12 Principles for Online Learning and Teaching

1 STUDENT FEEDBACK What happened in Tr2 2019-20? Reflect on what happened during the emergency provision in Tr2. Seek feedback and invite students to tell you what they would like to see next year.

2 DIGITALLY INCLUSIVE. Access and Skills. What are your students’ online access limitations, digital skills and general confidence about learning? Consider how to work inclusively to benefit all students.

3 REVIEW YOUR CURRICULUM. Start with your module & programme descriptors. What online materials and support would enable students to meet the learning outcomes.

4 ALTERNATIVE METHODS Focus on student activity. Consider student-centred tasks to support learning rather than replicating face-to-face teaching online. You do not need to provide large quantities of content.

5 MIX SYNCHRONOUS AND ASYNCHRONOUS. Though access to live video may be difficult for some students. Provide a small number of real-time opportunities for engagement, but record them if possible. Use online tools for ongoing collaboration and engagement tasks and avoid broadcasting at students.

6 KEEP MOODLE SIMPLE. Minimise clicks and scrolling. Clear layout of instructions and materials on Moodle helps students know where to focus their effort. Use the tools in Moodle to keep it clutter-free and user-friendly.

7 COMMUNCATION. Open and private spaces. Consider how you will communicate with students, both openly and privately. Encourage students to build their own online networks for peer support.

8 WORK WITH COLLEAGUES. Review programme modules together. Agree on what needs to be consistent, and what can be more individualised, across modules in a programme. Seek advice and share practice with colleagues.

9 PROMOTE A SENSE OF BELONGING. Studying remotely can be isolating. Promote the module, programme and university as communities for your students. A sense of belonging contributes to students’ wellbeing and motivation to learn.

10 BUILD IN FLEXIBILITY. Prepare for the unexpected. You might need to change teaching approaches during the trimester. Be open with students that this may happen and you welcome their feedback.

11 TEACHER PRESENCE. Be visible and accessible. Students value seeing teacher presence online. Find ways of making yourself visible and accessible. They need to see that you care.

12 THERE IS NO ONE WAY. Find what works for you. There is no one right way of preparing and running online modules. Find what is right for you, your subject and your students.

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It takes time and experience to teach online, so this is a steep learning curve for many of us. Time is limited, so be realistic what you can achieve by the start of trimester 1. Students do not need, or expect, the latest technologies nor highly polished materials in order to have a meaningful and connected learning experience online.

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