“Omleth is basically a browser-based, geographic information system (GIS),” explains Sailer. “Lecturers can set the locations that they want the students to visit using the Parcours Creator and – like what we know from learning platforms such as Moodle – store material for each of them: text, images, sound files or videos.” The students can themselves open the application via the Parcours Player, visit the individual locations and solve the exercises set up for them. That may involve answering a multiple-choice question, writing a short text or sending an image or video.
Interaction with students
“The special thing about Omleth is that lecturers can interact with students on demand,” emphasised Sailer. They have the option of following the students on interactive maps in real time, and can write to them directly using the embedded communication app. Or they can analyse the course afterwards. “That way they can gain insights about how many students solved the exercises, what was difficult for them, and what aspects it would make sense to explore more in the next lesson”, explains Sailer. The students themselves can go back and retrace their tracks, and access the exercises to review.
Omleth was used for the first time in 2014, its first year of development, by Harald Stühlinger in a course on the history of urban development. After this first test, Sailer focused on developing the platform further. He has so far found little interest for his project at ETH, but elsewhere already over 100 courses have been realised using Omleth, especially at the secondary education levels I and II, where the platform has been met with great enthusiasm.
Users wanted
Sailer is presenting his teaching aid at the first Learning and Teaching Fair at ETH Zurich on 14 November to motivate ETH lecturers to integrate group excursions into their courses as well. He would like to reach not only architects and civil engineers, but also environmental scientists and many other lecturers who could offer their students an added value by going on excursions.