Authors: Dr. Bernard T Drumm, Lecturer Department of Life & Health Science, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Co. Louth | Jade Pollock, Lecturer Department of Life & Health Science, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Co. Louth Contact Details: bernard.drumm@dkit.ie | jade.pollock@dkit.ie Theme: Learning through Covid: Flipping the Classroom using UDL Title of Poster: Do weekly low reward assessments or live tutorials affect student engagement with asynchronous online classes? Abstract: The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a dramatic shift in how many educational programmes are delivered, with the majority of classes delivered online. Delivery can be live (synchronous) or pre-recorded for students to view at their own pace (asynchronous). A challenge for asynchronous delivery is ensuring continual student engagement. In this study, we flipped a model of online delivery in a 3rd year undergraduate Biotechnology module at Dundalk Institute of Technology, where students engaged with recorded asynchronous lectures for 2 hours a week and then applied their knowledge in active problem set exercises in a 1-hour live tutorial with their peers and the instructor. Before each live session, students completed a 10minute multiple choice quiz (MCQ), worth 1% of their final grade, related to that week’s material. Within this model, we examined how student engagement with the asynchronous material was affected by the low reward assessments and the synchronous tutorial session. At the end of the semester, students were invited to participate in an anonymous focus group to provide feedback on their experiences. 4/22 enrolled students participated in the focus group. Students unanimously stated that a combination of asynchronous and synchronous delivery (2:1 ratio) was the best balance for ensuring online engagement and interaction while also providing students freedom to balance online learning with other responsibilities (both internal and external to college life). Students commented that engaging with peers and working through problems during live sessions provided incentives to engage with pre-recorded material. Students further highlighted that completion of MCQs encouraged engagement with pre-recorded material but did not affect their attendance at live sessions. In conclusion, a combination of synchronous and asynchronous delivery was preferred by students for online delivery and low stakes assessments / live tutorials had a positive impact on student engagement with asynchronous materials.
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