Evaluation and Reflection – Page 2

This article has been divided in two parts. Part 1 explains the online teaching challenges created by Covid-19. Part 2 presents the outcomes and conclusions after 2 years teaching online.

The volume of shared working, and working through a time of crisis, has helped to build collegiality, camaraderie and significant trust between teams. I believe this is evidenced by the devolution of central services to Faculty TEL teams (and not solely explained by capacity reasoning). For example: the provision of the Echo Scheduler role, Syllabus+ access being extended to TEL; and hopefully – successful pilot permitting – the Kaltura Management Console Super User role. Continue reading “Part 2: Reflections on collaboration/cross-institutional working in response to and after Covid-19” →

Evaluation and Reflection

Part 1: Reflections on collaboration/cross-institutional working in response to and after Covid-19

5th April 202212th April 2022 Georgios Aretakis

This article has been divided in two parts. Part 1 explains the online teaching challenges created by Covid-19. Part 2 presents the outcomes and conclusions after 2 years teaching online.

Covid-19 forced almost all teaching online in extremis and for an extended period of time. This was followed by at least a year of crisis management; attempting to continue to deliver the core functions of the College in the face of a global pandemic. Almost overnight TEL went from a support function to being of central importance to teaching and learning. Tools that may have been peripheral became, in effect, core. New tools rapidly became universal. The barriers between the substance of teaching and its delivery mechanisms began to dissolve. IT and TEL colleagues deserve immense credit for the way they managed the sudden massive increase in demand for their services, time and expertise. With the crisis period of the pandemic hopefully in the past, we can now reflect on the enhancements that have come about in our working practices, whether these were created or accelerated by necessity and which we choose to keep for the future. Some of the observations below are concrete, others are my personal reflections or opinions voiced by colleagues. Continue reading “Part 1: Reflections on collaboration/cross-institutional working in response to and after Covid-19” →

Evaluation and Reflection

Preparing students for success in the digital world- The process of creating the Essential Digital Skills Programme

31st January 202224th February 2022 Georgios Aretakis

Digital competence and confidence are thought to be critical for success in higher education. However, despite a significant proportion of learning being online and evidence to counter the idea of digital nativity, these critical skills are often not explicitly taught at university. The COVID-19 pandemic outlined why it is so important for students to have the digital capabilities required to thrive in their academic, personal and professional lives. This blog reflects on the process King’s College London went through to create the Essential Digital Skills programme. Continue reading “Preparing students for success in the digital world- The process of creating the Essential Digital Skills Programme” →

Evaluation and Reflection

Gauging student engagement and understanding remotely – some tried and tested methods

22nd November 202124th February 2022 Georgios Aretakis

The rapid pivot to a re mote education format during the 2020 pandemic, necessitated an agile approach to teaching and assessment. With bioscience class sizes ranging from ~25-720 students, ascertaining how well students understood taught concepts, was an essential yet challenging task. Despite the diversity of class sizes and subject areas, some tried and tested methods were found to be more effective and user friendly, for both our students and staff. Continue reading “Gauging student engagement and understanding remotely – some tried and tested methods” →

Evaluation and Reflection

Lessons learned and looking forward: reflecting on online assessment in the IoPPN during the COVID-19 pandemic

8th December 20208th December 2020 kcl ctel

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the university cancelling all in-person examinations and offering alternative online exams. As a collaboration between the IoPPN and King’s Academy, we wanted to gain a snapshot of the impact these changes had on PGT students. The focus at King’s is often on UG students and so we wanted to explore the views our PGT students across a number of programmes. As King’s considers a move towards more online submission and marking of coursework, the introduction of alternative assessments in a digital format and, of course, the use of online examinations software tools, we hope that this data on what students think and feel and think about the approaches taken during 2020 will help inform the best way forward. Continue reading “Lessons learned and looking forward: reflecting on online assessment in the IoPPN during the COVID-19 pandemic” →

Evaluation and Reflection

Education Elevenses – colleagues who teach face the pivot online together

6th August 20206th August 2020 kcl ctel

Education Elevenses are faculty-wide, peer-led, centrally supported regular meetings in which colleagues share practice and ideas about the pivot to online teaching. Continue reading “Education Elevenses – colleagues who teach face the pivot online together” →

Evaluation and Reflection

Co-creating through staff-student partnership to increase student employability skills: A case study at the University of Derby

6th July 2020 kcl ctel

At the University of Derby, the Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) media team have been creating video content alongside academics to add and enhance their teaching materials as well as their students’ overall experiences. Continue reading “Co-creating through staff-student partnership to increase student employability skills: A case study at the University of Derby” →

Evaluation and Reflection, Technologies

Part 2: Video Games Live Streaming for Student Engagement

16th March 202016th March 2020 kcl ctel

This article has been divided in two parts. Part 1 discusses the bakground and reasoning behind the initiative, as well as how the actual proccess was carried out. Part 2 discusses the lessons learned and the conclusions drawn from carrying out such a project.

In this section I have thrown together some of the lessons we learnt from the engagement. Continue reading “Part 2: Video Games Live Streaming for Student Engagement” →

Evaluation and Reflection, Technologies

Part 1: Video Games Live Streaming for Student Engagement

2nd March 202016th March 2020 kcl ctel

Evaluation and Reflection, News and Events

From Conception to Completion: The Digital Education Student Committee

5th December 201915th March 2022 kcl ctel

I recall leaving University in 2010 and being faced with nearly one year of unemployment. The fact I had a good 2:1 in BSc Applied Psychology and Sociology and experience on a placement year was clearly not enough, particularly as I graduated soon after the global financial crash. After meeting numerous recruitment agencies, sending my CV’s to what felt like hundreds of companies and applying to various jobs, I finally realised that I did not know how to properly complete application forms, and I did not have enough recent work experience for my CV to make an impact. I was one of many recent graduates that just could not get to the interview stage of a job, yet alone a job. What made my experience slightly more frustrating was that many of my friends who chose to go straight to work, rather than to Universities, were in greater demand than I was. What set us apart, was that they had gained a few more years working experience, and they knew how to sell themselves to potential employers. Continue reading “From Conception to Completion: The Digital Education Student Committee” →