CORTEX on YouTube

CORTEX now has a dedicated YouTube channel (medicelearning). The purpose is to standardise the accessibility of all videos used within the School of Medicine domain so that they may be openly shared using all the features provided by YouTube. The main driver for the decision has come from a best-practice review for embedding video in material developed using the new mobile templates. The platform will also make use of YouTube's HTML5 technology, eliminating the need to convert videos in-house so that they may be used to maximum effect across platforms. Visit the channel here.

mLearning Authoring Platform for the School of Medicine

CORTEX has released a first working-prototype in efforts to acommodate mobile access to self-directed learning in the School. The platform combines latest mobile development languages such as HTML5 and jQuery for mobile devices. The present version (1.0.0) features:

• Adapts to any screen resolution
• Adapts to screen rotation
• Table of contents
• Back/forward navigation
• Smart screen-responsive image resizing
• 'Collapsible' content
• Info page

The next prototype aims to feature:

• True/false formative assessment
• Multiple-answer formative assessment
• Improved page loading speed

Click here for a sneak preview.
Please feel free to leave comments/suggestions. All feedback is greatly appreciated and will be used to shape future development!

The School of Medicine e-learning team.

Xerte Online Toolkits

Xerte, developed at Nottingham University, provides a set of tools for teachers and elearning developers to create accessible interactive learning materials easily.

Xerte Online Toolkits is a server-based environment for creating content. We have installed it at Cardiff as part of a pilot, which means that members of the University can create and edit content in their web-browser, without installing any additional software, at https://xerte.cardiff.ac.uk.

Xerte can produce learning materials that are media-rich, with images,  sound and video, charts, quizzes, interactive drag-and-drop exercises, hotspots and annotated diagrams. But creation is simple: you just select pre-defined page types and fill in a few parameters to create each slide.

To find out more about Cardiff's Xerte installation, visit the Cardiff University installation. (Requires login)