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Opinion
Liberating the Learning Environment – Automating Multimodal Content
9/5/2006
Members of the Liberated Learning Consortium are engaged in a variety of research and development projects focused on SR applications. One of the principle efforts is developing new SR software that works in both lecture and eLearning environments. When it was discovered that commercially available dictation products were poorly suited for the dynamic classroom environment, IBM Research, one of the founding members of the Consortium, developed a new technology called IBM ViaScribe. ViaScribe provided a number of fundamental enhancements that allowed it to be successfully used in the classroom and of course, an eLearning environment.
Other Consortium members study the technology’s impact on various stakeholders, with promising results to date. In one study, over 90% of students indicated they would recommend a Liberated Learning class to their peers. Various project teams have also implemented corporate and public applications in nontraditional learning settings, where access to information in a universally friendly and flexible way is an ongoing challenge.
Although the technology and novel applications present unique challenges, creating a cohesive, goal congruent, multidisciplinary team from 15 member institutions in nine countries across five languages may be one of the most significant accomplishments of the Liberated Learning story. As SR and a clearer understanding of its potential evolve, so must the Consortium model that has been instrumental in engendering the Liberated Learning concept. New discoveries championed through collaboration will pave the way, ensuring that a greater proportion of the learner universe will be reached.
Keith Bain is the International Manager of the Liberated Learning Consortium hosted by Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
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