Format of the roundtable.
Topic for discussion
Context/background.
The knowledge and abilities that academics and students bring to learning spaces, as well as the design of the physical and digital environments, create the foundation for access and engagement. In times of crisis, such as in the first stages of the pandemic, academics used what was immediately available to formulate their learning designs. This can have significant impacts upon student engagement (Rapanta et al, 2020). Additionally, in designing learning experiences, educators might draw on shared practices from colleagues and others but this can push academics to use solutions that are not necessarily well suited to their own abilities and aesthetics (Morgan, 2003; Prescott et al, 2013). Morgan’s (2003) study of accidental pedagogy, where instructors were forced to think about learning goals, learning activities, tools and the often high-intensity environment in which they all collide, highlights that as academics try to quickly get the best outcome with the available resources, new ways of doing, thinking and teaching can evolve.
Point for debate/focus of the work-in-progress/topic for discussion.
It is this that this roundtable examines: the adaptability of academics to create their own, accidental pedagogical practices during times when institutional support systems, commonly accessed resources and knowledge are all needed but are in high demand. We are seeking to examine those modalities of delivery that provide students the capacity to select how to engage and how academics designed these modalities based on their own understanding of what constitutes successful student engagement.
Intended outcome.
A better understanding of the ways academics have used different modalities to adapt to crises.
References.
Morgan, G. (2003). Faculty use of course management systems (Vol. 2). Colorado: ECAR, EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research.
Prescott, D., Gunn, C., Alieldin, W., Botter, K., Baghestani, S., & Saadat, H. (2013). Faculty use of the course management system (CMS) iLearn at the American University of Sharjah.
Rapanta, C., Botturi, L., Goodyear, P., Guàrdia, L., & Koole, M. (2020). Online university teaching during and after the Covid-19 crisis: Refocusing teacher presence and learning activity. Postdigital science and education, 2, 923-945.