Much like Topic 2, this one seems extra relevant in the current educational context. Over the last year, all of us have had to adapt to new ways of communicating, especially migrating online for meetings, lectures, and seminars. Problems that we haven’t had to think too much about before, such as connect issues, managing break out rooms and Zoom fatigue are now important considerations (Bailenson, 2021). And, given the wide variability in how everyone lives, it’s no surprise that there are different challenges across the board. This was evident in this topic’s scenario, which posited the need for teachers to adapt their educational practices, and what we can do to improve student experience. 

Our group work started out with defining our focus as ‘Design blended courses to motivate students and ensure that no one is left behind.’ – in two groups, we brainstormed why students might be left behind, what could be done to help them and specific methods for putting these ideas into practice. Our group’s final product was a guide for the most common style of blended learning, which includes both online platforms and some face-to-face elements (https://sway.office.com/yn1G15q6Z1XlAVzs?ref=email). Many of our points touch on the four key challenges identified in Boelens, De Wever and Voet’s (2017) systematic review on blended learning design: flexibility, interaction, facilitating learning and creating an motivating and supportive learning environment (referred to as affective in the review).

I actually conducted my very first lecture and seminar during this topic and found myself naturally considering a lot of the things we included in the group work (for example the role of including pre-lecture surveys and asking for feedback). One area I don’t think I fully explored though was the aspect of synchronous and asynchronous learning – although my teaching tasks were confined to two days only so this might have been tricky. I do plan to take forward what we discussed in the PBL group though and use it in my future planning. I think our material is particularly helpful for those managing entire courses, where teachers have ongoing contact with the same student for an extended time. In my case, I did find that the pre-lecture survey and feedback system was extremely helpful – both for student experience and my understanding of what they appreciated and how to improve. Students did note that this showed a level of care in their learning and that they welcomed it. The group work for this topic was also really helpful for considering some areas I might miss in the survey and feedback, for example asking if students have any concerns. 

This module has reinforced that I have begun teaching in an unusual way, and that there are both strengths and challenges with that. On the one hand, I have no prior classroom experience and might not be able to transfer learning from that side of teaching until things return to a more physical environment. On the other hand, I get to work with these digital tools from the start and they don’t feel as intimidating as they might if I was used to traditional teaching. As a PhD student, I also have the benefit of both taking courses and being a participant as well as teaching during this time, so I have been able to reflect on the learning I’ve gained from that dual perspective during this topic. 

One resource I found incredibly helpful during this topic was the “Guide to Blended Learning” by Cleveland-Innes and Wilton (2018), which I felt gave a comprehensive view of the different aspects, theories, technologies and designs of blended learning. I’m excited to use this as a foundation going forward, as well as incorporating it with more recent research from these pandemic times. 

References

Bailenson, J. N. (2021). Nonverbal overload: A theoretical argument for the causes of Zoom fatigue. Technology, Mind, and Behavior, 2(1).

Boelens, R., De Wever, B., & Voet, M. (2017). Four key challenges to the design of blended learning: A systematic literature review. Educational Research Review, 22, 1-18.

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