{"id":14344,"date":"2021-07-30T09:44:08","date_gmt":"2021-07-29T23:44:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/educational-innovation.sydney.edu.au\/teaching@sydney\/?p=14344"},"modified":"2021-07-30T09:44:08","modified_gmt":"2021-07-29T23:44:08","slug":"learning-on-and-off-campus-in-the-new-normal-key-insights-from-sydney-students","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/educational-innovation.sydney.edu.au\/teaching@sydney\/learning-on-and-off-campus-in-the-new-normal-key-insights-from-sydney-students\/","title":{"rendered":"Learning on and off campus in the new normal – key insights from Sydney students"},"content":{"rendered":"

A few weeks ago during the 2021 Sydney Teaching Symposium<\/a>, students from a range of faculties, backgrounds, and year levels spoke about their own experiences of learning on and off campus over the past 18 months. From their candid and thoughtful responses to burning questions posed by staff, we’ve curated the top 10 student insights here.<\/span><\/p>\n

This article was contributed by members of the student panel (Mahmoud Al Rifai, Kate\u00a0<\/span>Papadimitriou<\/span>, Michelle Cheung, Robert Tran, Helena Ng, Caleb Op’T Land<\/span>), Rebecca Denham and Samantha Clarke.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Insight 1: Build\u00a0student-<\/span>teacher<\/span>\u00a0and student-student relationships<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

I had one\u00a0tutorial\u00a0where the tutor made a point of\u00a0<\/i>remembering my name<\/i>\u00a0– it really made me look forward to going that\u00a0tute…<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A key theme of the symposium was\u00a0<\/span>building and\u00a0maintaining\u00a0relationships in education,\u00a0with our keynote speaker\u00a0Peter Felten<\/a>\u00a0inviting everyone to “consider putting teacher-student and student-student relationships at the heart of your teaching<\/i>“. Our student panel gave us a clear message that connecting with their teachers and peers made all the difference. They mentioned a few\u00a0simple things that teachers had done to make them feel they had a personal connection\u00a0with their teachers at a time when they may be feeling more isolated<\/strong> – things like having regular zoom drop-ins, using students\u2019 names, checking on their wellbeing as well as their study, and providing regular updates via emails or announcements with important dates and reminders.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Weekly drop-ins<\/i>, whether on zoom or face to face \u2013\u00a0even just being able to go to them and have a chat with your teacher,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0really invaluable\u00a0to forming a relationship…<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Fostering relationships between students\u00a0is just as important<\/strong>,\u00a0with\u00a0one\u00a0panellist\u00a0describing\u00a0a\u00a0valuable\u00a0time where he formed lasting connections\u00a0with peers\u00a0by\u00a0participating\u00a0in extended activities before the unit started, with a dedicated group: “<\/span>It was really helpful, you have a dedicated group, you know who your friends are,\u00a0<\/i>you have a base<\/i>\u00a0that you can expand out of in the unit<\/i>“.\u00a0Another idea for building relationships was for the\u00a0<\/span>whole class to work together on a project, like a class charter, or a Canvas page that everyone contributes to, creating a feeling of connection in the class.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Insight 2: Students appreciate flexibility and choice of mode<\/h2>\n

The student panel was asked about the factors that influenced their choice of whether to attend classes in-person or participate\u00a0remotely.\u00a0Students’ responses were that they\u00a0appreciated the flexibility of being able to choose\u00a0and, in this choice,\u00a0there were\u00a0two\u00a0key\u00a0factors\u00a0that influenced their decision:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. whether it was practical<\/strong> to come in the campus (often this is around timetables and distance – students travelling a long way are reluctant to attend for a single class), and<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. the benefit<\/strong> they saw in in-person classes, such as when it involved\u00a0getting more interaction or better access to demonstrations.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    [My decision is based on]\u00a0<\/i>whether or not\u00a0I\u2019ll\u00a0get more out of an in-person class than I would just doing it at home<\/i>\u2026 in some of my tutorials on Zoom, I\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0talking to anyone, I was just doing the worksheet by myself…<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Students also talked about the need for a balance between face to face and online \u2013 for example, one student decided on face to face for labs and tutorials, given the lectures were all online: “<\/span>it\u2019s really important to\u00a0<\/span><\/i>get one on one or group interaction in your classes<\/i>“<\/span><\/p>\n

    Insight 3: Provide safe environments for contributions<\/h2>\n

    As our teaching will\u00a0likely continue\u00a0to involve Zoom classes,\u00a0staff were keen to get a feel from the panel about how to make their Zoom tutorials a space where students feel safe to contribute and learn,\u00a0and also\u00a0how teachers can measure engagement when students may not have their cameras on. The two key takeaways were that students feel more comfortable contributing in smaller groups\u00a0<\/strong>and that there are\u00a0easy ways\u00a0to check\u00a0for\u00a0engagement and understanding<\/a> without needing cameras on.<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    My ideal zoom\u00a0tutorial\u00a0would have a lot of\u00a0<\/i>work in breakout rooms<\/i>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0the closest you can get to a\u00a0face-to-face\u00a0class. Because\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0working in such small groups with your peers, not only do you feel\u00a0more\u00a0<\/i>safe\u00a0to contribute,<\/i>\u00a0it\u00a0also gives\u00a0you\u00a0chance for a little bit of\u00a0<\/i>social contact<\/i>.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    To check for understanding and to measure engagement without putting students on the spot,\u00a0the panel appreciated\u00a0teaching techniques such as\u00a0the use of anonymous polls, asking students to use the reactions available in Zoom, or just getting them to put their responses in the Zoom\u00a0chat. “<\/span>Teachers get those students who have their cameras turned off to just do a\u00a0<\/span><\/i>little reaction, like a thumbs up<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0just so they know\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0engaging\u2026people [also]\u00a0<\/span><\/i>use the chat<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0function to say something they want to contribute.<\/span><\/i>“<\/span><\/p>\n

    One of the\u00a0panellists\u00a0identified\u00a0the benefit of clearer structure in\u00a0their\u00a0tutorials<\/strong>, where students know that once they have\u00a0attempted\u00a0the problem, the tutor will go over it, rather than students having to ask.\u00a0<\/span>Another\u00a0panellist\u00a0mentioned how connecting the content to the real world<\/strong> made those classes feel more relevant and engaging.<\/span>\u00a0“<\/span>The tutorials that I really enjoy are where then the tutor spends the first 5 minutes linking it\u00a0<\/span><\/i>to real-life concepts<\/i>\u2026 how\u00a0what\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0going to learn applies to the real world and our careers…”<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

    Insight 4: Provide\u00a0options for assessing\u00a0<\/span>engagement and\u00a0<\/span>participation\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

    Touching on\u00a0<\/span>measuring engagement, the panel was asked how teachers can\u00a0assess participation\u00a0in ways that are fair and helpful for learning.\u00a0<\/span>Whist\u00a0having a\u00a0range\u00a0of experiences\u00a0in this area, the panellists\u00a0agreed that it was fairer to have\u00a0<\/span>options of how students\u00a0could demonstrate participation, rather than just turning up and speaking in class<\/strong>. For\u00a0example, a system where students could choose to be marked for live participation or have an optional task to do before the class instead of verbally contributing\u00a0in\u00a0the class.\u00a0They went on to say that\u00a0they also found\u00a0it\u00a0<\/span>more meaningful and less stressful if participation was not assessed every <\/strong>week for every student.<\/p>\n

    That\u2019s fair, because you\u2019re\u00a0<\/i>not disadvantaged [if you\u2019re an introvert<\/i>], you\u2019re still engaging with the content.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    One\u00a0panellist\u00a0recognised that having marks for participation was linked with showing up to class and that discussing class content did encourage discussion\u00a0<\/span>but warned against tricks<\/strong> like having participation marks assigned to a quiz given only at a specific time in the lecture, which makes students feel that “<\/span>they\u2019re backed into a corner\u2026 felt like you were forced to be there rather than wanting to share your opinions.<\/span><\/i>“<\/span><\/p>\n

    Insight 5: Make things easy to find on Canvas<\/h2>\n

    The panel also had some clear advice on removing barriers to learning by having well-designed\u00a0Canvas\u00a0sites. The focus here is on clarity and organisation\u00a0–\u00a0<\/span>making it easy to find resources through<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>labelling and structure<\/span><\/b><\/a>, and having frequently asked questions.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0Aside from\u00a0<\/span>helping students<\/span><\/a>, one of the benefits\u00a0is\u00a0that it reduces\u00a0the need for students to ask the lecturer how to find things, freeing up more time to communicate\u00a0with our students\u00a0on the actual course content. “<\/span>When the\u00a0<\/span><\/i>layout is very clear<\/i>\u00a0it means that\u00a0<\/i>learning is super easy<\/i>\u00a0and you don\u2019t have to communicate with tutors so much because all the content was there, and there were frequently asked questions that were constantly being updated.<\/span><\/i>”\u00a0<\/span>For another panellist,\u00a0having resources well labelled and organised in a consistent\u00a0way\u00a0made it much less overwhelming to join a unit a bit\u00a0later\u00a0in the semester.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Insight 6: Design assessments that are authentic and encourage deeper thinking<\/h2>\n

    Panellists\u00a0were asked about\u00a0<\/span>assessments that they found meaningful and helpful. The responses were varied around assessment type but all responses shared common themes of requiring\u00a0<\/span>depth of thinking<\/span><\/b>,\u00a0<\/span>application to the real world,\u00a0or authentic experiences<\/span><\/b>\u00a0– assessments that gave them an opportunity to experience activities typical of their field of study and that helped them to develop their critical thinking skills.\u00a0<\/span>For one of our\u00a0panellists, the most meaningful assessment was an essay, which are often seen as being less authentic or relevant, although this essay was on a topic where many people have strong opinions:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u2026[it]\u00a0forced me to research and really learn about and evaluate all sides of the discussion and understand where these different viewpoints had come\u00a0from\u00a0and it really made me\u00a0re-evaluate my own beliefs and my own values\u00a0– it wasn\u2019t just like I was doing an assessment for\u00a0uni, it was like I was really\u00a0<\/span><\/i>learning and developing as a person<\/i>\u00a0as well.<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Interestingly, for another student, helpful and meaningful were different things! The most helpful assignments were evaluation assignments \u2013\u00a0similar to\u00a0what “<\/span>professionals do in a workplace<\/i>“\u00a0and marked to professional standards. But meaningful assignments were those that “<\/span>required you to think and\u00a0<\/span><\/i>challenge yourself and engage<\/i>\u00a0in philosophy and multi-disciplinary areas”<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0<\/span>Similarly, a first-year student described how a group assignment on a problem was\u00a0really meaningful\u00a0and helpful as it gave “<\/span>hands-on experience<\/i>\u00a0on what it means to be an engineer\u2026something that gives\u00a0[a]\u00a0first-year\u00a0an\u00a0experience\u00a0of\u00a0what they\u2019ll be doing with their degree”.\u00a0<\/span><\/i>In subjects like law, one\u00a0panellist\u00a0found a lot of meaning\u00a0in an assignment that involved going to court and writing a report: “<\/span>it\u00a0was eye-opening\u2026 it gives a\u00a0<\/span><\/i>real-life<\/i>\u00a0aspect of the law\u2026 something you couldn\u2019t imagine just be reading your textbook<\/span><\/i>“.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Insight 7: Focus on organisation and communication for group work, especially when online<\/h2>\n

    On\u00a0group work,\u00a0the panel had some useful insights for how teachers can make this\u00a0<\/span>run\u00a0more\u00a0smoothly<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0It was noted that group work can be\u00a0really great\u00a0or an absolute disaster \u2013\u00a0especially when\u00a0online\u00a0–\u00a0but the common thing for successful group work is are two key ingredients:\u00a0good\u00a0organisation\u00a0and\u00a0effective\u00a0communication<\/strong>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u2026the\u00a0<\/i>students all have the same understanding\u00a0<\/i>of what needs to be accomplished, and what steps need to be taken. It\u2019s important to have\u00a0<\/i>group communication<\/i>\u00a0\u2013 and to set individual tasks or roles, perhaps have a group leader.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    On communication, one\u00a0panellist\u00a0mentioned that while many groups rely on social media channels to communicate, it can be\u00a0really useful\u00a0when\u00a0teachers\u00a0provide some direction: “<\/span>…one of my units did a really good job of making sure that everybody contributed by creating a\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Canvas discussion group<\/span><\/i><\/b>.\u00a0Having\u00a0some common ground between teachers and students is quite important\u00a0[as it]\u00a0can give\u00a0<\/span><\/i>peer to peer support<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0and teacher to peer support…<\/span><\/i>“<\/span><\/p>\n

    Another panellist noted the benefits of working in the same groups over\u00a0a period of time<\/strong>: “<\/span>..we\u00a0<\/span><\/i>all love <\/i>working with people that we have worked with before<\/i>\u00a0\u2013 we know how they work, what their timelines are, how we can accommodate to each other\u2019s strengths”<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0However, it was also noted that there was often a lot of stress associated with choosing their own group<\/strong>, especially for students who don\u2019t know anyone else in the class; “…<\/span>when they announced the group\u00a0work\u00a0I was like, oh no, I hate forming groups, it\u2019s <\/span><\/i>nerve-wracking…<\/i>“.\u00a0This student really appreciated the way the groups were\u00a0formed\u00a0by his teacher:\u00a0there was a poll on interests around the topics, and then the teachers put the students into groups with similar interests “<\/span>\u2026\u00a0I ended up being in a\u00a0really good\u00a0group \u2013 I got to know some new people, but\u00a0<\/span><\/i>not feel the pressure\u00a0<\/i>of having to find it.<\/span><\/i>“<\/span><\/p>\n

    Insight 8: Use open book exams\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

    Students identified closed book exams as being susceptible to academic integrity issues<\/strong>,\u00a0one reason\u00a0being that students struggle to memorise the content in time\u00a0and so are more tempted to cheat.\u00a0<\/span>They recommended replacing them with open book exams<\/span><\/b>\u00a0which,\u00a0rather than relying on rote memorization,\u00a0rely\u00a0on an understanding of the concepts,\u00a0making exams more difficult\u00a0to\u00a0cheat on but also better at assessing\u00a0knowledge and understanding of content; “[the]\u00a0<\/span>shift\u00a0to online has made it easier to cheat, but to guide students away\u00a0[from this pathway], make\u00a0<\/span><\/i>exams open book where possible<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0\u2026[exams that]\u00a0really require you to think,\u00a0[where]\u00a0<\/span><\/i>you can\u2019t just type it into Google<\/span><\/i><\/b>“.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Insight 9: Show compassion and be flexible<\/h2>\n

    The question\u00a0\u201c<\/span>What do you wish your teachers knew about what it’s like to be a student at the moment?\u201d\u00a0gave our\u00a0panellists\u00a0the opportunity to show us how important it is to recognise the complexity of all our lives.\u00a0<\/span>The students recognised that teaching under the current circumstances has meant a lot of changes and extra effort but\u00a0wanted to\u00a0remind us\u00a0that students are also having to deal with multiple demands on their time and facing other life challenges<\/strong> that are impacting their studies, and things like showing understanding, connecting with compassion, and\u00a0being flexible\u00a0can make a real difference.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u2026\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0really difficult\u00a0for [teachers] to have to change up their whole teaching style, things are already hard enough for them online, but\u00a0<\/i>it\u2019s a struggle for us too<\/i>, and although\u00a0we are in their class, we have a bunch of other classes happening in the background, and work and family stuff, and COVID\u2026 things are hard for everyone.\u00a0<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Insight 10: Prioritise mental health, flexibility, and connections<\/h2>\n

    Finally, recognising that the challenges we\u2019ve been facing have also resulted in innovation and improvement in the way we teach and learn \u2013 the panel gave us an idea of what we should hold onto post-COVID,\u00a0with the top choices being\u00a0<\/span>open book exams,\u00a0drop-in\u00a0sessions on\u00a0Zoom,\u00a0flexibility and ensuring mental health is prioritised,\u00a0and\u00a0simple extensions.<\/p>\n

    A final message from one panellist:<\/span><\/p>\n

    …now we\u2019re all doing this distance learning thing,\u00a0right\u00a0now\u00a0it\u2019s the\u00a0<\/i>most important time to show the connection with your students…<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Want to know more?<\/h2>\n