History software project is so CHIC

The University is the lead site in a national project to introduce, develop and evaluate IT software which supports learning in history and general arts subjects. The Courseware for History Implementation Consortium (CHIC), a partnership of traditional and modern universities, received £300,000 from the Higher Education Funding Council’s Teaching and Learning Technology Programme to undertake the three-year project.

The project has recently entered its second phase, with Teesside working with the Universities of Keele, Ulster, Lancaster, Nottingham and Newcastle, Edge Hill College and Bath Spa University College. Each of the partner institutions evaluates the material from a student, staff and management perspective. Derek Harding, CHIC Project Director and Dr Richard Hall, Project Manager, both based at Teesside, will disseminate these evaluations across higher education.

Dr Hall said: “Students are the main stakeholders in this project and their responses have been collated through focus groups and questionnaires. They are very supportive of new technology as long as it’s integrated with face-to-face learning.

“On line historical learning can underpin seminar work; students can work collaboratively and interact via web discussion groups and also access primary sources and images. The project’s findings will be disseminated to British universities and beyond.”

The CHIC project has also examined IT-assisted learning for Art and Design subjects in the School of Law, Arts & Humanities.

Helen Mather, a first year BA (Hons) Graphic Design student, has designed a poster to display the main findings of the CHIC project, which will be used in educational fairs throughout the country.

Helen, 21, pictured, said: “My design displays images of technology and includes some historical web sites. I wanted to create a feeling of movement and speed, reflecting how quickly technology, like the Internet, connects people.”

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