Alasdair is currently leading a pilot study on the Swivl (automatic tracking camera mount) for the Senior Teaching Oversight Group and the Disabled Students Allowance Working Group. The aim is to assess the effectiveness of this technology as a video content capture device and how it can be used to support students. This is especially pertinent for International students and those with mild learning differences. The Swivl device may also prove a useful tool for ‘Flipped Learning’. This is an blended learning framework that provides opportunities for students to engage with learning materials outside of the classroom prior to lessons, freeing up teaching time for more student-directed learning and the independent application of the taught content (as opposed to the traditional model in HE, whereby lecture content is delivered in class while students are left to fend for themselves outside of the classroom). The Swivl represents an opportunity to capture lecture content and enhance the videos with additional material (slides, interactive assessment points, etc.)

Martyn, Graham and James are all taking part in the study and have been recording content for the past few weeks, feeding back our experiences to inform a university-wide approach. Once the practical issues have been addressed the next step is to investigate how the ability to record teaching can impact on our pedagogy and potentially look to rethinking how we use our contact time with our students.