Open AccessTHE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE FUTURE – THE CHALLENGES, POSITIVES AND FUTURE STRATEGIES FOR HIGHER EDUCATION BLENDED TEACHING
Author(s) -
Monica Ward
Publication year - 2021
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Conference proceedings
DOI - 10.36315/2021end078
Subject(s) - constructive , set (abstract data type) , computer science , higher education , mathematics education , cheating , academic integrity , blended learning , face (sociological concept) , norm (philosophy) , face to face , multimedia , psychology , educational technology , sociology , social psychology , social science , philosophy , process (computing) , epistemology , library science , political science , law , programming language , operating system
There have been many changes that have taken place in all levels of education since the Covid-19 pandemic, including at Higher Education (HE). While the swift pivot to blended teaching has been challenging and not welcomed by all, there are some positives have come about because of it and it would be good to be able to hold on to these. The challenges include moving learning materials (written, video and audio) online, engaging with students in a constructive manner and how to do assessments that are academically rigorous and have academic integrity. It is difficult for those who are used to teaching in a face-to-face environment to suddenly switch over to developing online resources and know who do this effectively and efficiently. Interacting with students online requires a different skill set than in a face-to-face environment and educators should not be expected to acquire these skills automatically. Closed-book, invigilated exams are the norm in HE institutions and ensure a level of academic integrity that has worked well for many years. It is difficult to switch from this scenario to an open-book, non-invigilated exam. It means that questions have to be re-thought to explore the students’ understanding in an academic rigorous manner. Ideally, it would be good to be able to address these challenges as they mean a less positive experience for both educators and students. The positive aspects include a more flexible approach to teaching and learning, facilitation of different modes of learning and in some cases, more interesting and authentic assessments. A more flexible approach enables students to learn at a time and place that suits them and is in keeping with the needs of the more diverse population that makes up student body in HE today. While there is a debate around learning styles, providing learning materials in a variety of formats is beneficial for all students. While it is definitely more difficult to develop open-book assessments, it is also an opportunity to do more real-world, authentic assessments that assess students’ higher order skills. This moves assessment further along the Bloom’s taxonomy. This paper looks at the challenges and positives outcomes of the move to blended teaching and learning and how the challenges can be addressed, the positive aspects maintained and how a sustainable approach can be adopted to ensure that future changes to teaching are less challenging and more positive.