Thursday 18 September 2008

Meeting the new FLM students

Just back from three days in Scotland meeting tutors and students. (below: tutor Sarah Fraser with students and Raigmore Life Sciences building)








A big difference this year is that enrolments all happened by post, rather than on the induction day - so this week we were able to sign people into their DMU email accounts, get them up and running on Athens and Blackboard and give them a head start with the programme's distance learning elements.


The Scots are very warm and welcoming - and its just as well because the weather was atrocious! I saw some sunshine on the horizon, very briefly at dawn on the third day.... then it started raining, again! Thank goodness I came home to warmer weather today - I have been chilled to the bone.
Next week Linda and Kerry are off to Aberdeen to repeat the exercise with students from Grampion, then I am back in Edinburgh and Glasgow the following week.....I will be taking my winter coat and a pair of wellies this time.

For me, as I mostly only ever get to talk to students on the phone, blackboard or by email, its great to meet some of our distance learning students face to face.

Research on e-learning points to the importance of having some sort of face to face event to kick things off - and this is equally true of virtual teams.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Jane
    I take it that means the new building is all finished and open. I am up in Inverness next week for 3 days and in Glasgow for a week so I think it will be reading and not internet then
    Jane r

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  2. The sun only shines on the righteous :)

    ReplyDelete