Videoconferencing with Cardiff Museum

Classical Civilisation and Geology

Course Organisers - Siân Squire and Jo Conway (Yale College of Wrexham)

On the 28th March 2003, during the Wrexham Science Festival, Yale College utilized their videoconferencing studio to link up with an expert in archaeology from Cardiff Museum – the first time that the studio at Yale had been used for teaching and learning.  

Two lecturers at Yale College, Sian Squire and Jo Conway, had earlier identified the facts that their subjects, Classical Civilisation and Geology, shared similar students and that many of their students were interested in archaeology (indeed, some were applying to University to study it).  Contact was made with archaeological expert and museum officer, Ken Brassil at Cardiff Museum, through Jill Nicolson who is an ILT practitioner at Yale College.   

A lot of planning went into the day’s events, and Ken Brassil agreed to deliver two lectures on the day via videoconference.  At the start of the day, Sian Squire and Jo Conway set the scene for the students.  A Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation provided important contextual background on the Romans in Britain and this was complemented by a series of interactive quizzes.   

The morning lecture examined “What attracted the Romans to North Wales?”  During the lecture the question was answered by looking at the raw materials, rocks and minerals that made North Wales so important to the Romans.  The focus of the afternoon lecture was “The Way the Romans lived in Wales”.  During this session Ken Brassil was able to show the students historical and archaeological Roman artefacts found in Wales and which now form part of the collection at Cardiff Museum. 

During both lectures, the students at Yale were able to ask questions as they arose – making the experience truly interactive, and adding to the success of the day, as the students were actively engaged in the experience.  The students were attentive, and particularly impressed by the artefacts that the expert was able to show them. 

Ken Brassil delivered the lecture operating the equipment entirely on his own from Cardiff Museum.  His expertise made a significant difference to the teaching and learning experience of Yale College’s staff and students.  European guests who were visiting the college were very impressed with the videoconferencing studio’s state-of-the-art equipment and its potential use in further education.

Marthese Morris, the ILT Advisor from RSC Wales, provided continuous support in using the studio equipment throughout the day and her encouragement and vision for furthering this project are much appreciated. 

Each member of staff involved in this experience learnt a great deal.  The students were engaged when discussing the topic via videoconferencing and thoroughly enjoyed the event.  The expert’s contribution was invaluable and very interesting.  The lecturers are hoping to develop this project further in the future and arrange field trips to the sites in North Wales which Ken Brassil mentioned during his presentations, in particular Segontium (Caernavon) and the Roman baths at Prestatyn.   

This project showed the exciting possibilities of linking North and South Wales in teaching and learning through the use of this technology.  The event is to be repeated during the Wrexham Science Festival in March 2004, and Sian Squire and Jo Conway would be very interested in linking up with other courses and colleges across Wales via videoconferencing to share the project.

Siân Squire
Yale College of Wrexham
e-mail: sqs@yale-wrexham.ac.uk

Jo Conway
Yale College of Wrexham
e-mail: jlc@yale-wrexham.ac.uk

Back to Case Studies Page