E-Learning

My main e-learning role is to develop teaching material for the undergraduate astronomy students; predominantly this material will be taught at the University of London Observatory.

Photometric Redshifts - HyperZ

My current project is to create a graphical user interface (or GUI) to control the photometric redshift code, HyperZ (written by Micol Bolzonella, Roser Pello and Joan-Marc Miralles). The purpose of creating the GUI is to simplify how the code is controlled and executed, thus providing third year undergraduate students with access to a code which is currently used by astronomers but without the time overheads of having to learn how to use it. The GUI does remove a lot of the advanced control that the application has but, it does at least provide the student the opportunity to study photometric redshifts which is vastly becoming an important part of observational astronomy.

Personal Response Systems/Electronic Voting Systems

Personal Response Systems or (PRS) are small handheld devices, often looking like television remote controls, enabling the interaction between the participants of a seminar/lecture or other such presentation and, the person giving the seminar or lecture. Typically, the presenter would ask a multiple choice question and the participants would send their answer to the presenter using the "remote control". The presenter's computer collates the results and if the presenter desires, these will be shown during the presentation.

The one advantage a PRS has over students putting their hands up to answer questions is that the system can be used with anonymity meaning that students can answer questions without fear of giving the incorrect answer. A system such as this also encourages student participation, somewhat like the television game shows and not least, it provides the lecturer instant feedback with regards to whether the students are understanding the material which is being taught.

In a joint project with the Learning Technology Support Service, the Department of Computer Sciences, the Management Studies Centre, the Mullard Space Science Laboratory and the Centre for Advancement of Learning and Teaching, I will be leading a study for the Department of Physics and Astronomy, to explore the use of PRS within teaching at UCL. We have been awarded a grant to purchase 150 "remote controllers" and the supporting hardware and we are currently in the phase of deciding which system we will purchase

In the near future I hope to host material from the study (including local user group information) on this web site.

This page last modified 23 February, 2007 by Dugan Witherick