Transcript 15.9 KB

Can an old technology have new applications? Can changes in infrastructure increase the value of a technology and lead to its re-emergence? Are avatars more engaging than real people?

In the final video of the course, Leigh-Anne, Rebecca Ferguson and I consider these questions when reflecting on our use of Second Life over the past four weeks. We do some more future-gazing, sharing our thoughts about the ways in which virtual worlds may feature in the online education landscape in coming years and invite you to use the Comments area to share your own thoughts on this topic.

What did you think of the Second Life-based videos in this course? How do the final two videos – here, and in the previous step – compare with the videos set in Second Life? Having studied the entire course, could you see an application for virtual reality in your own teaching?

This is the final step of the course, and a good place to say we hope you’ve enjoyed the past four weeks of study as much as we’ve enjoyed making the course. Thank you for joining us!

What next?

If you’ve enjoyed this course, and want to learn more about developments in educational technology and the strategies that online educators and researchers can employ to enhance their practice, you may be interested in several of the courses offered by The Open University. Unlike this course, they have full tutor support, provide access to the university’s extensive library, and carry academic credit at postgraduate level.

Masters in Online Teaching Theory and practice of online and blended teaching (Masters degree).

H880 Technology-enhanced Learning: Foundations and Futures Develop your ability to act as an effective professional within the broad field of technology-enhanced teaching and training, and gain a Postgraduate Certificate in Online and Distance Education (60 UK credits at postgraduate level).

H890 Research and Scholarship in Digital Education Develop research and scholarship skills appropriate to investigating online education while also pursuing your specialist interests. (60 UK credits at postgraduate level).

Online Teaching: Evaluating and Improving Courses Develop the skills you need to evaluate the success of your online teaching and enhance your students’ remote learning experience (15 UK credits at postgraduate level).

Online Teaching: Accessibility and Inclusive Learning Enhance your online teaching by understanding and improving accessibility for students with disabilities or additional needs (15 UK credits at postgraduate level).

Online Teaching: Embedding Social, Race and Gender-Related Equity Discover how to embed equity in your online teaching and support equitable participation for all students (15 UK credits at postgraduate level).

Teacher Development: Embedding Mental Health in the Curriculum Develop inclusive learning that enhances student mental health and wellbeing using the application of Universal Design for Learning (15 UK credits at postgraduate level).

For more information contact iet-onlineteaching@open.ac.uk