Lecturers and other teaching professionals can continue to develop their skills outside of regular, classroom-based training sessions. Via Brightspace, they have access to various self-study modules, in which information, assignments and instructions on specific teaching topics are clearly organised in one place. Educational adviser Hilde Swinkels and lecturer Maaike Steegmans share their experiences.
Self-study modules in Brightspace: experiences from the field
For Hilde Swinkels, an ICT adviser in education, her introduction to the self-study modules (‘Open Courses’) began shortly after she joined the team. “I came across the Open Courses whilst browsing the staff website,” she explains. Since then, she has regularly checked what’s on offer to see which modules are relevant to her work. Her main motivation is to gain new knowledge. “I enjoy learning new things.”
Through the Teaching Information Point, Hilde offers lecturers a service twice a year to provide feedback on the content and structure of their Brightspace courses. “The self-study module ‘Better Brightspace’ has also been put to good use in providing this feedback.”
Flexible learning
According to Hilde, the modules are user-friendly because they are often structured in the same way. The welcome page immediately provides a clear overview of the content and what is expected. “It’s great that you can see roughly how much time each section will take. What’s more, you can decide for yourself when to take a module. That flexibility is what makes it so appealing.”
Maaike Steegmans, a lecturer at the Centre for Notarial Law, also recognises these benefits. She also sees the option of taking a module in smaller sections as an added bonus. “You can stop at any time and simply pick up where you left off later.” She has taken several modules herself and found them very useful. Among other things, she explored the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the learning objectives of her courses.
A supplement to traditional training sessions
Both users are positive about the current range of courses on offer and see them as a complement to traditional training courses. For example, self-study modules provide basic skills and knowledge that you can then apply later in a specific training course. Furthermore, the variety between attending a face-to-face training course, where you can exchange ideas with other professionals, and following an online study module, where you can organise your own time, is a welcome change.
Both Maaike and Hilde have had positive experiences. Hilde regularly advises lecturers to give a self-study module a go and expects to continue doing so in the future. Maaike agrees. “It’s simple and accessible. I can wholeheartedly recommend that colleagues use the self-study modules.”
Contact information
- Organizational unit
- Education Support