Learning Materials
Scran Learning Materials
Case Study
1. Author details
| Name: | Donna Heddle |
| Job title: | Senior Lecturer in Cultural Studies (Highlands and Islands) |
| Institution: | UHI Millennium Institute |
About the author:
I have been a senior lecturer in Cultural Studies at UHI Millennium Institute for almost four years: I teach at all levels from special needs to postgraduate. Prior to this, I was a tutor in the Dept. of English Literature and a lecturer in the Centre for Continuing Education of the University of Edinburgh for six years. My research interests are Scottish language and literature, and Old Norse. I have created workbooks, VLEs, and (in conjunction with the National Museums of Scotland) teaching aid CDROMs. My IT skills are adequate and rising as I meet new challenges.
2. The materials
- Medieval Literatures of the Highlands and Islands
- Introduction to Old Norse Studies: Cultural History section
Medieval Literatures is an entire module and Introduction to Old Norse Studies a strand of a module on VLE. Both consist of module maps and course documents, which are supported by VC tutorials and course texts. Created to support a second and third year undergraduate level HE course in Cultural Studies (Highlands and Islands). VLE supported by VC tutorials and course texts.
Why did you want to create these materials?
To reach our widely spread student group and to enable more people to study from their own communities.
How will your materials benefit learners?
They will be able to access lecture notes with images and hyperlinks to academic critical texts from their own homes.
How will they improve on previous methods of teaching this topic?
They will give students ownership of the material and are fully comprehensive.
3. Creating the materials
What tools did you use?
Blackboard VLE and Word.
What additional support did you need in creating the materials?
Studied critical texts on the subjects written about.
What are the main skills required in creating materials like this?
An ability to précis and to link the audio, visual, and academic viability.
Describe any difficulties you experienced and how you went about addressing them.
Difficulties in getting the right images – especially for the Norse material. Used what I could and created images myself.
What would you do differently next time?
I would not give myself so much to do – one module at a time next time!
What hints and tips would you offer to a colleague planning to create a similar resource?
Try to illustrate as you write – don’t write the material and then look for images.
