1. • Interactive tasks and apps: To replace traditional face-to-face
activities and maintain student engagement, several interactive
online activities were added using online tools such as H5P, Padlet
walls, Kahoot, and Mentimeter.
• Live sessions (Zoom): With both students and educators quickly
acclimatising with using Zoom for teaching and learning, skills have
been built in undertaking synchronous live sessions, and in the use of
Zoom functions for engaging lessons. Many teachers now use Zoom
break-out rooms for student discussions and have experimented with
Zoom polls to encourage students to share opinions.
TIPS FOR NEXT SESSION
• Having a variety of apps helps with student engagement, but do not
overwhelm them with trying to introduce too many new tech tools
too quickly.
• Break down topics into manageable bite-size tasks and annotate
lecture slides to give students better guidance on topics.
• Avoid Zoom fatigue. Limit the length of Zoom sessions to approximately
one to two hours maximum and insert short 5-minute breaks when needed.
LEARNING DESIGN
2. • Case studies, open-book exams and online quizzes with a large pool
of question banks, replaced many in-class examinations. Students
have been performing well and lower plagiarism cases have been
reported.
• Some teachers have experimented with exam invigilation through
Zoom, with single-access and timed submissions. For example, for
Engineering units, students were asked to write their answers on A4
paper while Zoom cameras were turned on, and when the exam was
completed, to scan their papers with their mobile phones and upload
to Moodle.
• Reflective writing and video assignments have been successful in
promoting critical thinking, creativity and problem solving.
TIPS FOR NEXT SESSION
• Set clear assessment requirements and establish expectations of
students from the start of the Session.
• Avoid heavily weighted final assessment tasks.
• Give feedback on formative assessment throughout the session to help
students track progress and target any areas that need more work.
• Replace punitive approaches to plagiarism by providing guidance on
how to avoid it.
ONLINE ASSESSMENT
3. • Student online consultations: Teachers and Academic Coordinators
were available for online consultations via Moodle chat and emails.
Some teachers employed a booking system to confirm appointments.
• Mid-trimester reports issued by some teachers helped student
motivation and in getting some students back on track.
• Data and analytics: A relatively new realm for many, with some
teachers tracking student logs using Moodle analytics that was useful
when identifying and following-up on students at risk.
• College support services contact details were made available through
Zoom links and WeChat (including reception, student learning
advisors, counsellors, study support).
TIPS FOR NEXT SESSION
• Be proactive in contacting students to encourage participation, motivation,
submission of required tasks and to provide additional support when needed.
• Educate students about digital citizenship and establish a digital culture with
clear expectations.
STUDENT SUPPORT
4. • A virtual lunchroom was created in some Colleges to support staff
and alleviate the sense of isolation. Aside from emphasising
connection in a time of isolation, this led to brainstorming ideas to
support students, innovating in our teaching and providing ideas for
enhancing the online learning experience for students
• The Learning and Teaching website and the Navitas Community have
been invaluable to refer to for L&T ideas. The most relevant
professional development opportunities and tips were often
summarised by Academic Coordinators and emailed to directly to
teachers.
TIPS FOR NEXT SESSION
• Ask teachers what support, training or professional development
they need for the next Session.
• Create an online space for all teachers to connect, collaborate
and create together.
TEACHER SUPPORT AND TRAINING
