I think it is an understatement to say that the global pandemic has forcibly ushered us into a new era of education and communication, a lot of which is characterised by the great migration of learning onto online platforms. 

I have not personally taught any online lessons yet, but have assisted in a fair number. 

The initial struggle was really just to learn and get used to using digital platforms for communication. This itself already comes with a host of issues such as susceptibility to technical hiccups and diminished personal engagement (especially when the entire class’s cameras are turned off!). 

But thankfully, we have progressed from that. 

As we moved from completely remote to more or less hybrid or blended learning nowadays, I feel like I should put in more thought into incorporating some digital tools or asynchronous learning materials into assignments and lessons.

My own struggles with designing blended learning

One key challenge I have when trying to plan for a blended learning activity or digital-based assignment, is the overwhelming variety of tools that can be used for the same purpose. Due to my own inexperience in teaching, I already find the content research and planning rather tricky, and this, I considered, an additional burden.

As such, I feel like I can empathise with some teaching staff that express reluctance to learn and experiment with newer teaching methods because we all face the same constraint of time and limited confidence. What if things go wrong? Am I familiar with the logistics enough to rectify the issue immediately? How would my students see me if I make repeated mistakes during the session? From my own and other teachers’ experience, I do think that these small, and even rare experiences can be very damaging on the confidence although it is perfectly human to slip-up occasionally. 

Looking forward, I want to try using the blended and hybrid learning model that we conceptualised for Topic 4 to help in designing my lessons and assignments. As it includes a wide range of activities and contexts, I think it will serve me well.

Difficulty of hybrid lectures

Another challenge that I identified while assisting lecturers in the classroom, is the sheer about of things that they have to keep track of during a hybrid lecture. While delivering their lecture in person to a physical audience, they have to keep tabs on what is happening on the Zoom chat, and ensure they remember all the things they have to do on the computer that is complicated by having a virtual audience. If they try to include videos or activities to make the lecture more engaging, the logistical burden becomes even heavier. 

Personally, I have sat in as tech support for hybrid lectures, and I think that having that extra manpower does really help with a smoother lecture delivery. There are fewer disruptions, and I think that the lecturer usually feels more at ease when they know someone is there to support them. Perhaps this arrangement is something that other lecturers who are new to hybrid teaching can consider having.

It probably makes the experience a lot less daunting as well.