Teaching and Learning Review 2020
Re-Imagining the University In a survey conducted at the University, lecturers reflected on how technology improved both their teaching and assessment practices. For teaching, they became more proficient in using the tools already offered by the learning management system. However, they also became more knowledgeable about other technologies that helped them to interact with students or simulate practical work. Many noted greater student engagement around the subject matter by all students, not just the few who usually responded in class. The online environment also enabled tracking of students who were not engaging so they could contact them and resolve problems. In terms of assessment, most lecturers adopted the strategy of more continuous, shorter assessment opportunities, which proved to be good for keeping students on track. They also developed assessment that required application and higher-order thinking skills. Some faculties explored new marking tools, which they will
Conclusion
We never imagined that a global pandemic would lead to the lockdown of society, including higher education institutions. For at least two decades, some educational practitioners and researchers, private providers, technology companies and publishers had been imagining and developing more technology-enhanced strategies to improve student learning. Traditional universities were generally slow to follow suit, although there were early adopters. The lockdown became a catalyst, pushing lecturers to find solutions to the problems created by pivoting from a predominantly contact environment for teaching, learning and assessment to one that was almost completely online. It was not an easy journey but now many cannot imagine going forward without including some of the technologies to enhance their future contact pedagogy. Emergency remote teaching has brought about a tipping point in the use of educational technologies.
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