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Introduction
CTLI constantly seeks to push the boundaries of educational excellence through our pioneering pilot projects. These projects serve as exciting experimental grounds to explore new technologies in teaching and learning. From initial curiosity to practical application, our aim is to decipher what facets of the technology resonate well, identify areas that might fall short, and often assess faculty interest in embracing novel technological tools. Over the past few years, our exploration has led us to test innovative methods like HyFlex course delivery and ed-tech applications such as Kahoot!, hypothes.is, and Miro, continually fueling our commitment to educational advancement.
Topics of Discussion
Immersive interviewing tools
The experiential learning department along with many faculty have been looking for better ways to give feedback to students regarding their presentation and interviewing skills. We've been looking at immersive tools that could help scale giving feedback on this important skill. In the winter of 2023, we piloted two software solutions; Bodyswaps and Instage.
Bodyswaps vs Instage
Bodyswaps is a full immersion platform, meaning the learner wears a VR headset. Once in the simulation, the learner interacts with an avatar in an interviewing style. At the end of the experience, the learner can swap bodies and see what they looked and sounded like from the avatar's perspective.
Instage is a browser-based platform so the learner is able to experience the simulation from any computer. In this simulator, the learner can face one or multiple interviewers, speak naturally and the avatars react according to what the learner says. At the end of the simulation, the learner is given a score on how many filler words they used, their speech cadence, their intonation and many more metrics.
Results
Bodyswaps was interesting with some faculty considering using it in the future. We found that there was a significant period of adjustment for the learners in orienting themselves to the virtual world, learning the controls and this lead to being distracted from the interview. The scenarios in Bodyswaps must be written by their team which is a detractor from implementing this efficiently.
Instage needed no orientation time for learners. Faculty loved that they could write their own scripts and even have the AI (artificial intelligence) engine look for certain key words in the learners responses. Because learners are able to be in the simulation from anywhere, many repeat it several times until they become confident in their ability to speak, whether pitching an idea, presenting on a project or completing an interview.
CTLI has purchased Instage licences. Contact AcademicTech [at] mohawkcollege.ca (AcademicTech[at]mohawkcollege[dot]ca) today to get licences and obtain your onboarding package!
HyFlex Course Delivery
Hybrid and Flexible, or HyFlex, is an educational mode of delivery that incorporates face-to-face and online teaching and learning. Educause defines HyFlex as “a student-directed, multi-modal learning experience” (Educause, 2020). In alignment with the Digital Learning Strategy [link to it], a HyFlex pilot was run in Winter 2022 at Mohawk College. The goal was to inform Mohawk College of the efficacy of HyFlex course delivery, student engagement, classroom design, and classroom technology.
Faculty from 3 programs entered into the 8 month project. During the first semester, faculty worked with Instructional Designers to learn about how to redesign their courses to work well in HyFlex. Meanwhile, 3 classroom were outfitted with new technology that would facilitate interaction between the in-person instructor and learners online and in the classroom, simultaneously.>Over the course of the next few semesters the pilot group delivered their courses using the HyFlex methodology and we collected feedback from faculty and learners in the pilot.
What did we learn?
Giving a great experience to HyFlex learners requires a very intentional approach to course design. Specifically, it works best when courses are designed for the online asynchronous delivery first then adapted for in-person and online synchronous modes. Doing so positions us to ensure equivalent learning outcomes and a positive educational experience to all learners, regardless of which mode they participate in.
Feedback from learners is that they really appreciated the flexibility. In fact over 50% chose HyFlex because of family/life circumstances or their geographic location made commuting impractical. We also learned that the HyFlex technology in our classrooms needs some tweaking to provide a more intuitive experience for instructors and a streamlined way to engage learners participating in different modes simultaneously.
In addition, we learned that HyFlex is best implemented into entire programs or clusters of courses so that the intended flexibility is realized within the learners course schedule.
Interested in HyFlex delivery for your program? Reach out to ctli.requests [at] mohawkcollege.ca (CTLI[dot]requests[at]mohawkcollege[dot]ca) for consultation.
eCampus Tools
In 2021 eCampus unveiled it's Virtual Learning Strategy with two rounds of funding following. Mohawk College was successful in obtaining funding for eight projects. Additionally, they made several ed-tech tools available for pilot use. Using previously collected survey data, CTLI enrolled in pilots for Kahoot!, Miro and hypothes.is.
We currently have extended licences in Miro. If you're interested in learning more, reach out to academictech [at] mohawkcollege.ca (academictech[at]mohawkcollege[dot]ca) to obtain your license and onboarding package!
Mursion Simulation Platform
In 2020 we were approached by faculty in Child and Youth Care and Social Service Worker programs. They were in need of a virtual way to have students fulfill placement outcomes. In response we piloted the Mursion platform. Mursion is an immersive platform where a learner can interact with an avatar. The avatar is powered by an instructor/actor who's voice can be modulated, and who's actions are mimicked by the avatar. The experience is similar to the standardized patient simulations done in healthcare to train clinical skills. For SSW and CYC, this platform allowed them to keep the 'human' in the loop while having learners navigate difficult conversations and confrontations.
Results
This is a very powerful simulation experience for learners. For instructors, it allowed them to develop their own simulation scenarios and keep it very relevant to the skills they needed to teach. However, the learning curve for the instructor to be the actor and manage the system is steep. Operationally, we needed to keep training new people and outfit them with high-end laptops, headsets, and controllers. After two years we decided to discontinue our use of Mursion, despite it's many advantages, the steep learning curve was a barrier to adoption.
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