We are currently adapting and developing outreach activities that can be offered via the web or video conferencing facilities.

Web hosted outreach

Facilities required at the school/college: Computers; Webcams; headsets (headphone + microphone); internet connection (high speed connections work better).

How does it work? The University of Leicester hosts an online communication system called "Connect". Your school/college will NOT need to purchase any new software. Once you have booked an outreach session you will be emailed a link to the meeting wepage which will open a page similar to the one shown below:

Video feeds of each 'attendee' are shown in the top left corner (only one shown in this meeting). To the right of this is a 'whiteboard' area where the attendees can write or draw. This meeting also provides attendees with the opportunity to 'Chat' via text or share documents on their own computers with everyone else.

We strongly advise that you book a trial meeting at least one week before the session so that we can show you how this system works live and check that your internet connection and local firewall settings will display the webpage correctly.

Video Conferencing

The Centre for Interdisciplinary Science has access to a Polycom video conferencing unit. This only provides a direct video/audio feed; it will not allow the use of additional features such as document sharing.

We strongly advise that you book a trial meeting at least one week before the session so that we can test how the system works live.

The Activities: 

Below is a list of activities that we currently offer via the web or video conferencing facilities:

The Cognescenti Mystery: Code Breaking

Dr T. Dickens; Dr C. Hurkett

This activity places the students in the role of a team of journalists working for "The Globe" newspaper. A rival newspaper "The Planet" is about to publish a serialisation of a sensational new book called "Crucible: The Cognescenti Revealed", however, your editor suspects that the book is a fake. A source has managed to gather some evidence from the book and it is up to you to decipher it and discover whether it is real or completely made up!

Students will be introduced to a series of increasingly difficult historical ciphers with which to decode and encrypt a series of messages including:

• Mono-alphabetic shift ciphers (Caesar ciphers)
• Mono-alphabetic substitution ciphers
• Vigenere cipher
• Playfair cipher

Duration: Minimum 45 minutes - Maximum half a day.

Number of students: 10-30 students in one session.

Year/Age Group: GCSE to A-Level

NOTE: The number of tasks presented to the students can be varied depending on the time you have available and the aptitude of the class.

Subjects covered: Mathematics; Code breaking

Code Breaking:WWII

 Dr T. Dickens; Dr C. Hurkett

This activity allows students to investigate and use a variety of different historical ciphers starting from the simple shift (or Caesar) cipher and eventually working up to ciphers used by Allied and Axis forces during WWII.

 Throughout the exercise the students take the role of cryptoanalysts working for British Bomber Command who are searching for information on the crew of the Lancaster "English Rose" that is missing in action.

• Mono-alphabetic shift ciphers (Caesar ciphers)
• Mono-alphabetic substitution ciphers
• Vigenere cipher
• Double Transposition
• Playfair cipher
• The One Time Pad

Duration: Minimum 45 minutes - Maximum a whole day.

Number of students: 10-40 students in one session.

Year/Age Group: GCSE to A-Level

NOTE: The number of tasks presented to the students can be varied depending on the time you have available and the aptitude of the class.

Subjects covered: Mathematics; Code breaking