epigeum courses: top 10 best features
TRANSCRIPT
Epigeum Courses- Top 10 best features
If you spend time with anyone at Epigeum, it won’t be long before you hear them talk about ‘collaboration’ and ‘partnership’: this philosophy informs our entire approach and ensures we create the highest possible quality online courses.
We seek out the best advisors, authors, reviewers and collaborators to develop our courses and we’re very proud of each and every one of our programmes - including the eight in progress!
These slides will share with you just the tip of the iceberg of the best things about Epigeum courses as chosen by our in-house team.
#1- Our video interview process
One thing that comes up repeatedly in our feedback process is how impressed users of our programmes are with the video footage. It’s something we are very particular about.
We work hard to seek out the best people to interview and get the kind of advice from the researchers in the field that you just don’t see anywhere else- all exclusive to us.
A recently completed project saw us film in 6 countries, across 3 continents, with 60 interviews resulting in 45 videos in the final cut: all in a day’s work (well maybe not quite) for our dedicated editorial team!
#2- Our course ‘Welcome Screens'Our courses are always designed with the user in mind and follow a professional and user friendly design. This is clear right from the beginning - in our ‘Welcome Screens’ :- the first screen of our courses.
This feature helps introduce the user to the content and structure in a clear, concise and engaging way.
The ‘highlights’ screen is a particularly popular feature, consisting of succinct bullet points and screenshots to help the user easily understand and navigate the key components of the course.
We are especially proud of the ‘Welcome Screens’ in our new programme Teaching Online, on which the Epigeum team have worked very hard to make as accessible to the user as possible. Take a look at the next slide and see for yourself!
#2- Our course ‘Welcome Screens'Here is just a small sample of the different functions of the welcome screens in our courses:
#3- Interactive Learning ToolsEpigeum courses are built on a sound pedagogical structure and a key component of that is how we make use of interactivity. Unlike other online courses, our interactive features complement, enhance and reinforce learning- they are not just a fun distraction.
By using real people and allowing them to discuss topics in their own words, we think it makes the content easier to identify with and helps get discussion going both online and offline.
In this video you can see this in action, especially the wide range of participants included in each video. You can also see the text above the video encourages people to actively participate, rather than just passively watch the material.
It all adds up to a much more engaging experience which in turn helps the user learn more. We encourage you to ‘actively’ watch the video yourself to see what we mean!
#4- Our courses are engagingThis is exactly what sets our courses apart from other e-Learning resources. Our products are born digital; they are not adapted from text-based material. Therefore this means our programmes are not one dimensional, text heavy or flat PDFs.
Instead, we try and capture the interest of our users right away through the use of engaging activities, imagery, videos and much more! This is exhibited in the comical cartoons from our Research Integrity programme. These features show that as well as being thorough and meaningful; our courses can be entertaining and (occasionally) witty.
#5- Using Active LearningOur courses work because they show rather than tell and we continually try and engage our audience.
We’re currently preparing Statistical Methods for Research which is published summer 2014. And this seems an fitting programme to demonstrate the importance of active learning.
Throughout the programme there are interactive ‘applets’ used to reinforce the information contained on the page.
Users can absorb the content and then use the applets to manipulate the data for themselves and therefore help strengthen their understanding of statistical modelling.
#6- Real Life Examples
At Epigeum we understand that our course material doesn’t exist in isolation and we work hard to find relevant real word examples which enables participants to relate more closely to the theory.
One way we have introduced these examples is through the medium of ‘audio conversations’ which are used frequently in our programme Teaching Online. We've sprinkled these throughout the courses to provide expert insights into the future of higher education and how online learning disrupts or complements traditional teaching.
An example of one such audio case study comes from Simon Pyke, Associate Dean in the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Adelaide, who discusses the introduction of iPads into his department and the difference it has made to student learning, engagement and inclusivity. Just one of many examples of how we reinforce theory by relating it to practical scenarios.
#7 - User-focused content
When we develop our courses we continually bear in mind what matters most to the user. As the majority of our courses are aimed at postgraduates and early-stage career academics, this is predominately their research.
Our most popular programme Research Skills is a particularly strong example of the importance of personalisation throughout our materials.
This image shows a still from the course ‘Managing your research project’ which encourages the user to assess the responsibilities and impact of embarking on a research project. In fact, much like a research project itself, it’s the series of small activities and steps that add up to the huge success of our programmes.
#8- Relating to our users
Although our programmes are written for an academic context and audience we use engaging and inclusive course features to relate to our end users.
Epigeum uses some form of scenario-based learning in every programme because of its interactivity and overall appeal - they look good, are modern, easy to use and are an innovative way for participants to relate themselves to case studies without just being presented with flat text.
A fantastic example of scenario learning tools in our courses is the comic strips used in our recently released Professional Skills for Research Leaders programme. We recognised that some of the best comic books explore the various outcomes of certain decisions.
#8- Relating to our users
The original concept for our comic strips actually came from our chairman David Lefevre, who used the comic books as a learning tool in his ICT senior manager's workshops at Imperial College.
Our development team worked exceptionally hard to research and design the most effective and engaging comic strips.
The use of these comic strips enables a user to relate and interact with the content by presenting realistic challenges which many users have most likely faced in their careers. The user is able to click through the comic screens enabling them to follow the scenario from start to finish.
This comic strip shows how a postdoctoral student is approached at a conference and invited to collaborate with a professor who is quite advanced in their field. He is initially very excited about the prospect, but on talking to other members of his team certain pitfalls are revealed.
#9 - Unique pedagogy
Epigeum’s programmes are unique in online learning because they are born-digital: we don’t adapt text-based materials. They are built around a proven pedagogically-sound structure to form rich, coherent learning experiences, not just resources to be dipped into and zoned out of. Interactivity is used to aid learning and provides a complementary mode of delivering content and promoting reflection and review.
Often it can be the simplest methods that best convey a message, as you can see from the diagram above. Here users can click on each image to find out more about methods of curating online learning content, complete with relatable examples.
#10 - A dedicated team
One of the most common pieces of feedback we receive at Epigeum is praise about the enthusiasm, dedication and professionalism of our staff. The hard work and talent of our team is reflected in the high-quality courses we produce.
We’re really pleased that our collective passion shines through and it’s great to be part of a close-knit team that cares so much about what we do.
You’ll be relieved to hear we manage to find some time in amongst all the new product launches and programme development to let off some steam with a social or two at the office.
We are united by our passion for education, technology and innovative thinking and always love to hear from you with any comments, suggestions and feedback.
Here are some key people you might need to contact:
Wendy Harbottle, Head of Academic Partnerships
Call or email Wendy with any questions about our courses and for free trial access. Tel: 07970 546524Email: [email protected]
Leah Holroyd, Senior Learning Consultant
Contact Leah to discuss effective ways of using the courses are your institution. Tel: 020 3440 2226Email: [email protected]
#10 - A dedicated team
James Connor, Head of Production
James is happy to help with any technical queries about our courses. Tel: 020 3440 2234Email: [email protected]