When classes at the Faculty of Arts & Science moved online during the early days of the pandemic, students and faculty members navigated a learning environment that was unfamiliar to many of them. Out of necessity, they discovered a myriad of new ways to engage in course material and with each other.
That commitment to adapt and innovate is reflected in the Faculty’s new digital learning strategic framework, designed to expand digital learning opportunities, support and resources across the A&S community.
“In-person learning is at the core of our teaching in Arts & Science,” says Don Boyes, an award-winning professor in the Department of Geography & Planning.
Today’s advanced technologies offer experiences that are more personalized, collaborative, and accessible than ever before and we want to ensure A&S is at the forefront.
“Within that foundation we also need to seek opportunities for innovation both inside and outside the classroom,” adds Boyes. “Today’s advanced technologies offer experiences that are more personalized, collaborative, and accessible than ever before and we want to ensure A&S is at the forefront.”
Boyes is passionate about the role of technology in teaching, and how it can be used to transform the student experience. He is also the leader of the A&S Online Learning Academy (OLA) — an instructor-to-instructor network which was created to help deliver new ways of enhancing student learning.
The OLA was launched in 2020, partly in response to the pandemic but also in relation to the Faculty’s academic plan, Leveraging our Strengths, which underscores a commitment “to building the infrastructure needed to support emerging digital pedagogies.”
Boyes adds that building capacity in this area will ensure A&S provides its community with access to the best models, resources, and tools available to support and complement work done in the physical classroom.
“Technology has improved post-secondary learning in countless ways,” Boyes says. “As we’re broadening options for students, we’re also empowering them to learn in ways that are more flexible and adaptable to their needs.”
A range of opinions are critical to inform how we prioritize, for now, and the future of digital learning in A&S, since everyone engages with online learning in different ways.
Today’s digital learning already takes many forms. Courses can now be delivered in-person, online or a hybrid of both depending on teaching styles and the pedagogical goals of the course. Students can learn in real time or asynchronously, watching lectures and engaging in course content at a time of their choosing. Another approach is the flipped classroom: here, the “lecture” part of course content is offered online, which then permits clarification, discussion, and “homework” to be done in class.
For years, the Faculty has leveraged digital tools and pedagogies for several of its courses and instructional supports, but the pandemic was uncharted territory, and revealed serious gaps and limitations in its ability to embrace the possibilities afforded through better and more strategic use of technology.
Keenly aware of the need to move forward, Dean Melanie Woodin hosted consultations, or “digital hives,” to seek feedback about the future of digital learning at A&S. In addition to inviting participants to share their own experiences, the sessions allowed community members to let A&S know how they could be best supported, citing which tools and resources they believed would be most beneficial.
“A range of opinions are critical to inform how we prioritize, for now, and the future of digital learning in A&S, since everyone engages with online learning in different ways,” says Dean Woodin.
Participants in the hives showed a desire for the Faculty to be vigorous in promoting leading pedagogy. As one of them noted: “expectations are evolving and so is learning. Students need to be more supported to navigate changing technology."
“We are now focused on turning our community’s suggestions into concrete changes,” says Woodin.
“We’ve already made improvements in teaching resources and supports, and we continue to add more digital courses to our offerings, but a primary goal in my view is to ensure everyone in A&S has access to more opportunities and can take advantage of a range of digital tools and technologies to improve their experience.”
We have entered a new era of learning and teaching and have only begun to scratch the surface of what’s possible.
Woodin says a series of core principles will help guide the Faculty over the coming years. These include: promoting leading pedagogy; fostering digital fluency; staying flexible and agile; and transforming physical spaces to accommodate the latest and best technological advances.
In practice, what this means is that A&S will aim to set a leading example for others on the instructional technology front. For example, plans are being made for the creation of a dedicated studio space — staffed by trained technicians — to provide on-campus space to develop digital assets such as course materials.
In addition to sourcing partners to assist in training and funding, the Faculty will also look to optimize non-classroom spaces on campus so that everyone in A&S can more easily transition between their in-person and online activities. Further, excellence in digital teaching will be recognized through the creation of new awards and fellowships to support growth and innovation.
Digital learning at A&S will continue to evolve in many directions, and opportunities for feedback will be ongoing. In this way, adds Woodin, the Faculty promises to be ready to meet the ever-evolving needs of its community.
As Boyes says, “we have entered a new era of learning and teaching and have only begun to scratch the surface of what’s possible.”