Draft on Design / Quality

For some time I have been thinking about words such as "Design" and "Quality" and trying out ways to mix them up. I find there is resistance to quality but design is accepted even if unclear in meaning.

These notes follow a look at the PhD from Adam Matthews. Tweet was last week. Over the weekend I have read quite a lot of the PhD, enough to get the outline.

Two main things are established with solid references. ONE There is a sequence of ways to describe a university - ivory tower, factory, network. TWO "Design" is a discipline ( p288 of the PDF)

Previously I have found academics who study Management Learning and Networked Learning are not that keen on quality as theory. ( or "Excellence" ) Design could be an easier wayu to raise questions about how organisations change.

I now do radio shows with my producer JD . We score well in YouTube search for "Design Science DJ" . I found Science DJ and thought there could be a Design Science DJ. JD understood it not as compliling clips about Design Science but designing a music radio show. Also he thinks being a DJ is based on feeling not science or design. Guests will be welcome once the pandemic is over.

Design Thinking seems to have more interest now than Design Science. Compare developments in ideas about quality, less on systems and variation, more on psychology and knowledge / learning . ( Also some on quality scene have views about HR styles )

I have a more positive take on the MOOC than Adam Matthews and the sources he quotes. He seems to equate all MOOCs with the EdTech companies. Futurelearn started with the OU. EdX with Harvard / MIT . I never come across proposals from the MOOC critics for something else by way of a platform. In the PhD there is none of the discourse around the idea that Futurelearn was a wild misuse of funds. ( It still might be btw, platforms exist in an uncertain world ) . Seek Group bought 50% partly because it became clear no other funding was available, other UK HE . Coursera now post IPO. EdX sold by Harvard /MIT but they plan to use $800m to work on something else. Is this a credible base for EdTech? Will UK academics pay attention?

MOOC platforms are not what was claimed years ago. Micro-credentials  and some degrees, many vocational. But I think they do reach a wider audience than ivory tower undergraduate courses. There is an overlap with social media - Twitter / YouTube.

I will have another look at the Fortress University lecture from Peter Horrocks. This was at Durham before he had to resign. Some say it is hard to follow the "managerialese" but most of it is clear.

In Exeter the radio shows include a #CDWalk looking at where music retail used to be. Also student accommodation, question why is this still being built as learning moves online? Music Business World reports that major labels are losing market share on music streaming services, but streaming income is a larger part of major label income. Part of the walk / radio show is to explore memory and speculation. There is no way to directly compare HE and the music business. Adam Mathews is considering the potential of a networked model for HE but has reservations about the MOOC. There is no reason why major labels could not launch a social media platform but it never seems to happen.

Reality developments for learning online

I am still working on drama versions of a discussion around online learning. #CDWalk in Exeter looking at current space needed to retail music. #SiegeK in Kendal based on a siege of the Fortress University. But I may go back to reality / normal journalism.

There has been a change in how the print Guardian regards these topics. I think it may be the new Saturday magazine that replaces the Guide and the Review. Now the pop culture around music is in the same space as the books. Recently there was a "Big Idea" look at the classroom, should we leave it behind? I think Laura Spinney is based in Paris so this may be an influence. UK universities are fairly happy with the way things are.

The article conclusion is a quote from Diana Laurillard

“It took a global pandemic to drive home what we’ve been saying for 30 years.”

Previously I do not think the print Guardian would have published this. Peter Wilby had a fairly negative take on Futurelearn for an interview with Peter Horrocks who soon after had to resign from the OU. There was very little reporting of the Seek Group investment in Futurelearn, the Coursera IPO or the $800m sale of EdX. My guess is the print journalists will mostly ignore online learning until print circulations drop closer to zero so they have to concentrate online. But there are gaps and they may get more frequent.

The Novel in the Near Future

 I am now catching up with bits of text that may be longer than a tweet or may get hard to find.  I started this idea on holiday back in September. Some sort of scifi time travel is needed to cope with the print newspapers. They might be about to vanish but they carry on as if still significant. People on telly pay attention to the demands for everyone to go back to working in central London so they can read the Metro and Evening Standard. So anyway the novel is sometime quite soon when the print circulations are close to zero. FT weekend bundle might be a model though, something will continue. The hero author is trying to work out how to get paid for words in this new world. He tried to be an influencer on social media but then read in a newspaper that tweeting was a waste of time. Then one Saturday he reads about the Every that turns out to be a damp squib.

To be continued

Student accommodation topic continues with graphics

I have done three videos based on chat with JD last week on Wild Show. I tend to ramble off topic so two bits were edited out - another plug for my play on a CD Walk and a suggestion that debt explains why student accommodation appears to survive as viable when there are questions about retail, office and hotel. The main bit now has some graphics and video as well as the photo / simulations that appeared in the Express and Echo.  There are now two more sites that may end up with blocks similar to the Depot. I will try again with comment on radio for sound and a mix of graphics / video. This may ge more abstract from strict location. The idea is to show a mix of styles - Victorian Gothic mixed with the latest blocks. My guess is that even the University of Exeter will notice a problem at some point in time.

Repeating main points as text. ( Some for previously, look for Wild Show and student accommodation on YouTube )

University of Exeter has now published strategy to 2030 following #BigConversation. This was limited to staff and students so locals could not contribute. There is not much about learning moving online or about how much accommodation will be needed. There will be a new Exeter Education Innovation Institute but there is not much detail about this. Telematics may have become a ghost subject like Music and Chemistry. Some subjects were dropped and Telematics may be one of them.

In general there is not much public UK debate about how much space will be needed for the campus in ten or twenty years. Hybrid / blended worked ok during the lockdown in many ways but it now seems everything is back to normal. Expose , student paper, has had articles about a Ruiniversity asking about value for money and trends but this did not appear in print. 

Why is it thought that the Harlequins space cannot work for retail but has a longterm future as accommodation? there is no model I can find of what is assumed to happen to numbers of students over ten or twenty years.

If the future is "Co-Living" what sort of planning relates. My impression is that Exeter City Council have few options as student accommodation is outside certain criteria. If the space was on offer through the web out of termtime would this be another use as hotel? 

The Depot appears to be a style guide for what to expect. St Lukes campus is Victorian Gothic. How will the styles relate? Royal Albert Memorial Museum is the most obvious building on Queen Street at this time. There is a new traffic schem tested by Devon County Council. How would this work with the proposed car layby to support visits to the new building?

The #CDWalk play is based on a walk in central Exeter where the retail for CDs used to be. Several sites to identify, together with the new student accommodation. Another walk followed the Taddiforde Brook near the campus. This will be rested till the spring so the Queen Street / St Lukes space will be easier to get to and is more urgent. It can be regarded as real or for online backgrounds in a mix.

The St Lukes photo most recently in Express and Echo appears to show a lawn infront of the proposed building but this is actually an existing part of St Lukes. Seems ok to me to use photos for review and comment. any copyright issues please let me know. There will be later edits.

Digital Platforms In Performance

I am trying out another module of a MOOC from EdX and Cambridge. I did the Finding a Voice complete but gave up on the one about space. I did not find enough about walks or outside. This one also seemed off topic when I started. I am interested in how some form of content marketing can work for theatre or other forms of drama. With music there can be a single to promote a collection of tracks or a performance. There can be edits or clips for radio. How to do versions or clips of a live play? This is not part of the course so far. But I will carry on and find out more about games and virtual reality. How to transfer a story? I am thinking about " Eight Gates to MetaSpace " , really a sort of travel writing starting from home. "MetaVerse" seems too linked to particular companies.

Anyway back to this week and #ExeFringe. Creative Commons is another way of looking at clips / remix. I use the Stories of JGBallard from the Internet Archive. I do not know if this sort of thing is still happening.

During next week there will be artist development so I am trying to discover what ideas are around. At MakeTank there will be some sort of performance on Friday, at least some public access. Most of the performances are for cultural leaders in the South West. So far I have not fund any info on open performances at the Hall or Central Library. But each venue has a different aspect. MakeTank is linked to the Business School. The Hall is set up for streaming. If this happens then the content is public anyway. The Library has a resource for law on intellectual property. So some time this could be explored a bit more.

My own writing such as #CDWalk can continue as Creative Commons but I might need more restriction if I did a lot of work on it or DownStage Write got involved. They did once have an offer to rewrite anything for £1.

More later.

Exeter Fringe chat May be Off Topic

 I am finding out a bit more about the Artist Development aspect of the Exeter Fringe. There is a webcast this evening. It seems to be about formats that would suit an existing theatre.

I have been thinking about how social media can work with some version of content for promotion or extension. But this seems not to be a topic. The dates have fitted so I have enrolled for another module of the EdX / Cambridge MOOC on writing scripts. But it seems to be about writing for games or VR. Possibly there is not yet much theory about content marketing. 

( You can look at this as Creative Commons also. I still use clips from JGBallard / Internet Archive on the drama show. )

So I will check out the talks this evening. The drama show on Phonic will continue to relate to social media. Widsith and Deor have lots of content on YouTube. The Library, Maketank and the Hall are well placed for an Exeter walk so conversation continues.

#CDWalk and #SiegeK finds bits of content that may become a performance later.

Learna Reality ( meanwhile drama continues )

 I am checking out some reality ahead of the Exeter Fringe. My own plays / texts /situations follow from failing to get much interest in questions around how education moves online. So #CDWalk is a take on music as a model and Kendal Ruins is a comment on the Fortress University lecture from Peter Horrocks. Both continue but meanwhile there is some hard news in reality.

Peter Horrocks has become chair of Learna ( see FE News ) where most courses are around medicine but there is also an MBA.

The screenshot shows that value for money is an issue. So far in UK the reporting seems to be that the campus will return to "normal" . Online option is not in the newspapers. But it is possible more is happening than appears.

I also found this at Lancaster.

How would this relate to a business school?

In Exeter there is a new strategy for 2030 and a proposal for the Exeter Education Innovation Institute but I cannot find any detail about it.

There may be a debt situation that will unravel at some point in time. Students appear to pay fees but the debt is delayed. HE invests in impressive buildings based on projections of future fees. Is it possible the investment in platforms will one day compete?

New Readers please check out Peter Horrocks lecture in Durham on the Fortress University and interview in the Guardian. Links welcome to any research / reporting on how business schools transform.

Chat around the Exeter Fringe

The drama show on Phonic FM is now live on Thursdays 8 - 10 .

It is now mixed up with the Wild Show 10 -12 and We Don't Know on some Wednesdays. The music style allows some clips and extends to social media. A mix of content marketing and creative commons works ok with music for a range of sounds.

Taking clips out of drama is more difficult. Work in progress of my own is easier to mess about with. I am interested in how education moves online and comparison with the music situation. There is one drama around the ruins of the Fortress University as described by Peter Horrocks. Kendal has a suitable site. There is also a CD Walk based on central Exeter looking at where music retail used to be and wondering how much student accommodation will be needed if blended or hybrid develops.

During the Exeter Fringe the D Walk can be extended to include the locations around the theatres. These are the Central Library, MakeTank and the Hall. There is a project around development of new content. These locations have a different relation to social media and content. MakeTank is closest to a gallery, images best seen in controlled conditions. The Hall set up for streaming so all images are potentially public. The library has many refences and scripts.

Shows continue throuh October so will include the RAMM moving outside projects. Seems to be presented as art but might be drama. We Don't Know show will include a script based on the crossing in Queen Street. 

What happened 2021 ? Draft

 I am now back from holiday in Exeter. To clarify, holiday was in Cumbria, Exeter is where I am now. Settled in as the petrol left from the journey is just enough to get to shops for food.

I did think about what has gone on this year and now start to write it up. The #TempRadioStudio idea did not work as an art funding proposal but was accepted by Amps as a video for an academic conference. The radio claim worked out ok. There is a lot of sound as clips recorded in Exeter during 2021. The technology is stable and widely available. We do not know if education will continue to move online after the lockdown or "go back to normal". 

So I will move on to some speculation and comment but start with these two events. Video is accepted by some conferences. Radio / sound is mobile and everywhere. Details updated later.

So I am going back to text, I realise journals are still the default for academics. The "black box" technology not examined is all around print. Also I am getting more interested in how to edit bits of sound together. There is still a studio or something. More is available in the cloud, maybe not for video so well but sound might work ok. This could be a project next year.

Drama Show / music conventions

 I am working on a pre-recorded drama show for Phonic FM at this time. It started sitting in for the storyteller but now is more permanent. It strikes me that conventions with theatre are different to music. Most of Phonic is recorded music or live recordings. No guests during lockdown. But even outside performance seems closer to a sort of gallery visual art convention. The performer need control of how things are seen so no photography. The content is coherent so no sampling for extracts. So the 'content marketing' approach through social media is not going to happen. There is a related reluctance to sample a lecture, so if the academic curation is an hour and ten minutes then this might suit YouTube. 

I can find drama online with Creative Commons rights so I can edit this for clips to make up a radio show. There is an Exeter Street Arts Festival next weekend. Social media examples do exist to promote what is probable. there will be a @wenotno show on Wednesday. But without the Widseth&Deor Theatre I am not sure there will be so much poetry and storytelling. Link suggestions welcome.

In October there will be an Exeter Fringe. My guess there may be some sound clips that could be used on radio. But just in case I will carry on with my own plays, rough ideas for behind the scenes how it was never made chat variations for radio. Worried About Jim will become Worried About Tim in case there is a mistaken identification with a known or living character. CD Walk continues in Exeter. there will be another siege of Kendal Fortress Uni in the new academic year. 

 

Problem of sequence and context

 Analytics reveal a complex situation, well a bit much for me anyway. I set out to explore sound in Exeter over the sunny phase. Influenced by a conference about "Urban Assemblage" I started with short clips intended to be put together later. In a blog such as this or in a playlist. My drama radio show is now pre-recorded so the idea of clips fits with this. 

The content for the walk is two brooks, the Taddiforde Brook and the North Brook . Common title - Follow the Water. There is an intended conversation. the Taddiforde Brook passes some new student accommodation and then a space that may have been intended for student accommodation or maybe not. it may just have been a nightmare. Anyway there will be a formal announcement on strategy later in the year so I will wait on reality. Fiction can get too complicated. The North Brook is more public and open as it joins the Exe. In September there is an Imaginarium about which I will find out more. 

Somehow the clips were found by YouTube Shorts and it seems they were promoted in India and other countries far from UK. Bits of water in open air, quite random which ones. So most zero or three, normal for my video, but two were 1,500 or 500. So I did some more to complete the walk and these also worked as "Shorts". I think it is a regional YouTube test to compare with TikTok. The problem is that there is no sequence or context to show that the clips are part of a walk.

So I have done a playlist and also three sequences of photos. With these on a phone you should find the route. 

Taddiforde Brook Upper part uphill from the Business School

Lower part footpath across road at main entrance

North Brook uphill from Posloe Bridge

downhill towards Exe from Posloe Bridge

The playlist

or maybe search shorts, not sure how in UK. Update on stats later. Somehow the walk guides may get similar numbers to the others. Is a minute too long?

Outside Social Media

I am trying out ways to promote Exeter Street Arts Festival on social media, actually just Twitter and YouTube. I try to keep up with both but do not really understand Facebook or Instagram. Most of the info about the festival this year seems to be on Facebook. I will also linkwith radio shows - We Don't Know and Wild Show on Phonic FM.

I have done some tweeting with tag #TempRadioShow this year partly looking for funding as there have been projects to research ways of working outside. I think the social media aspect benefits as devices can be mobile. The map aspect can be shared remotely or with shifted time. The Street Arts Festival is likely to be a good example of this, in ways the public will work out. Later I will compare with research Outside the Box and resources from Exeter Culture.

Next Saturday is Respect at the Phoenix. I had missed the real_life event as I thought it was just online. There is some social media around this but not much so far. ( Maybe I am in the wrong bubble. Anyway I will check over the next few days . )

Issues include copyright, should artists make content free as promotion unless it results in something else? Street performance is a form of this but sometimes there is a ticket event as well. How long should promo clips be? I think full work could be edited but I am struggling with youTube shorts. I cannot work out who is viewing them in whatever sequence. Results ona #tag could be random.

It was not obvious the Street Festival would happen. It was cancelled last year as it gained too much momentum. this year moderate crowds may be ok. I had been thinking about Exeter as City of Culture with Torbay. Seale Hayne as a corridor site. Others have suggested Powdeham Castle. So I am trying to find any notes from Radio 1 Academy when in Devon. They talked about "visual radio" but what is this now? or in 2025?

HE / Exeter

In Exeter the people who mostly live in the city are concerned about student accommodation. It sometimes appears the campus is far away but the city centre is a dorm area. Pubs and shops are demolished to make space. Maybe this a reality that will continue. But there is very little research or reporting on what the future trends might be. If there is a move of learning online will the campus be required on the same scale? There may be some sites that can scale up numbers to maintain another number at base for any one rent week. Is Exeter such a place? What happens to other sites? None of this is much discussed I think. Comments welcome.

See previous post for links to reports on what might be happening in UK. The Sunday Times mentions several Russell Group names but not Exeter. This could be because Exeter has a low profile or just tries to avoid difficult topics. I have tried to find out more about Telematics at St Lukes without much progress so far. It may have been closed down as one of the subjects that were not a research priority at the time. Meanwhile the Digital Humanities Lab is very helpful on Twitter. There is a "Big Conversation" for staff and students about online etc but any conclusions are still a mystery for the public.

I have tried out forms of fiction /  drama as a way to work on this. ( Partly also because I have started to do a drama show on Phonic FM ) #CDWalk is a walk around central Exeter looking at the places music retail used to be. This has been chat on Wild Show / @wenotno . Also over the summer I am doing walks along brooks - Follow The Water . The North Brook heads towards golf course and new routes. The Taddiforde Brook starts alongside the campus but is then much harder to follow. Student accommodation could be a topic on this walk also.

But I think the North Brook is the one to concentrate on for now. Other events are expected. An unusual thing has happened. I did several short clips and uploaded them to YouTube just as a way to keep track. They could be combined in a blog or playlist for context later. But two of them were recognised as "shorts" and had many views- 1500 and 500 . Most of my short clips have zero or three, even the best bits from Phonic FM shows. So I have done some more and there are now about 19 for the North Brook. Will the AI work out they are in a sequence? Analytics shows most views are from India. I will wait on the new term to ask for student help on understanding this better.

Two Discourses and the Sunday Times

 Yesterday the print Sunday Times had a story about UK universities "refusing" to go back to normal. Some online lectures will continue. This was based on a survey of 24 Russell Group unis and Times Higher Education survey of 65. It seems only 20 of the Russell Group may have replied. Lord Baker is quoted as describing the stance as outrageous. Returning to normal is seen as urgent. a report on page 4 quotes a student about to start a course-

"At Brighton they are promising in-person teaching. I'm keeping the documentation that says that, just in case."

The term "blended learning" is in quote marks. There is almost no mention of hybrid or benefits of some form of combination. There is a negative comment about YouTube.

But in the Business section ( p4 ) there is an interview with Andy Bird, the new boss of Pearson. ( Pearson Tears Up The Textbook ) He previously worked for Disney and knows about streaming platforms. As a model for textbooks this could avoid a secondhand market and restore margins. There is a new app "about to do for education what Spotify did to music and Netflix to films". This is just a start. HE is under strain. Student debt in USA now $1.7 trillion but HE resists lower prices although moving to Zoom.

So there are two points of view in the same paper. In February Adam Matthews wrote about "two discourses on 2020 remote learning". One is about going back to normal. One he wrote about is based on what worked well during the lockdown, the boost for existing models of how blended/ hybrid / online might work. 

The Sunday Times version concentrates on back to normal. The innovation has a business emphasis. There are several possible explanations for this. When journalists phone academics is there any support for online ideas? Is there a secret strategy somewhere that is not to be made public?

The next post is specific to Exeter where I live.

Variety of Formats for content - #CDWalk as an example

 I am thinking about formats that might work over the next few weeks. I am not sure about the lockdown, how it will work out. there is still no news about the Exeter Street Arts Festival so I assume not much will happen but some busking like last year. I hope the Exeter Fringe is not limited but I am trying to stay flexible in my own head.

Anyway my script for #CDWalk was not accepted by Down Stage Write for their radio plays. I am back to thinking about it as a walk, with online support, clues. My colleagues would like some new material so I am thinking about this also. Meanwhile the format of a walk situation seems to be well supported. The Outside The Box research continues with following bees and a map of sea routes onto Exeter. 

I have yet to see any theory about ways the outside performance links to ways of promoting theatre shows as "normal" . I think this must involve social media somehow to get to scale. But I rarely find bits of sound I can use on radio or bits of content to link to. Maybe I am missing it, some may turn up.

I am also working on #SiegeK2 , a renewed siege of the Fortress University. I visited Kendal recently and have four short clips. My video approach follows the starts and Shorts continue to be looked at. I may give up on this soon and go back to longer forms. AI cannot cope with context or continuity. Clues please if there is a site somewhere that sorts this out.

Unusual Analytics

 YouTube analytics show a very unusual pattern. I have been trying things out to get interest in the fiction / drama scripts around topics of student accommodation / moving learning online. I uploaded short clips from a walk in Exeter for later use in a blog. Somehow they were found bt a "Shorts" setup based I think in India. this seems to be a YouTube test for mobile phones, similar to other projects. Two of my clips were selected, with 1,400 and 500 views compared to zero or one for the others. So I am going to carry on with this somehow. There is still a problem of how to communicate some link between the clips. The AI method is all very well but only a blog or a playlist can show context.

In Kendal I did some shorts from the castle and one was selected. ( I have yet to find where the source is but the analytics show where the route is ) 

So this is getting over part of the story. The Siege of Fortress University Kendal is a way to represent discussion around moving online. More on Scott Galloway later.

The Taddiforde Brook flows past some actual student accommodation and a site that may have been intended for such or may have been spared, unknown at present.

The Shorts may be understood by students from India and nearby in YouTube terms - South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam. Not China as far as I can tell.

Metaverse

A few nights ago I listened to Digital Planet on world Service. Soon got back to sleep but listened again later and put a clip on YouTube. 

Serpentine Gallery promotes MetaVerse as a way to describe online layers around normal work. Wikipedia shows it has been in use for a while.

I am starting on a few walks in Exeter as part of my #TempRadioStudio project. I am not quite sure how this will work out. It continues ways of looking at the HE campus and how it moves online. If it will do. Debate / drama conflict is around this. Walks follow the water, some underground. Taddiforde Brook is alongside new student accommodation on Exeter campus, then underground, then through space a bit closed in. It may just be me in nightmare mode, I cannot now discover any evidence this space was ever intended for student accommodation. But it is my mind somehow. So conversation could include how sensible it is to continue with buildings or if the peak pressure is over.

I saw an interview on BBC News telly from Birmingham. They discussed the post lockdown demand for shops and office space but nothing on the campus. I included @adam_matthews in tweet as he previously wrote a tweet suggesting a bus journey. He has sent links to two artcles, one about the purpose of a university, one before about two discourses - assuming campus returns to normal / assuming move online will continue. 

So I think I will explore these for a while and go back to the walk later. I still need to more on photography for a guide. there are just a few short videos so far. Look on YouTube for Follow The Water Taddiforde Brook and North Brook. North Brook is for comparison.

"Meta" keeps turning up but I am not sure what it means to everyone. I am trying out #MetaRadio and #MetaCampus . They find something. "Meta-Edtech" might describe activity around EdTech such as mainstream education , but I think this avoids thinking about existing sites as also part of EdTech. MIT has been on YouTube for a while.

I am still doing a radio show on FM. #MetaRadio may just be the digital / online content around this.

I also contributed a video to a conference on Urban Assemblage. this was organised by Architecture - Media, Politics, Society. I now have a better idea of the scope and am very interested in claims about architecture as code. Adam Matthews writes- 

Architecture

Lessig uses architecture and code interchangeably to describe the regulatory characteristics of the non-human. Code in online environments regulates higher education with all manner of systems – virtual learning environments, library systems, video platforms, exam proctoring. Lessig uses architecture interchangeably with code because the built environment also regulates behaviour in learning environments on campuses. This idea of architecture is getting more important as the cyber and physical become more intwined in the ‘fourth industrial age’.

I am still confused how the #mediatedcity conferences relate to a stream on pedagogy. There is a book out soon based on previous events so I will check this out and write more later.

Exeter Street Arts online option

 This post is just a guess /  explanation of what makes sense at the moment. I have a rough idea of what I am doing with radio shows and tweets etc. 

There is a hint on Facebook that something may happen on the Saturday of August Bank Holiday. But last year the Exeter Street Arts Festival had to be cancelled at the last moment. My guess is tyhat the current wave of infections will continue through September. The peak may before the end of August or it may not. Better info on the model may appear. But I guess many people will stay away from crowds anyway. There can still be small events, buskers, guided walks in small groups.

So I will mostly look at repeats of video from previous years. Clues and suggestions are welcome.

Sound Around the Outside Box

 This is an extended tweet just to explain my situation. I do a pre-recorded drama show on Phonic FM. Thursday 8 - 10. Mostly repeats of video sound and clips from internet archive. I have a project for a #TempRadioStudio , moving radio outside to follow up lockdown experiments. this has not had any funding but something continues. I will try to promote the Outside the Box events with at least a mention.

With pop and R&B for example radio can offer a lot of sound as samples of a performance or longer work such as a CD. So I need similar for the show. I can find links on social media but not mp3 that I could edit in. Help please finding the links. This could be short clips ahead of an event or recording of a performance.

Guardian news update on UK HE but still ignores the MOOC

 Today the Guardian has a report on how UK university policy is working out around a possible move online. there are direct quotes from Vice-chancellors. But no mention of the MOOC, online platforms or recent news from USA that EdX has been sold for $800m so HarvardMIT is to research a new level.

A while ago Peter Wilby did a Guardian interview with Peter Horrocks, then VC of Open University. A lecture at Durham about the Fortress University had been widely rejected as a rationale for investment in FuturelLearn and closing regional support buildings. However much has changed since though not often reported.

The story today includes suggestion "large cavernous theatres will be cut back" .."many in the sector predict a shift in investment away from shiny and expensive new campuses to the digital estate". Students still welcome personal contact but there may be more online or blended ( I still like the word blended ) . Online offers may be cheaper for an international student but there is resistance to lower fees. The online version has a photograph of students demanding a refund in recent times. 

Meanwhile the MOOC platforms are beginning to offer degrees. they can be cheaper than residential courses. At some time the print journalists will report on the options and what the UK policy might be.

I continue to imagine fiction and try to encourage people to look back at the Peter Horrocks take on the Fortress University. Read the Guardian today first, then the lecture and ask why it seemed in any way odd at the time.

Innovations in outdoor performance

 Tweet from Arts and Culture University of Exeter reminds me to respond to a survey for current research project. I have been thinking about this so try again but i cannot get past the first page of box to tick. Not sure I want to be anonymous or confidential. Blog and open tweets may get some sort of result as well as the research.

I work mostly in radio and online video thorough YouTube. During pandemic prerecorded shows from home and edits of Zoom etc plus a lot or repeats with comments. I have proposed #TempRadioStudio as a way to explore how the working at home methods integrate with the return to studio. So far not established as art for funding purposes but a video was accepted for an academic conference- Urban Assemblage /AMPS #mediatedcity .

Recently I have started on the Phonic FM drama show. I used to sit in but the storyteller is now mostly in France. Not sure when Widsith and Deor may return but they have a lot on Youtube and I also repeat from the Internet Archive. I find it much harder to find short clips that can be used for theatre or art than for pop music / R&B. So I would welcome bits of mp3 over the rest of the summer. Unfortunately studio not open to guests during lockdown but this may change.

It looks probable there will be something from Exeter Street Arts Festival on the saturday at end of August. My suggested research method is to check this out with close attention. Imagine Widsith and Deor teepee near cathedral. They use social media with energy and understanding. For example talks / promo are of length that most people will stay with. #esaf21

I am working on two plays/sets of words to explore moving education online. #CDWalk is a walk around where music retail used to be while talking about how much space will be needed for education. ( Student accommodation included as a topic - in the city it crops up ) Also #SiegeK set in Kendal castle as location for ruins of the Fortress University described by Peter Horrocks in Durham.

I think there have been three "Big Conversations" at Exeter University on policy around online. But only for staff and students. Impact on city, student accommodation not included as far as I know. #CDWalk and #SiegeK2 ( starting around Nov ) might be ways to make the big conversation a bit wider.

Tweets etc continue with links to shows on Phonic FM. mp3 links etc welcome.

drama in open space

These notes are for radio shows and tweets etc. over next few weeks. There is a sequence of open air performance ( dates in previous post ) and I hope to work out the background ideas as things continue. Exeter Culture has started resources on outside performance. 

I had thought of the temp radio studio as part of a mobile performance. It seems the idea of a walk or procession in street space is accepted. Sound may be less usual as art, or at least recording / broadcast. The Commentators were very welcome as part of Kinder Exeter. I have found some St Martins performance on YouTube that works fine as sound. there was only time for one extract on this week's show ( coming up on Thursday ) but I hope to include more over a few weeks. ( (Not sure about copyright, one of the things to consider) .

Clips of sound may not be available for radio. Theatre still seems less ready for sampling than pop music. So far I have not found anything from the Trade / Exchange windows but stills survive so this may continue. Outside the Box may offer sound, not sure. The pattern seems to be moving in space. I will continue with #CDWalk , looking at space needed for music retail. The drama shows can just be continuing conversations with We Don't Know and Wild Show.

I have tried out a Cambridge MOOC on play writing. I paid for the first one on finding a voice. I have only sampled two others. The one on space did not really cover outdoor performance I think. I could not get into it anyway. What happens through moving in the city? Some of this came up in the AMPS discussion on #mediatedcity. Design can be for scenarios not objects. Adding radio could be recent. I missed the one on writing for YouTube etc. but I look out for EdX on social media.

Some theory may follow from situationists but maybe with less controversy in the political content. I would welcome links to theory about this, best as mp3 sound or similar with creative commons licence.

There is probably going to be another Exeter Street Arts Festival at the end of August. I think probably Widsith and Deor Theatre will not be in UK this year but I will repeat video from previously. The street arts events have been working with social media for a few years now so I expect some ideas and demo events.

I am also interested in theory about radio. There seems to be more sound available as streaming / social media but radio formats tend towards short samples. there may be a flipped studio sometime but Phonic FM for example still follows lockdown approach of limiting numbers in studio. The idea of "guest" now means mp3 trade. Several clips on YouTube as Creative Commons. comment welcome.

Real news about UK education online

I am concentrating on the Fortress University ficion / drama partly because the real news is too distant from reality as I imagine it. That is I guess there is some planning on future policy, just not very open at this time. Couple of stories from newspapers - Times reports that UK universities will continue to offer online even thoug government encourages back to normal.

Also intention to ban phones in schools. This is another back to normal idea. My guess is that actual school pupils have realised online is possible and may be cheaper than other courses. Over five years or so they may do their own research about debt.

Meanwhile the EU is looking at research connected to Erasmus. 

In USA the EdX platform has ben sold so HarvardMIT has several hundreds of million dollars to research another level. There is some doubt about how this will work out but I notice almost zero reporting in UK. Fiction just makes more sense than relating to the depth of info allowed to be public.

Notes on Drama Show July to October

The show is usually pre recorded on a Saturday for the next Thursday 8-10 in morning on Phonic FM.

I mix clips from previous shows, the internet archive and Widsith and Deor Theatre / Storyteller / Standup Philosopher as this is how the show started.

I also contibute to We Don't Know and the wild show, both can be live in wed or Thur mornings so some updates are possible.

Clips exist on YouTube so the show can be extended.

I have been working on the idea of a Temp Radio Studio  ( #TempRadioStudio ) as a sort of reality / arts project if funded. Funding has been unlikely but a way to understand the arts process a bit better. The Trade / Exchange one early in the year was about images so sound not relevant anyway. Open Air Performance has events in July and August.

The idea of temp radio came over well with the Commentators as part of Kinder Exeter festival. I will try to find more sounds associated with this. Also my video was accepted for a conference on Urban Assemblage from AMPS

So I will check out the other videos in the series and look for links to Exeter. Arts credibility seems to need an academic base.

I am also trying out writing plays. I have done situations or drafts to try out with others as part of Wild Show chat. But I also tried a MOOC on "finding your voice" and wrote down some dialogue for Down Stage Write. If they turn up at Exeter Fringe in October they may have an offer to rewrite plays anyway. Meanwhile my idea for a walk in Exeter looking at  where CD shops used to be is continuing. Conversation includes how much space will be needed for education. Also student accommodation in Exeter, will it all be needed?

Another play is still a situation only - the ruins of the Fortress University using Kendal Castle as a location. One aim is to promote Peter Horrocks lecture on Fortress University. This was at a time when his support for MOOCs and Futurelearn was not widely understood or supported. 

The claims around #TempRadioStudio include that broadcast studio kit is now widely distributed. HE definitely went online some of the time. Colleges and schools also to some extent.

Exeter Culture is supporting outdoor performance

My guess is that Exeter Street Arts has good ideas about this. There is a hint on FaceBook about August Bank Holiday Saturday. Last year this was cancelled as it got too active for lockdown. However some buskers performed anyway. There is also MiDI TV, online video and social media. I find that drama has not got into this area as much as music performance. Sample sound clips are harder to find. For the drama show I can repeat existing stuff but any new content would be welcome.

You Tube adds something to conferences / how to value student experience?

 Couple of events sort of cross over. My video has been accepted for an academic conference - Urban Assemblage , part of #mediatedcity stream. Also the Observer yesterday reported that UK students may want a refund if there is a third year of online teaching when the advert was for the full experience.

It seems there is a plan for various forms of mix but no clear decision yet. My guess is that the real issues are more long term. An online or blended course could well be cheaper and some students will prefer this. It could be part time or extended with jobs or supported by companies. At the moment the research base has more than enough demand so this may seem way off. The scale of things is still unknown.

But I think the print newspapers have their own reasons for not reporting on digital possibility, however close it gets. News and comment may move online also. See previous posts.

The Urban Assemblage conference is completely online through circumstance. It was to have been in London for keynotes, then in Hatfield. The video aspect was public a few days ago on YouTube. You may need the conference PDF to make much sense of them, or you should just watch them all.  

I have commented on two of them. E. Duygun & D. Koca describe how design advice from Airbandb has developed and influenced how homes are now arranged.

I asked if something similar could happen through MOOC platforms such as Coursera and Futurelearn. Reply so far -

Esra Duygun

1 day ago

In fact, the platforms you mentioned can be considered as a new generation university. It provides data to a very large audience compared to the usual education and training field and at the same time allows data to be collected in this field. This situation is reflected in all areas of life, especially in visual learning such as design, its effects are spreading rapidly. This effect reveals a design that tends to coalesce on a global basis, but this reveals a design process for a global anonymous user that is independent of the user, which is the basis of the design process, and factors such as culture, geography, personality and lifestyle. Unfortunately, this situation causes a uniformity on a global basis when we look specifically at design.

(I will come back to this later. The learner has some influence on the situation, many of these courses are just part of something else. more local )

John Wild talks about the visibility of infrastructure in East London. This includes a record of walks in real space, described as an art performance. I would like to know more about this as theory or as guidance for other events. I have tried out walks on the Lancaster campus spine as a way to discuss tech and learning. The lecture by Peter Horrocks on the Fortress University could be followed by performance in the setting of fortress ruins, location such as Kendal Castle. I need a bit more basis in theory to move things on a bit.

The archive of all sessions will be available for a couple of weeks so I can check out how much connects to the YouTube level. More in later posts.

“It’s just not fair to charge £9,250 a year for YouTube tutorials,” said Rhian Shillabeer, a second-year politics student who wrote an open letter to her university, Kent, signed by hundreds of students.

#TempRadioStudio in Exeter reality

 Following the Kinder Exeter weekend something continues. Kinder Leeds in October, Exmouth probably next year. The Commentators have shown how mobile radio can work, but only for one day. The archive turns up later but what else is possible? I will be looking for sound clips for the Phonic FM drama show, still pre-recorded and also mentioning updates on Wild show and We Don't Know, both Phonic FM. The #TempRadioStudio is part of Urban Assemblage at the end of this month, but continues into July as links are found.

Last week Exeter Culture had a launch event Get In, Get Out, Get On . Video online soon. The direction is promote outside performance during what is left of the lockdown. https://openairperformance.com/ links to events in July and August. There is research from this into performance. My interest continues in how the campus model for HE has adjusted during the lockdown. Will online continue? Why continue to build student accommodation when it may not be needed? What forms of knowledge are possible in a city anyway? So far this is playful enough to just about fit in. I imagine the Ruins of the Fortress University as described in Durham by Peter Horrocks. See previous posts.

Anyway, back on the calendar. In October there is Exeter Fringe, a style of theatre. Some of it will be outside, certainly the fringe of the fringe I may get to know about. The Wild Show version of Having A Wonderful Time may happen in August, depending on weather forecasts. Also the Royal Albert Memorial Museum plans a Museum at Large event in October, details later.

Sound is moving online. People find music from streaming as well as radio. Some sound on YouTube for example has a Creative commons licence so can be remixed. Is it possible for all the radio signals that can be heard in Exeter to share content in some ways? Very short quotes for the purpose of review and comment have always been possible. but a #TempRadioStudio is only possible as an idea if various bits are shared. Assuming the lockdown is discontinued then there will be a mix of experiments working at home and a return to studio resources. This is a good space for experiments so that something similar continues.

Expanded Tweet , Urban Assemblage is next week , also Kinder Exeter / Learning technology online

 Back to the blog just to keep things in one place. Tweets are more frequent. I still am not sure what "Urban Assemblage" is all about. My video has arrived I think, not sure when it will be public. Meanwhile in Exeter this past Saturday the Commentators were part of Kinder Exeter. This is a form of theatre essentially but the tech is also interesting. Outdoor mics with wind shields connect to a speaker on trolley. Just above is a large plastic bag to protect the rest of the kit including a mobile phone and several cables. They managed to concentrate between 10 and 3 but I think a broadcast would need more of a mix, some sort of studio / music. Anyway the tech shows that a #TempRadioStudio is possible.

This week and next there is an online version of Learning Technologies - Digital Experience . So I will check out some of this was well. Meanwhile BETT is promoting the remaining space at a real event next year. I think all this can be mixed up. Russell Prue from what was BETT Radio continues in schools or online with links. the equipment could be used in HE or any company. Stephen Heppell supports online but also ventilation in learning spaces ( research on oxygen ) so this shows why hybrid / blended / space design matters.

Background on video for #mediatedcity

 I am coming across some background theory for my video on #TempRadioStudio. It is not a paper so no requirement for theory but some would help. The main aim is to connect in Exeter as a place. So most of the 15 minutes will be about recent events and radio. Towards the end some connections on how the campus might move online. I don't think there is time for other places such as a walk on Lancaster campus or the castle ruins in Kendal. As #tags this is #RuinsHE and #SiegeK but in Exeter the main one is #CDWalk.

Today on Twitter Adam Matthews wrote about psychogeography and a bus route. I have asked for more on memory and he showed a Wikipedia entry. Also it seems phenomenology may relate as a personal response. I am aware that Hoopern Fields is an example of something that is more something in my imagination than being a formal case study.

I am in Kendal at this time. So I am thinking about two real places as well as how they can be used as sets / locations. The conference is online now so I just think about a possible base in King's Cross with Thameslink to Hatfield / wherever the keynotes are. Possibly somewhere like the Work Foundation , near to a Victoria coach.

The deadline in June 12th so I may just accumulate clips and work out an edit nearer the time. 

#TempRadioStudio paper accepted in video form #MediatedCity deadline June 10th

 Details arrive for the conference on URBAN ASSEMBLAGE: THE CITY AS ARCHITECTURE, MEDIA, AI AND BIG DATA. The campus remains closed so the conference will be online 28 -30 June. I was impressed by the option of a paper in the form of a video. Now my idea is accepted I have to look back at the abstract -

During the lockdown local community radio such as Phonic FM in Exeter has been difficult as there is no access to the studio for many presenters. But pre-recorded shows have been possible. Technology exists at home for this but has to be improvised in some ways. Later Zoom and other video conference software was better known. Sound recording quality improved. It became possible to create a radio show from limited equipment.

So a temp radio studio in the city is possible to imagine. Previously proposals assumed access to empty space- shops or offices that were hard to let. These spaces can be used by artists for display or installations but sound is not often included. Studio space for public access even more unusual. So the proposal could be quite open. if there was a budget to rent a mixing desk this would be welcome. But a laptop sheltered from rain might be enough.

Sometime in April or May there may be a return to the Phonic studio for some. But tests of mobility will continue. The pre-recorded film will include clips for broadcasts intended as sound / and or video. there will be some sort of clarity in time for the conference.

The context is the city of Exeter at this time. Debenhams final sale yet to come. Many sites demolished for student accommodation. These blocks contrast in style with the new swimming pool and bus station. So topics for local radio discussion include why the university will need so many buildings if learning moves online. There is reporting on shops and offices but not student accommodation so much. Exeter is not the only city where this is an issue but it could be an extreme case. Harlequins is a complete mall due for demolition.

Now my idea is accepted I have to look back at the abstract - This is less complicated than I feared. Mostly it is to describe the situation in Exeter. There is only a short section on the university. So a video should be possible. I will rave into sound clips till June and edit down to about 15 minutes. 

One theory that relates is around unbundling and rebundling. I did a Futurelearn MOOC about what this means for HE. Similar happens in media / radio. Shows look for clips to mix with others. At this level academic content has not moved into sampling or remix style. I will explore some examples, as a form of study and for the video. In Exeter unbundling means there is no Music or Chemistry as far as I know. Also Telematics seems to have gone and I do not know where the research would be about online learning.

Any comment or links very welcome. I think there will be a playlist for other video on YouTube. 

#TempRadioStudio May update

I am still working on a "Temp Radio Studio" as imagined in Exeter. There is no actual equipmet anywhere. I started thinking about this last year as a form of art. There was a proposal for "Art and Exchange" projects. I missed the bit which explained they had to be visual and suitable for a window. With friends from Phonic FM we discussed using empty space in the city for a studio. Sound could be a form of art even though some shows are just chat and records.

I now do a sort of "drama show" continuing from the Storyteller / StandUp Philosopher / Widsith and Deor . This is just before the Wild Show so I gradually found out more about it. I find bits on YouTube , some my own recording of Widsith and Deor, some from them directly. Also Creative Commons from the Internet Archive. the Stories of JG Ballard followed on from a visual event based on News From The Sun. Some plays of my own, mostly behind the scenes / the not making of. #CDWalk is walk in Exeter between cafes and where the music retail used to be. Conversation is about how long it will take for something similar to happen with learning. How much space will be needed for student accommodation? 

Some video spins off from the sound. I am contributing to a conference on Architecture and Media / Data. There will be another Exeter Fringe in October. Assuming the same offer is available I will ask Down Stage Write to do a short version of #CDWalk, about 7 minutes. I missed the deadline for another offer and was well short of the hour target. I will try to connect with the support available during Exeter Fringe and maybe work on #SiegeK2 ( see previous post ). "Outside The Box" is another project for July and August. I probably will apply for the #TempRadioStudio idea but I am not an established artist. It is one way to find out about things and others may join in. Sound is one option for the empty retail space etc. the budget is enough to buy a school level studio ( @RussellPrue https://andertontiger.com/portfolio/hubcaster-lite/  Just one example from BETT . Other radio suppliers are available ) also to rent streaming kit from @TechExeter. They have a conference in September.

The Phonic FM studio is now slightly open but limited to one person at a time. During the pandemic so far there have been some shows pre recorded at home. This may continue and there are mobile versions of similar kit. Sound quality from Zoom is thought to be inadequate for FM broadcast. DAB is probable some time soon so a solution must be found. The scope for a #tempmobilestudio is within whatever time for recording then broadcast. There is an area around the Phoenix, say 10 minutes to carry an SD card. This could be seen as a large studio. Meanwhile a large part of the audience listens to forms of streaming anyway. Radio as part of a social media mix. 

#SiegeK 1 and 2

 From Exeter I can see the ruins phase of the Fortress University is still the main focus. Timing is vague and things that might well be happening are not in evidence. But the main dramatic events are in the ending of the current campus model. Also the summer seems to have started, sunny if still cold. So I am continuing to think the first siege set in Kendal Castle is now over, there will be a summer break when the space is even more open than usual, and the second siege - #SiegeK2 - will start in November with another book from Donald Clark.

For new readers, there was a lecture by Peter Horrocks in Durham about the Fortress University. He argued that investment online such as Futurelearn would open up the campus with positive results. The Guardian and many academics on Twitter were not convinced and he had to resign. Later Seek Group from Australia invested in Futurelearn. Later Coursera turned out to be worth billions, also an issue for academics on Twitter. Meanwhile the "Platform University" was seen as a negative topic for a conference, intended for Lancaster near the castle but cancelled. I thought of the Fortress University in ruins as a scifi counterpoint to the Platform University as a sort of balance or structure for discussion. And because the Storey Institute is round the corner from the castle, still in good condition.

Recently there has been comment on Twitter about the negative take on social media in video such as "HE in Medialand" . I think the Fortress University lecture is one example. Newspaper journalists cannot write about the end of print so there is a limit on what they can imagine about digital.

In Exeter I have noticed some bits of wall for the castle could be used for the Fortress phase. i will research similar castles to Kendal that have survived. Future video need not be too accurate from a continuity point of view. The script is intended as creative commons so can be changed for exact location. The Standup Philosopher is sort of booked to look back from the ruins on a future scifi occasion but there is no clarity when that will be.

In Exeter there is a "Big Conversation" at the university but this is limited to staff and students. There are three phases but the video stays the same. #BigWideConversation tag tries to include wider public and issues around buildings / student accommodation. 

Peter Armstrong news may open stories for Universities in Media

 The print Guardian has a story today about Peter Armstrong who may lose his title as professor emeritus at Leicester. This marks a move from tweets to proper news. His remarks online have been gathering energy.

I think this relates to the video on Universities in Medialand. To sum up they were roughly saying that HE management is reluctant to speak on the record for reasons that are well understood. Students may "feel" that they were misled about the experience to expect but this is not a major story. If I am unfair in this summary there can be further tweets.

Peter Armstrong has put out much info about Leicester and replied to comments. I have today retweeted one about the accounts.

Previously

This is getting to the context of a possible story. My guess this academic year will not include a major return to the campus. Students will be concerned about paying for accommodation they cannot use. there will be some rebates. there is a short term cashflow problem. But the online learning has worked ok after emergency design has been modified. Longer term there will be a move online such that the building investment is open to question.

 ( See previous posts on Peter Horrocks and the Fortress University lecture at Durham )

Leicester may not be the only case where these issues appear. Will there be more reporting?

In Exeter there is a "Big Conversation" but the scope only includes students and staff. So the blocks for student accommodation all over the city are not included as far as I know. #BigWideConversation tag is intended to find a wider context.

Quote News Update on Universities in Medialand

 Today the Guardian has news ( print page 12 ) based on a quote from Vanessa Wilson, chief executive of the University Alliance. She objects to the lack of guidance on when or if students can return to campus. Richard Adams and Rachel Hall report that at least half of students in England are still studying "entirely online".

So this is a development since recent tweets that HE had just been forgotten ( liked by Samantha Roberts and Caitlin Taylor) and my blog post last week about the "Universities in Medialand" video from the Centre for Global HE . About 7 minutes into this Anna Fazackerley talks about the media lanscape as a worry for HE. Miserable students who say give us our money back, students who feel they have been cheated...brought back onto campus so they can be charged rent.

This is what students "feel" . How policy was made in this last year is unknown. Interviews with management are rare. Just my take, links welcome.

In Guardian story today there is also reference to NUS  who said that Johnson's failure to mention students in his statement on Monday was evidence they were being ignored.

While checking the weblink for the story today I found two others that I missed in print or were online only. One about police enforcement of lockdown rules, the other about empty accommodation. A survey found that on average students paid £1,621 for empty rooms. That was 17th Feb.

There is another term to come. Where will students be? If they are not on campus will they have to pay for accommodation? When will anyone know what the plan is?

I think there is a much bigger story here than is reported. As learning moves online there are still blended / hybrid options. But the space required will be much less. In UK there has been a massive investment in spectacular buildings. I may be out of balance on this but I do know that in Exeter local opinion includes a concern about student accommodation. Why is there reporting about offices and retail but it is just assumed that student accommodation and the campus will continue as normal?

So links please , any news about what is happening. If the campus was recognised as part of the hospitality industry there could be government support but maybe it is too late. Certainly something to check out. Is there any campus site with an online strategy on the record?

In Exeter still a Big Conversation with #BigWideConversation tag to connect to other places and locality. 

Comments on Universities in Medialand

This is just a quick response to the video. I do a blog and regular Tweets so relate to the remarks about social media.

I think there is even more to worry about. social media is part of a move online. This includes the MOOC scene , micro credentials , significant challenge to campus model. Newspapers in UK are trending to zero as print circulation. This seems to influence the take on digital. Peter Wilby in Guardian was very negative about Peter Horrocks plans for Futurelearn and his take on the Fortress University as described in lecture at Durham. Previously Peter Scott wrote that he intended to ignore the MOOC completely and he left the Guardian before this could not be avoided.

There would have been "too much honesty" to say that students were required to attend campus to maintain income for accommodation. But two other issues might have been looked at. What do locals think about student accommodation? If online learning works ok now what will happen longterm? I live in Exeter where the number of students has expanded rapidly. My strong impression is that accommodation is a local issue. But I cannot find any report or research into long term demand. Student debt was mentioned but arguably this is multiplied by the assumed future to fund more buildings.

Recently Exeter launched a Big Conversation but I found the tweet reply disappointing. 

#BigWideConversation might reach more places and include more issues. It is possible the Russell Group sites could stay the same size or expand as well as moving online if they went for larger volumes of students so "non-research" sites closed down. Is there ever discussion of this? We have reporting on offices / working at home. Retail / the high street. But nothing about the campus. 

Is it time to look again at Peter Horrocks on the Fortress? Coursera is now regarded as a tech giant. Is Futurelearn still just a way to burn money? Seek Group in Australia now has 50% of Futurelearn but was there ver a chance of HE funding from UK?

And another thing. Oxford had funding to research ethics and AI. What % was spent on a building? Is there any research into ethics and budgets for buildings?

But the main thing is the Fortress lecture. Comments could be in video form to expand conversation on YouTube.

Temp Radio Studio longer time phases #TempRadioStudio

 The lockdown is coming to an end, but slowly. The Phonic FM studio could be open for one person at a time but I think the Wild Show and We Don't Know will wait till May when there will be complete vax clearance and maybe two in studio at once. Meanwhile there are pre-recorded show for drama and Wild. We are trying out Zoom and some bits are worth repeating. the sound quality is not that good so we may need to say the same things again in the studio.

So the temp Radio Studio may not be in time for the windows project as Trade and Exchange. This is expected in the second week of April and maybe into May. Some clips of sound / edits of graphics may still be available for future discussion. From the video call it is likley there will be a link to the FabLab in the library and Double Elephant in the Phoenix.

The "Temp Radio Studio" is a bit of a fiction anyway. Very rarely is any broadcast completely live. The aim is still to have enough mobile tech to take live sound from central Exeter to an FM signal from roof of Phoenix. But there may be some pre-recorded elements. So far I have found from previously a performance by Widsith and Deor from Awesome Art Space Exeter and an interview with FabLab from a Wild Show some time ago. JD in studio, Chris Norton with iphone. Sound quality of iphone could be better maybe someone from FabLab will be in Phonic studio sometime this year. 

Topics will include student accommodation and the way learning may move online. There may be connections how radio can work and what a campus studio is like. I am thinking about pre-recorded video for an architecture conference and Tech Exeter. More on this later. the news is that pre-recorded video is now welcome at a conference. Also Tech Exeter have some kit for streaming events that might be available to borrow.

Widsith and Deor are expected in Devon for Beautiful Days in August so may be nearby on August Bank Holiday if there is a street arts event. Meanwhile MIDI TV continues but dates are a bit variable. The radio shows I edit will get less precise about time.

Big Wide Conversation as Communication #BigWideConversation

 If education moves more online there may be more of an overlap with social media, radio, other forms of communication. So I will try to make better links between different situations that I know about.

Professional development has been forced online. Networking in person is not possible. there are expectations for hybrid events. I have previously found enough problems with video to doubt that streaming is easy but there are examples. Also forms of radio or DJ streams on platforms that started with games. I am not sure of my facts on any of this, just things I have noticed once or twice.

On the campus there has been study of learning design over many years but often last year there was just a video version of a lecture. This is now changing so there will be more resources and methods. 

My own situation is now mostly about pre-recorded radio shows , partly made out of old ones , for Phonic FM. I use Premiere Elements, intended for video. I am starting to use Zoom to get new bits of sound. Some of this will continue in a new normal for radio when we get back into the studio. Quite possibly with different equipment and some training. I think we are mostly guessing at this time.

Most of the Zoom conversations are with people I would meet in the studio for the Wild Show and We Don't Know. I have been concentrating on the student accommodation topoic during our #CDWalk - imagined walk in central Exeter. But we seem to be now more interested in a temp radio studio. As if a host device for Zoom is all we need. It just feeds into the FM desk. So this may be the main topic for later shows. I think we would still need backup of pre recorded stuff just in case Zoom fell over. Also a mix in better sound quality of anything to comment on.

During April there is a "virtual drupa" - a print show entirely online. This is very unusual. Will sound be part of it in a way that lasts?

Also an event from Adobe. They stopped going to drupa some time ago. Now they cover analytics on how to mix up bits of content for marketing. This content marketing may just result in everything being free. Radio presenters do not mind this but the music industry has faced issues that may arise for education. Creative Commons model is more stable.

Big Wide Conversation Continued #BigWideConversation

 I was not sure where this would go this week but Monday starts with a tweet from James Calleja about a Networked Learning Forum in Malta. My guess this may or may not happen in real space. I would like to follow it online. This could be a link between my own situation and the big conversation in Exeter.

The NL Forum keynote topics include social media, public spaces and problem based learning. The Exeter scope is only for staff and students and covers research and education, not the campus infrastructure. ( Based on tweet so far ) So no scope for student accommodation building or consequence for the wider city. I guess this is an issue in many UK places, maybe other countries also.

My question is why the building continues if learning moves online? Now in the form of two plays / imagined situations.  A walk in Exeter with people from radio looks at where the music shops used to be and there is speculation about space needed for campus etc in future. #CDWalk . Also future scifi set in ruins of the Fortress University as described by Peter Horrocks in Durham a while ago. #SiegeK is a temp episode using Kendal Castle for a siege of ideas.

At a tweet level there may be connections. I am working with people from Wild Show and We Don't Know on Phonic FM, local community FM signal in Exeter. Our problem situation is that in lockdown we are not allowed in the studio. We have claimed that mobile devices and social media will replace FM eventually but we find it very difficult in practice so going back to the studio would be welcome. Online video conferencing helps but sound quality is an issue. Previously I found getting agreement on video was an issue at Networked Learning conferences but that may have been solved. Online video is normal. 

Big Wide Conversation #BigWideConversation

 There are signs of change in Exeter. The University has announced at least three Big Conversations. There may be lessons learned from recent times.

However the Big Conversation is limited to staff and students. No input expected from local residents.`

Recent tweets-

So I am starting a new tag - #BigWideConversation - with the Wide to indicate the campus in space context. Also other places where conversation is more open.

In Exeter the student accommodation is an issue for residents. Research and education are not happening completely in virtual space.

Analytics , time to face the facts

 I have been thinking about analytics and some sort of model of how things might work. So many tweets, so many video views, so many tickets sold. Problems with this include the difficulty of being sure about causation and the fact there are no tickets anyway during the lockdown. But things may change so some study is in order.

My own videos have very low numbers, especially the radio clips. "Small pieces loosely joined" is not working at all. The titles are not good as descriptions. It started as a way to issue some bits ahead of the broadcast date. But the numbers are so low it would not matter to get ahead of radio exclusive. Do not tell JD the Producer. I am repeating things quite a lot, I may just go back and re-release the clips with a bit of an edit.

The one that has gone over 1000 is an instrumental version of Tony Toni Tone If I Had No Loot. This is the theme for the We Don't Know show. We put it on YouTube as a backup. Sometimes the previous show is still using the CD players as we arrive so YouTube might be useful. Then it turns out to be popular in itself. The main video not as high numbers as the single ( over 1m ) because the sound levels keep changing. Works ok as a video but not as radio or whatever people listen to. 

The Video that has found more views than expected is Drift by Cathy Marston. I have tweeted this once and played it on the Drama Show for Phonic FM. Over 8,000 views since 19th December. I found it through Sara Trickey who plays violin. Through the pandemic she has gradually done more as online video including short promotions for friends and relations. I have stumbled into the classics as she is a cousin. So now I am trying to find out more and also contact Luch Caise-Dearg who presents the Classical Journey on Phonic FM. I think this video works on YouTube as dance, the music is part of it. Is there more like this? Can it mix with pop / R&B ? ( The "drama show" I have taken over from the Storyteller so arguably it can include anything that might turn up near a teepee stage for Widsith & Deor ).

The next event is on Saturday. Tickets HERE and on YouTube there is a complete performance from previously.

This is content marketing on a grand scale. I will be looking for other examples. Eventually there will be a model of a system or at least a process. Lots of social media follows a pattern so this should be understood eventually.

#SiegeK update - YouTube record shows links to Exeter

 Following tweet on previous post I was shown a link to YouTube record of last week's launch of  Gravity Assist launch. Very interesting and also showed me the words to search on and find  more about Exeter. See below for new readers, background on student accommodation.

I have watched this once and will cover some detail within a few days. The main thing that strikes me is that most of the issues were raised by Peter Horrocks in his lecture about the Fortress University at Durham a few years ago. this got even less treatment as news until an interview with Peter Wilby in the Guardian. Mostly negative and soon Peter Horrocks had to resign. He had clear views and sold off regional support buildings to fund Futurelearn.  Will this be checked out again?

I have found twitter account and video for @EdtechExeter and the Education Incubator. I will try to find sound I can use on Phonic FM. There is the basis for a local story with wider context. So far though I do not see any signs of reducing the building plans. Investment in a platform is some way off.

My main questions as someone who lives in Exeter are still about student accommodation. Below are video raves from Fore Street and Hoopern Fields. Too late for Fore Street now but is there any change in plan for Hoopern Fields? If learning moves online why will the buildings be needed? Has any thinking changed because of recent events?

#SiegeK continues as fiction / drama . Still with Peter Horrocks as main source but season two will follow up the Gravity Assist.

Video embed not working at the moment

Try  https://youtu.be/gNZz0Dxq1p8

#SiegeK turning into a series , season one more or less over

 It seems discussion has now move on to next year. Guardian today reports on positioning ahead of recruitment for next academic year. Probably the higher grades expected will allow the Russell Group and such to recruit an even higher proportion of students than this year. Despite a fall in income from EU students, research funding will be secure.

There is no mention of an offer of cheaper online courses as an option. Also no mention of the report last week on "Gravity Assist" , looking at implications of what has happened during the pandemic. Launching this Gavin Williamson said

Instead of pushing young people on to dead-end courses that give them nothing but a mountain of debt, we need universities and colleges to work together to address the gaps in our labour market, and create the valuable and technical courses our society needs. I know that they are up for this challenge – indeed, many are already embracing it and already delivering on it.

Much to disagree with here. Dead end courses? This could have been put differently. But he has sort of got a point. even if everything is back to normal by September some potential students will be considering online options, even lifelong learning as in some sort of mix of employment and courses. 

Anyway the first siege of the Fortress University at Kendal has come to an end as people just drift way. The seats for AI and Marketing are still there ( Donald Clark and Scott Galloway continue online ) but the official courses are coming to an end. There is nobody in the VC Tower though the VC may be on a study tour of Asia. Australia is out of bounds but some sort of blended solution seems possible with nearby sites. So sometime next year this may feed back to new proposals. But the scheme for next time is just like last time.

By the way the reason newspapers do not report the online aspect of learning is the danger for the print format. Circulation in UK trends to zero. Just my guess.

Jeff Jarvis on Australia, background OhmyNews and Guardian Unlimited Talk

 I have taken three clips from a radio show on BBc world Service. Real Story included Jeff Jarvis on scene in Australia where social media firms are obliged to pay for news. My interest is in how this story develops and how it links back to earlier discussions.

Guardian reporting in UK print seems very supportive of Murdoch position. I think Guardian benefits in Australia. Long ago Guradian Unlimited talk was trashed one Friday lunchtime. No warning to contributors or chance to back up content. They really do not support "citizen journalism" in any way.

I contributed for a while to OhmyNews International, an English language version of Korean citizen journalism. I still think the approach is sound. Web is read / write. News needs input from readers. Other models are very hard to finance.

More later. I am trying to find some dates and references. I know the BBC appeared to be part of a discussion on blogs etc but cannot find the name of the meetings at this time.

Notes on shows

My jab is on 13th so next show already planned out. I will avoid weekend deadlines.

So I am thinking about future shows. The drama show is still mostly Widsith and Deor / Storyteller but I am thinking of a wider scope. They have always been open to a Creative Commons approach, reuse and remix. Apparently this is part of voice storytelling. With music the content marketing approach makes remix possible. Universal has recent deal with TikTok. So I want to explore if the same sort of social media / radio approach as for pop/R&B can relate to more formal music and other forms of art. Previously I found drama / gallery art both reluctant to allow sampling. The Stories of JG Ballard are on Internet Archive and I have got clips from two of them. I will probably go back to the other ones. Repeats are ok , there is a lot happening.

During lockdown I have kept in touch with JD, Chis and Jon from Wild Show and @wenotno from Phonic FM. We now discover Zoom is better for recording. Some sound included in next Drama Show. I am trying to include some of my plays in the conversation but we could try for a complete Wild Show or We Don't Know. Would Phonic accept 60 minute slots? Can we rework previous shows? Could shorter bits fit into other shows?

There are playlists on YouTube for Jon and Chris that I have used during shows when they are not there. I can do more with these and other playlists. YouTube now prefers robot suggestions so playlists are not promoted as a few years ago. But they can be explored as sequences. 

We have looked at how to use phones and mobile devices. There are now more studios in Exeter, ways of recording sound. There may be more empty shops so we continue to think about mobile / temp studios . Closed during lockdown but we can just imagine or comment as sound.

Management Theory at Work in Radio is in background. This continues Management Theory at Work, conferences at Lancaster University. Connection point now is my plays, fiction, around scifi future for campus. Business Schools research digital disruption but carry on investing in buildings, not platforms. Discuss.

I am trying out #hashtags and how to follow them. Analytics / quality ideas. I have asked some people who study quality to look into this. So far I have found they also use social media but exactly what works is still not clear.

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Continuing topics for shows

In lockdown I am stuck in memory somewhere in HMV Exeter between the Soul and R&B / Hiphop . Seems to be an age criteria. Joss Stone Soul Sessions not filed as Soul. So I keep repeating the CDs , maybe the last ones from HMV not sure : Shes Back Dionne Warwick, Raphael Saadiq Jimmy Lee, Spell My Name Toni Braxton. Plus previous tracks. Chris gave me an Amazon token so I have some legit mp3 - Berita Songs in the Key of Love and a couple of tracks from Kem. Neither likley to be stocked by HMV.

Journey to BETT is online.  Stephen Heppell is checking out how school age children have used technology during the lockdown. Russell Prue is following this. So there may be something in a radio format that could be related to Exeter. My own prediction is that those aged 12 will be aged 17 in five years time.

Various draft dramas. 

Coventry University as seen by Discourse One and Two

 More notes from last week. There may be something more coherent next week.

See previous posts for the two discourses , that tech enthusiasts continue or campus returns to normal. During the week I noticed two reports that included Coventry University.

Simon Baker in THE reported on UCAS numbers. Big growth for the Russell Group and falls for the post 92 group. Coventry has the biggest fall for 2019 and 2020.

But MOOClab reports Coventry University as top of the pile, best performing for MOOC performance. This has a high rating for degrees, Class Central may have other tables.

So this is worth coming back to. Adam Mathews may develop description on the two discourses. Others may contribute on Twitter. Coventry is not doing well in the criteria that would matter if things went back to normal. Coventry is doing well on criteria assumed by tech enthusiasts. How to describe the whole situation?

Couple of other things. quote first

Other research-intensive universities to see a large uptick in acceptances in the 2020 admissions cycle include Durham University, which accepted 1,000 more UK applicants, a rise of 28 per cent, and the University of Exeter, up by more than 1,100 or 21 per cent.

Durham and Exeter were also among those where the 2020 increase added to several years of expansion in terms of UK undergraduates; both accepted at least 40 per cent more last year than in 2015. In Exeter’s case, it accepted double the number of UK applicants last year compared with 2011.

Durham and Exeter are places I would like to know more about. Durham hosted Peter Horrocks for a lecture on the Fortress University. This explained reasons to invest in Futurelearn. It was part of a series of IAS lectures. What was the conclusion and is there any policy implication? In Exeter where I live it could be described as student intensive as well as research intensive. The city centre is crowded out with student accommodation. Has there been any change in plans to invest even more in this?