Innovative educational delivery at USQ
In an Australian first, all teaching staff at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) will have access to use virtual classrooms, online study groups and other innovative educational tools from semester two this year.
The tools are part of the Wimba suite of educational technologies that USQ will implement to further engage students studying via distance education.
Manager of the Program Revitalisation Project Dr Michael Sankey said the University has adopted the suite to help bridge the gap between on and off campus students.
‘Almost 80 per cent of students at USQ are enrolled by distance education,’ Dr Sankey said.
‘The Wimba suite is offering a higher level of engagement for students who cannot come on campus than sitting at a computer using a web site and written discussion forums.’
The Wimba Collaboration Suite will be available to staff across the University which will allow virtual classes with the Wimba Classroom application, voice components through Wimba Voice Tools and instant messaging through Wimba Pronto.
‘The suite has a range of tools within it, one of which is a virtual classroom where lecturers and students can interact in a synchronous fashion,’ Dr Sankey said.
‘Students can talk to the lecturer and other students from anywhere in the world.’
Podcasts and instant text messaging will also allow staff to communicate with students instantly.
‘Wimba also offers voice boards where students create external study groups.
‘Students can talk to their lecturers or each other with a video feed and leave messages and it is completely free.
‘Unlike other public applications available the voice boards are within the course so discussions can not be interrupted.’
The University has been trialling the tools in semester one, with positive feedback from lecturers and students.
Lecturer in Business Dr Joseph Mula said he used the Wimba tools in semester one in an undergraduate and postgraduate course.
‘I have used the voice, video, whiteboard, sharing application, recording sessions as well as the main room and individual chat room applications,’ Dr Mula said.
The Wimba suite also allowed external students to view and listen to other students’ presentations in the Forensic Accounting course, Dr Mula said.
‘They had slides up and could annotate the slides. They were also speaking to us and those with web cams could be seen by the class.
‘Students for that course stretch from as for north as Hong Kong to as far east as Brunei and South to Melbourne. About half are overseas and half are in Australia.
‘It’s a really good tool for interaction. It gives us the ability to set group work for external students.
‘I am intending to continue to use it. It provides interaction not only between staff and students but between students.
‘They can now get on and have face-to-face discussions and share documents easily. It’s a big step forward.’