2.4.1 The Video Library

The Video Library contains the lessons taught by the professor, namely the digitalized video lessons and their relative slides.

The use of the digitalized video lessons allows the student to activate learning processes of a symbolic and reconstructive kind. These are linked to a Classical linear approach to teaching. In addition, the modular layout of the contents and the indexing of topics together with bookmarks help the student to develop a hyper-textual and multimedia approach to the learning process. This results in improved meta-cognitive strategies that lead to a more personalized learning path.

Each video-lesson is created with a predefined indexing system that allows the professor to structure the program according to the topics presented, and then point out the tools that allow the student to study diverse topics in an in-depth fashion. Thus the video lesson is conceptualized as a hyper-textual itinerary

During the Learning Process the bookmarks allow the student to connect various topics presented in the video lesson to learning materials that are found in the Media Library. In this way, the student can find contextual study resources in the form of books, articles, CD-ROMs, bibliographic references, site link references, exercises and virtual laboratories. These give the student the opportunity to combine practical and theoretical study methods in a Learning Process known as learning by doing.

2.4.2 The Media Library

The Media Library contains didactic materials (Learning Objects) connected to the video lessons – for example study sheets, films, images, diagrams, animated material which are all gathered under an Intelligent Bibliographic System.

The elements that make up the Media Library represent in-depth study materials connected to the contents of the video lessons. They can be associated with a topic, a series of topics, an entire video lesson, a series of video lessons or the entire course.

The objects that make up the Media Library are categorized as follows: books and articles, CD-ROMs, bibliographical references and site link references.

The Media Library does not contain the Virtual Laboratories or exercises connected to the video lessons. These are made available (without answers) in the Virtual Laboratory..

The in-depth study materials developed in an ad hoc fashion by the Tutor (or Appointed Teaching Professor) for the students in their class and those study materials sent by students and selected by the Tutor (or Appointed Teaching Professor) are only made available on the Tutor Page (or that of the Appointed Teaching Professor), as they refer to a specific class of students.

2.4.3 The Virtual Laboratory

In the Virtual Laboratory you can check your progress and expand your knowledge thanks to the approach of learning by doing, which is by an on-going Socratic tutoring method which is carried out in two ways: individual and group exercises.

Individual Exercises: You can access the dedicated learning environment and find a series of exercises on the topic being studied. These can be completed on line or down-loaded onto your computer. The exercises made available on line are minus the answers. This way you can check the results with your Tutor later on.

Group Exercises: you can complete an exercise with the help and support of your Tutor or Appointed Teaching Professor, in which case you will have to schedule a laboratory session. The tool used is the Video Chat Room, where the Tutor or Appointed Teaching Professor and the students are connected to one another and can interact.

Other types of Virtual Laboratories can be activated as proposed by the Tutor or Appointed Teaching Professor.

2.4.4 Tutoring On Line

In the learning environment dedicated to Tutoring On Line, which makes available all of the tools necessary for long distance tutoring, you can:

• access collaborative and cooperative learning environments on the web with other students;
• open a Socratic dialogue with your Tutor, which helps and guides the learning process;
• interact in the educational process with other participants from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, so creating a learning opportunity that is no longer local but global.