The activities were predominantly lectures that included neuroscience graphics and images such as, CT scans. The medical images were not included in the lecture notes available for students to download, they were used for decision practice and as the basis for discussion during classes. The opportunity for question and answer sessions assisted the students’ self- directed learning. The pre-reading was crucial to students’ ability to ask questions and request further explanations during web session discussions. Both the pre-reading and subsequent discussions based on highlighted images were deemed effective methods for enabling students to construct meaning.
To be able to upload and display images on the screen-board was important for learning compared to using only text, especially in Case 1 where the subject taught demands the visualisation of medical images for further understanding of the subject. Screen-board was there for the lecturer to get the students to focus on the material being taught. In medical studies, images and scanned images such as x-rays and CT scans are important for students to understand the pattern and the images for a particular medical case or scenario.
The lectures were designed to accommodate time limitations caused by class schedules. The weekly web sessions were used to clarify learning expectations, to remind students of the activities outlined in the subject guide and to obtain feedback from the students. The Elluminate classes checked students’ understanding using audio, text and polling affordances.
The lecturer noted that the ability to conduct a lecture using audio and displaying images was important for constructing an environment which maximised students opportunities to achieve the learning outcomes of the subject. “Just go for it. Have a practice first. Make sure you use
it to get the best of its advantage. But go for it. It’s fantastic” (Lecturer Case 1). The lecturer
encouraged colleagues to investigate this software and use it, especially in their distance education subjects, because it enabled more than just the normal e-mail, bulletin board, discussion forums or even phones. This study looked at various types of activities that might be appropriate for the web interactive multimedia technology affordances of screen-board, text, emoticons, audio, video, polling and recording.
There was an obvious need to plan and prepare learning activities before each web session. The academic developer and lecturer in this case agreed that preparation was required prior to commencement of the scheduled class in the web space, to set up the audio and make sure it
worked. “You are concentrating on uploading your (MS PowerPoint) slides, checking if
anything else is ready” (Academic Developer Case 1). This is similar to planning and
conducting sessions in physical classrooms where lecturers check if the computers work, ensure they have the appropriate overhead transparencies, clean the whiteboard or check the projector, or even check the lighting prior to class starting. “I get into Elluminate and start to
upload the (MS PowerPoint) slides and sometimes test the audio (using audio wizard) before I start the class” (Lecturer Case 1).
During each web session, the lecturer needed to manage and complete the activities to facilitate the students achieving learning outcomes. In a web session where interaction and collaboration is feasible, the lecturer needs to facilitate the conversation to encourage students to participate and ask questions, so that the lecturer can provide feedback. The academic developer highlighted the need for lecturers to monitor private text messages between students and to be able to withdraw a student from a web session or disable the whiteboard session to manage the Elluminate classroom. “You can even send a private message to Jimmy
and say “Jimmy if you do not behave I am going to take the whiteboard tools away from you” If he keeps that up and you can go there (the profile tool) and his whiteboard tool will go off”
(Academic Developer Case 2).
The lecturer in this case did not disable any of the affordances for students, as it was not necessary. All students were allowed to interrupt a conversation to ask a question because it was a small group of students in each web session. It was relatively easy to enable conversation from the lecturer’s point of view. Although all affordances were available to all of the students in the web session, the lecturer did not have any problems managing the affordance resources, the students’ collaboration and the facilitated lecturer-student and
student-lecturer interactions. Managing students’ access and Elluminate affordances, including activities in a real-time web session, was straightforward. According to the interview, a small group size was critical for ease-of-use. “Because I have a small group, it
was easy to do” (Lecturer Case 1).
Elluminate enables ubiquitous learning where students virtually meet the lecturer from different places and at different times to participate in a classroom activity or assessment. Elluminate enables almost real-time communication between students and a lecturer across geographical and physical boundaries. It was found that the virtual learning activities preparation sometimes took longer than the allocated class time when time for setting up the equipment, starting up the computer and logging in to Elluminate was included. “It depends
on how much time they prepare for a class” (Academic Developer Case 2). Sometimes during
the web session, technical problems had to be overcome. Elluminate, with its multimedia interactive affordances, mimics the real physical classroom without the facial and (most) other physical expressions. Some visual communication was not possible but the tone and speed of a voice in addition to text and emoticons provided insights into students’ reactions (Mchichi & Afdel 2012).