Into Practice - Teaching

Now that we've taken a wander through some theoretical ideas and design models, it's time to return to the specifics of DigCompEdu and the competencies which we want to develop as individuals and teams. So let's look at each of these in turn. Much of this is probably obvious to you, but some of it might be new.  Don't feel overwhelmed with the number of items presented, just take your time to explore any of the newer ideas and at the end complete the simple checklist (see 'Reflection' section below).

3.1 Teaching

We can think of Gallagher's macro and micro scales here to consider technologies and technology-infused pedagogies which we can use at the level of the overall course, in individual teaching situations (lectures, tutorials, laboratory classes, etc), or indeed in self-study and student/group learning.  Examples include:

  • Careful design and structure of courses on the institutional LMS/VLE. Do you use a consistent template or structure, and does it fit well with the teaching approach? 
  • (More) Effective use of presentation technologies such as PowerPoint to bring emphasis, demonstrate key ideas, and promote engagement (and even get feedback on your own practice runs!).
  • In class activities using polling apps and participation tools, such as Vevox, Mentimeter, Padlet, and many more.  There are many different approaches to using these, and you should be clear about their educational (rather than simply entertainment) value by carefully designing questions or the tasks that you set and by giving students the chance to discuss their answers with their peers.  Interactive Engagement, is a particular approach to using polling tools with substantial research evidence Links to an external site. for its effectiveness in improving student conceptual understanding. Simpler implementations are 'Think, Pair, Share' Links to an external site., with students talking to the person next to them to agree an answer or tackle a problem together.
  • Other technologies have made their way into learning spaces over the years Links to an external site., facilitated by high bandwidth networks, wifi, and bluetooth. It is useful to keep up to date with what is available and to explore what is possible in your own context. For example, some lecture spaces have been designed to provide support for 'hybrid' teaching, where some students are online and others are present in class Links to an external site..   An excellent source of information on developments in how technologies are being used in higher education is the Media & Learning Association Links to an external site. and their regular newsletter.
  • The Flipped Class is a popular method which is based on recognising that the limited time in which students are with a subject expert (the teacher) is better spent focusing on developing understanding, resolving difficulties, learning techniques and perspectives, than simply taking notes or reading slides!

  • Modes of Teaching & Learning.  Particularly in the post-COVID period, there has been increasing attention paid to 'modes of teaching/learning', by which we mean consideration of the increased blending of on-campus and off-campus courses and learning experiences. This includes the scenario above of hybrid synchronous teaching but also every possible variant of space, scheduling, synchronous/asynchronous, group or individual, local or global.  JISC's 'Beyond Blended' report and project Links to an external site. has helped to clarify the terminology whilst also prompting wider questions around what we might call modes or modalities, and how this might connect to the agenda of widening participation and flexible study.

Beyond Blended model

JISC (2024) CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED 

The six pillars on the Beyond Blended model are:

  1. Place: learners and educators are always physically somewhere
  2. Platform: learners and educators can always be (virtually) somewhere else
  3. Pace: learners experience time and pace differently (synchronous/asynchronous or responsive/reflective)
  4. Support: learners and educators need support to engage in diverse modes
  5. Flex: learners and educators expect choice and flexibility in mode(s) of learning
  6. Blend: most learning has in place and online, synchronous and asynchronous elements

 

A downloadable guide is available at: https://repository.jisc.ac.uk/9518/1/beyond-blended-guide.pdf Links to an external site. 

  

3.2 Guidance

Digital technologies can help us communicate better with our students and allow us to share information with them that we feel is helpful and supportive. But to do this effectively, we need to consider what the best channels are for different types of information and support. For example, where might we use email rather than a discussion board on the VLE/LMS - or vice versa? Can we identify students who might need support from their progress in the course, and once we have done so, how can we provide guidance to them?

  • Effective use of email is something that probably needs more thought that you might imagine!  For many students even knowing the appropriate forms of address when emailing a teacher/lecturer or expectations on when to expect a reply, as well as for teachers juggling multiple queries in an already often overwhelming inbox, can be challenges.  Some use folder structures to separate out different types of email, or use 'inbox' and messaging systems in the LMS/VLE to ensure that all queries for a particular course are kept in one easily accessible place.
  • Using discussion boards on the LMS/VLE can require skill and perseverance. For many students, particularly in on-campus courses, these tools can be underused, but if the teacher demonstrates how effective it can be as a communication channel (prompt, or at least scheduled and regular, responses are important) then it can be an effective means not just of supporting individual queries, but of helping to build a sense of community. The latter is particularly important for online courses .
  • With the advent of other collaborative and communication tools, such as Teams, Zoom, Slack, etc, there are many more possibilities, and so this means that we need to be explicit to our students about what method to use and also be consistent and sensible about expectations.
  • In the era of 'chatbots' it is hardly surprising that some institutions are now seeing a role for these in helping students find the information that they need through posting a query, with the ease of using ordinary or 'natural' language for quick responses, rather than having to wade through online documentation or use search tools and strategies (although those particular skills are really important for proper researching of a subject!). One example, is this university Links to an external site. which has a ChatBot trained up on all the rules, regulations, support services, and other policies and processes. Note that for serious questions that arise from students about wellbeing issues it will connect them to appropriate, human, supports. Another example is Lola at the University of Murcia to support student queries on courses. Links to an external site.

 

3.3 Collaborative learning

Whilst much of the early application of technologies to teaching focused on presentation of materials or testing/assessment, modern digital technologies have a lot to offer in the support of students working together, not just by virtue of their networked nature, but also in terms of the creative potential they provide for students working to develop and produce 'artefacts' or products (eg reports, presentations, video, audio/podcasts, VR/AR, etc).

  • The LMS/VLE can be used to create and organise groups of students, with shared spaces for collaborative work on projects or group assignments, allowing posting of ideas or joint-editing of documents, as well as hosting discussions and providing scheduling and planning tools. Of course, outside the VLE/LMS there are other tools too such as blogs, wikis, and team-working platforms.
  • Let's not forget that a clear example of the power of collaborative work is Wikipedia itself and although when it first appeared on the scene it was not welcomed wholeheartedly by many educators, these days it has acquired a more respectable reputation for improved accuracy. It is still a form of collaborative writing platform and can be used by students to create, edit, or translate entries and content, providing an interesting option for an assignment or assessment.  
  • Peer review, feedback, assessment Links to an external site., and mentoring ( 'peer assisted learning' Links to an external site.) are other activities which can be supported by technology. Peer-assessment can be set up in most LMS/VLEs, as well as in assessment submission tools such as those offered by Turnitin Links to an external site., or assessment platforms.
  • Media design and production - mobile phones and laptops are powerful tools for producing and editing video and audio recordings and many student projects can now realistically make use of such tools and the myriad of available software (much of which is free or open source (see the earlier Digital Resources lesson).
  • We have already mentioned approaches such as PBL and CBE,  and these can benefit from shared workspaces and documents for student groups. MS Word and Google Docs support multiple writers, editing, commenting and review. 
  • One of the major challenges with fully online programmes is building a sense of community and collaborative activities can be a way of strengthening connections between learners who might otherwise feel isolated. The Community of Inquiry model Links to an external site. for online courses stresses the importance of 'presence', with the social presence working in conjunction with cognitive and teaching presence.

community of inquiry model

The Community of Inquiry model which is based around the interplay between social, cognitive, and teaching presence.

CC-BY-SA 4.0, Garrison et al, https://www.thecommunityofinquiry.org/framework Links to an external site. 

 

 

3.4 Self-regulated learning

Ultimately, learning is something which happens in the mind of the learner and depends on effort and commitment.  Feeling a sense of control and being able to take responsibility for your own learning can be incredibly empowering for students. Technology can be used to help support students in planning and measuring their own progress. For educators, there is an opportunity to raise awareness of these tools and methods and also to embed them in how we teach, design assignments, and plan courses. Some examples include the following.

  • More effective use of generally available software such as the office tools of Microsoft or Google, which many institutions provide to their students, particularly tools such as calendars to schedule and plan study sessions as well as classes and other activities. 
  • Nurture and develop the idea of reflection, such as students keeping learning journals (whether private or shared in documents, within the LMS/VLE, or blogs), where they can consider how they are progressing, identify areas to focus on, and consider how their study is connecting with the intended learning outcomes and assignments.
  • Using simple planning tools such as To Do list apps, kanban boards (ie tables with columns such as 'to do', 'in progress', 'completed', etc), and others, not just to plan forward but also to let the student see, in the fullness of time, just how much they have already achieved and completed - an important aspect of sustaining motivation.
  • Tools for collating materials produced such as notes, readings completed, assignments submitted, projects worked on.  Microsoft OneNote Links to an external site.or e-portfolio tools Links to an external site. are examples here. (These can of course also be used by teachers, and OneNote itself allows you to share content with students and provide feedback.)
  • Tools to assist learning and 'sense-making' such as concept/mind mapping Links to an external site. apps.

 

 

Reflection

Once again, we've covered a lot of possibilities here!  But don't get overwhelmed if much of this is new to you, the key is to think about what the opportunities might be (realistically) for you and your team to incorporate, or perhaps just better coordinate, such approaches and tools in your teaching.

To summarise, you can download and complete this simple checklist and use it to think ahead of how you might work with your team.

 

 

References and further information

Hake, Richard. (1998). 'Interactive-Engagement Versus Traditional Methods: A Six-Thousand-Student Survey of Mechanics Test Data for Introductory Physics Courses.' American Journal of Physics - AMER J PHYS. 66. 10.1119/1.18809. 

Beetham, H., MacNeill, S., McGill, L., (2024), 'Beyond blended: rethinking curriculum and learning design', JISC (UK), https://www.jisc.ac.uk/guides/beyond-blended-rethinking-curriculum-and-learning-design Links to an external site. 

Keenan, C. (2014). 'Mapping student-led peer learning in the UK'. Higher Education Academy. https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/mapping-student-led-peer-learning-uk Links to an external site. 

Machado, C. T., & Carvalho, A. A. (2020). 'Concept Mapping: Benefits and Challenges in Higher Education.' The Journal of Continuing Higher Education, 68(1), 38–53. https://doi.org/10.1080/07377363.2020.1712579

Topping, K. J. (2009). 'Peer Assessment'. Theory Into Practice, 48(1), 20–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405840802577569 Links to an external site.