Dr. Edna Solomon teaches an undergraduate Economics course, ECON1083: ‘Global Macroeconomics” at the University of Greenwich. This course is an optional module and has been taught for the past two years.
The course has been delivered over two terms, by two different tutors. While the number of hours differed for each term, they both consisted of lecture and tutorial hours. However, both tutors thought it would be of great benefit to the students to receive out of class support. For this reason, Dr. Solomon applied for an Adobe Connect licence to use in their teaching, as part of the 2013/14 round of seed funding from Greenwich Connect.
It was decided that in Term 1, for International Macroeconomics, the software would be used as a virtual office hour. In Term 2, for the “practice of short term trading of currencies over a period of six weeks, the software would be used as a means to communicate trade signals.” While neither tutor had experience using Adobe Connect, they along with the 27 students on the course were eager and open about using the software.
The Project
Adobe Connect appeared to be the ideal solution to both provide out of class support and extra tutorials because of its ease of access, use and features. For example, the tutor sends the students a link to enter the web conference and only Adobe Flash is required for download. Additionally, Adobe Connect has a chat facility, webcam, microphone, and file sharing capacity.
For Term 1, the tutor agreed two dates to hold out of class support sessions. Before each session, the tutor announced that she’d be available to answer questions via Adobe Connect in preparation for their assessments. She agreed the session times with the students and sent out invitation emails. However, only two students attended the first session and three attended the following session. None of the students attended both sessions
Although the software was intended to be used in Term 2, it was not.
Outcome
At the end of Term 1, Dr Solomon distributed a questionnaire asking just two yes/no questions:
- Did you find Adobe Connect useful?
- Do you feel that Adobe Connect could be used in a way that is beneficial to you (either for the macro course or for some other form of support)? Please give reasons for your answer.
Out of the 27 students, only 11 responded to the survey (6 male and 5 female). All five participants in the sessions responded to the survey. The responses indicated that six students indicated that it was useful and seven felt that it could be beneficial. Of the five who attended the sessions, four felt that Adobe Connect was both useful and beneficial while one indicated that it was useful but not beneficial. Three students also indicated that they preferred to receive feedback via Adobe Connect as opposed to email.
Challenges
Very few students participated in the sessions and during the first session, technical issues abounded. It took a long time for the tutor to get the students connected to the session. Also, she noticed that students weren’t prepared with questions to ask her. However, they eventually asked questions and received support.
Lessons Learned
- Send a reminder note to students about the sessions and how to get prepared.
- Test out the session for any technical difficulties with another user before the session begins.
- Ensure you understand how to work around issues such as echo, lack of microphone (e.g. communicate by chat instead), and ensure you know how to use the features beforehand (e.g. switching between screens and sharing files).
- If possible, get students engaged with the software in a computer lab before the first session.
Conclusion
Dr. Solomon still believes that Adobe Connect “has the potential to transform out of class support to students” because it supports interaction on many levels. However, she does recognize two limitations:
- Students may be more familiar and comfortable with Skype, so may be reluctant to try Adobe Connect.
- Adobe Connect is not intuitive and may be easier to manage with training
Should you wish to explore more about Adobe Connect, please read the following blog posts:
- Adobe Connect for Feedback
- Pedagogical Resources for Adobe Connect
- Telling Stories and Teachable Moments: The Possibility of Adobe Connect
Additionally, should you wish to speak to a member of our team regarding using Adobe Connect in your teaching, please send an email to greenwichconnect@greenwich.ac.uk.