Work-it-Out with Chris Creagh: OLT Fellowship Posted in News, Teaching and Learning on November 4, 2014 by ACDS Web Admin. Work It Out: Enhancing students’ problem solving skills by modelling how to “Work It Out” in a just-in-time learning environment Many students arrive at university without the basic skills and background they need to study physics at first year level which has an impact on their success rate in any degree that has first year physics as a core subject. This fellowship has developed open education online resources that show experts engaging in physics “Work It Out” activities. Short videos developed as part of the Fellowship can be found on the YouTube channel Physics Vids. There are 3 playlists. Work-It-Out video The first playlist “The Thinking Behind Learning &Teaching Activities” contains 4 videos, each around ten minutes long. They form part of the activities for the Work-it-Out workshops which can be used for both student learning and staff professional development. They are: * Textbook, Your Personal Trainer * A Toolbox of Diagrams * Interrogating Formula * Design an Experiment The most popular playlist on the Physics Vids YouTube Channel is Dr. C’s First Year Physics Demos which includes 27 videos, each about two minutes long, the content of each being a short lecture demonstration sequence. These videos were produced to enable distance education students to see the lecture demonstrations they could only previously hear. Associated educational resources are under development so these videos can form the focus of activities where the student becomes the teacher and takes ownership of the curriculum. A third playlist WiO Website Launch captures not only the launch of the Work-it-Out website but also the changing learning style of students. It starts with the traditional lecture for the launch with all the “students” sitting in the back rows of the lecture theatre, far away from the lecturer and a PowerPoint presentation with some difficult to read slides. The pace is set by the lecturer and there is very little interaction between anyone. By the end of the WiO Website Launch video everyone is interacting with the WiO website or associated learning and teaching materials in simulated, technologically enhanced, learning spaces which include: * Small group work where each student has an iPad * Small group work with students grouped around a data projector showing one of the WiO videos * Individual student work on a laptop in the midst of a pile of cushions on the floor * Individual work at a PC student desk
