1.
Online teaching: Overcoming the challenges

2.
Overview
What have we learned over the last six months?
Challenges versus potential
Member stories
Launch of the digital pedagogy toolkit

3.
Presenters
• Karen Workman, assistant principal for learner experience, Coleg
y Cymoedd
• Alicia Owen, digital learning manager, Wrexham Glyndŵr University
• Dr Christopher Bonfield, TEL manager and Marie Salter, digital education
development manager and institutional MOOC lead, University of Bath
• Keith Smyth, professor of pedagogy and head of the learning and teaching
academy, University of the Highlands and the Islands

4.
Introducing the Digital Pedagogy Toolkit
• Support academic staff to make
informed choices
• Provide ideas and inspiration
• Promote current approaches in
curriculum design theory
• Dispel a range of misconceptions

5.
Scenario-based approach
• Scenario one: live online learning
• Scenario two: what makes an engaging course
on the virtual learning environment (VLE)?
• Scenario three: managing digital communities of
learning

6.
Coleg y
Cymoedd
Karen Workman

7.
Source:
https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educ
ationresponse

8.
Karen Workman
How do we support learners
who are not digitally confident
during live streamed or
asynchronous sessions?
How can they be part of a
community of practice?

9.
Broadcast versus participation

10.
Alicia Owen
20th October 2020
Wrexham Glyndwr University
Active Learning Framework

11.
• 90% of our students inhabit one or
more widening participation
characteristics
• 2020 – topped Times/Sunday Times
league table for Social Inclusion for
England and Wales
• More than half our students study
part-time
Wrexham Glyndŵr University

12.
ALF
Active Learning
Framework
Accessible, engaging and
flexible approaches to
learning, teaching and
assessment
A Relevant
Curriculum
Great Teaching
Innovative
Assessment
Personalised
Support
Students as
Partners
WGU Strategy for Supporting
Students’ Learning and
Achievement reviewed during early
2019/2020
Active Learning
Framework (ALF)

13.
Accessible Supportive
Innovative Ambitious
Health and
Wellbeing
Engagement
Prof. Claire Taylor, Deputy Vice
Chancellor, June 2020
Guiding Principles for a
re-imagined student
experience at WGU from
Autumn 2020

14.
Active Learning Framework
• Core of ALF – appropriate use of
digital technologies across all aspects
of teaching, learning and assessment
(on and off campus)
• Based on Universal Design for
Learning (UDL) – flexibility in the
ways students access material,
engage with learning and show what
they know
• Support active, accessible, flexible
and inclusive practice

15.
ALF Baseline principles (and
associated challenge questions)
1. Flexible and accessible learning
• Can learning activities be appropriately and inclusively accessed anytime,
anywhere, by anyone who needs to, including those with specific learning
needs?
2. Student engagement
• Do the learning activities support active and creative student engagement
and a sense of belonging?
3. Innovative, flexible and accessible assessment
• Are there a range of ways for students to demonstrate learning and
understanding?

16.
Active Learning Framework pages

17.
• Student Advisory Group chaired by SU President involved in
consultation around ALF
• Students valuing flexible and accessible learning opportunities
• ‘@GlyndwrUni have been great…They have really taken
account of how complex life is at the moment’ – Emma VB,
(Twitter)
• More equitable - less confident students report benefitting from
e.g. breakout rooms, discussion forums - giving them a voice
Student feedback

18.
Staff feedback
Neil Pickles, Associate Dean for Academic
Affairs and Quality, Faculty of Arts, Science
and Technology
‘People are really thinking
and reflecting about how
they approach teaching,
probably in a way that
they’ve never had to think
and reflect before.’
Cerys Alonso, Programme Leader
and Senior Lecturer in Applied Arts
‘The University is offering clear
support and guidance for
implementing the Active
Learning Framework and I am
excited about the possibilities
for our students and sharing
with colleagues my
experiences of taking a
practical based course online.’

19.
• Emma VB Tweet 6.21AM, Oct 13, 2020: https://twitter.com/burself/status/1315885447399329793
• Gradtouch (2020) ‘These are the UK’s most socially inclusive universities for 2020’. Available online at:
https://www.gradtouch.com/advice/article/content-sunday-times-good-university-guide-2020
• Heron, C. (2020) Snapshots of ALF: Staff Perspectives on ALF. Available online at:
https://glyndwr.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=de3b17d6-3000-4327-b95c-ac5900af23a4
• Jisc (2020) ‘Wrexham Glyndŵr University: values-driven approach to learning’, 10 September 2020. Available
online at: https://www.jisc.ac.uk/membership/stories/wrexham-glyndwr-university-values-driven-approach-to-
learning-10-sep-2020#
• Taylor, C. (2020) ‘Guiding Principles for a re-imagined student experience at WGU from Autumn 2020’, June
2020.
• Taylor et al (2020) ‘Leading accelerated educational development’, forthcoming.
• Wrexham Glyndŵr University (2020) Strategy for Supporting Student Learning and Achievement
• Wrexham Glyndŵr University (2020) Delivering the WGU learning blend through the Active Learning Framework
(ALF), Staff Handbook 2020-21.
• Wrexham Glyndŵr University (2020) The Active Learning Framework (ALF) Student Handbook 2020-21
References

20.
Digital communities of learning

21.
POLL: Who manages digital communities of learning?

22.
Introducing the
Bath Blend
and TEL
Community of
Practice
Our CASE for the future of
Blended Learning and Teaching
at Bath
Dr Christopher Bonfield and Marie Salter, University
of Bath

23.
Low
Confidence
High
Confidence
Online teaching 2020: Have we got it right?

24.
Articulate a
course-wide
approach to
learning
Embrace
assessment for
learning
Support the needs
of all learners
The Bath Blend: Key curriculum principles

25.
CASE
Consistency
Students’ experience of
learning and teaching
activity is consistent and
structured across their
course and individual units.
Accessibility
Learning opportunities are
inclusive and available to all
students regardless of their
mode of study and learning
needs.
Scaffolding
Learning is explicitly structured,
sequenced, and supported to
promote the effective
development of students’
understanding and skills, with
clear opportunities to support
learning.
Engagement
Students are empowered in their
studies, with delivery focused on
embedding collaboration,
discussion, and interactive
learning activities.

26.
Yes No
Do you recognise (some) of our approaches in your own
online provision?

27.
Staff
Online
Hub
Webinars
Bath
Blend
Course
CoP
Supporting Staff

28.
Developing a TEL Community of Practice
330 Members
Cross-
Institutional
On MS
Teams

29.
Pros and Cons
Staff engaging
with TEL
Staff sharing ideas
across disciplines
Staff learning
together
Yet another help
desk!
Staff using it to
“offload” their
experiences
Staff using it
instead of Google
Pro
Con

30.
Changes we have made
Changes
Auto-Email on join
(from Flow) setting
out rules and tips
Locking General
Channel
Identifying Digital
Champions
Stepping-back from
responding
ourselves

31.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY
This Photo by Unknown Author is
licensed under CC BY
Community Tips?

32.
Online Teaching:
Overcoming the challenges
20 October 2020
Keith Smyth, Professor of Pedagogy
Head of Learning and Teaching Academy
University of the Highlands and Islands
@smythkrs
Blending synchronous and asynchronous
activities to foster a sense of belonging and
to facilitate peer support

33.
University of the Highlands and Islands

34.
Values-based educational practice
https://www.uhi.ac.uk/en/learning-and-teaching-academy/innovation/ltes/

35.
Evidence-based benchmarks
https://www.uhi.ac.uk/en/learning-and-teaching-academy/innovation/ltes/benchmarks/

36.
‘Readiness’ during
and post COVID-19
Photo by Luis Quintero from Pexels
https://www.pexels.com/photo/grayscale-
photography-of-people-raising-hands-2014775/

37.
Supporting
the immediate
transition to
online
learning for
students
Activities and spaces that could
be implemented easily across all
units and modules
Balancing and blending
opportunities to engage
synchronously and
asynchronously, both formally
and informally, with a focus on
effective ‘cohort’ support
Supporting student self-
organisation in online spaces

38.
• Questions Forum
Create a discussion board titled ‘Questions Forum’ in your unit or
module space.
• Social Announcements
Create a discussion board titled ‘Social Announcements’ which
students can use to communicate with one another.
• Virtual Office Hours
Establishing at least one Virtual Office Hours drop-in session
for your unit or module each week, using whichever real-time
technology you prefer to use to engage with your students
Recommended ‘key activities’

39.
Questions forum

40.
Social announcements

41.
Virtual Office Hours

42.
https://www.uhi.ac.uk/en/educational-development-unit/remote-teaching/synchronous-online-
teaching-recommendations/
Beyond immediate contingencies

43.
Professional
development
support for staff
‘Moving beyond’ standard
guidance and approaches, with
a focus on harnessing staff
knowledge and expertise

44.
Supporting social and peer
interaction online
Keith Smyth
Professor of Pedagogy
Head of Learning and Teaching Academy
Staff drop-in webinars

45.
From Benchmarks for the Use of Technology in Learning and Teaching
Seminar participation
Provide a discussion forum for students
to post follow-up comments (queries,
issues that are still not clear) to that
week’s face-to-face or online seminar,
to be picked up during first part of the
next week’s lecture or seminar session.
Encourage more equal engagement in
seminars by having students take turns
(in pairs or small groups) to produce a
summary of that week’s face-to-face or
online seminar that is posted to the
learning environment, perhaps with a
follow-up question to be tackled by the
rest of the cohort.
Have students work in pairs or small
groups to design and lead online
seminars for particular topics, weeks
or units, with guidance from the
tutor on their proposed topic and
approach.

46.
Developing a Sense of Belonging
• The extent to which students identify with and feel part of their
online cohort, and have opportunities to engage with one
another in relation to both their studies and also informally
• Linked to engagement, wellbeing and continuation in online
learning, as well as forging online peer connections and
networks that extend beyond the course and university

47.
https://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/course/view.php?id=4183

48.
MENTORING
CIRCLES
• Harnessing the mentoring
scheme and HEA
Fellowship framework
• Led by the participants
• Small groups
• Confidential
• Collaborative and sharing
• Progressive – developing
ideas or practice over
several meetings

49.
Topics covered
• Connecting our learners by building social and emotional
presence
• Designing activities for active and interactive online learning
• Formative and summative coursework and assessment in
Brightspace

50.
• "A very friendly environment for discussion of key themes associated with
online learning and teaching. I would encourage anyone with an interest
in developing their teaching to attend."
• "We've all got experience or knowledge that can help others, even if we
don't realise it. You might surprise yourself!"
• "During a time when almost everything has moved online and a lot of
workdays are filled with back to back virtual meetings, these are the ones
I look forward to the most. I always come into them anticipating a golden
nugget find, and, funnily enough, I always leave with at least one."
• I felt quite excited to put in practice some of the techniques the mentors
shared with us!
Feedback

51.
Learning and Teaching Academy at UHI
www.uhi.ac.uk/lta
@lta_uhi
Keith Smyth
keith.smyth@uhi.ac.uk
@smythkrs
Thank you

52.
Feedback on the digital pedagogy toolkit
• Do the descriptions of the scenarios
need reframing in any way?
• Are there any new scenarios relating
to digital pedagogy that you would
like to see added to the toolkit?
• Any other observations