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Staff Online Learning Guide

Monday 08-02-2021 - 16:37
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Hello Academic Staff, 

Here at UCSU, we wanted to make your lives easier! 

We will never ever claim to understand the complexities and dynamics of your online classes, we know that you are experts in that. However, our strengths lie in our ability to gather widespread information from both staff and students. So, we have compiled and analysed it all to identify common themes and solutions in the online learning world. 

This is by no means a definitive list; we’d love to hear about any other challenges that you’re facing or the solutions you’ve found. You may also disagree with some of the points below. If that’s the case, just use it as a way to start the conversation. Ask your class to feedback on this document. What do they think? What are they needing right now? 

 

  • Digital Fatigue & Isolation 

  • Activities - Short games and activities can bring some energy back into online sessions. Even just a quick 5 minute shake off and stretch, either as a halfway break or at the beginning/end of sessions, can really help. 

  • Music - Maybe consider playing your favorite songs while you’re waiting for everyone to join. It’ll help your students get to know you and feel better connected. It can also encourage more vibrant engagement with the rest of the session. 

  • Tutor-free time - A lot of students have really valued having time at the end of a lecture to be able to talk without staff there. Many have commented that they’re struggling to connect with course mates and build relationships. 

  • Email Overload 

  • Academic Reps - For any general concerns, ask the cohort’s Reps to collect questions & feedback and send it all as one email! They’ll also be able to filter out any wider issues that can be passed onto the Campus Reps or University services. 

  • Live Q&A’s - We’ve heard of a couple of lecturers hosting these now and all have been met with really positive feedback. It’s worth considering specific assessment dates when you’ve noticed larger volumes of emails coming through and targeting the sessions before them. Just an hour session one evening could save you hours of email responses! 

  • Student Support 

  • Students’ Union – We're here. We can help. Our caseworkers know all the ins & outs of formal University processes and can offer hugely valuable support and advice. There’s also the rest of our workforce, who are more than happy to lend an ear to someone in need and support those who need signposting. 

  • ECs & Extensions - Encourage students to engage with these processes. There’s a lot of stigma around asking for help, sometimes people need some gentle encouragement. 

  • LGBTQ+ - There is at least one student in your class that is a member of the LGBTQ+ community. We recommend asking everyone what their pronouns are. If you’re not comfortable with this or you think your students won’t be, send it as an email, allowing confidential responses. If a student asks about changing their name, refer them to PAd. 

  • Accessibility - We know that you can’t all be experts in this, so you can always ask the disability team for advice. But things to consider - colour schemes (think about eye strain, colour blindness and dyslexia), infographics and pictures (really useful for anyone that struggles with too much text), students using screen readers & hearing aids (something to consider during delivery and discuss with individuals). 

 

With love and prayers for less emails, 

Molly, Lucy and Charlotte 

UCSU Officers 

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