6 March 2013
This was a joint session with Anne Campbell and her group, for the second level OU module S282 "Astronomy".
I wanted to make use of Elluminate's capability to host discussions between students (breakout rooms). The particular topic I chose was based on comparing images at various wavelength of the Sun. The aim would be to help students understand solar activity by identifying the different manifestation of the activity at different wavelengths.
The content was based on existing material - images supplied to students on the module DVD, and a TMA question from 2009. Using these materials helped me be confident that the topic was appropriate to the module.
I had also previously used the materials in a face-to-face tutorial session.
I drafted some notes on the topic. Anne seemed a bit cautious about how successfully we might be able to present this activity and manage discussion across several breakout rooms.
My approach was based on asking students to access the images independently during the session from the module DVD - either through the interface they should have installed at the start of the module, or by navigating to the appropriate folder and viewing them in their browser.
They would then go into small groups in breakout rooms to identify features amongst themselves.
To introduce the activity I set up two simple Elluminate quizzes.
The basic structure of the tutorial was constructed in the form a PowerPoint slide show, to be loaded on to the Elluminate whiteboards
Anne added introductory material to the session to introduce the group to the use of Elluminate.
We also provided material on answering TMA questions for the tail end of the session.
The final planning work was an email to the students: "During the tutorial we plan to use some S282 DVD images - in particular the Image Archive on the Active Sun and on the Quiet Sun. Would you load this up to your computer before the start of the tutorial, please?"
