Case Study: Moving your Course Online

Abstract

Approaching the Transition 

On hearing the news [about the lockdown], I had mixed feelings.  We had suspected this move might be coming, yet without any official confirmation I had not made any concrete plans for teaching online.  Thus there was some sense of relief to know what was happening so I could start my preparations, but this was coupled with a sense of panic about how much work I had to do to make things happen.  There was however part of me that felt quite excited by the new “project” this presented.   I believe whole-heartedly in assuring a high quality student experience and I knew I was going to need to be creative (and to learn new technologies!) to make this happen.   

Throughout the process I was mindful of my “accountability” to the students.  My primary goal was to deliver an engaging, informative and high quality learning experience and ensure – as far as possible – that students were not disadvantaged by the move to online teaching. I was grateful to the support of fellow module tutors (Dr Tori Sprung, Prof Helen Jones) in this endeavour and to Dr Dave Oxborough as programme leader who supported me throughout.  

At the end of the module 14/23 students completed a Survey Monkey evaluation, in which I asked them how the online learning format affected their learning experience.  50% (7/14) students said the online learning format made no difference (they felt they had learned as much as they would have done face-to-face), 42.9% (6/14) felt it had a negative effect (they struggled to engage due to the less structured environment) and 1 student actually said they felt the online format helped their learning.   Feedback from students was mainly positive, acknowledging that even though some of them had personally struggled to engage, the module tutors had done their best to deliver the module as well as possible.  

What I will take forward  

Overall, I can say this was definitely a useful learning experience for me.   And whether it becomes a requirement for more online teaching as we move forward, or whether we return to face-to-face teaching in the autumn, there are several considerations I plan to take forward to improve my own delivery.  

• I will endeavour to do less “talking at” students and retain the idea of breaking material into “bite-sized chunks”.  For example, I was mindful when recording the flip lectures to ensure these were not “time-stamped” so I can use them again next year and free up session time for more interactive discussion, reading tasks etc. This process also made me take my content down to the key learning points only, and through doing so I can see the value in teaching less but going into more depth.  
• This time has brought home to me that we have students with many different learning styles, and it is important we offer a variety of “ways” of learning.  For example, I will continue to explore the use of Canvas discussion boards for students who are less comfortable in class discussions, and I will recognize that it is possible for some students to engage in the full module without ever attending any “live” sessions. 
• Finally, with the introduction of Zoom and Microsoft Teams to our daily lives, these present new opportunities for student engagement (alongside face-to-face teaching).   For instance, we are often held back from delivering optimal student learning experiences by practical issues such as “room availability”.  Online video conferencing presents possibilities to offer small-group seminars, assessment Q&As, or personal tutorials, without the previous practical constraints.   

  What Worked Well  

• Regular “live” Zoom meetings at the pre-scheduled slots.  One of the strangest things for me was the idea that I was going to teach a whole module without ever meeting my students face-to-face.  Live Zooms were important for building rapport, but also to allow the students to connect with each other.  Scheduling Zoom meetings at the pre-determined lecture times helped give some structure to the module, and we always audio-recorded the conversation and uploaded this to Canvas for students who were unable to attend.   
• Bite-size chunks.  I found I was able to meet the learning outcomes by breaking what was planned as a 2-hour lecture into several “bite-size” components.   I did this through a combination of pre-session activities (usually a 10-15 minute Panopto video, plus reading or reflective worksheet) and live Zoom discussions, some of which would be broken into two live sessions with an off-line task in the middle (e.g. watching videos, reading, worksheets).   
• Clear Canvas site and instructions.  I realized for this online module to work, it was imperative my Canvas site was intuitive and user-friendly.  I ensured it was clear to students where to find materials, and ensured I provided clear instructions to accompany  independent learning tasks (these often included a 4-5 min Panopto instructional video).  
• Make it real.  I was conscious these were challenging times for students, and many of the interactive activities we would normally do in the classroom were not possible.   So I tried to bring the topics to life by encouraging students to take part in their own challenges, some of which brought a little light-hearted humour along the way (e.g. toilet roll keep ups challenge!).    
• Guest lectures.  A key part of this module is the interaction students have with practitioners and patients, several of whom were booked in to come and talk about their experiences.  I was determined to maintain this contact so where possible we ran these sessions as interactive live Zoom discussions.   For clinical practitioners who were unable to dedicate the time within the working day to a live session, we pre-recorded a discussion for students to listen to.   
• Canvas discussion boards.  I used these as an option to try and encourage students who were less vocal within the Zoom discussions to share their opinions about key reading and current issues in the field.   This was an eye-opener for me, as students offered some insightful knowledge and opinions that rarely come through in a tutor-dominated face-to-face sessions.   The boards did not however encourage the peer-to-peer interaction I had hoped, and student feedback suggested it would be helpful to have some “live” discussion of these topics in the session that followed to make the activity seem worthwhile.    
• Individual contact through student tutorials.  Given the reduced face-to-face contact, individual student tutorials became more important in getting to know students.  Not all students took up the offer, but those that did engaged with us via phone or via Zoom and seemed to benefit through these discussions.   It was notable also that many of those who did not attend the live Zoom discussions with the group, did keep regular e-mail contact with tutors and/or engage with us for individual tutorials.  

Challenges of online teaching 

One of the main challenges for me was that I felt less “connected” to students and therefore had less sense of how much students were learning / engaging during the module.   I used different forums for feedback as I went through (e.g. Vevox, Survey Monkey) and this was helpful in ensuring students had an opportunity to raise any issues anonymously if they wished.   

Some students opted out of the Zoom discussions and noted they found them challenging for personal reasons, such as seeing others in their home environments (if they were stuck in student accommodation) or feeling uncomfortable/anxious within the online group environment.   Other students struggled to take part due to poor computer connections or other Covid-19-related responsibilities such as home-schooling or paid work.  These students acknowledged how helpful it was that the audio-recorded Zoom discussions were made available.