Cannot believe that this is coming to an end!!! Time just pass so fast. I never thought I will be able to enjoy my online course as much as I am right now. It is kind of sad to know that this is coming to an end.

Being a junior educator in higher education sector, I have very limited exposure/ experience and it has been a privilege to hear from my fellow groupmates sharing their experience and thoughts. It is always very comfortable to communicate to them and at no point in time I felt that I was being left out or being irrelevant and one one dismiss my idea/ thoughts. Many a times, the meeting ended up with lots of laughter and turned into a little chit chat session. I am truly loving this ^^ A comfortable and warm environment are the core ingredients in building a sense of belonging to the group regardless if it is virtual or face-to-face session. There is definitely a need to spend time setting the environment to make it comfortable for the students especially the first session. We cannot be stingy with this extra time if we want to see collaboration among them, sharing thoughts and ideas.

Time is also needed to be allocated to establish the agenda for the day and a good debrief/ conclusion is a must. I often skip the agenda/ establishing prior knowledge due to time constraint. I used to follow the lesson plan rather strictly as I was worried that I am unable to cover the content in time. However, now I see the whole thing differently and how I can incorporate some fun during class. Content are usually covered in lectures hence during tutorial, we really need to assess and determine if the students comprehend what they understand in lecture and clarify. So what is point of rushing through the topic if the students do not even understand the basis?

Additionally, I have also learn to embrace digital technology. Technology is what the current students grow up with and I cannot deny that I do need them. As educator I believe that we cannot escape the use of digital technology as this is what the Gen Z is using. We need to get out of our comfort zone and embrace the Z’s era if we want to see collaborative effort and active engagement among the students. I would definitely incorporate the use of digital tools and be brave to explore. This is one of the way to get engagement from the students especially for online learning which is staying for the moment. So, I have to buck up and learn with/ from them. Do not be afraid to say that I do not know too. Learning is two-way isn’t it?

I do see some of the recommended practices in my PBL group. I hope I can bring these into my class, making a more meaning learning experience for the students and me.

A BIG THANK YOU to my marvellous PBL group and THANK YOU to the facilitators!!!