The Role of Web Broadcasts to Develop Online Learning Communities in STEM: a multiple case study

The challenges of not being co-located on-site can affect the student learning experience. To address this, The Open University uses interactive web broadcasts to engage students in practical demonstrations, experiments and field investigations. The approach embeds a live video-stream alongside text-chat and question-and-answer widgets to enable bi-directional communication between students and lecturers. This research is evaluating how the broadcasts are being used to support learning and enhance a sense of community. Findings will be presented on the attitudes, motivations and types of interactions between students and lecturers and discuss how such live events can deliver an alternative to on-campus events.