Fraser N. Hatfield

The application of innovative technology in online teaching

Dr Fraser N. Hatfield

Introduction

In March 2020, the nation went into lock-down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to this date, Blackpool and the Fylde College had been steadily introducing its academic staff to the Microsoft Teams software in the previous year. This was very fortunate, as all teaching went on-line and Teams became the platform to facilitate this.

The movement to online working happened extremely quickly, and for my part I felt under-prepared. I found the first few weeks were quite difficult, learning how to use Teams and continuing to deliver teaching from home using PowerPoint.

Strategies and interventions employed and rationale behind them

Fortunately, my home computer was a workstation-level laptop, running Windows 7 that was powerful enough to do most things I needed. Over a period of a few months and as my confidence in online teaching began to improve, the system I used started to expand.

The hardware and software expansion evolved organically. I continued to try out different combinations of equipment and software and different ways of teaching, to find the most suitable methods for myself and my students. Over a period of time my laptop computer started to resemble a full computer system. The following peripherals were added in tentative steps to the system.

My system eventually expanded to include: • An additional USB keyboard. This keyboard was used instead of the laptop keyboard. • Two monitors were added to the side of the laptop and complementing the laptop screen. My focus was then moved away from the laptop, and towards the screens, emulating a normal workstation setup. • Storage space was increased with two Portable hard drives. • Printer. • Webcam. • Headphones with microphone. • ‘Snowball’ Microphone and Speakers. • Graphics Tablet and Pen (‘Ugee’ 10 x 6-inch Tablet), [UGEE,2021] • Epic Pen Software, [Epic Pen, 2021]

The graphics tablet and pen were used for writing on the screen in PowerPoint and Word documents. The

Epic Pen software was used for writing over the main display and was used to annotate other graphics package demonstrations. All of this had to run in Windows 7.

In parallel to these developments, I installed a software package called, ‘3D Studio Max’, [Autodesk,2021]. I used this to develop 3D computer graphics models and animations to support the learning outcomes in the online lessons. As the system expanded, I could see benefits to my teaching and assessment from all of these incremental improvements in my working arrangement. My online delivery became more professional and effective.

Over a period of time, I developed a suite of computer graphics models and animated sequences to support the learning outcomes in all of my Marine Engineering Modules. The graphics were combined with PowerPoint, along with the use of the graphics tablet within the Teams sessions. Figure 1 displays the resources used and how they were combined.

Figure 1. Combining online resources in Teams: Graphics Tablet and Pen, Epic Pen Software, Computer Graphics, and PowerPoint.

For these developments, I received excellent verbal and written feedback from my students.

Also, the Graphics Tablet allowed me to mark online exam papers and assignments submitted to Canvas. This method of marking is particularly effective and is very efficient. For example, the same question number can be marked-up across all papers very easily and it helps to maintain consistency in marking.

I received a college ‘SurfacePro’ tablet pc approximately 2 months into this period of online teaching. This is a very useful piece of hardware with many capabilities. But I found using this machine for online teaching and assessment difficult, due to the following: • Limited screen space for writing on and marking formative and summative assessments using the attached pen. • Software issues. • Limited Memory (8GB RAM).

Also, the limited memory and processing power meant that I was unable to install the 3D Graphics program used in my teaching, and so was unable to continue to present graphics demonstrations for each learning outcome over Teams. For this reason, most of my teaching and attendance at online meetings was done on my expanded laptop computer system.

During this period of evolution in my teaching, I was still learning to use Teams. One feature which I found to be interesting, was the ability to have a static background image to my webcam display in lectures and meetings in Teams.

For me this was a problem, because this feature was supported in Windows 10, but not in Windows 7.

After a great deal of searching on the internet to find out how to do this, I discovered a popular open-source software package, which runs on Windows 7 and 10, called ‘Open Broadcast Software’, OBS, [OBS 2021]. This software combines a webcam image with any other imagery you wish, and outputs a ‘Virtual Webcam’ which you can select, when you choose which input camera you would like to use in Teams and Zoom. The discovery of this software to solve, what appears to be a simple problem, has opened a range of exciting possibilities for teaching and learning.

OBS is a software suite used for recording and live streaming video. It allows the user to combine resources such as: webcam, PowerPoint, computer graphics simulations, graphic pen software, video and audio into one output stream, which can then either be live streamed over the internet or viewed within Teams and Zoom via the virtual webcam feature. The software can also be used with a ‘Green Screen’ background. Filters within OBS remove the green screen image from the webcam footage. The removed background can then be replaced with any other resource required.

To use the software, I acquired a sheet of green fabric, 6-foot-wide x 10-foot-high attached to frame, and some additional lights to create a uniformly lit background. The software can work with any colour; it just needs to be uniform. This setup then allowed me to combine my webcam video with all of my interactive resources into one output display, and which is then screen-shared with the students in Teams.

Some example images from my teaching sessions in Teams are presented in figures 2a-2j.

Similar imagery can be found in a video created for the Staff Development Day on 2nd July 2021, “Online Teaching Using OBS, A Green Screen and Computer Graphics to Create Engagement and Enhance Student Learning.”

Green Screen Presentation

Figure 2a. OBS Main Screen. Figure 2b. OBS Green Screen Filter.

Figure 2c. Webcam image superimposed onto a background Image (CERN).

Figure 2e. Combining webcam output with a desktop application (Astronomy).

Figure 2g. Combining webcam output with 3D computer graphics of a ships bridge.

Figure 2i. Combining live action video with graphics tablet and Epic Pen software. Figure 2d. Combining webcam, text and a background image in OBS.

Figure 2f. Combining webcam output with a web-browser application (Astronomy).

Figure 2h. Combining webcam output with an interactive 3D computer game.

Figure 2j. Combining animated graphics sequences with graphics tablet and Epic Pen software.

The Impact of the Intervention

These technological innovations were deployed to: • Demonstrate the relevance of physics and maths to Marine Engineering. • Generate interest and enthusiasm. • Engage students in their learning. • Create enjoyment. • Improve understanding and knowledge retention. • Improve student retention on programmes. • Improve assessment grades. • Improve student satisfaction.

I have received excellent verbal and written feedback from my students. I have been told by the student reps, that the groups have really appreciated the extra effort put into the lectures and it has enhanced their learning, and that they really look forward to these sessions. Also, there are clear improvements in summative assessment results.

Recommendations

The resources I have identified have proven to be extremely helpful and have enhanced my online delivery and student engagement. But there is much more that can be done with this technology, and its application in the classroom and online will become more widespread. To promote these methods, I have given a number of presentations on the application of Computer Graphics and Green Screen software to colleagues in Fleetwood Nautical Campus. From this several members of staff are now looking into using these techniques in their own delivery.

Now that all staff are returning to college following the relaxing of lock-down rules, it is my aim is to continue to develop the use of these methods of teaching for both in-class delivery and for the creation of further online resources accessible to students on campus and studying at a distance. Finally, it is my aim to give presentations on these methods to colleagues across the college.

References

Autodesk, 2021, https://www.autodesk.co.uk/products/3ds-max/overview Epic Pen, 2021, https://epic-pen.com/ OBS, 2021, “Open Broadcast Software”, https://obsproject.com/ UGEE, 2021, “Graphics Tablet”, http://www.ugee-tablet.com/ugee-m708-drawing-tablet-10x6-inch-artgraphics-tablet.html