In this evening seminar in January 2003, a panel of experts discussed the secrets of delivering successful interactive learning projects.

Introducing the evening's case studies, seminar chair Jonathan Briggs referred to the enormous influence that interactive technologies have already had on education (imagine conducting research without Google). As both a university professor and the director of internet technology company Other Media, he is excited by interactive education and the prospect of using newer technologies, such as mobile messaging, to further revolutionise learning - in higher education as well as schools.

Jonathan hopes that investment in innovative learning applications will help to improve not only standards but also the worsening image of British schools in the eyes of the public. However, he had some advice for anybody thinking of entering this market under the assumption that interactive learning is easier or cheaper to produce than other commercial projects: education is difficult, it takes time, and there's still a great deal for us to learn about the subject.

Not that you should be discouraged if you're serious about working in the area. As Nesta futurelab's Martin Freeth pointed out, even though the UK's interactive-learning sector is becoming increasingly competitive, the market is potentially global: there are as many people learning English in China as speak it elsewhere in the world, for instance. Add to this a home consumer market fuelled by parents, and future opportunities look good.

Martin went on to describe some of the innovative science-learning projects that Nesta futurelab has produced in conjunction with the Performing Arts Lab. Developed during a series of intensive weekend workshops, many of the projects adopt the conventions and techniques of computer games, appealing to pupils' natural curiosity and sense of fun to help them get to grips with science. Examples of what Martin refers to as 'stealth learning' include a battle between white blood cells and bacteria, showing how the immune system works, and a game demonstrating why a cow would explode if enlarged to the size of a house (with reference to the physics and mechanics of biology).

Interactive learning is still in its infancy in British schools, and while many teachers are unaware of the possibilities, some are actively resistant to change. There will be no widespread adoption of new technologies in schools until we are able to demonstrate significant tangible benefits in the classroom, according to Phil Hemmings of RM plc. No matter how creative or innovative your interactive learning product might be, it will not succeed unless it is firmly rooted in the curricula and existing teaching culture of our schools, and can be shown to produce results without adding to teachers' workloads.

This was one of the lessons learned by RM when they created mathsAlive!, a product for teaching Key Stage 3 Maths to 11-14-year-olds. As Phil's colleague Myf Powell explained, the production team's expectations of the project changed significantly once they started spending time in the classroom observing lessons and gathering feedback. They soon realised that, rather than expect experienced teachers to adopt new and largely untested methods, the system had to complement and enhance the existing classroom culture. The final product is therefore geared towards whole-class teaching, and is flexible enough to allow teachers to adapt lessons to their own needs, and incorporate their own materials as required. This is also reassuring for those teachers who are not particularly tech-savvy, as it is not a radical departure from their normal approach.

What differs is the pupils' experience of lessons. As with the Nesta futurelab projects, the product employs games, puzzles and an appealing graphic interface to make an unpopular subject more accessible and fun for reluctant students. Myf demonstrated a lesson on geometry, which enables pupils to manipulate two axes displayed to the class on an electronic whiteboard to show the difference between acute, obtuse and reflex angles. This leads to a game, in which students can compete against each other, estimating angles to the nearest degree, then measuring them with a virtual protractor.

Lessons such as these appeal to teachers because they are pre-prepared, saving time that would have been spent drawing diagrams and writing-out calculations, and allowing teachers to toggle back and forth between stages in the lesson. MathsAlive! contains over 2000 pieces of pre-prepared content, and while it is designed for online delivery, most schools host content locally, due to bandwidth restrictions.

Phil and Myf offered their 'six platitudes for content':

1. We're only just beginning to understand this subject.
2. It's not about technology.
3. Don't employ those who think they know the answers�
4. But people who ask questions and know what questions to ask.
5. Teachers and educators must be involved.
6. Expect the unexpected - and learn from it.

With its Reithian mission to educate, inform and entertain, the BBC has been helping it's listeners and viewers to learn since the 1920s. George Auckland , Head of Innovation at BBC Factual and Learning, outlined the history of educational content on the BBC to the present day, when online content plays an increasingly significant role.

Much of the BBC's overall output, from Teletubbies to Walking with Dinosaurs (watched by almost a third of the population) is broadly educational, and supported by interactive resources on BBCi. In this respect, the organisations aims to:

1. Stimulate
2. Engage
3. Guide
4. Enable communication
5. Encourage authorship

While TV and radio have always been extremely effective vehicles for achieving the first three of these aims, it is interactive platforms that are facilitating communciation, and the shift from passive to active learning.

Paul Robinson shared some of the lessons learned at the BBC as they developed the GCSE Bitesize and AS Guru projects, which now receive more than 4 million page impressions per week.

For pupils, the appeal of the material is that it's broken into into easily digestible chunks that are relevant to the curriculum they are studying, and stamped with the reassuring authority of the BBC brand. All of the modules are optimised for narrowband internet to make them as widely available as possible, and are supported by the secure and extremely popular online community Onion Street, where kids ask questions and discuss their homework assignments.

The key to winning teachers' hearts, according to Paul, is to give them the flexibility and control to use the BBC's online learning materials to enhance their own lessons as appropriate. For this reason, BBC Learning has introduced a strategy of 'sampling and authoring', which allows teachers to access libraries of content, use whatever they need, and adapt it and augment it with local and classroom-specific content of their own. The aim is to develop relationships in which the teachers are both creators and consumers of learning materials.

Much of the BBC's online learning programme is currently designed for narrowband, but it's not the only approach worth considering. In his previous role at Redbus CPD, Adam Gee of 4 Learning was involved in producing video-based interactive training applications for the corporate market. Focusing on professions with mandatory requirements for 'continuous professional development', such as healthcare and engineering, Redbus produced a range of training programmes delivered on the PC, initially distributed as CD-ROMS, but now more commonly accessed via broadband or corporate intranets.

With networked training applications, employees are able to access their own password-protected learning programme at any time, from any location, while companies can track the progress of trainees and integrate test results with other personnel data. For professions with a strong practical element, Adam advocated a 'blended learning' approach, combining on- and off-line training.

For Annie Valva of Pearson Broadband, interactive learning represents an opportunity to reach members of the learning population who have not traditionally responded well to the company's textbooks and educational TV programmes. Pupils naturally favour a range of different learning styles, with many responding better to visual teaching or hands-on learning exercises than to textbook-based classroom learning.

Annie believes that interactive learning applications, such as Pearson's Knowledge Box, provide a means of helping these pupils achieve their potential, while at the same time enhancing the learning experience further for those who already respond well to traditional methods. Additionally, specialist applications can be developed for pupils with special educational needs, such as Attention-Deficit Order.

She offered the following advice:

Learning Application Design Tips

• Focus on one major goal (meeting specific learning objective)
• Create tools which extend teaching
• Know users and context for usage
• Provide recommended routes through learning materials and guidance on the best practical use of applications.
• While it's important to build flexibility, you must also think from the perspective of teachers and pupils - and how you can save them time.
• Pre-define usage of software and role of video (tool-based, activity-based or a combination)

Recommendations for Development Team

• One overall vision holder
• Education-focused team, combining practical teaching experience with understanding of media.
• All producers must have a detailed understanding of the curriculum, and spend time in the classroom.

Presented in association with:

This event is supported by Business Link for London (www.bl4london.com )

Produced by Stephen Jeffery-Poulter

Speaker Biographies

George Auckland , Head of Innovation, BBC Factual and Learning
After working as a TV producer for many years, George helped create the BBC Education Website in 1996. In 1999 he became Head of Digital Media, and in 2000 his department was awarded the Royal Television Society, Educational Television, Judge's prize for BBC Education Online. BBC Online Learning produces informal and formal educational content for children and adults, ranging from the pre-school Teletubbies, through GCSE Bitesize to sites for adults like Webwise, History and Gardening. www.bbc.co.uk/learning

Jonathan Briggs, Director, Other Media
Jonathan Briggs is Professor of New Media Design at Kingston University, and Strategy Director of the OTHER media. His principle work is in applications of technology to social and environmental issues. The OTHER media are a technology company that helps other companies get the best out of the internet, mobile and broadband systems. Clients include Delia Online, the World Wildlife Fund and the Cricket Ground at Lords, in addition to research projects and joint ventures such as WorldBookDealers.com and Hyper Island University College, in Sweden. www.othermedia.com

Martin Freeth, Nesta futurelab
By linking creative talent, educational expertise and the power of digital technology, NESTA Futurelab is helping to transform the learning and teaching landscape. The organisation focuses on developing compelling educational prototypes that can operate on systems and platforms that will become available in schools and homes by 2005 and beyond. NESTA Futurelab is a collaborative enterprise, sharing findings through a structured events programme and website. www.nestafuturelab.org

Adam Gee, Creative/Commercial Director, 4 Learning
Adam Gee is Creative/Commercial Director of 4Learning, and was formerly Director of Production of Redbus CPD. Adam has won over 40 international awards for his productions (including a BAFTA). 4Learning produces multiple media resources for learners in the pre-school, school, post-school and adult markets including on-line resources, disk-based materials, video and print. Redbus CPD/keep-up-to-date.tv is one of the UK�s pioneering broadband producers, specialising in screen-based learning. www.channel4.com/learning

Phil Hemmings, RM
Phil Hemmings is Director of Corporate Affairs with RM plc, responsible for developing RM's position with respect to Curriculum Online and the National Grid for Learning. RM plc is the UK's leading supplier of IT software, services and systems to the UK education market. mathsAlive! is a pilot digital learning service for Key Stage 3 mathematics developed as part of a �5m DfEE contract to produce technology-based courses in key curriculum areas. www.rm.com

Myf Powell, Education Manager, RM
www.rm.com

Paul Robinson, Secondary Education Development Officer, BBC
Following a career in teaching and LEA advisory work, Paul joined the BBC in 1993. The role of EDO involves day to day contact with teachers, to ensure that new services are effectively planned and pitched, and to provide direct feedback from the classroom. Paul played a major part in planning and launching BBC Bitesize, the on-line and TV revision service for schools, and is currently working on pilot projects in community broadband learning. www.bbc.co.uk/learning

Annie Valva, Pearson Broadband
Annie Valva joined Pearson Broadband after working as Director of Technology for US Public Broadcasting station WGBH Interactive. At Pearson Broadband, Annie oversees the design, production and technical implementation of educational broadband projects for school and home markets. Pearson Broadband creates high-quality, cross-cultural television and broadband content that takes people along their very different paths to learning. www.pearsonbroadband.com

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