Case Study: Online Seminars, Bubble Groups and an Online Community

Karen is from the School of Justice Studies of Law and runs two modules at levels 4 and 5. The level 4 module was identified as the key lynchpin module, which means it become the focus for the online activities and socialisation within that semester. Canvas Groups The cohort was broken down into 12 ‘bubble groups’ with one tutor supporting each group(s). Tutors had one to three bubble groups. Canvas groups were used which allows tutors to use the group announcements to contact their group directly. Panopto and Zoom The delivery focuses on a 1-hour pre-recorded lecture delivered in 3 sections on a Thursday. This replaces the lecture. The students are also given individual activities to complete along side their lecture. Seminars in Zoom are then organised for the following week. This is where the topic is discussed and the student activity is discussed. Discussion boards Students are using a cohort level discussion board to share their academic sources with the tutors and fellow students. The assessment asks student to find 6 academic sources and use them in their assignment. Students are unconfident with identifying these and are happy to share with all students their lack of confidence in the knowledge that tutors will support them, and if they are found to be correct, they can then be used by fellow students. Karen keeps a close eye on this by viewing the postings in her email and reacting in the discussion board. This does require more work, but she is careful not to work outside of office hours. The hope is more students will complete the assignment correctly than in previous years but also that they will carry this knowledge forward in other modules and inform the following year. Attendance Karen is very happy with student attendance - more students are attending and the discussions are richer and more mature than in previous years. Although most students are still reluctant to turn on their zoom webcams; they are using their audio and chat. Karen believes that the smaller bubble groups have made a big difference and cannot imagine going back to the way it was previously taught. Evidence for this is in the way students are communicating with each other and their tutors, showing more consideration, and a willingness to engage and share. Online tasks Karen's students have been asked to complete a wide range on online tasks. • Ice breaker involving question quizzes to find out what they know about the course, subject and support services • Acceptable sources task to help students identify academic sources that they need to use in their assignment • Ethical writing task to help students understand academic misconduct from a positive perspective. • TED talk video task to respond to a short video in their subject area. • Discussion board task to share academic sources and verify them as valid. • Early one page bullet point essay plan task to help students get feedback on their plans for the assignment. They could also include sources they intend to use to see if they are on the right lines. • Zoom Whiteipe board activities mediated by the tutors to construct shared mind maps on different topics. Conclusion Although there has been an increased workload in generating the activities and recording lectures, Karen is very happy with the levels of engagement and believes this has demonstrated a clear way forward for the future.