Streaming Theatre in a Virtual

Classroom

Stevens, Childs, Lint and Eversmann

Jan 2006 - April 2007

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/uk/

Situation Develop modules on inter-cultural aspects of

performance, and link students from both courses together.

Develop a series of videoconference sessions and online tasks that effectively achieve the aims

Develop the pictorial essay (linking images and video) as a form of assessment

undergraduate module - Cross-Cultural Performance Analysis – delivered entirely through web-based videoconferencing and web 2.0 technologies

Participants

7 Undergraduates from Theaterwetenschap, Universiteit van Amsterdam and 7 from School of Theatre and Performance Warwick

Amsterdam: Dr. Peter Eversmann and Dr. Erik Lint at the Universiteit van Amsterdam had experience of Breeze, Online editing

Warwick: Mark Childs, Jonathan Stevens, Tim White had experience of web 2.0 –based collaborative learning, teaching via videoconferencing, learning object repositories.

Technological setup

Develop, integrate and evaluate: Format, encoding and metadata of video files Upload mechanism for video files The digitale snijmachine (cutting machine) Student collaboration platform (inc blog) Videoconferencing platform Integrated through course website

Task Identify effective techniques for telematic

teaching Create assessment tasks and criteria that

employ use of video materials (the pictorial essay)

Identify effective online techniques for student collaboration

Provide students with exposure to technology, but make cultural exchange the focus of the interaction, not the technology.

Actions

These technologies were applies in parallel: Blogs Forums Digital snijmachine Macromedia Breeze

And integrated through a common website

The ‘telematic environment’

Integrating different media beneficial Discussion worked better than presentation

Integrating schedules and assessment criteria most difficult element

Copyright clearance most difficult element Various problems with Breeze

Results

Social PresenceParticipant

A

Social PresenceParticipant

B

CopresenceParticipants

A and B

Obervations Set clear tasks for blog/forum/etc Schedule time for online collaboration outside of

formal sessions Have offline debriefing Start with more ice-breaking sessions Provide time at start of module for sharing cultures Pair up students earlier?? Let them use the tool they want Observe, moderate and evaluate constantly