School of Digital Arts
Always available tutoring
Access to quality tutors in the UK’s Higher Education Institutions has never been more in demand, with high expectations of students both on campus and remote.
Manchester Metropolitan University’s School of Digital Arts (SoDA) saw the potential of In The Room’s technology in the context of maintaining dialogue, access and visibility with visiting lecturers.
This was in line with their focus on digital education, and the major multi-million pound investment by the University into the new SoDA campus and facilities, and involvement by notable figures in the creative digital arts including film director Danny Boyle and composer and musician, Barry Adamson.
The benefits to education
Projects like this one show the power of conversational media within an educational setting. Students are able to access talent/knowledge 24/7, and able to ask questions and receive answers in the context of previous lectures and learning materials.
They are able to engage with the content in a way that suits them; able to ask or re-ask questions outside of the lecture theatre setting without fear of asking a ’stupid question’.
Additionally, the voice led interactivity of the experience creates additional authentic engagement between the student and the lecturer, much more so than linear video.
Student led content strategy
Another big benefit of the technology is being able to see what is being asked. Being able to see what students want to know can help guide learning programmes. Additionally if there are questions being asked that haven’t been answered in the experience, they can be added to keep it relevant and responsive.
Barry Adamson
The first visiting lecturer to be featured was the composer and pop musician Barry Adamson. Born locally, he has a strong connection with Manchester and is closely affiliated to the University.
The experience with Barry focuses on his masterclass covering the subject of psychological and emotional soundtracking, with questions ranging from creativity and inspiration through to software and working with Danny Boyle.