What is WMAU?
World Martial Arts University is a virtual University dedicated to providing a place where world class Martial Artists can teach their Programs in their own personal virtual Colleges.
We believe in the need to preserve and document the teachings of the great Martial Artists of our time. Technologically, we live in an exciting time where no Grandmaster need ever wonder whether his life’s work will live past the next generation of his students. Our vision is that every martial arts student has access to the best curriculums in the world regardless of geographical location, and that the best curriculums be preserved with accuracy and integrity.
WMAU is the institution which brings Masters, Students and Knowledge together for the benefit of all.
How does it work?
There are two types of services that WMAU provides:
- Public University Hosting which allows enrollment of students from anywhere in the world into Programs. Courses provide enough detailed information and student support to be a stand-alone home study course. However, the student is enrolling in a Program (i.e. Taekwondo Black Belt Program), not a Course (i.e. Taekwondo Yellow Belt Course). After each promotion test, the student is given access to the next level in the Program, much like a physical school.
- Private School Resource Hosting which acts as a reference archive of video and handouts for existing classroom students in a particular school. Only students who have school memberships may access their own school's archive. It's a way to keep current students progressing and motivated and make classroom time more productive.
Does Distance Learning work?
You may wonder if martial arts can be taught effectively without having a student in your classroom. There are so many intangibles such as directing energy, focus, discipline and spirituality. Can you really expose a student to these things and preserve the integrity of martial arts?
The answer is "Yes!"
Students learn in three different ways and to varying degrees:
- Visual - Learning and memorizing through visual displays such as video, photos, reading text, diagrams, and body language
- Auditory - Learning through audio information such as listening to lectures, and processing information through conversation
- Tactile/Kinesthetic - Learning through moving, doing, touching, and experiencing of physical tasks and exercises
Our University is set up to give all of these learners what they need to succeed. Plus, there is an added element of tracking student progress and accountability for learning detailed information through quizzes. WMAU is much more than videos and handouts!
Some examples of teaching tools:
Video
- Video of forms and techniques (full version, step by step, slow motion, do's and don'ts, etc.)
- Visual Quizzes ask students to assess a video/photo and comment on what is correct, what needs improvement, or which is the best example. This creates awareness in students and produces more careful practice.
- Photos to demonstrate technique and details
- Diagrams to layout a complete form for the "big picture", charting pressure points, foot work, etc.
- Video of Students can be required for assessment and feedback from the instructor or a mentor. These videos can be used for Assistant Instructor training, as well.
Written
- Written Information in books (assigned reading), web pages, handouts
- Quizzes at the end of each section help a student to put details into long term memory, and let you know that important points of each lesson are not being missed by the student
- Essays can be assigned to encourage deeper thought on a subject
- Message Forum is the perfect way to keep a student involved in your "distance learning family". You can ask students to write about what they are practicing and automatically track their posts in the Instructor Admin Panel as part of their grade.
- Blogs are automatically set up for every student and Instructor. They can be used by students to track and journal practice hours as a requirement, or used by Instructors to speak a little each day about theory and inspiration for students.
- Glossary Create as many glossaries as you like; and the entries can be set to auto link to where they appear in your content. You can also set a block to appear on the side of the page to display random glossary entries.
Auditory
- Sound clips of terms and vocabulary in the native language of each style
- Sound clips or video with sound of a lecture or speech by the Instructor
- Music and Speech on an audio clip for guided meditation/stretching
- Written Materials can be read aloud
- Mentors can be assigned for each student to talk with if they need extra help. The mentors can be high ranking students in your school who want to earn extra credit towards promotion.
Tactile/Kinesthetic
- Practice, Practice, Practice We use every tool that we have available to keep students interested & motivated to practice!
- Specific Exercises Create tasks and exercises that have the student work specifically on focus, balance, footwork, technique, speed, etc. "Isolate, Separate, Recombine" is the way to create solid pieces of foundation that fit together to make a superior finished product.
- Clinics and Seminars can be offered to allow for some "in person" teaching time between home study sessions.
- Practice Partner have students find practice partners for the contact portions of their curriculum.