learning - Academic Conferences Limited

6.1 The quick wins
Mark de Groot,
Students have consistently been alive to the added value afforded by web conferencing. It can put
them in touch with experts in their field, give them more access to their tutors or simply provide a
convenient, collaborative learning and social environment. Distance learners have been particularly
appreciative of the group contact and stronger cohort identity afforded through live conferencing. All
have appreciated the access to revision material provided by recorded sessions.
For tutors the most tangible benefits come with minimum overheads where web conferencing is used
in one to one situations. These include supervision of dissertations and research projects, support for
placement students and tutor contact through scheduled office hours.
Overheads increase as group sizes become larger; nevertheless small groups (5 to 15) of distance
learners have been particularly appreciative of the contact afforded through live conferencing and the
access to revision material provided by recorded sessions.
For administrators and support staff web conferencing has proved to be especially rewarding both
where part time staff are involved in course delivery and where full time staff have needed to travel
between campuses. Benefits have included better attendance, better use of time, more focussed
discussion and agreement on subsequent actions if key points are written and displayed to all during
the meeting.
External projects have also benefited, especially where travel and meeting time has been an explicitly
costed expense.
For the institution the experience of staff and students at Leeds Met provides increasingly cogent
confirmation that web conferencing can contribute to the rethink in the administration, support and
delivery of student learning that is necessitated by increases in student fees from September 2012.
There is clear potential to deliver better value to online and distance learners, better support for
individual students, and reduced travel and environmental costs for those travelling to meet in
University buildings.
6.2 The challenges
Technical challenges need to be expected, recognized and addressed. They may vary from simple
(headsets muted) to more complex (Firewall / Java issues) They are a potential barrier for all new
users but especially for those working off campus. Our licence includes access for all to a 24/7
technical helpline. This has helped distance learners with access problems. It is an especially
valuable resource for students working in different time zones. Student tolerance of technical
difficulties has consistently been greater than that of staff. Possibly the stakes are higher for staff
where issues they cannot always control directly can and have meant cancellation of scheduled
sessions. Guidance generally has been to ensure sufficient early preparation, to encourage practice
sessions and to test access in good time before a session starts.
Challenges relating to pedagogy have tended to arise where the assumption has been made that face
to face approaches will transfer directly to online web conferences. The identified need is to provide
for staff sufficient good experiences and examples of engaging, interactive web conferences.
Web conferencing presents a direct challenge to existing patterns of staff development. Rather than
schedule content driven sessions prepared by support staff consider staff development characterised
as: time limited, task focussed, resource light, technology enabled and user driven. Our experience is
that it makes absolute sense to introduce web conferencing itself as the core means of supporting
such staff development.Software upgrades and company buyouts are ever present and not always
welcome. What is certain however is that change is constant. Staff investing time to become familiar
with particular web conferencing software need to understand and be confident of the benefits, and
inevitability, of major upgrades. The consultation and consensus building that is possible within a user
group goes far in addressing this challenge, empowering users as contributors and advisers on key
decisions such as selection of resources and licensing. The challenge to existing work habits is
perhaps the most far reaching challenge of all. Web conferencing provides a natural, inviting
environment for students schooled and familiar with sophisticated communication technologies. This
needs to be reflected in institutional strategies, especially teaching and estates strategies. Leaders
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