Did you know there are some great practical tips to help you get started with the transition to learning and teaching online?
Making the transition can be a daunting prospect, and not knowing where to start can make the transition even more difficult. Below are some quick-start tips to help you get started, and more in-depth help and support can be found by visiting the Digital Delivery: Learning and Support site on LTE Online: https://blogs.tees.ac.uk/lteonline/digital-delivery-learning-and-support/
Learning and teaching online is different to being in a lecture theatre or classroom and there are many different pedagogic approaches that cannot happen overnight. Some minor adjustments to your current strategies can make a big difference to continuing learning and teaching remotely and your students’ online experience. So where do you start?
Keep it simple!
If you have to move online quickly, you will need to prioritise your time to cover the essentials. Consider what you can realistically achieve, plan now and seek advice if you need it. The LTE team will still be available to offer a range of practical solutions and advice to help you.
Start by asking yourself:
- What content can be made available now?
- How can I substitute my lectures, seminars, practical sessions, and assessments?
- How can I keep students engaged with their learning?
- How can I communicate with students to provide them with feedback?
By asking yourself these questions, you can highlight where you need to focus your time on preparing to move online.
Start with the Future Facing Learning Digital Toolkit to support and enhance online learning. Think carefully about the student learning you wish to achieve with these tools. Keep it simple but don’t be afraid to experiment a bit further if you can.
If you need training or support with any of these, there are drop-in sessions which can be found on LTE Online: https://blogs.tees.ac.uk/lteonline/events/ or you can email elearning@tees.ac.uk.
Communicate and set expectations
A move to even simple forms of online teaching requires advance preparation and clear communication with your students. You should provide a clear communication statement to your students which outlines:
- The teaching approaches your students can expect.
- How you will communicate with them, and your expected availability or response times.
- How, when, and where you expect your students to participate.
- How students should engage with each other.
- Where your students can access technical and academic support.
When teaching online you will need to be seen as present. This doesn’t mean being available all of the time, but try to be visible by modelling engagement in the tools and approaches you have selected (e.g Microsoft Teams). You might use ‘announcements’ to communicate key information, but ensure that two-way channels are also available for both discussion and feedback.
Blackboard is your friend
The first priority is to organise your course on Blackboard. Online material should be structured a little differently and with a greater degree of ‘scaffolding’.
Designing Content
What material do you currently have on Blackboard now? Can you add resources (files) or external links (e.g. YouTube)? Are there existing lecture recordings that you can re-use? Are your reading lists up-to date?
Where possible, break down content into smaller ‘chunks’ requiring a maximum of 15-20 minutes’ attention at one time, followed by an activity or pause for reflection. This is an approach that is particularly important for video content and presentation slides delivered in a synchronous online classroom.
Accessibility
A switch to online teaching makes digital accessibility ever more important. Choose appropriate resources and maintain standards to ensure your content is accessible to everyone.