Ways in which one can enhance teaching and learning is always looked into. Like, how can teaching and learning be more interactive and engaging, how can old and new methods merge to create modern ones. Delving into my experiences, teaching and learning practices have evolved. Lectures have moved along a paradigm of being traditional / face-to-face lectures to more blended approaches to lectures, where technology is utilized within the teaching and learning space, or defined as “the use of traditional classroom teaching methods together with the use of online learning for the same students studying the same content in the same course” (Cleveland-Innes & Wilton, 2018:2) The question to ask however, is how can this approach of blended / online learning be successful. Frameworks or principles can assist with this, like those that are mentioned by Vaughan, Cleveland-Innes & Garrison (2013). Clear and open communication is important, as it can provide guidance and reason to blended and online learning, and learning outcomes need to be communicated, and with this a sense of community can be built and sustained, which assists with collaboration (Vaughan, Cleveland-Innes & Garrison, 2013). Students can become familiar and comfortable when constructing knowledge.

Students’ need to be supported through this process, where structured development can take place. Initial engagement of material is carried out through traditional face-to-face engagement with myself (the lecturer) and the students. I see this as a comfortable gateway into introducing the content. An approach that is used, is scaffolding, where continuous building on student experiences and knowledge takes place. Activities are designed that help students build onto their knowledge, for instance, students work through a range of formative activities that prepare them for their summatives. Scaffolding therefore allows for a deeper understanding of the learning and the experiences that students have of knowledge building.

As evidently seen, teaching and learning has transformed and being part of ONL, and through many collaborate Zoom discussions, there is still room for more and new innovative methods to teaching and learning. Learning should be fun and exciting, and with continuous development this can be achieved.

Reference:

Cleveland-Innes, M. & Wilton, D. (2018). Guide to Blended Learning. Burnaby: Commonwealth of Learning.

Vaughan, N. D., Cleveland-Innes, M., & Garrison, D. R. (2013). Teaching in blended learning environments: Creating and sustaining communities of inquiry. Edmonton: AU Press. Chapter 1 “The Community of Inquiry Conceptual framework”.