What is it I am going to cover and why?
Human biomechanics is the science underpinning all locomotion of the human body, studying how
movement is produced from the collective interaction of muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments. In order to generate any type of muscular contraction, a cascade of important events takes place.
These fundamental concepts of biomechanics and muscular anatomy are integral features of A-level exam board specifications for both biology and physical education (PE) which are frequently expanded on in higher educational courses. However, although these can be such challenging concepts, there is often little focus on producing outside learning resources to support students through their studies (include information on resources already available?). Thus, the proposed aim of this research project is to create a multimedia learning resource, targeted at the 16-19-year-old age demographic, which incorporates the core concepts of biomechanics and muscular anatomy. The aim of developing and producing this online learning resource is to assist in bridging the gap between further education and higher education. The benefits are for the student, in the form of an easier transition and for the Higher Education establishment in the form of the student being able to adapt to the demands of a more complex course.
Content selection – Exam board specifications
In order to identify and select the target knowledge to include in this online educational resource, it is essential to assess the level of knowledge that A-level students are required to have prior to sitting examinations. By reviewing the syllabus of the course material, we can see how this differs from the content which will be taught at higher educational establishments. However, as an initial starting point it is key to identify the skills gap.
Therefore, the main UK exam board specifications (AQA, 2017; Edexcel, 2015; OCR, 2015; WJEC, 2015) were considered with the aim of producing an effective educational resource which would be beneficial to all – aiding students through their studies and successfully bridging the gap between further and higher education.
The A-level biology specifications (AQA, 2017) explore the fundamental concepts of biomechanics and muscle anatomy, providing students with a sound understanding of muscular contraction and the structure and function of different muscle fibres. Across all exam boards, students are required to understand the following; the detailed structure of neuromuscular junctions and synapses, the physiological differences between slow and fast twitch muscle fibres, how muscles work in antagonistic pairs and the sliding filament theory – including the roles of ATP, actin and myosin.
The A-level PE exam boards (AQA, 2017) delve deeper into the anatomical side of biomechanics, placing more of a focus on the functional differences between various muscle groups. Although, there is less focus on the physiological mechanisms behind muscular contraction, students are still required to understand the basic principles of the sliding filament theory – providing students with the background knowledge they need in order to understand how performance is affected by different muscle movements and fibres.
Higher educational courses likewise place an emphasis on the fundamental concepts of biomechanics and muscular anatomy, incorporating aspects of both A-level biology and PE. However, students will gain a more in depth understanding of these concepts, delving deeper into the mechanisms underpinning muscular physiology. Thus, students are encouraged on higher educational courses to think independently and relate both biomechanics and muscular anatomy to various body systems, including health and disease.
MOOCs and online courses
a. Background
Having proposed and promoted an opportunity to engage A-level students with biomechanics and muscular anatomy through multimedia educational resources, it is necessary to consider what platforms of online education already exist. Therefore, I carried out research into a new modern style of online courses called MOOCs, this research is beneficial in order to decide the most effective delivery platforms for this project. A MOOC is defined as a Massive Open Online Course which provides a unique opportunity for anyone, whether it be students or professors, to access a bank of free educational resources. Whether these educational resources are delivered as videos, podcasts or readings, a MOOC aims to create an open and interactive learning community where individuals can develop their knowledge on a wide variety of topics at their own pace. This is an important benefit for the student, offering flexibility on when and how to learn.
With the emergence of new social technologies and the increasing costs of higher education, the popularity of MOOCs is at an all-time high (Bannier, 2016). Nevertheless, these online learning resources have not been around for long. The birth of MOOCs took place in 2008 when the first online course – “Connectivism and Connective Knowledge” was made available to students for free by The University of Manitoba, Canada (Downes, 2012). This online course involved approximately 2,300 students from the university and formed a platform of interactivity and participation in order for pupils to develop their knowledge. However, it was not until 2012 that MOOCs gained widespread recognition, this was considered to be ‘The year of the MOOC’. Sebastian Thrun, professor at Stanford University, created the first MOOC to gain widespread recognition. His MOOC “Introduction to Artificial Intelligence” went viral and involved over 160,000 students from over 190 countries (Eu.udacity.com, 2018). Following the success of this MOOC, Sebastian Thrun founded the profitable MOOC provider Udacity which went on to build an array of successful MOOCs (Sanchez-Gordon and Luján-Mora, 2014). In addition to Udacity there are numerous other MOOC platforms which have been created to provide online educational resources, such as, eDX, Coursera, Future Learn and Udemy (Yuan and Powell, 2013).
b. Benefits
So why are MOOCs so admired in a world of modern teaching? The ubiquitous access and functionality of MOOCs has made them an attractive and flexible learning tool in both educational and workplace establishments. As an integrative approach to learning, online courses combine traditional core syllabi with a modern approach to teaching, giving professors and employers the opportunity to deliver high quality teaching on a global scale. One of the unique benefits of MOOCs is that they bring more freely accessible education to everyone, including those who would not be able to access it otherwise (Hamid et al., 2015). The enormous variety of MOOCs available also allows participants to not only build on their current knowledge of topics, but also broaden their knowledge on topics outside of studying. Thus, providing infinite opportunities for individuals to build on their organisational skills, independence and academia, all of which are vital skills which can boost college grades and contribute to job applications (Dacre Pool and Sewell, 2007).
c. Potential Limitations
However, despite the current hype surrounding this new stylish form of online education, as MOOCs are becoming increasingly popular, there are potential limitations to their success which are becoming more apparent. The low completion rate of online courses still remains the strongest argument against MOOCs, as research carried out by Warwick University shows that completion rates are often as low as 7% for these online courses. Moreover, this research carried out by Warwick University revealed that the essential issues underpinning the low of completion rate are as follows: course difficulty, lack of support, lack of time and lack of digital skills (Onah et al., n.d.). Another fundamental issue of online courses which worries critics is the lack of interaction between tutors and students (Hew and Cheung, 2014). Since MOOCs are globally available, it is unfortunately near impossible for students to personally contact tutors in order to receive any in depth feedback. Some online courses do incorporate interactive quizzes which contain feedback, however, this is primarily quantitative rather than qualitative feedback. Furthermore, whilst online courses encourage interaction, often there is little interaction between the enrolled students. For some subjects such as maths and science this is not so problematic, however, for arts and humanities courses which rely on discussion, it is debatable whether the student learning experience is as effective.
Creating an effective online learning resource
Thus, how do you create an effective online learning resource which maximises learning? A study carried out by Phillip J. Guo et al. investigated how MOOC video production affects the level of student engagement. This study is the largest known to date in this field, with recorded data from over 6.9 million video watching sessions, across four different MOOC courses. Phillip J. Guo et al. found that the best indication of student engagement was to measure the duration time that a student spent watching each video. They sampled a range of video lengths between 3 minutes and 40 minutes. The main finding from this was that shorter videos are significantly more engaging, with the median engagement time being at a maximum of 6 minutes. In addition, they discovered that if the video duration is any longer than 9 minutes, a student is less likely to interact in any post-video assessment questions. Phillip J. Guo et al. hypothesised that shorter videos could contain more concise, high quality content which is more engaging for students, thus, supporting their observations from the study. Other observations from this study were that student engagement time can be increased through including a talking head with different slides and ensuring that the video has a relaxed and personable feel. It was also noticed how student engagement time increased 1.5x to 2.0x with the use of ‘Khan-style’ drawing videos to explain concepts. Nevertheless, this study’s fundamental limitation is that it is unknown whether a student is actively watching a video or whether a video just is playing in the background (Guo, Kim and Rubin, 2014).
Another study into student engagement during videos was carried out by three researches in The Open University of Israel. Their aim was to investigate how the addition of interactivity in online videos can influence the duration of student attention span. They sampled 67 MOOC videos in total, investigating the effect that adding interactions, such as interactive quizzes, into the videos had on student engagement. Their study revealed that through adding interactive features to a video, such as quizzes, the average viewing duration of students increased by 23.9% and the average video completion percentage increased by 15.98%. However, these findings were only genuine for videos which lasted for less than 15 minutes, when the video was longer than 15 minutes interactivity had little to no effect on the engagement of students (Winer, Zaks and Geri, 2017). This finding re-enforces the idea that shorter video lengths are more engaging for students.
After researching the concept of using MOOCs as a possible way to create a multimedia resource, it is evident that this global method of online teaching is becoming increasingly popular amongst educators and students. This popularity is predominantly due to the universal access of MOOCs and the opportunity for anyone to access an infinite range of online courses in a wide variety of subjects. Consequently, the method in principle that I propose to use to address my research question will be a series of biomechanics and muscle anatomy related resources which could be used in a MOOC, targeted at students aged 16-19. I propose the creation of a series of short animated videos which are delivered over a period of time, which incorporate aspects of A-level biology and physical education, which will be beneficial for the commencement of higher educational courses. The most prevalent issues which online courses currently face is the low completion rate and lack of engagement during the video. Therefore, it is vital that I approach the production of this MOOC in a manner which will optimise both completion rate and engagement. Research has determined that short videos with interactive features are the most successful to increase student engagement, to ensure that students actively participate in the video rather than just having it open in the background. Therefore, I will aim to produce videos which are no longer than 6 minutes. Furthermore, I will include interactive features such as animations and quizzes, I believe that this will allow students to not only learn new concepts, but also test their knowledge in order to track their progress and identify their weaker areas. Since a significant critic of online multimedia sources is the lack of interaction between students, I propose the addition of a discussion board or forum. This will not only allow student participants to get to know each other, but also allow students to learn from each other’s experiences.
Information on planning and scripting of the information to be delivered – storyboard
One approach I intend to use when designing these resources is the use of storyboards (example shown in Figure 2.). When creating a video with multiple scenes or animations, a storyboard approach allows you to layout specific shots, scenes, actions and dialogues which will occur. This method helps to create a clear visualisation of the different shots which are needed and the order in which these shots will appear. The initial starting point for this project will be a draft script of the information I intend to include in these resources. Following this, the storyboard will be produced. The storyboard is one of the most integral stages of planning which establishes the exact way that your video will be mapped out and produced – thus, ensuring that when production takes place no scenes are forgotten. The template displayed in Figure 2. is a similar representation of the type of storyboard which will be used to produce resources for this MOOC. In the top box of the storyboard an image will be inserted and below will be a description of that specific scene. A new storyboard will be created for each video, thus creating a logical and coherent plan which will be followed during the production of these videos.
Figure 2. Template of a storyboard which will be used to layout the different scenes, shots and dialogues used in the production of a biomechanics and muscle anatomy MOOC.
Opportunities for evaluation of material (2 step approach)
Once the initial plan for video production has been devised through a draft script and storyboards, there will be an opportunity to evaluate the course material. The primary form of evaluation will be an analysis of the scripts and storyboards – this will ensure that all the material and scenes are arranged correctly and coherently in order to create a logical timeline for the delivery of these videos.
Following this primary evaluation, a final copy of each script will be produced and sent to educators in the field of biomechanics and muscular anatomy. An analysis from these leading educators will provide the necessary feedback to determine whether the resource material will be appropriate and beneficial for the target students. Once all evaluation feedback is considered, the initial production of the multimedia resources can begin. It will also be appropriate to seek feedback from prospective students to establish their thoughts on the course material, with their key observations also being incorporated into the multimedia resource material.