AV俱乐部

Andy Corkum is there for his students when they need him, day or night. He鈥檚 not on call 24 hours a day, but his students get the next-best thing in the form of lecture notes, self-produced videos and additional resources selected just for them that they can access any time they want.

鈥淏rightspace is a touchstone to get students engaging with the subject matter in more ways,鈥� says Andy of AV俱乐部鈥檚 new learning management system, Brightspace. 鈥淗aving access to these learning aids in Brightspace keeps them more connected with the course content, in addition to what they鈥檙e experiencing in the classroom. It extends the sense of community beyond the classroom.鈥�

Andy is in his second year of teaching at AV俱乐部 on the Sexton campus. He teaches two undergraduate courses for fourth year students. One of the courses he teaches is about designing dams, and the other is about underground tunnels and mines.

Both of Andy鈥檚 courses are taught in-person; he uses Brightspace to enhance the conventional classroom learning experience. 鈥淎s a new professor, I鈥檝e been playing around with flipping the classroom. I give them lectures to watch, sometimes historical lectures from famous people and then we鈥檒l talk about it in class. If I know my students are really struggling with a concept, I鈥檒l make my own video and put it up in Brightspace for them,鈥� he says.

Learn more: dal.ca/elearning

One of the things Andy finds challenging with a large class is knowing each student鈥檚 comfort level with the material. 鈥淚 put additional content on Brightspace that gives them more options to explore what really interests them, or to review concepts they need extra exposure to.鈥�

Andy admits to 鈥渘ot being a great student鈥� when he went to university, and now he uses that experience to his advantage in the classroom. 鈥淚 had to learn how to learn,鈥� he says. 鈥淥ne way we learn is by repetition of concepts. So, if students hear something in class and then they are looking at additional materials in Brightspace that evening, they are helping their own learning process.鈥�

Andy鈥檚 area of expertise, mining and civil engineering, involves teaching concepts related to large structures such as dams and complex tunnels hundreds of kilometers long. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 show students these structures in a lab or classroom. We鈥檙e limited to a couple of field trips each year, and the mines and dams in Nova Scotia are small by comparison elsewhere. Companies have made 3D productions of mines and dams, showing simulations of dams failing during earthquakes, for example, and I鈥檓 able to share these concepts with students through Brightspace, so it鈥檚 a particularly useful tool for someone in my field,鈥� he says.

Andy has only been using Brightspace for a year, but it鈥檚 the second learning management system he鈥檚 used in his teaching. 鈥淏rightspace is particularly well laid-out for mobile applications and everything works very smoothly. The interface looks good and it鈥檚 not clunky. That matters, not just to me, but also to the students. They鈥檙e not getting distracted by things not working well.

鈥淪tudents are looking at Brightspace on their mobile devices, accessing everything any time they want. That kind of access is key with the way students work and learn now. They鈥檝e grown up with the Internet, with access to information all the time. They鈥檙e used to that level of access and I provide it to them through Brightspace,鈥� says Andy.

When asked what he thinks his students like best about Brightspace, Andy doesn鈥檛 hesitate, 鈥淭hey like the grade book; they really want to know what their grades are. It keeps them on track and gives them feedback; they know where they stand at all times because of that.

鈥淭he only negative thing I鈥檝e heard students say about Brightspace is that not enough faculty members are using it. They notice a difference between working with a professor who integrates it 鈥� the students see the benefits for themselves,鈥� he says.

Learn more: dal.ca/elearning

Andy has taken advantage of the support available to AV俱乐部 faculty members for Brightspace. 鈥淚 met with staff from the Centre for Learning and Teaching (CLT) on several occasions. They helped with many aspects, especially grade management, and were super helpful and offered to work with me anytime,鈥� he says.

鈥淭he CLT supports faculty and instructors across campus with the pedagogical implementation of eLearning tools, including Brightspace; Panopto, our new lecture capture and screencasting tool; and Urkund, our new academic integrity software,鈥� says Brad Wuetherick, Executive Director of CLT. 鈥淭his includes everything from first designing a course through the implementation of tools with students to evaluating the experience after the course is completed.鈥�

Andy has also taken some of the training classes offered by the Libraries鈥� Information Technology Services team and has found them beneficial. Classes are offered regularly and can be found through

鈥淭he Libraries are pleased to provide tech support and training for Brightspace because this complements the services we provide through our IT Help Desk and moves toward a one-stop shop for services and information that support learning. All of the thousands of Libraries鈥� eResources and Copyright Office services are also available in Brightspace as well,鈥� says Donna Bourne-Tyson, AV俱乐部鈥檚 University Librarian.

Andy plans to continue to explore the tools available in Brightspace to find new ways to enhance the learning experience for his students. 鈥淚t would be nice to share online discussions. I think that has a lot of potential. And of course, I can鈥檛 wait until Brightspace has its own holodeck!鈥� he says.