2020 CBE Annual Report

College of Business and Economics | Annual Report 2020 22 broad overview of the disruption and shifts which occurred in ten critical areas of teaching, learning and assessment (TLA): • Teaching and learning mode(l): Shifts in the mode of teaching and learning were either from full contact to fully online or from some form of blended learning to fully online. • lecturing mode: While academic staff adopted varying combinations of synchronous and asynchronous modes of presentation, the majority preferred the latter, which took the form of video recordings, audio recordings and written materials being uploaded on Blackboard. A number of online resources and guidelines were developed by different institutional structures, to support academic staff in key areas of TLA. Individual staff members also displayed much innovativeness in their development of TLA material and activities. • Teaching pedagogies: Teaching philosophies and accompanying methodologies would have inevitably been impacted as lecturers shifted to online delivery of their modules. This would make an interesting subject of research to determine how some of the commonly espoused teaching pedagogies, such as student-centred learning, collaborative learning, constructivism, and inquiry-based learning, were enabled in an online environment. • summative assessments: There was a significant shift from the traditional assessment model, to one of continuous assessments, with or without a major last assessment opportunity. In moving to continuous assessments, lecturers engaged in a mix of different types of assessments. Moderation practices were also adjusted due to time and logistical issues. • online platforms: Academic staff made primary use of Blackboard, but also used other common platforms like, Zoom, MS Teams, WhatsApp, and Google Classroom. The move to fully online teaching compelled staff members to adopt a different approach to how Blackboard was used, that being from simply a communication and repository system to one of active engagement with students in the learning process. • Tutoring: The various arrangements around tutoring had to be reviewed and adapted for the online mode. WhatsApp seemed to be the preferred medium through which students were engaged in tutorial activity. • learning material: The rapid move to online TLA resulted in additional time and effort needed to develop learning material and provide additional resources, appropriate to the online environment. • work-integrated education: Creative solutions, games and simulations had to be developed in collaboration with professional accreditation agencies for work-integrated learning. All modules in the relevant schools and departments were completed successfully. • Peer interaction and group dynamics: The nature of peer interaction involving group work and other forms of collaborative learning activities were affected by the shift to an online learning environment. This being an important aspect of teaching pedagogy would make an interesting area of research. • Time and space: Online TLA resulted in reduced spatial needs (constraints) and greater flexibility in terms of time, but that came with a need for more coordination of activities. • The College has a strong tradition of supporting

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