Robyn Philip

Theatre Online: The Design and Drama of E-Learning

Theatre and drama are areas of performance and inquiry which usually assume engagement and commitment to the ensemble or group process, supported by strong individual input. How can this “dynamic” be brought into a fully online distance course? In this article we analyse and reflect on the design and implementation of an online theatre studies course using theatrical metaphors to consider the mise‐en‐scène, students’ entrances and exits into the online space, their solo and ensemble work, and the importance of “teaching presence.” Attention is paid to fostering a “course dynamic” that echoes the social world of the learners. The action research undertaken indicates that a fully online course can be as engaging, interesting, and innovative as any course designed for more traditional settings.

Solo life to Second Life: the design of physical and virtual learning spaces inspired by the drama classroom

This paper explores the design of virtual and physical learning spaces developed for students of drama and theatre studies. What can we learn from the traditional drama workshop that will inform the design of drama and theatre spaces created in technology-mediated learning environments? The authors examine four examples of spaces created for online, distance and on-campus students and discuss the relationship between the choice of technology, the learning and teaching methods, and the outcomes for student engagement. Combining insights from two previous action research projects, the discussion focuses on the physical space used for contemporary drama workshops, supplemented by Web 2.0 technologies; a modular online theatre studies course; the blogging space of students creating a group devised play; and the open and immersive world of Second Life, where students explore 3D simulations of historical theatre sites. The authors argue that the drama workshop can be used as inspiration for the design of successful online classrooms. This is achieved by focusing on students’ contributions to the learning as individuals and group members, the aesthetics and mise-en-scene of the learning space, and the role of mobile and networked technologies. Students in this environment increase their capacity to become co-creators of knowledge and to achieve creative outcomes. The drama workshop space in its physical and virtual forms is seen as a model for classrooms in other disciplines, where dynamic, creative and collaborative spaces are required.

An Innovative Educational Change: Massive Open Online Courses in Robotics and Robotic Vision

In this article, we discuss our experience in developing and implementing two massive open online courses (MOOCs) at Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Australia. The MOOCs, titled Introduction to Robotics and Robotic Vision, each ran for six weeks and comprised online lectures, assessments, programming exercises, and an optional robot-making or vision-system-creating project, respectively. As well as being among the first MOOCs in the world on these topics at the undergraduate level, the QUT MOOCs were innovative in two particular areas: first in the integration of automatically graded MATLAB programming assignments and second in the use of an automated process for student-peer review of project outcomes.

E-learning in schools : making successful connections

This chapter aims to provide a snapshot of a selection of online projects carried out within the last 5 years in order to describe the diversity and range of practices that the medium of e-learning can facilitate and to identify the factors most likely to contribute to their success or failure. Four online projects that shared the goal of aiming to improve learning opportunities for school students through the use of e-learning are discussed. The projects represent a series of initiatives hosted by three different Centres (The Centre for Flexible Learning, the Macquarie University ICT Innovations Centre and the Macquarie University e-Learning Centre of Excellence) located within an Australian University. They involve collaboration between staff from these Centres with technical support staff and academic staff from a range of disciplines at Macquarie University, Australia; with technical and teaching staff from schools in New South Wales; and with research staff from organisations such as the Australian Centre for Astrobiology (ACA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in America and the Centre for Astronomy and Science Education (CASE) at the University of Glamorgan.