Developing an online community through small steps and student feedback
Date: 30/04/21
Joshi Jariwala
Tutor: Helen Klepper
Summary
How to engage part-time students on a one year CPD porfessional programme by focusing on developing a learning community using a range of activities and technologies.
Further Information:
Subject Area:
Human Resource management (HRM) programme - LBS
Level: 5
Class Size: 24
Keywords
Assessment, Student Feedback, Zoom, Whatsapp, Teams, Groups, Student Engagement, Breakout Rooms, Formative, Summative, Audio, Chat, Discussions, Video Conferencing
Case Study:
Background
The CPD Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development level 5 programme in HRM attracts a cohort of more mature students who are looking for promotion or progression within this field. The programme consists of two modules over two semesters and classes take place in the evenings. This case study will focus on the assessment and related developments during the period of Covid, that have influenced the thinking around how to run this programme in the future.
Creating an online community
As with most programmes, this one was not designed as a distance learning course, neither had the students applied for nor prepared for the switchover to a fully online experience. The programme lasts for two semesters. In that short time the students have never met the tutors nor each other physically throughout the whole programme. One of the key objectives was to create and encourage a safe online climate which engenders active participation through discussion. One of the assessments was a group presentation. The tutors were keen to build the trust and working relationships between the groups when they were only meeting online too. The sequencing of the modules was changed to allow time for the students to get to know each other before completing the summative group work. Even with this change it still presented a problem to the tutors to design different ways in which to build this trust.
Formative online tasks
The tutors have also introduced several formative tasks asking the students to create podcasts and infographics representing their understanding of the various summative assessment tasks. This allowed the tutors to understand how well the students have understood the briefs, it's also allowed the students to think differently about the diverse ways of using online media and allowed them to learn from each other. These were successful with over 95% of students completing each one.
The tutors encouraged the course student reps to set up a Whatsapp group. They were members too but withdrew as soon as everyone was added to allow the students to talk more freely. This space allowed the students to support each other in a space that they owned.
Activities in Zoom breakout rooms
Right from the start, tutors used zoom breakout rooms to place students in random groups to answer simple questions relating the content to their experiences. These questions were carefully designed and used to help the students create bonds through structured activities rather than leaving them to their own devices to get to know each other. Joshi pointed out how important it was to provide enough time in these group sessions to allow the conversations to grow. It was important for her to give them structure and something constructive to talk about and provide them with space to have a ‘natter’! Joshi believes that the students would have struggled to solely share personal information in a unprecedented time, without providing this structure.
Later, in the course the tutors transitioned the students from randomly allocated groups to small working groups of four that continued to work together for all Zoom breakouts and eventually completing the group assignments.
Although this was successful there was a particular session which made a big difference in terms of the students opening up and becoming more of a collective, sharing online community. Joshi asked a successful student to come and give a talk to the current students. This student talked openly about their struggles with the course in terms of developing their confidence. They also encouraged the students to understand that there was a responsibility on them to form more of a collective. Joshi believes this candidness from a successful student allowed the students to reassess the importance of the way they worked with each other.
In the recent board of study meeting students voiced their enthusiasm for this “I really feel comfortable with the others now”.
External events
In the past students were encouraged to attend CIPD professional body events, however these were difficult to attend because of travel and parking difficulties. During covid students could attend the events were delivered online. This has allowed attendees to speak to key members of the Body, and follow them on twitter. Through this process, students became more interested in networking and asked for extra sessions on CVs and other employment focused activities such as MicroSoft certification. Joshi hopes to continue this practice allowing a wider selection of participants to network and contribute.
Assessment – Group Presentation
Following initial resistance, students began to use the Teams tool to practise presenting together as a group outside teaching sessions. The summative assessment were performed on Zoom. Through consultation, to minimise disruption, it was decided that the students would present without their peers watching. Individual Zoom sessions were created for each presentation group. The tutors moved to each respective zoom session during the scheduled delivery times and aided the process by changing each slide which was most welcome.
Conclusion
The team are still learning but have noticed a change in communications. On the lighter side, the student community were also blessed by one of their partners having a baby during lockdown which was at once adopted as the course baby. Joshi has asked the students about next year and what they would like to keep in terms of teaching and learning methods. They would prefer lectures to remain online and only attend for the first induction and discussions around assessment.
