Evelien Heijselaar
Evelien Heijselaar

Development of interactive online teaching methodology

TLC voucher project
Duration
2021 until 2022
Project type
Education

Motivation

During the coronavirus pandemic, online alternatives to teaching were a great temporary solution. Surveys show that students also see benefits in being taught online. For example, they can set their own pace, because they can decide for themselves when to watch the recorded lectures. However, students also indicate that they experience disadvantages in being taught online. For example, they miss the structure of fixed lecture times, and some students experience motivation problems or feel lonely. Which teaching methodology can exploit the advantages of online education and prevent the disadvantages? 

Desired solution 

By means of a template, developed by a team of experts in the field of online learning (e-learning), lecturers are supported in the development of online lectures. Using this template will make online lectures more interactive, allowing students to better understand the subject matter. For example, students can ask questions and have discussions in between. In addition, the online lectures will take place at fixed times, which will bring back the desired structure. 

Plan of action

A team of e-learning experts is developing a template for lecturers that can increase the interactivity of online lectures. This template will be introduced in a course within the bachelor Communication Science. At the end of the course, the students will evaluate the course, after which adjustments will be made and the template will be applied again in another course within the same bachelor. Not only will student evaluations be included, but a focus group will also be organised for a more thorough evaluation with students. After completion of the second course, it will be evaluated in the same way and the template will be adjusted again. 

Results

In this project, Evelien collaborated with the company Starfish to translate insights about online training from the business world to university education. Together, they developed an instruction guide for lecturers containing various online teaching methods. 

The instruction guide was tested in the lectures of a first-year course in the Bachelor's programme in Communication Science. During the lectures, the number of students present and actively participating in the various teaching methods was recorded. On average, almost 80% of the students were present. The focus groups showed that students found the lectures stimulating and enjoyable. At the same time, they found the number of teaching methods excessive and chaotic.  

In the second phase of the project, the number of activities in the guide was therefore reduced and the activities were grouped into three categories: feedback, reflection and interaction. The new version of the guide was used in a third-year course in the same programme. Here, the power of online lectures, namely anonymity, was also experimented with: students were allowed to turn off their cameras and change their names. The evaluations showed that this was appreciated. More than half of the students indicated that they liked the option of anonymity, and half felt more comfortable participating in the lecture as a result. 

Based on the findings from both phases, a teacher's manual was developed with testable teaching methods and recommendations for setting up interactive online lectures. The project shows that, despite the return to physical education after the pandemic, there is lasting value in well-designed online lectures.  

Methods and recommendations (NL)

Funding

This project is funded by a TLC voucher from the Radboud Teaching and Learning Centre. This voucher programme aims to set up projects in the field of educational innovation, lecturer development and educational research.

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