- Online learning is something I became familiar with during lockdown. Suddenly, my students and I went from full face-to-face teaching to full virtual delivery – and it was not without challenges. One of the biggest issues I have had with online learning is technology. Some students are in challenging situations financially, and do not always have access to internet devices. Ideally, online learning should be completed on a laptop or tablet, but many students I have taught online have only a phone to use. Mobiles obviously are not the best device for learning and hence many learners struggled to engage during lockdown. In addition with online delivery, some learners live in busy and noisy environments where a quiet, undisturbed session is impossible – this makes the learning process even more challenging. There are some benefits for online learning, however. For example, learners are given more flexibility to study whenever and wherever they wish. This can empower students and allows them to feel in control of their own learning.
- Blended learning is something that became more relevant to me through lockdown, but is also something that has persisted throughout my teaching. I feel that many students are initially reluctant to conduct independent tasks that are not always directly summative in nature; for example reading chapters or watching a video. To combat this, I always make clear to students the relevancy of the task. For example: “if you read this chapter and make notes, these notes can later be written up as part of your assignment.”
This always has varied success, with some students completing the independent task, and others choosing not to. I do find that those who choose to partake in the ‘flipped’ session seem more confident in the topic and are able to contribute further to in-class discussions and debates.
- I currently teach a session on Animal Classification and Taxonomy to a group of BSc Animal Science and Welfare students studying at Level 5.
The aims of the session: Identify major classification systems (Linneaus), Describe the key features of Kingdom Animalia, Classify the animals in the Animal Unit based on classification categorising features. This session is 3 hours long and consists of: 1 30 lecture based session within a classroom and 1 30 practical session based in the Animal Unit. This is an introductory session to the module Domestic and Exotic Animal Husbandry which is assessed through a 2,000 word essay focusing on husbandry practices for a domestic and exotic species. This session utilises the animals in the unit as visual tools. Learners are given a worksheet to complete which prompts learners to select and discuss identifying features in animals they see. For example, students will observe an axolotl and decide where this species sits within the classification system based on features such as gills, fins, legs and porous skills.
There were some very helpful ideas in the previous discussion. I think this session may be more effective if I incorporated more of a ‘flipped’ classroom approach. Currently, learners gain most of their knowledge around classification from attending the first 1hr 30 session. Then based on their understanding, they can work on the practical task. However, it could be useful to ask students to research Linnaeus and his approach to classification before the session begins. As suggested by another member, setting expectations for reading early within the module is key to ensure learners are prepared to complete reading out of timetabled hours.
To action this, I will share a video which focuses on introducing Linnaeus to the class in a user-friendly way (much like the blended learning video shown this week). I can then ask students to complete a series of questions relating to the video, perhaps 5-6 questions. This may be effective as 1. it prepares learners for the session and provides a foundation of knowledge around the topic and 2. allows me to formatively assess learners to see which areas may need further clarification. I will be adapting this for other sessions.
- Three flipped classroom aspects:
Learning – This might sound obvious but of course the main goal of any task in education is learning. The flipped classroom task must enable students to actually learn something, rather than completing a task just to tick a box (which seems apparent on this course on occasion). I always emphasise the point the task, and how this can help students learn. My flipped classroom approach has been modified since the last reflection, and it now asks students to complete their own research into advertisements.
Engagement – flipped classroom tasks are only effective if students actively choose to engage with them and this is something that can be challenging. I found that providing the element of choice for learners can empower them to engage, as it gives them the chance to add their own elements of interest and personality within a task (where relevant).
Feedback – students should be given the opportunity to access timely and helpful feedback.
- Flipped classroom approach:
What three things do you definitely want to keep in your FC session plan and why?
Keeping the element of student led research is something I would like to keep in the assignment as I feel it adds an element of personalisation to the work. I will keep the example I have provided to help contextualise the behavioural change marketing concept for learners who may otherwise struggle to grasp the content. I would also like to keep the list of questions at the end of the session to help students stay on track with what to look for in their adverts of choice.
What three things could be good to change, revise or further develop in your plan, and why?
I initially had more tasks for students to complete in the flipped class, however I felt that it was too much to ask students to complete. I must consider that these students have other summative assignments to work on including their final year dissertation project. I also had more examples to share with students, but I felt that too many examples may be repetitive for students and I was keen to maintain engagement. Finally, I currently have no way to formatively assess whether students have engaged in the task or not (before the face-to-face session) and therefore I may add an online quiz for students to complete, or a place for them to upload or share their ideas. This way I can monitor student engagement and understanding of the topic.
- I learned that podcasts also include videos, which is something I will be utilising in this flipped classroom task. It’s a useful way to provide feedback for students but also that good planning is key for them to be successful. Podcasts help students engage and this is something I am keen to maintain with my task. In my feedback from students, they found it engaging. In future, I will utilise voice-only podcasts which are more accessible to some learners and allows them to be more flexible. It took me a while to get to grips with the videoing process, but key planning is very important. I will continue to segment my podcasts to ensure the information is basic and easy to follow, without it being overwhelming or confusing for students.
- I think fundamentally the biggest thing to consider is whether or not the students are learning something. If the task does not facilitate learning, the task has failed. This can be assessed by verbal feedback to the tutor and through formative assessment in the next session. The task should provide an appropriate challenge to students; easy enough for the students to want to engage with the task but not too difficult that it seems daunting and potentially stressful. Secondly, I think the approach taken should be accessible to all learners, including those who may not be technology focused. This can provide challenges as inevitably the flipped classroom task is likely to require and involve some form of technology, but it should be provided in several forms for example, I streamed live to students and also provided a recorded video for students to utilise. I also provided a transcript to learners who may have hearing difficulties or are unable to listen to videos audibly.
- Developing an evaluation checklist was an effective way for me to assess whether my flipped classroom approach was fit for purpose. I made broad headings, which I understood as prompts to add further detail. When reviewing others’ checklists, they had much more explicit detail in their lists which is something that I will add to my checklist to further help others utilise my checklist – in hindsight my checklist is non-specific. Whilst is meets the main considerations for a checklist, it could benefit from more specificity around the topics.
- 1. Having designed curriculum for Animal Management, I think the first thing to consider is the industry need. It is easy for lecturers or course writers to pick topics to cover that interest them and areas of their expertise. However, it is extremely important to review the local industry and see what is needed. For example, there is a big gap in the Animal industry for business knowledge, therefore I always aim to emphasise business qualities in all content covered (example: how does this relate to business, how does this topic make students employable and how does it link to industry?).
2. The second thing to consider is accessibility. All learners have individual needs and some are more complex than others. Therefore it is crucial that Student Support Plans are reviewed for each session to ensure that all learning differences and needs are met for each class activity or formative task. This includes resource accessibility including videos, PowerPoints and practical demonstrations.
3. Through engaging with peer reviewed literature, I have found that engaging content is also crucial for successful learning. If sessions are not engaging for students, the learning rate will decrease. This may differ for each class and indeed each student, but providing quick tasks which short chunks of information is often the most successful way to keep students engaged with longer sessions (most of my sessions are three hours).
I don’t think the three points made above necessarily change, but they do become more challenging. For example, it can be difficult to engage students online as there are many external factors which can influence the way students utilise online material e.g. noisy environments, poor internet connection or external commitments such as jobs. This is something I have experienced with my students during the pandemic where some students stopped engaging completely. Additionally, it can be difficult to make sure that all students can fairly access all resources. Factors out of the tutor’s control such as technology issues and wifi connectivity are problems that I have experienced with students – this can impact the quality of learning for these individuals.
- The five tools I have used:
- Black Board is a Virtual Learning Environment used by my BSc Animal Science and Welfare students. It is a useful tool that has a range of functions including file storage and sharing, messaging, announcements, assignment submission portals and reading lists. I find this a useful tool because students have only one place that they need to visit to access all resources they need for their course. This is an effective way to monitor student engagement as you can easily track traffic to specific areas of the tool and which students have read announcements.
- YouTube is a well known platform that I utilise both personally and professionally on an almost daily basis. I use videos to present information to students and novel topics. In addition, students have used this tool to livestream animal behaviour data which has been used as part of their dissertation research.
- Kahoot! is a fun interactive online quiz platform which allows students to test their knowledge on specific topics. As a tutor, it is a fun way to engage learners in the topic and is an exciting way to get learners to revise topics. This is particularly useful to do virtually as you can join the game from anywhere – all you need is a code.
- Canva is a tool that is becoming more popular amongst academics – it is a creative way for students and tutors to display information. This free online tool is excellent at allowing students to be creative and fun with information and provides a good platform for students to practice making scientific posters; a valuable skill for any Higher Education student.
- Doodle Poll is a tool that I have recently started using. Linked to Zoom, it is a good way for students to organise meetings at a time that is most convenient for all involved. I find this useful as it gives students an element of choice and control around their tasks – this is particularly useful for independent group work which is a large component of several modules on my course.
This and That 