Keeping large student cohorts engaged online

Workshops were redeveloped to form a podcast-style of delivery. Within the teaching team, we had a lead presenter, an assistant presenter and staff who moderated the chat. The workshop was recorded live and had over 700 students tune in at once. This was the largest cohort we had ever taught at once. Both video and slides were captured simultaneously. It was recorded and shared in Moodle for students to review after the workshop.

Polls integrated throughout the session

We integrated polling questions using PollEverywhere throughout the workshop. This increased student engagement and allowed us to gauge audience participation and understanding of the topic.

Moderated chat (teaching team)

We used Echo360’s chat function to create a dialogue with students. Our teaching team moderated the chat and questions that were coming up. Having moderators was essential as I didn’t have to juggle the chat and teaching at the same time, especially as the questions in the chat were being populated so fast.

We were able to address the student questions in real time, which created an opportunity for discussions and increased engagement. Students were able to like comments and also answer each other's questions.

The assistant presenter was also able to provide the student voice, verbalising student questions to myself, while also providing me with someone to discuss concepts with/ explain concepts to in a relaxed atmosphere. This also gave the assistant presenter opportunities to further clarify or explain something in a different way which facilitated interaction and promoted a sense of community, while retaining the aim of application of knowledge.

Watch a short example below

The Moodle unit was structured into four major sections: Discover, Apply, Reflect and Explore. These sections were named as such to show how the activities before, during and after the workshop are all integrated and linked. These section titles are repeated every week. We provided additional information and descriptions of the activities so that students have a clear indication of what is expected of them. This allows students to have a clear flow throughout the unit and know when activities need to be completed. At the end of each week, we polled students on which areas of the learning content that week where they needed the most consolidation.

A progress bar was also added so that students can keep track of their learning each week and we could track activity completion in a single area.

Weekly Moodle Quiz (grade-bearing)

An online weekly quiz in Moodle was developed to assess students on the learning outcomes. The quiz was made available only after completing certain activities and once the week was over. It was open for a specific amount of time to allow students to complete it. We had to be mindful of students' internet connection, hence we did not restrict the time too much.

‘Muddiest point’ consolidation seminar

At the end of each week, we polled students via a weekly ‘Muddiest point’ choice poll. This informed the muddiest point seminar, delivered by the academic of the week, which was presented as a consolidation seminar with the aim of reviewing content and resolving common misconceptions where the students needed it most.

We developed a virtual lab tour to deal with students not able to attend the labs in person. Students obtained a virtual tour of the biology lab and learned about the safety features and precautions they must follow. We developed this using a 360 camera and H5P interactive elements. We then had students complete a safety quiz to test their knowledge.

Explore the space by clicking and dragging with your mouse. Click on the plus icons to read information and the arrow icons to navigate to different areas in the wet and dry labs.