice, and as the fast-moving MOOC landscape shifts once again with the recent announcement of the first courses to be offered through the Open University’s FutureLearn platform.

The emergence and current state of play of MOOCs in the UK is described here, alongside a time line of MOOC delivery from UK universities. We trace the growth of the UK MOOC offer from the first MOOC to be named as such (the part-HEAfunded Oxford Brookes course ‘First Steps into Learning and Teaching in Higher Education’, May-June 2012), through the launch of the first big Coursera MOOCs (the University of Edinburgh MOOCs, Feb-March 2013), and the announcement of the first waves of courses offered through the UK FutureLearn platform (Oct 2013-Feb 2014).

In summary:

  • Fifty-eight MOOCs are currently offered by UK universities
  • Twenty-nine of these are on FutureLearn, 21 on Coursera and eight are offered without platform partnership, using CourseSites, OpenLearn and social media
  • The dominant disciplinary area of offer is Social Science (18 MOOCs), with Humanities and Medical and Veterinary Science each having 13 MOOCs; Natural Sciences offering eight, and Computing Sciences six
  • MOOC durations are between two weeks and 12 weeks; the majority category is six weeks in length
  • Two UK MOOCs are currently offered for credit: First Steps in Learning and Teaching (Oxford Brookes University) and Vampire Fictions (Edge Hill University).

In October 2013 the University of Central Lancashire announced it would welcome students and applicants using MOOCs as evidence of prior learning, providing its own assignments to test understanding of the equivalent course material (Parr 2013). It is particularly important to consider the implications that such innovations may have on a range of notions of ‘openness’; accreditation comes along with particular expectations about the processes of designing and teaching the MOOC, and expectations about participation. These expectations may work against certain ideas of ‘openness’, a matter that is discussed in the literature review.

At the end of 2013, 25 MOOCs have been run by UK universities, and five of these have run at least twice. Another 33 are currently being marketed for 2014 via Coursera and FutureLearn.

Enrolments in courses run to date have ranged from a few hundred (for example, First Steps in Learning and Teaching, Oxford Brookes University) to 97,000 (Introduction to Philosophy, University of Edinburgh). Eight of the UK MOOCs offered to date have been built outside the major platforms, via a social media mix, using CourseSites or the OpenLearn LabSpace, with the rest either taking place in Coursera or FutureLearn. No UK universities currently offer through the other current major US platforms EdX and Udacity.

distribution-of-uk-moocs-on-different-platforms
The disciplinary mix of the UK offer is notable, with a relatively high proportion of courses being offered in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Courses tend to be short, with six-week courses being the largest grouping.
Note: Article idea and some texts are taken from: The pedagogy of the Massive Open Online Course: the UK view Siân Bayne and Jen Ross, the University of Edinburgh. ‘https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/system/files/hea_edinburgh_mooc_web_240314_1.pdf‘.

Oct 31
ANCES

New associate partners join ECO project: ANCES (Spain)

By | News, News about ECO | No Comments

Spain’s National Association of European Business and Innovation Centres (ANCES) joined ECO project as Associate Partner. The agreement is expected to open a new scope for dissemination of ECO’s initiatives among new companies and entrepreneurs.

ANCES is an entity with legal personality and non-profit, whose operation is governed by the Associations Law 1/2002 from 22nd of March (Associations Act, 2002). Founded in 1994 with national scope, it came up with the idea of promoting economic and industrial development through the BICs, providing expertise on the creation of new Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) based on innovative elements with development potential.

Map of BICs in Spain (ANCES) - ANCES Website (http://bit.ly/2eQtGwY)

Map of BICs in Spain (ANCES) – ANCES Website (http://bit.ly/2eQtGwY)

Based on this goal, ANCES is presented as the appropriate framework to facilitate its 28 members the systems, services and activities that contribute to the achievement of its objectives with maximum efficiency and professionalism. Among the many ANCES activities, apart from the work of information and institutional representation of the Spanish centers to institutions, agencies and national and international forums, it is included the promotion and dissemination of the role of BICs as key agents between research, development and industry, support organizations in the implementation of new BICs, and establishing ties with different instruments linked to business creation.

ECO is currently open to academic collaboration agreements with like-minded companies and institutions worldwide. Further info on communication@eco-learning.eu

Oct 28

New associate partners join ECO project: Ingenia (Spain)

By | News, News about ECO | No Comments

In addition to core-member Higher Education Institutions, ECO project is getting attention among private companies throughout Europe. Following a track opened by Microsoft, a number of mainly IT-focused firms are flocking to ECO Project. Latest has been Malaga-based Ingenia, whose CEO José Blanco signed a colaboration agreement with ECO Project coordinator Sara Osuna on October 11th.

Ingenia joins ECO

Ingenia joins ECO

Ingeniería e Integración Avanzadas (INGENIA), S.A., is a multinational company in IT, telecommunications and the Internet.

“We offer innovative solutions with a wide range of products and services in the fields of IT security and consulting, infrastructure and wireless, RFID, managed services, e-learning, software development, Big Data and Internet networks. Since 1992 we collaborate with more than 1,600 clients of public bodies and companies, applying innovation as a differential value for the development of their business.”

Ingenia’s headquarters are located at the Technological Park of Andalusia (PTA) in Malaga. It also has offices in Sevilla, Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Santiago de Chile and Lima. Ingenia has over 20-years of experience in the field of e-learning, both nationally and internationally, in which they have carried out numerous projects in both public organizations and private entities.

“While one of our core values ​​is knowledge of technology, it must be the means and not the end,” it was claimed in the agreement. “In this sense, technology should facilitate and promote learning, the achievement of the training objectives and their transferability to everyday activity.”

ECO is currently open to academic collaboration agreements with like-minded companies and institutions worldwide. Further info on communication@eco-learning.eu

Oct 24

What video production style to choose for a MOOC? Typologies of Video Production Styles

By | News | No Comments

MOOCs can distribute content in a scalable and high-quality format to a large number of learners around the world. This MOOC is available to learners who want to teach or communicate via the medium of video and the art of video production.

This article forms integral part of the on line MOOC course Videos for teaching, learning and communication, created by The University of Manchester.

Considering that video is the main method of content delivery in MOOCs, we are going to provide you an overview of video production styles. So you will have more information about what video style to choose for recording your own MOOC.

A video production style is the main method of visual organization that is employed to realize a video’s goals and achieve specific results when the video is viewed.

When thinking about video for learning, the choice of video production style will have a great impact on a video’s ability to effect pedagogical objectives and desired learning outcomes.

Typologies of Video Production Styles.

When choosing a production style, it is important to keep in mind the video’s goals and desired results. Different production styles have different affordances, so it is vital that the selection process be both: thoughtful and intentional.

The main production styles that are currently being used in on-line learning context are:

Talking Head:

  • Common style typically shot in a studio.
  • Can be used to build a connection between the person on-camera and the viewer.
  • Multiple camera angles may be used for easier editing and to break the monotony.

Presentation Slides with Voice-Over:

  • Could be PowerPoint or any other presentation format, with voice-over and slides visible full screen.
  • Annotations on a slide can be used to highlight information or draw the viewer’s attention to a specific detail.

Picture-in-Picture:

  • Ability to show slides and instructor at the same time.

Text Overlay:

  • Text or graphics overlaid onto a video.
  • Can be used to summarize main points, highlight keywords, and phrases, or visualize what is being discussed.

Khan-Style Tablet Capture:

  • ‘Chalk and talk’ style made on a tablet.
  • Relatively cheap and easy to produce.
  • Presenter typically uses a conversational tone.

Udacity-Style Tablet Capture:

  • Voice overlay over digital whiteboard / writing hand.
  • Presenter’s hand captures using an overhead camera, but made semi-transparent in post –production, so writing is not obscured.

Actual Paper / Whiteboard:

  • A low-tech alternative to digital tablet capture.
  • Could be an upright whiteboard, or an overhead shot of a piece of paper on a desk.

Screencast:

  • Recording whatever is on the instructor’s screen and adding an audio voice-over.
  • Very versatile, can be used for any on-screen content.
  • Commonly used for technical training, software training, and step-by-step video tutorials.
  • Relatively cheap to produce.

Animation:

  • Useful to visualize abstract concepts and relations.
  • Can range from very simple to highly sophisticated.

Classroom Lecture:

  • Filming a traditional lecture in a classroom.

Recorded Seminar:

  • Recording a seminar discussion, often with the professor and current or the past students of the course.
  • Can be useful to give viewers the feeling that they are in class together with other learners.

Interview:

  • A good way to involve outside experts from a particular field.
  • Gives viewers access to a leading expert’s opinions and ideas about a relevant topic.

Conversation:

  • An informal conversation about a particular topic, typically featuring the instructor(s) and perhaps a guest.
  • Typically unscripted, authentic conversations, which may help build a connection between the presenters and the viewer.
  • Can be used as a method for reflecting on discussions and happenings within the course.

Live Video:

  • Live virtual office hours can help instructors establish a presence in the course.
  • Hangouts-on-Air can also be useful to bring in external experts.
  • Gives students a chance to get their questions answered live.

Web Cam Capture:

  • Relatively cheap to produce, web cams are easily accessible.
  • Similar to a talking head style video, but more informal and not shot in a studio.

Demonstration:

  • Allows viewers to see a concept, process in action, rather than just seeing someone talking about it.
  • Can give viewers special access to art, tools, etc.
  • Very useful for showing experiments that viewer would not otherwise be able to see or do on their own.

On-Location:

  • A great way to take viewers to places that they might otherwise not be able to go or see things from a new perspective.
  • An uncontrolled environment makes this format more risky to film

Green Screen:

  • A green screen can be used to substitute different
  • Requires proper equipment, lighting and post production.

Two video production styles that are featured prominently in many MOOCs: the talking head style, where the instructor is recorded lecturing into the camera, and the tablet capture with voice-over style.

It is, of course, possible to combine two or more of them in one video, thereby achieving different results than could be produced with any of these formats on its own.
One common combination is often referred to as a ‘bookend’ approach, which usually features the talking head style at the beginning and the end of the video, with a tablet capture or screen cast used in between.

So, have you thought about what video production style to choose for your next MOOC?

Following the idea of being ‘Massive’, why not share it on your Social Media sites, with your friends, and see if they might like to join them on this course.

For an introvideo to the course, please watch the below:

We look forward to seeing you there! – Team UoMan.

Note: Article idea and some texts are taken from: Hansch, A., McConachie, K., Hillers, L. and Prof. Dr. Schildhauer,T. (2015). TopMOOC Research Project. ‘The Role of Video in Online Learning: Findings From the Field and Critical Reflections‘.

Oct 19
windows-movie-maker-screen

A video is worth a thousand pictures. Videos for teaching, learning and communication

By | News | No Comments

Video is an essential component of most Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and other forms of on-line learning.

We successfully launched our 3rd edition of our MOOC: Videos for teaching, learning and communication by The University of Manchester. The course started on the 3rd of October and will end the 4th of December. You can still enrol!

Video content plays a central role in most MOOCs and other forms of on line learning. It is typically the main form of content delivery as well as the greatest cost driver of MOOC production.

MOOC videos tend to be structured as short pieces of content, often separated by assessment questions. Splitting videos into 2-3 minute segments or 6-minute chunks maximizes viewer engagement.

windows-movie-maker-screen
Two video production styles that are featured prominently in many MOOCs: the talking head style, where the instructor is recorded lecturing into the camera, and the tablet capture with voice-over style. Do-it-yourself (DIY) is another popular one.  When choosing a production style, it is important to keep in mind the video’s goals and desired results.

Windows Movie Maker screen.

Video production, in nearly all cases, is the most expensive component of creating a MOOC, but it does not have to be. In many cases, opting for a lightweight production process is a great way to achieve educational objectives, while at the same time reducing cost.

Many smart phones and web cams are able to record in high definition, and many free on line resources exist that make the filming and editing processes accessible to non-professionals. In this course, we will share with you copyright-free resources you can use and teach you how to use them.

The relevance of quality for on-line learning videos are hard to make given the many variables and diverse populations involved.

High-quality video content might, therefore, be especially important to keep MOOC students interested in the course. The importance of a video’s production value depends on its context and audience.

This MOOC is available to individuals from all around the world, who want to teach. It is for any learner who wants to: teach or communicate via the medium of video.

Delivering content clearly on video requires a different set of skills than those required for classroom teaching. This course is also catered to those just interested in gaining Social Media Marketing Skills. You will be able to utilize the knowledge you have gained from completing the course and apply these Web 2.0 skills to create videos for teaching and communication.

A test shoot can be a valuable source of feedback for both the instructor and the production team.

Following the idea of being ‘Massive’ and starting applying your Web 2.0 skill, why not share it on your Social Media sites, with your friends, and see if they might like to join them on this course too?

We look forward to seeing you there! – Team UoMan.

Note: Article idea and some texts are taken from: Hansch, A., McConachie, K., Hillers, L. and Prof. Dr. Schildhauer,T. (2015). TopMOOC Research Project .
‘The Role of Video in Online Learning: Findings From the Field and Critical Reflections‘.