Building a picture of H5P usage and application

For one of this year's IHAP Digital Learning Strategy objectives, I produced the following report to help build a picture of H5P usage and application across our department, and to support further objectives to increase scaffolded online asynchronous learning in our courses and modules.

This was planned to be discussed with my line manager, the Head of Department, to plan how we can take the findings forward and promote the report further.  Through a separate one to one meeting with the Principal Lecturer in Paramedicine, in a ad hoc manner, I showed the report which spurred on enthusiastic conversations on it's potential.  He said they would discuss this with the Head to invite me to a future Senior Leadership Team meeting to walkthrough and discuss.  However in my catch up later on the same day with the Head, she also agreed and invited me to attend the SLT meeting on 24 April.

In the meeting on 24 April I shared the original non-anonymised report, which enabled SLT to identify their staff and their practice.  However, I have since anonymised it (below) to share widely across the department through various committee meetings.  The report was very well-received by SLT and we had much insightful discussions, such as confirming the following outcomes:

• 1.  Focus on H5P
• Focus promotion and support on specific content types, interactive learning and presentation of information.
• Plan and promote further my successful and impactful H5P Retreat workshops.
• Discussed the need for conducting more module learning room audits.
• 2.  Scope out training needs on interactive learning tools such as Padlet and underutilised Microsoft Office (curate self-service resources and bespoke workshops).
• Consideration for Principal Lecturers on how they can get lecturers to come to us.  Ensuring accountability through their course and team meetings and one to ones.
• 3.  Start with MSc Nursing - we concluded the meeting my agreeing to meet to discuss the following on 22 May, utilising our exemplar H5P work and NOW web pages:
• What we want as a minimum in each module.
• What modules we review first in terms of digital resources.
• Think about a template to aid Module leaders.

How to create an online immersive learning experience

As featured in our Digital Curriculum Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Menu.  On the 5 November 2024 and 12 March 2025, me and my colleague delivered our new session 'How to create an online immersive learning experience'.  As written, it aimed to:

"Learn how to create your own online immersive learning experience using H5P’s user-friendly Virtual Tours (360), with available authentic panoramic 360° images.  By the end of this brief workshop you will have created a basic online immersive experience to further develop.  Little technical know-how required."

As the School of Social Sciences has an objective to develop staff digital skills in the production of high quality digital immersive learning, which was influenced by my work in this area.  The School's Digital Development Group has recognised this workshop as an offering to support with this objective.  Therefore, the March workshop was opened widely for the School of Social Sciences colleagues to attend.  Though specifically designed for IHAP staff, the optional invitation was offered fully online to accommodate additional people.

Some slides were adapted to include some School-wide resources.

We received the following feedback:

• Lynne Thompson - "Can I say, Dan and Godson this is great. I've always wanted to do that and never really been able to. So just walking us through it, it's been absolutely fantastic. So thank you...I'm really happy."
• Lynne Thompson - "...it has been great."
• Nicola Payne - "I agree Lynne it is great to know how to do it now!"
• Rubby Legbedze - "It all worked well, I felt like a magician..."
• Rubby Legbedze  - "This is really good, all sorted. thank you"
• Ian Jones - "My NOW LR's will be transformed...🤩"
• Sarah Buglass - "Thanks Dan and Godson! A great session"
• Jo Mcfadden - "...thanks Dan and Godson."
• Moses Mukuru - "Thanks Dan and Godson."

Revisiting my teaching philosophy

For my first formative assessment, submitted in January, of studying towards the Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (PGCLTHE).  I had the opportunity to revisit my teaching philosophy, something I attempted to do back in 2019 through my blog post 'Facilitating my teaching philosophy', where I was fascinated to know what my position was after a few years qualifying in teaching.  However, after understanding more about a teaching philosophies purpose and principles, I have learned much more about what actually one is, which is a statement - not really sure what I thought it was before.  Anyway, here is what I learned, pondered and developed in a limited word count.  I might reassess my philosophy of educational technology in the future...

There is emphasis about my working class roots which I talk more about in my blog post 'What working class means to me'.

I received the following overall feedback.

 

"Thank you Daniel for submitting your teaching philosophy assessment. This is a great starting point for you and I really enjoyed reading this submission. It is an open and honest account, which provides a detailed insight into the influences on your approaches to learning and teaching.

Strengths

• Clear NTU context provided.
• Good links to own experiences and how these have influenced your teaching.
• Really interesting to see that you were able to reference yourself within this assessment – demonstrates a wider understanding and interest in the topic.
• Overall you have done well to support this assessment with relevant literature.
• Good discussion around teaching philosophies and how they align to your practice.
• Evidence of a commitment to inclusive teaching.

Areas for Development

• Include specific information about what you intend to develop within your practice going forward – what future goals/aspirations do you have?
• Ensure your referencing is consistent.
• Continue to think about how you can evidence impact within your work – how do you know your approaches are effective? This will serve you well as you progress through the course

 

We recommend referring back to this assessment (and feedback) as a tool to support your Written Submission – one of the elements of the End Point."

Related to this topic, in the 'About you' section of my PebblePad course workbook.  There was a question that asked "What does good teaching look like?  Consider some of your own experiences and take some time to reflect on what you think good teaching looks like."  I responded briefly with the following which is relevant to share here also.

Firstly, I feel that the teacher/educator is very personable, friendly and supportive and has a good measure of humour.  All helps to help me feel comfortable and engaged.  Other things I feel are noteworthy to me are:

• I feel included and comfortable which brings about presence and active responses from me.
• My ideas and responses are valid, even if they are not timely, they might be in the future.
• I am encouraged to develop my thinking and draw out previous experiences - which helps with my self-worth and confidence in the group.
• I have adequate opportunities to participate asynchronously to support my reflective nature and process my thoughts, especially on complex information which are usually a lot slower.
• I am praised, within reason and not for the sake of it, for my contributions.  This helped me feel valued and present.

IHAP immersive learning & Virtual Reality design framework

Following up my evaluation last January 'Assessing the current position of the IHAP VR walls'.  In July 2024, I put together a process that aims to enable academics and clinical skills technicians to engage, co-collaborate with the Digital Curriculum Team and guide on co-designing, ideating and prototyping on immersive learning design conversations and production.  All to support scenario, simulation or role play-based learning designs and develop appropriate digital resources, soundscapes, meaningful 360° footage etc.  This should be seen as the starting point for approaching immersive learning to ensure feasibility and success for all involved.  Below is an extract from the rationale:

"Overall, there is not large uptake of the VR suites.  By way of building my capacity to support lecturers and clinical skills technicians to use our VR immersive rooms more effectively.  With the view of offering meaningful support and collaborative approaches.  I designed a survey to gather insights into lecturers and technicians technical and practice abilities in using the technology, including wider information on attitudes and blockers helping to identify specific knowledge gaps and areas for improvement.  22 responses were received by 31 January 2024.

As I suspected, it is evident that the following is lacking, in no particular order:

• Curriculum alignment
• Protected development time
• Room size
• Immersive pedagogy

Technical know-how (revisit basics, continue training in-person and hands-on, with time to cover basic troubleshooting, finding and selecting appropriate media, continue to conclude with pedagogical conversation)

To specifically address the gap of immersive learning pedagogy expertise, as ideally this needs to be addressed first to support the curriculum alignment issue.  I created a process to join up, engage staff and increase co-collaborative uptake of our facilities and resource creation and deployment to support the design of immersive learning experiences.

Moreover, I am sometimes asked ‘what scenarios do we have for the VR room?’  I broadly know some of the things that occur in there, but not always the specific details of the scenarios.  That’s a knowledge gap that I am hoping to address through this new process."

Therefore, I produced this framework to respond to the development of immersive learning pedagogy, and to promote and engage this with academics and support objectives as part of the rebooted simulation group - a joined up process.

I developed the framework through key/headline decision points that need to be made, whilst aligning loosely to a learning design methodology, Gilly Salmon's Carpe Diem, and including a theoretical reference to the ADDIE model.  There are hidden slides with details on guiding consultation, pedagogical underpinnings and developing narratives.

This had been reviewed by my colleague Digital Curriculum Support and Developer, Clinical Skills Technicians and Department Manager (who line manages the technicians).  It is currently being used in some small-scale projects to road test and is being actively promoted in Management Committee and course team meetings as part of the new governance structure.  Hence why it has taken some time to start getting it going, as the new meeting structures were only announced at the department's July 2024 away day.  As the framework is new and being implemented I'll of course obtain feedback and make necessary changes to it.

This is being reviewed by the 'TILT® Virtual Reality and Immersive Learning practice and scholarship group' and I have showcased to people beyond IHAP, of which I received a couple of comments:

Paul Hamilton, Principal Lecturer (Criminology) - "Useful thanks".

Simon Cauvain, Head of Department (Social Work) - "Brilliant!  Thanks so much Dan.  No doubt speak again soon."