ConceptShare, A welcome Addition for Students and Instructors.

As Head of the IT Department at Max the Mutt, I find that adding new software to our digital environment and introducing it to faculty as well as students can be trying - especially when the list of new programs needed continues to grow each year.  It is very rare when something comes along that is intuitive and simultaneously feature-rich without being overwhelming.  This is what makes ConceptShare such a welcome addition to the Max the Mutt staff and student body.

The software is a collaboration tool that will enable faculty to view student work via the internet – suggesting ideas, clarifying concepts and developing a dialogue between student and instructor.  Essentially, ConceptShare enables users to upload work for review – both in its original format and as generic converted media (images are converted into .jpeg and video to .flv).  This allows instructors to view a student’s workflow and the finished product to generate feedback in a variety of methods.  This includes the instructor’s ability to draw directly onto a student’s work – whether it be a digital painting or an individual frame of animation – and make notes suggesting alternatives to reach the required result.  The instructor may also attach reference images to a student’s work to provide a different perspective that may not have previously been considered.

The fact that ConceptShare is browser-based goes a long way in terms of not having to upgrade software, while at the same time providing students and staff with ability to access work and notes from outside of the classroom.

IT-MTM Niall Dowdell.