Not one but two grants awarded to Queen Mary University of London Projects

21 May 2025

School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences

Dr Sally Faulkner (Director of Education), Dr Tim Fulton (Deputy Director of Education), and Imran Islam (Digital Learning Technical Adviser) from the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences have been awarded an EchoImpact Grant from ECHO360. The $2,000 award will support research into how students use recorded lectures to improve access, engagement, and academic outcomes.

The project will analyse five years of EchoVideo data to explore how different student groups engage with lecture recordings, particularly those balancing study with work, commuting, or caring responsibilities.

“Lecture recordings are a lifeline for many of our students,” said Dr Faulkner. “This research will help us understand when and how recordings are used, and what we can do to improve access for all.”

“We know that structural and personal barriers can limit how students engage with traditional teaching,” said Dr Fulton. “This project is about identifying those barriers — and using data to remove them wherever we can.”

Sally, Tim, and Imran will work closely with two student researchers over the summer, collaborating as a team to explore engagement trends and identify barriers to educational access. Imran will provide key support in managing and interpreting the EchoVideo data.

The grant also includes funding to share the team’s findings across the university and more broadly within the higher education sector. The research is part of QMUL’s ongoing commitment to equitable, evidence-based education for its diverse student community.

William Harvey Institute - Sports and Exercise Medicine 

The team members, Simon Lack, Stuart Miller, and Gillian Morrey, are looking to use a feature of Q-Review called QuadraVision. This will enable the capture and live stream of up to 4 video channels simultaneously. Here's their project outline.

We propose to research the EchoVideo solution for use with students enrolled in our Sport and Exercise Medicine taught programmes. A central component of our educational delivery involves practical, in-person sessions where students develop essential clinical skills in the assessment and management of sports injuries. Currently, the digital capture of these sessions is limited by single-camera setups that fail to reflect the three-dimensional and dynamic nature of these interactions.

The ability to integrate multiple camera angles simultaneously, alongside clinical outputs and instructional material, makes EchoVideo a highly promising solution. This approach would allow us to more accurately and comprehensively capture the practical elements of each session. It would also ensure greater equity across the cohort, particularly benefiting students who are neurodiverse, have additional learning needs, or who may be unable to attend sessions in person. Making high-quality recordings available on demand supports diverse learning styles and allows students to revisit complex content at their own pace and in their preferred format. 

Improved engagement is anticipated through better visual representation of skills and clearer alignment between live and recorded teaching. By implementing and evaluating this approach, we aim to generate a stronger evidence base for the use of high-fidelity, multi-angle session recordings in clinical and skills-based education. 

We will measure the impact of EchoVideo on learning outcomes using both quantitative engagement data and assessment performance. Specifically, we will use analytics available through QMplus to track student interaction with recorded practical sessions. Metrics such as number of views, duration of views, and frequency of access will provide insight into student engagement with the material. 

We anticipate a measurable increase in student engagement with practical-based session recordings when enhanced multi-angle video capture—featuring portable cameras, ultrasound feeds, and screen-sharing of presentations—is implemented. This approach will allow students to better visualise and understand the nuances of clinical and practical skills being taught.

We look forward to reporting back on both projects' progress and the outcomes in the future.