This page gives an overview of ViSuAL project experiments conducted in the 2019/2020 academic year.
There are also videos about some of the experiments on the ViSuAL project´s YouTube channel.
Experiment n.º 1 – JAMK University of Applied Sciences (Teacher Education) and IRIS Connect
In this experiment in JAMK, microteaching activity was used to enhance student teachers’ process of professional development as a facilitator of learning. Student teachers were asked to design, implement and video record a microteaching session of 15 minutes on a topic selected by them. By doing so, student teachers build their pedagogical expertise to work as an educator in the digital era. In addition to the goals mentioned above, the experiment also aimed to support the development of reflection skills by linking the elements of expertise (theoretical knowledge, practical/experiential knowledge, metacognitive knowledge). By reflecting on their recorded microteaching sessions together with their peers, students learn to identify their strengths and development goals, which will support their professional development. Also, by reviewing the videos of their peers, students will learn to give peer feedback to their fellow students. Working collaboratively on their microteaching sessions further supports students’ reflection skills by linking the elements conceptual/theoretical and practical/experiential knowledge. IRIS Connect platform was used for reflecting on the videos, completing the self and peer analysis and having a collaborative discussion on the IRIS chat forum.
Eila and Tuulia explain more about this experiment in this video (link).
Experiment n.º 2 – JAMK University of Applied Sciences (Music) and IRIS Connect
The experiment is about recording sessions of how to teach to the play kantele. Kantele is a Finnish national instrument which has 39 strings. Kantele is still quite uncommon instrument having small number of BSc-students nationwide. Three Bachelor´s Degree music students from JAMK School of Music participated in the teacher diploma training by video recording their kantele teaching lessons and peer reviewing them in turns twice a month. The recordings were uploaded in the IRIS Connect video technology system and shared them with their tutor teacher and peer reviewers. IRIS platform offered possibility to watch uploaded videos despite the geographical distances. Video-observation gave an excellent possibility to discuss, reflect and build shared knowledge together between peer-students and tutor teacher, when watching and analyzing the recorded teaching sessions and practices. Thus, it provided an opportunity to use peer’s feedback as part of the learning process. Students felt also that for them it was even easier to teach pupils, when there were no audience, like tutor teacher, in the class.
This video (link) explains how the experiment went.
Experiment n.º 3 – JAMK University of Applied Sciences (Managers) and Flowbox
This experiment in JAMK takes places at YZ-Generation Management Development Project. The aim of the project is to develop management and leadership practices in order to enhance the commitment of employees of YZ-generation in Tourism and Hospitality business organizations. Participants are managers in small and medium-sized companies with various educational backgrounds. About 20 managers from five companies participate in the experiment. The purpose in the experiment is to utilize video recorded management situations with Y and Z generations to reflect managerial behavior. Additionally, videos are utilized for collaborative learning aiming to improve leadership skills of managers and to develop management practices in companies. Flowboard/Flowbox video sharing space is used as a video technology in the experiment. Managers make videos about their own managerial work and reflect their leadership, interaction and behavior with employees. These videos are shared in Flowboard. Secondly, managers reflect their managerial work and generational differences together with peers and their coach (teacher) in small group meetings with the help of videos. Above steps of making videos, sharing them, and having collective reflective discussions based on the videos, aim to change thinking and finally behaviors, to enhance the development of leadership both individual and organizational level.
The key findings from this experiment are described in this video (link).
Experiment n.º 15 – JAMK University of Applied Sciences (Nutrition) and Flowbox
In this experiment in JAMK, students attended an online webinar, as part of the course Sustainable Nutrition, carried out completely online. Afterwards, they did a video presentation, as a group assignment. The first aim was for students to get familiar with video-based teaching. The students also learned how to use video making programs (of their choice) and got more comfortable with being featured in videos. The second aim was to foster online collaborative learning through a group assignment done as a video presentation. This might contribute to the development of soft skills and interpersonal skills. The students worked in groups, international and multidisciplinary groups were encouraged. The third aim was for students to deepen their understanding through project-based learning. Students were encouraged to develop their assignment using other data and sources than those presented in the course. The overarching aim of this experiment was to investigate how video can support collaborative learning in the setting of an online course. Flowbox video technology was used in this experiment. Video was used in two ways, first to deliver knowledge (through the webinar), and then to report the application of the acquired knowledge to a specific case study (through a video presentation done in groups). The experiment was also the first step to set the ground for investigating the development of interpersonal and social skills through online courses assignments.
This experiment and its results are described in this video (link).
Experiment n.º 4 – University of Évora and IRIS Connect
This Portuguese experiment involves supervisors from the University of Évora, school teachers and student-teachers in initial teacher education courses. The experiment aims to evaluate video-supported collaborative learning approach and to improve student-teachers´ professional learning processes through individual and collaborative reflection using video technologies. School students use videos for collaborative learning and for this IRIS Connect online video platform is used. The experimenters are interested to find out if the students are more engaged in their own and their peers learning process and if this upgrade in their pedagogical approach helps them to acquire a deeper knowledge about the subjects but also about the use of video technology to create content in a collaborative context, focusing on the development of skills and working together, exploring diverse solutions.
Link to the video-blog will be added very soon!
Experiment n.º 5 – University of Évora and Bloco Gráfico
University of Évora conducts an experiment that involves teachers and students of a primary school in Portugal. The aim is to evaluate the use of a pedagogical approach based on problem solving and in collaborative learning in a way that students could benefit from a sustained and innovative pedagogical exploration of video technologies and the support from Bloco Gráfico at the content level (books, videos and other pedagogical material). Students have an active role in creating and using video as well as other technologies. By making use of Bloco Gráfico´s “Escola Virtual” platform, digital recording devices (tablets/smartphones) and simple video creation and editing software, the students collaboratively create their own videos to learn, help their peers learning in an interactive way and share their own research focused on solving a problem. The experiment aims to evaluate students´ learning process at the levels of collaboration, digital skills (creating, editing and sharing videos), engagement in learning and overall motivation for school learning.
Here is a video (link) where the teacher explains how the experiment went.
Experiment n.º 6 – Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (SFIVET, in-service teachers) and iVideo.education
SFIVET experiment takes place within a 3-year training program for Vocational Education and Training (VET) in-service teachers in Switzerland. The experiment connects authentic practices at school and the training course. Half of the participants provide feedback and conduct self-observation on video-recorded lessons supported by the iVideo.education video annotation tool. Teachers record part of their lesson and upload it onto iVideo software, where other teachers reciprocally write feedback on the video. Later the course supervisors enter their feedback as well. Capturing and sharing authentic class situations facilitates both reflection-on-action and reflection-for-action. The collaborative analysis of practices leads to a self-analysis and teaching change. Reflection is fostered by delivering and receiving feedback through peer-to-peer, expert-to-novice, and group analysis collaboration, as a means to consolidate effective teaching practices, to improve unsuccessful ones, and to develop a critical perspective on one’s own professional behavior. In this study, the role of technology through iVideo.education tool increases the number of occasions participants have to analyse one’s practice and to investigate the use of video annotation to generate contextualized, situation-based, concrete, written analysis of practices.
In this video (link) experimenter Elena explains the details of this experiment.
And here two participating students – Debora (link) and Rolando (link) – talk about their experience.
Experiment n.º 12 – Swiss Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (SFIVET, nursing education) and iVideo.education
SFIVET conducts an exploratory study that highlights the use of a Video-supported Collaborative Learning-by-Design (VSC-LBD) approach in the authentic setting of a nursing education course with the aim of enhancing students’ procedural knowledge on urinary catheter insertion through the use of a digital video authoring and video annotation tool iVideo.education. This study compares three nursing students’ classes learning a professional procedure and the aim is to find out if VSC-LBD allows for better knowledge acquisition, compared to a traditional lessons. Participants are required to collaboratively design a hypervideo that will become a learning resource for their peers. The hypothesis is that VSC-LBD scenario can promote procedural learning gains thus fostering professional development in nursing education.
In this video (link) Rachele explains how the experiment went.
Experiment n.º 7 – Aeres University of Applied Sciences Wageningen (collaborative learning) and IRIS Connect
The experiment takes place at the Higher Education Institute Aeres Wageningen (HEI AHW) with teacher students who reflect on their development during their study. Students are teaching with collaborative learning and reflect on their teaching at the university. The reflections are about collaborative learning. It implies that students reflect on their lessons and build knowledge with these reflections. The experiment takes place at (pre) vocational education during teacher education. The students are teaching at the secondary schools for vocational training and film parts of their lessons. At the university the students will reflect and react on their teaching via IRIS Connect and knowledge building approach. With the dialogue about collaborative learning the understanding of collaborative learning will increase.
In this video (link) the experimenter Marije talks about how the experiment went.
Experiment n.º 8 – Aeres University of Applied Sciences Wageningen (coaching skills) and IRIS Connect
This experiment takes place at the Higher Education Institute Aeres Wageningen (HEI AHW) with teacher students who reflect on their development during their study. Students use short films how to give instruction and how to teach in a small learning group at a school for vocational education. The students give each other feedback in the context where they work and how they show their professional identity as teacher and coach. The students film their coaching qualities in a one-to-one conversation with their students. For the use of feedback students use the IRIS Connect platform. The students will use the information from the comments from IRIS Connect and the literature provided and create knowledge in Knowledge Forum.
Experimenter Narda explains the details in this video (link).
And in this video (link) she and a student talk about the experiment.
Experiment n.º 9 – Aeres University of Applied Sciences Wageningen (floral design) and iVideo.education
The experiment takes place at the Higher Education Institute Aeres Wageningen (HEI AHW) with floral design students. The students studying at level 5 (Associate Degree) in their first year. The students learn how they can create a good demonstration film about floral design. They follow several guidelines and create films in iVideo.education. During the meetings and at their workplace they will reflect on that and create new improved films. In the Knowledge Forum they will share and improve their ideas together and practice this and improve their demonstration films. These demonstration films are created for (pre-)vocational students in agriculture sector.
The tutor describes the key findings in this video (link).
Experiment n.º 10 – University of Tartu and IRIS Connect
The experiment takes place in the University of Tartu as part of teacher education practice course titled “Continuous Pedagogical Traineeship” at the University of Tartu. This is a compulsory practice course for all student teachers and it aims to link theoretical studies with practical experiences at schools and to develop student teachers’ reflection skills. With this experiment we are developing a learning environment in IRIS Connect platform for student teachers who are already working as teachers and carrying out this practice course based on their own work. The developed learning environment aims to create opportunities for teachers to reflect collaboratively and thereby support each other’s reflections. Additionally, step-by-step support is created to guide teachers’ reflection and creating links between theoretical knowledge and practical experiences (including video examples, guiding questions, theoretical reading materials).
This video (link) explains how the experiment went.
Experiment n.º 11 – University of Tartu and Flowbox
The experiment is conducted in the University of Tartu with bachelor level 2nd year teacher-students on “Observation and Pedagogical Practice” course. This course includes their first school practice and first teaching experience. The main aim of the practice is to analyse learning and teaching activities. The practicum lasts one week and every day the students reflect on their activities. Some students keep written diaries in Moodle and others upload video diaries onto Flowbox Online Video Platform. This enables them to practice the creation of videos, oral reflection and widens the knowledge horizon of future teachers. Students comment on written or video diary posts from their fellow students. This enables collaborative learning and group reflections. The goal of the experiment is to find out how the video diary format suits for reflection and also for learning from each other´s experience. Creating videos for professional activities gives students the confidence to create and use video-based learning material in their future professional work.
Liina explains how this experiment went in this video (link).