will help to answer these questions:
What should I do first?
How do I engage students?
How do I mitigate online behaviour that compromises netiquette and the NMC code?
How do I develop an online presence so students feel connected?
How can I contact students easily on a day to day basis?
How can I assess online?
How can I evaluate my design and teaching is working?
How do I use available online tools at BU? (Examples)
How do I manage large group teaching?
How do I manage small group teaching?
How do I manage a one to one tutorial?
2. What should I do first?
How do I engage students?
How do I mitigate online behaviour that compromises
netiquette and the NMC code?
How do I develop an online presence so students feel
connected?
How can I contact students easily on a day to day basis?
How can I assess online?
How can I evaluate my design and teaching is working?
How do I use available online tools at BU? (Examples)
How do I manage large group teaching?
How do I manage small group teaching?
How do I manage a one to one tutorial?
How do I?
3. Ten rules for supporting a temporary
move to teaching and learning at a
distance.
Prepared by Anne Quinney, Principal Lecturer, FLIE.
• Theme Leader for Assessment & Feedback.
• 12th May 2020
•
• Current adjustments as a response to Covid-19 have required staff in HE to deliver programmes on-line that were not
designed to be delivered in this mode.
•
• Whilst blended learning had become more familiar, staff and learners have been required to adapt quickly to ways of
teaching and learning that are unfamiliar and to adapt a mode of delivery not built into curriculum design. In
intentionally distance learning programmes distance is a positive principle, not a deficit.
•
• A group of academics from several universities have drawn up a set of 10 Rules for managing this shift (Nordmann et al
2020) as a framework for discussion at a local level in individual institutions. This is a summary of their paper.
•
4. Rule 1: This is not very short term emergency
on-line delivery nor is it a specialised on-line
programme
Responses to Covid-19 are not short term, ie a matter of a few
weeks, they have become a more sustained approach, with more
opportunities to consider pedagogy, practicalities and work load
balance. Few institutions have expertise in distance learning
undergraduate programmes with the exception of the Open
University. This scenario will require institutions to adopt a more
flexible approach to teaching quality measures such as student
experience surveys and unit evaluation. Programmes which
confer professional qualifications will need to explore the
professional body position on meeting competencies and
accreditation standards.
5. Rule 2: Provide asynchronous
content
• As an approach to address inevitable inequalities of imposed
distance learning, content that is pre-recorded offers more
opportunities for learners to engage flexibly. This recognises that
some students will have limited access to quiet working spaces;
reliable internet access or the skills to make the adjustment to
independent online study. Some students will have carer
responsibilities, be ‘home-schooling’, have relocated to different time
zones and be experiencing anxiety and other mental health
concerns.
• Traditional on-campus timetables for study will need to be adapted to
the on-line scenario, for example replacing the 50 minute face to
face lecture with 15 minutes of 15 minutes linked to formative tasks
(see Berg et al 2014).
6. Checklist for moving face-to-face lecture
content online
• What content can only be delivered in a lecture format?
• What foundation knowledge or background knowledge content can
be moved to pre-reading or activities?
• What content can be redesigned as post-lecture reading, formative
activities, low-stakes summative assessments, small group
discussions, facilitated seminar of Q&A sessions?
• If material can only be delivered as a lecture how can this be broken
up effectively?
• Can some materials be re-purposed to audio-only to minimise
technical demands of accessing multi-media materials.
7. Rule 3: Provide both synchronous and
asynchronous contact and communication
•
•
• Developing and sustaining communities and relationships is one of the challenges of
moving teaching and learning online. Multiple opportunities for both forms of
communication should be offered, with clear instructions for the rationale for
each. Scheduling synchronous contact can provide:
•
• Opportunities to seek support and clarification about content or assessment tasks
• Tutor-mediated discussions to consolidate learning
• Social and academic networking
• Small group activities to develop collaborative learning skills in
•
8. Tips for managing your on-line space
• Check and update security settings to minimise disruption
• When screen sharing close down programmes that use pop=up
messages and be aware of your browser history showing in tabs.
• Record synchronous events where possible
• Alert learners in advance to which events are happening when.
• Asynchronous responses from students to synchronous events may
be preferable if a considered and reflective response is required
rather than an immediate response. Use of emoticons can help to
convey meaning and tone where non-verbal cues are missing.
9. Rule 4: Set and communicate clear
expectations about engagement
This is likely to be a new experience for students and staff and clear communication of expectations is
essential from the start to avoid unrealistic expectations on both sides. Things to consider include:
• What learning materials are expected to be accessed and read each week?
• How often is participation in synchronous events expected?
• Is participation in small group work a requirement?
• What are your online ‘office hours’ for this group of students?
• Will there be checking of participation and how will this happen?
• Which other sources of advice and support can you signpost students to?
• What is the expectation of the tone and style of online comments or email correspondence?
10. Rule 5: Design appropriate assessments and
communicate expectations clearly
• We know that assessment and feedback are important aspects of student
learning and are learning experiences in their own right. (See the BU
Assessment & Feedback Pocket guide for some principles and resources).
Being unable to do things that we might think of as ‘traditional’ offers an
opportunity to be creative in authentic, student-centred assessment
design.
• (for ideas see the 50 ways to assess students and moving exams online
section of the BU Assessment & Feedback Toolkit).
• For example, assessment may take the form of an ‘open book’ exam (also
known as take-away exams, or exams at home) with questions or tasks
designed to focus on higher order skills such as comprehension,
evaluation and synthesis.
11. Rule 7: Review the use and format of recorded
content
Previously used material may be appropriate for using in an online
learning scenario but may have shortcomings if the content refers to
assignments that have changed, resources that have since been
updated, and activities that are no longer possible. This may seem
minor but incongruities can be frustrating for learners and can lead to
increased email traffic reporting these and asking for clarification.
Introductory videos may need to be recorded to contextualise the
resources for the current situation or to provide updates about any
changes in assessment or curriculum content.
12. Rule 8: Focus on achievable learning
outcomes for online fieldwork, clinical and
laboratory work.
• The Open University has shared some information on teaching practical
science remotely (Open University 2020) and there is literature that
discusses the value of online labs for a range of learning outcomes
(Brinson 2015).
• Simulations, virtual labs or videos can be used to develop understanding
of processes that underpin practical work (Augustian and Seery 2017).
•
• It may be more realistic to plan the academic year 2020-2021 by
frontloading the programmes with theory, followed by practical later,
though this has the potential for the integration of theory and practice to be
more difficult.
13. Rule 9: Ensure that course content is
available, accessible and signposted
• Check that reading lists do not require students to access physical
resources from the library. Reading lists may need to be updated
with alternative sources that can be accessed electronically. Some
publishers have made more resources available online for free (see
Jisc 2020a for a list). Jisc (2020b) sets out the most recent
accessibility guidelines.
• Careful organisation of the VLE area is important, especially when
students may be unfamiliar with navigation. A short video can help
develop confidence in finding the resources in the VLE.
14. Rule 10: Create a community for staff and
students
• The ‘campus imaginary’ can help students feel part of a community during times when
they cannot access campus. Techniques to support this include welcome videos from
staff, Q and A sessions and daily updates.
• Students entering HE in September without access to on-campus learning and
socialising may also have missed social events marking transitions from school or college
to university. They may also be feeling anxious and disappointed, and be entering HE
during an economic downturn creating additional concerns about finance.
• Offering a mixed cohort of some on-campus and some online students (possibly
consisting of international students and students with underlying health conditions) may
provide challenges for ensuring equity of experience. Social distancing measures will
have an impact on timetabling for staff and students.
15. Reference
s
• Augustian HY and Seery MK 2017. Reasserting the role of pre-laboratory activities in chemistry education: a
proposed framework for their design. Chemistry education research and practice. Vol 18,. Pp518-532.
• Berg R, Brand A, Grant J, Kirk J and Zimmerman T. 2014. Leveraging recorded mini-lectures to increase student
learning. Online classroom. Vol 14 (2) pp5-8
• Brinson JR. 2015. Learning outcome achievement in non-traditional (virtual and remote) versus traditional
9hands-on) laboratories: a review of the empirical research. Computers and Education. Vol 87 pp218-237
• Cook-Sather A, Bovill C and Felton P. 2014 Engaging students as partners in learning and teaching. A guide for
Faculty. Jossey-Bass.
• isc 2020a Resources for Coronavirus crisis. https://subscriptionsmanager.jisc.ac.uk/about/resources-for-
coronavirus-crisis
• Jisc 2020b Keeping accessibility in mind. https://coronavirus.jiscinvolve.org/wp/2020/03/26/keeping-accessibility-
in-mind/
• Nordmann E, Horlin C, Hutchison J, Murray J, Robson L, Seery M and MacKay JRD. 2020. 10 simple rules for
supporting a temporary online pivot in higher education. (pre-submission preprint for discussion)
• Open University 2020. Teaching at a distance: methods that work. http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/innovating/
• Q uestions of accessibility, equity and fairness are fundamental to this shift in pedagogic practice. Resources for
the Assessment & Feedback Toolkit on inclusive assessment are in development.
•
