Twelve tips for rapidly migrating to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a massive adaptation in health professions education, with a shift from in-person learning activities to a sudden heavy reliance on internet-mediated education. Some health professions schools will have already had considerable educational technology and cultural infrastructure in place, making such a shift more of a different emphasis in provision. For others, this shift will have been a considerable dislocation for both educators and learners in the provision of education. To aid educators make this shift effectively, this 12 Tips article presents a compendium of key principles and practical recommendations that apply to the modalities that make up online learning. The emphasis is on design features that can be rapidly implemented and optimised for the current pandemic. Where applicable, we have pointed out how these short-term shifts can also be beneficial for the long-term integration of educational technology into the organisations' infrastructure. The need for adaptability on the part of educators and learners is an important over-arching theme. By demonstrating these core values of the health professions school in a time of crisis, the manner in which the shift to online learning is carried out sends its own important message to novice health professionals who are in the process of developing their professional identities as learners and as clinicians

Fostering Open Educational practices in cross-cultural contexts

The open content movement is breaking down traditional barriers to learning and resource sharing by promoting free access to Open Educational Resources (OERs) such as digital educational content and technological tools for teaching and learning. OERs have the potential to enable learners to champion their own learning by providing free access to educational content and tools that enable them to create, use and share knowledge. However, the design and uptake of OERs is often hampered by limited understanding of issues relating to the context in which learners access and use OERs. This paper discusses some of the approaches taken to foster open educational practices in learner use of OERs offered by The Open University’s open content initiative, OpenLearn. Drawing on these experiences, we then consider future ideas about supporting open educational practices in cross-cultural contexts, and, in collaboration with Tshwane University of Technology, examine potential impact of OERs in Africa

Do Students Like the Flipped Classroom? An Investigation of Student Reaction to a Flipped Undergraduate IT Course

The flipped classroom pedagogy has achieved significant mention in academic circles in recent years. "Flipping" involves the reinvention of a traditional course so that students engage with learning materials via recorded lectures and interactive exercises prior to attending class and then use class time for more interactive activities. Proper implementation of a flipped classroom is difficult to gauge, but combines successful techniques for distance education with constructivist learning theory in the classroom. While flipped classrooms are not a novel concept, technological advances and increased comfort with distance learning have made the tools to produce and consume course materials more pervasive. Flipped classroom experiments have had both positive and less-positive results and are generally measured by a significant improvement in learning outcomes. This study, however, analyzes the opinions of students in a flipped sophomore-level information technology course by using a combination of surveys and reflective statements. The author demonstrates that at the outset students are new - and somewhat receptive - to the concept of the flipped classroom. By the conclusion of the course satisfaction with the pedagogy is significant. Finally, student feedback is provided in an effort to inform instructors in the development of their own flipped classrooms

Systematic Literature Review of the Use of Rich Media in STEM and Related Education

The use of video in pedagogy is well established in the modern classroom with researched understanding of its benefits. Prior literature reviews provide a foundation for the impacts within a wide scope of environments and subjects. These reviews primarily have looked at students and faculty attitudes, learning outcomes, and the impact on attendance. The impact has been spread over general subject matter with little focus on the often challenging topics of STEM education. Many topics in STEM education are highly procedural, such as mathematical proofs or writing code or conducting experiments. Understanding the costs and benefits of using video to capture these types of topics would be valuable in maximizing the benefits or avoiding concerns within STEM topics. This systematic literature review looks at the use of lecture capture and rich media within STEM and related education by looking at 30 articles from educational and STEM focused databases. Articles were selected which include findings on student and faculty attitudes, attendance, and learning outcomes as well as the impact of video and its best practices found through research. The findings within the STEM literature largely align with prior literature reviews in other subjects: video is popular among students and helps in their learning outcomes. Most research in this area focuses on video captured of the same lecture provided live in the classroom. This is shown to be effective, but some of the literature suggests further improvements to maximizing the value of both the technical merit of video as well as its pedagogical content. The goal is to determine the state of the use of video via lecture capture and prerecording in STEM education, its impact on students, and to gather recommendations and best practices from the literature

Pandemic-induced course and assessment changes for undergraduate engineering education: The Development of Graduate Attributes

Educators constantly need to make adjustments to their pedagogy and learning activities to reflect the fast changes in society, the economy and industry. This has been clearly demonstrated throughout the world in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic required fully remote delivery of tertiary education. The aim of this study was comparing the experiences and perceptions of tertiary students in a fully online and a blended delivery mode, particularly in response to their laboratory skills and development of graduate attributes. Pedagogical aspects were kept consistent across delivery modes to minimise the differences in learning activities across cohorts. A comparison was made between the 2020 fully online cohort and the 2021 blended delivery cohort. The students were asked about their perceptions of how well they thought the course developed their graduate attributes; how authentic they thought the course was; and how easy the content was to navigate and understand. A mixed methods approach was used, where both quantitative and qualitative data was gathered. The blended delivery mode students appeared to benefit from having a specific reflective task, which allowed them to see their learning in a broader context. The paper discusses the blending and online learning from the students’ perspectives of developing graduate attributes and experiential learning. Specifically, where hands on skills are required, students need further guidance in “learning how to learn” or metacognition. A key challenge for future blended learning is getting the balance right between achieving efficiency in online learning and lack of social and dynamic interactions aspect of the online community

Best practices for supporting student experiential learning in an online environment during emergency situations: Lessons from Covid-19 pandemic response

Background: In 2020, nearly four weeks into the first semester of the academic year, the University of Canterbury (UC) in Christchurch, New Zealand, transitioned to online delivery of all teaching in response to the nation-wide lockdown due to Covid-19. With 48 hours’ notice, all on-campus activities ceased and were replaced with lectures delivered live via Zoom or recycled from previous delivery, and simulated, or otherwise facilitated, practical experiences. Assessments were temporarily halted, then resumed over a more compressed timetable with online and “take home” activities largely replacing traditional invigilated assessments. Purpose: Our research explored the challenges and successes of UC’s fast transition to online learning, with a particular emphasis on understanding the impact of the loss of face-to-face delivery on practical experiences normally delivered through laboratory and field activities. Our goal was to develop a set of best practices to improve our response to future emergency situations. Methods: A two-part survey was electronically distributed to students enrolled in a 4-year engineering programme and a 3-year sport coaching programme at the University of Canterbury. Results: While students strongly appreciated efforts of lecturers and tutors to support their learning, differences in communication approaches affected student experience both positively and negatively. A clear need for two-way communication as well as consistency and clarity in messaging were key findings. A general dissatisfaction with replacement practical activities was expressed, demonstrating a need for contingency measures to be in place to mitigate the impact of future disruptive events on practical learning. Efforts to manage online assessment of learning were generally well received, even in a compressed timeframe, though several unhelpful practices were highlighted. Students also identified many positive aspects of their learning experiences, including live tutorials and made-for-purpose video presentations

Best practices for supporting student experiential learning in an online environment during emergency situations: Lessons from Covid-19 pandemic response

Background: In 2020, nearly four weeks into the first semester of the academic year, the University of Canterbury (UC) in Christchurch, New Zealand, transitioned to online delivery of all teaching in response to the nation-wide lockdown due to Covid-19. With 48 hours’ notice, all on-campus activities ceased and were replaced with lectures delivered live via Zoom or recycled from previous delivery, and simulated, or otherwise facilitated, practical experiences. Assessments were temporarily halted, then resumed over a more compressed timetable with online and “take home” activities largely replacing traditional invigilated assessments. Purpose: Our research explored the challenges and successes of UC’s fast transition to online learning, with a particular emphasis on understanding the impact of the loss of face-to-face delivery on practical experiences normally delivered through laboratory and field activities. Our goal was to develop a set of best practices to improve our response to future emergency situations. Methods: A two-part survey was electronically distributed to students enrolled in a 4-year engineering programme and a 3-year sport coaching programme at the University of Canterbury. Results: While students strongly appreciated efforts of lecturers and tutors to support their learning, differences in communication approaches affected student experience both positively and negatively. A clear need for two-way communication as well as consistency and clarity in messaging were key findings. A general dissatisfaction with replacement practical activities was expressed, demonstrating a need for contingency measures to be in place to mitigate the impact of future disruptive events on practical learning. Efforts to manage online assessment of learning were generally well received, even in a compressed timeframe, though several unhelpful practices were highlighted. Students also identified many positive aspects of their learning experiences, including live tutorials and made-for-purpose video presentations

The Evolution of Student Engagement: Writing Improves Teaching in Introductory Biology

In response to calls for pedagogical reforms in undergraduate biology courses to decrease student attrition rates and increase active learning, this article describes one faculty member’s conversion from traditional teaching methods to more engaging forms of practice. Partially told as a narrative, this article illustrates a.) the way many faculty initially learn to teach by modeling the pedagogy from their own undergraduate programs; b.) the kind of support biology faculty may need to break out of traditional molds; c.) how writing can promote active learning; and d.) the impact of reformed pedagogy on student levels of engagement. The latter will be demonstrated through assessment results gathered from student surveys, reflective writing, and focus group interview. Ultimately, the study challenges misunderstandings some faculty might have regarding the value of writing in science classes and offers inspiration, urging critical reflection and persistence