A transferable multimedia tool for blended learning in introductory anthropology: results from Canada and the UK

The use of ethnographic film to give students a sense of “being there” is a standard in contemporary sociocultural anthropology courses. This paper examines the introduction of a video-based learning tool developed at the London School of Economics and employed at both LSE and the University of Waterloo. The tool, called “What’s Going On?” aims to introduce students to the process and experience of ethnographic fieldwork. The tool employs a short ethnographic film clip which is synchronised with subtitles and contextual links to other resources that allow students to interpret what they are watching. One goal of the exercise was to provide introductory students with an opportunity to engage in the kinds of interpretations that professional ethnographers do. The tool is designed to be content-independent, which allows us to use different film clips, in different teaching contexts, at LSE and Waterloo respectively. Our paper discusses the pedagogical objectives of the “What’s Going On?” tool and discusses the distinct approaches and pedagogical outcomes at the two institutions. We conclude with some suggestions for future directions.