Operational Issues
Understanding the constraints and benefits of different technology
As a tutor, I have always developed materials. After joining DUISC, I officially adopted this role for the department, creating paper-based and e-learning materials. This included using a range of authoring tools and learning enhancement tools to develop multimedia materials for lectures, lessons, workshops, and self-study; create guidance documentation; design interactive activities; gather and provide feedback; conduct assessments; collaborate with others; and develop the VLE.
I take a research-informed and practical approach to my work. I understand that it is easy to get carried away with the aesthetic side of using technology and consequently neglect learning. Therefore, when I design learning materials, I endeavour to use information from evaluations, learning analytics and research to ensure I am focused on fostering active learning and helping learners achieve the learning objectives.
Exploiting the affordances of technologies to develop CRAAWS
When I joined DUSIC in 2019, the Blackboard VLE was primarily used as a repository for all course materials. There was a lack of organisation, very little narrative, few instructions and little need for the students to engage with the VLE outside of class. There was an over-reliance on text-based passive learning approaches and acquisition learning. This mostly included material created using what Bower (2008; 2017) calls 'static/instructive' technologies, such as Microsoft Office for creating long, information-heavy PowerPoints and long text-based weekly workbooks. There were also lecture-style videos (embedded or linked) or 3rd-party videos from YouTube included for 'extension'. Sometimes these included activities (e.g. quiz questions using H5P) and other times not. The centre also used Quizlet to provide vocabulary for pre-training of the language found in the extensive workbooks and/or texts.
With the move to emergency remote teaching (ERT) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the workbooks and worksheets were initially adapted and made available online. Besides being long and not engaging – particularly when studying in isolation from home – the workbooks, worksheets and input videos relied on delayed feedback (given in later lessons or released at the end of the week). Sometimes, feedback for asynchronous learning was inadequate because for tutors, creating answer sheets with in-depth explanations or feedback videos was quite time-consuming. Another issue was that having reduced student-teacher interaction meant that a significant amount of information was given in the workbooks and in class with dense presentations. This created such cognitive overload that in student feedback, the 2019/2020 September cohort complained of there being "too much", feeling overwhelmed and having "many PowerPoints". Due to a focus on text, there was a lack of variety with tasks and interaction. To facilitate discussion, linked forum activities were provided; however, the forum activities were repetitive and did not actually elicit discussion. Rather, they became a pinboard for answers for workbook tasks. Thus, the course was not an online course, but rather a hectic shift to ERT as described by Hodges et al. (2020).
Technical knowledge and ability in the use of technology
I have a genuine interest in exploring and learning about new technologies. This is one of the reasons why I was chosen to join the e-champ team at Durham University International Study Centre to support colleagues with the transition to online learning. I continuously develop my technical knowledge and skills through formal and informal CPD. I also ensure that I develop my understanding of teaching and learning at the same time.
Some of the ways in which I have built my knowledge and skills include engaging with colleagues from my various communities of practice; completing informal online courses; completing in-house training; undertaking formal learning on accredited courses such as the PGCert in Digital Technology, Communication and Education, and the foundation certificate in User Experience (UX) design, and attending online conferences/webinars.
The knowledge gained from my professional development and formal education has helped me to better construct a VLE that facilitates active engagement, and to better use technology in teaching online and offline (also see my Specialist Area for evidence of my technical skills and knowledge).
Supporting the deployment of learning technologies
In supporting the deployment of learning technologies, I have generally introduced colleagues to new technologies in training, general conversation about my teaching practice and by sharing links and documents. I have also delivered training for staff and students in groups and one-to-one, and have created 'how-to' videos and documentation for staff and students. I have also provided support via the learning technologies inbox and the tech help MS Teams channel to help with troubleshooting for different technologies. Furthermore, I have shared best practices and suggested technologies to use in teachers' notes on the VLE, shared best practices with other centres in the network via videos and by participating in peer review events, and I have advised on design aspects of the VLE to aid other departments/colleagues.
Supporting the transition to online learning in 2020
On account of my previous AES materials development before the pandemic, I was asked to create the materials for the January-entry AES course starting term two in March 2020. As explained in the witness statement (see evidence below), I was also asked to join the e-champ team and support colleagues in creating and editing the VLE and ensuring compliance with internal and external standards. I also provided training on pedagogy and on specific technologies such as Genially, Xerte and Blackboard. As one of my strengths is simplifying what may be complex processes, I delivered one-to-one support to individual staff members who considered themselves to be less technically abled or not confident with technology.
The Business Studies team found the transition to online learning particularly difficult both technically and pedagogically, and were not cooperating well with their assigned e-champ. Two weeks before the start of the new academic year, the VLE space was unfinished. To help the team make progress and to support my e-champ colleague, I joined the Business Team. I learned what staff were concerned about and/or did not understand, assessed their abilities and helped them to construct a more effective VLE (via videocall and screen sharing). On several occasions, I worked with individual tutors providing pedagogical advice focusing on clarifying learning outcomes, suggesting activities that promoted higher levels of cognitive engagement, sequencing activities for improved scaffolding, clarifying narrative and improving accessibility.