Online teaching

Online teaching and assessment

To support our move to online teaching and assessment we’ve developed and collated a variety of online resources and CPD opportunities around the pedagogies, guidance and practical delivery of online teaching and assessment.

The overarching principle at this time is to keep things simple and be as clear and consistent as possible in our approach to online teaching. It’s important that you feel supported in your work and that students continue to feel part of a strong learning community that enhances their learning and wellbeing.

It's also important to ensure your teaching is accessible. Students will have different levels of access to broadband, technology, and time and space to study. Synchronous learning may therefore not be possible for all students to participate in.

Moving your teaching and assessment online - Canvas site

The Supporting the Move to Online Teaching Canvas site provides comprehensive guidance for moving your teaching online, including alternative methods of assessment, practical tips, examples of activities, activity design templates, and information on a range of learning technologies, including: MS Teams, MyPlayer, Canvas Quiz Tools, Poll Everywhere, narrated PowerPoints and Turnitin.

Upcoming online staff development

We offer regular webinars and online bitesize courses which focus on the different approaches and technologies that enable working and teaching online; these include MS Teams in Canvas, Zoom, Poll Everywhere, MyShowcase, Canvas New Quizzes and accessibility. View upcoming dates. 

Approaches to online teaching and assessment

Online learning is not simply moving face-to-face teaching online. It's important that online tools do not define the pedagogical practices used, but that they enhance the course content. 
An effective online pedagogy is one that emphasises student-centered learning and employs active learning activities. Further, student engagement, asynchronous learning, and presence (social, cognitive and teaching), are all important. 

Resources:

- ARU colleagues blog about their experiences, ideas, practices, philosophies and stories of their move to online teaching and assessment

- Approaches to Distance Learning and Directed Independent Learning.

- Suggestions for moving your teaching online

- Suggestions for moving your assessment online

- Ensuring Inclusivity and Accessibility 

- Ten top tips for moving teaching and assessment online - Descriptive version / Short version

- Online teaching @KIS: Do this not that - by Alison Yang

- QAA guides and resources: COVID-19 Support and Guidance

Technologies for online teaching and assessment

Our University uses a number of technologies designed for media, streaming and recording including webinars and learning capture.

• Microsoft Teams is ARU’s primary tool for online meetings and webinars. Colleagues can share their screens, give PowerPoint presentations, use polls, text audio or video chat. It is also possible to use MS Teams for online collaboration using breakout groups. 

• Please read the Online Meeting Tools and Security Guidance document before using these technologies for online meetings.
• Webinars can also be recorded and shared after the event on MyPlayer or, if using MS Teams, directly into a Canvas site.
• All course modules are available on Canvas and must meet the Canvas LMS Minimum Requirements. Canvas has different tools to support your online teaching and assessment including Canvas New Quizzes and Big Blue Button.
• Join one of our regular webinars or online bitesize courses to better understand how to use these technologies for online learning and assessment including Canvas New Quizzes, Canvas Tools, MS Teams, MS Stream, and MyShowcase. View upcoming dates.