Lampeter University, Wales

a.triasivalls@lamp.ac.uk

This paper examines the production of the first online degree in anthropology by the University of Wales Lampeter. The paper looks at the role of visual media in the teaching of "online/distance anthropology" and it considers the conflicting approaches to the use of visual elements in the production of anthropological knowledge for the internet.

The paper starts by examining the practical aspects of the creation of the courses, from the creation of "online content", quality control procedures, assessment, commerciality of the degrees, relationship with students, tutorials, use of multimedia, use of images, video conferencing and video streaming, and copyright issues. The paper concentrates on the key aspects of teaching online. That is, how visual media is used to enhance the absence of ´face-to-face´ conventional lectures and tutorials. More precisely, the paper will focus on how visual media is used to construe the legitimacy of the delivery of lectures. The paper will analyse and criticise the differences between the use of visual media as a ´support in absence of face-to-face´ teaching and the use of visual media as a way to produce specific anthropological knowledge for the internet. By criticising the exaggerated gap between ´face-to-face´ and ´distance´ teaching I re-contextualise what makes visual media more than an ´aid and illustrations to texts´, and how it transforms the "visuality" of anthropology texts and anthropology teaching.

Link to the distance learning pages at
http://www.anthropology-online.com/
or through the departmental webpage
http://www.lamp.ac.uk/anthropology/distance

Return to Panel 2 Abstracts