https://salt.swan.ac.uk/abc-learning-design/
ABC is a very practical curriculum / course development method, originating in UCL and used successfully in Universities worldwide (including Swansea). The method has a strong foundation in learning theory and can produce dramatic and powerful results in a short space of time. Both online and (virus permitting) face to face workshops are run at Swansea and here you can find information on these and a wide range of resources.
(Swansea Resource)
https://www.open.edu/openlearncreate/course/view.php?id=2221
This open access course by OU aims to give you the skills and knowledge to design, structure and produce your own open online course. It takes 15 hours to complete but don’t be put off as it’s worth dipping in and out at your own pace to explore topics such as planning your course, platform and hosting, and assessment.
(External Resource)
https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-18584-set-up-your-canvas-course-in-30-minutes-or-less
5 x 5 minute videos to quickly get up and running with Canvas. These videos will get you started with an overview of Canvas, how to build and manage a course, and how to create and manage course content.
(External Resource)
A Canvas Community post that covers some intermediate page editing techniques, such as adding padding around an image and floating text. It offers useful links to acessibility resources and covers some ‘mobile-first’ design principles. It is a good starting point for those who do not have any knowledge of web design/coding, and explains simple techniques in a clear and understandable manner. Although it also suggest the use of icons, Swansea University does have an Icon set available for use.
(External Resource)
https://www.aare.edu.au/blog/?p=5400
Blog article by 3 academics reporting a summary of a recent piece of research with Australian students studying entirely at distance. Reflects student opinions on engagement in online learning, including their thoughts on activities ostensibly designed for measuring engagement, as well as those more “hidden” and less formal activities students do to learn. Also notes the unintended consequences of enforcing engagement in online discussions and feedback, both for staff and students. One caveat is that the sample used in this research was small and focused on mature students. A good article for those looking for student insight into standard, quantifiable measures of engagement in online learning, as well as their other learning activities.
(External Resource)
https://blog.ucem.ac.uk/onlineeducation/posts/1642
High level blog post on moving a course online. Proposes that there is ‘More than just Zoom’ and covers some general points around existing challenges around Zoom-Fatigue, need for flexibility and equity in access to resources (from the perspective of students) and avoiding falling into a ‘teacher-centric’ content trap. It proposes a three-pronged approach to teaching in the age of Covid19: Supporting students, Enhancing the learning experience, and Transforming (flipping) the classroom. It gives some general tips in each one of the three areas cited without going as far as proposing a more scaffolded course development method. It’s a good introduction to consideration points before embarking on Course Development, in the Context of Covid19. As it does not provide a clear/repeatable framework, it could be seen as a pick’n’mix option.
(External Resource)
https://www.teaching-matters-blog.ed.ac.uk/building-online-academic-communities/
In this 2019 blogpost by Celeste McLaughlin at the University of Edinburgh, the importance of developing academic communities to support online learning is discussed. It emphasises that you need to consider this within the design stage of a course and recommends Gilly Salmon’s 5 stage model of e-tivities to build confidence and collaboration activities during the course. Some useful strategies are outlined e.g. of using ice breakers to build familiarity with digital tools, establishing and posting group work guidelines developed by the students and the importance of staff remaining visible to students.
(External Resource)
https://canvas.swansea.ac.uk/enroll/4KMB3F
Staff from across the University have come together to produce a short CPD module designed to help us all transition our teaching to a format that is suitable for helping students online. The module is designed to help with core principles around the ‘why’ and ‘what’ of teaching online, with links to the technical aspects of ‘how’. The link above takes you to the self-enrolment page to get access to the module. All the content is then available within the module using the navigation menu.
(Swansea Resource)
https://elearningstuff.net/2020/04/23/lost-in-translation-the-lecture/
Blog from James Clay (JISC’s Head of Higher Education and Student Experience) “…reflecting on how teaching staff can translate their existing practice into new models of delivery that could result in better learning, but also have less of detrimental impact on staff an[d] students.”
The blog gives an interesting overview on how to translate teaching materials and resources from the physical environment into an online environment. The blog includes hints, tips and models on how to break down your face-to-face lectures to fit an online learning environment.
(External Resource)
https://elearningstuff.net/2020/04/29/lost-in-translation-the-seminar/
Blog from James Clay (JISC’s Head of Higher Education and Student Experience) looking at translating existing teaching materials for seminars and group tutorials into online delivery. Suggests approaches on how you can translate existing material into online learning and some key things to avoid. Suggestions include use of video, text chat, synchronous and asynchronous approaches.
A good blog for getting an understanding of the basics of teaching online while using existing teaching materials.
(External Resource)