This past week has reminded me why I decided to join the MALAT program. The wealth of knowledge that I have taken from the Virtual Symposium in itself has been very rewarding. There were so many great sessions but for the sake of this reflection, I narrowed it down to two: Instructional Design In & After Covid-19 and Top Trends in Instructional Design.
The first session I truly resonated with was Instructional Design In & After Covid-19, where experts gave their input on the changes the education sector has faced during the pandemic and how it may look in the future. Instructional Designer, Melanie Meyers (Royal Roads University, 2021b) spoke to the idea of re-evaluating in terms of the forms of technology we use. As an instructor teaching throughout the pandemic, I was forced to pivot to online learning and adapt to technology my institution was using, but I didn’t feel the platform alone was going to be a beneficial tool for my students. Teaching students’ the operation and techniques of camera and lighting in television is difficult in itself, doing it virtually is a whole other challenge. I decided that since most of my students are visual learners, I would create workshop videos to help better demonstrate the content of the course and then we would have virtual discussions. This also led to the opportunity for asynchronous learning, which provided flexibility for my students. Meyers (Royal Roads University, 2021b) mentions the importance of creating flexibility for students and the significance in choosing how and when we work. I feel that this session had many parallels to the Top Trends in Instructional Design session.
In the Top Trends in Instructional Design session, an Executive Director in Online Learning spoke about current faculty and student trends. Sophia Palahicky (Royal Roads University, 2021a) said that faculty has been more interested in development workshops and learning about new tools available to them, which I can resonate with. I certainly feel the need for development in terms of how to effectively move my content online. Palahicky (Royal Roads University, 2021a) identified some of the common trends for students were the need for flexibility, accessibility, well-being and the overall understanding that students are sharing their space. Another expert, Christina Jones stated the importance of “creating more adaptive solutions where people could get what they needed, when they needed it and everybody came out with an equal ability to achieve a learning outcome” (Royal Roads University, 2021a, 21:30). I sometimes overlook the different factors students may face when designing a course delivery, whether in terms of accessibility or even how they may learn.
In conclusion, I found that both of the sessions had very similar ideas of where we stand in the educational sector and what direction we need to go. After reflecting on what the experts said, I realize that it’s essential to provide flexibility for the students and continue to be critical and rethink the types of technology we use to deliver course content.
References:
Royal Roads University. (2021a, October 6). Top Trends in Instructional Design [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/FJKfV4QphYc
Royal Roads University. (2021b, December 1). Instructional Design In & After Covid-19 [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/Hv4v9f_g7Ws
April 18, 2022 at 10:28 am
Such a great reflection, I really enjoyed reading it. I liked your paragraph about your struggles of teaching a practical hands-on trade (such as TV production) via online virtual learning, and how you turned what at first has a huge challenge into a bit of benefit for your students. It must have been so tough to try and teach your subject online, but it sounds like you made it work.
April 18, 2022 at 4:34 pm
Thank you for reading my reflection Michael. It was definitely a challenge pivoting to online learning but I was lucky to have the balance of a blended format, which has allowed me to reassess how I deliver my content through in person learning.
April 20, 2022 at 5:22 pm
I completely agree with your sentiment regarding accessibility and flexibility for students in regards to technology use, but also sharing space. I recently read an article called Visitors and Residents: A new typology for online engagement by David S. White and Alison Le Cornu in which they state that our ideas of ‘space’ or ‘place’ online stems from our shared perspectives of belonging in a ‘regular’ space. We join in, we socialize, we share ideas and cultivate interactions with and amongst each other. When we can adapt according to our students’ needs, and provide them with accessible resources, we create an inclusive platform for teaching and learning for everyone.
April 21, 2022 at 10:56 am
Thank you for commenting Marion! I really like this perspective. Inclusiveness is definitely essential to a teaching and learning environment!
April 23, 2022 at 3:54 pm
Great post-Giulia. I enjoyed reading your reflection. I am not a teacher, but part of my current role at work is creating learning materials and teaching it. From the lens of my world, I happen to agree with you; it doesn’t matter if you are a student, a teacher, or working professional; flexibility with teaching and the use of technology is essential, especially online.
April 23, 2022 at 6:02 pm
Thank you Michal! Looking forward to working with you on the debate and learning more about what you do!