Can an online revision platform, compliment learning in the classroom?

With this project, I created an online learning resource for all students, to be primarily used to complement the workshop experience and as a post classroom revision platform. This resource took the form of an instructional website (http://blendedlearning.businesscatalyst.com) which, at the moment is hosted independently but will eventually sit on the UAL Moodle site. A clear aim of the project was to make the site different from YouTube and Lynda. To test the legitimacy and relevance of the site, students were invited to attend one of two specifically arranged ‘Introduction to Adobe Illustrator’ workshops, then reflect upon their learning and use the revision resource in the comfort of their own home. As a secondary comparative exercise, three students who had previously attended the same workshop within the last six months were also invited to use the site independently. Analysis of the responses given so far shows that students were aware that the site was designed as a post classroom revision resource; and that given some minor adjustments to the format, such a resource would be a welcome addition to their learning tools. Students noted that the website was ‘tailored to our needs’ and that ‘the post-workshop website is able to give you the basics of the program's capabilities and allow the user to undergo their own creative process, instead of learning like mimicking’. The findings have implications for the constantly evolving provision of learning in the Digital Media Technical Resource area. By avoiding the repetition of basic teaching, the department technicians can draw on their specialist expertise and provide the students with an elevated level of teaching and learning.