Title: How Chemists Achieve Active Learning Online During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Using the Community of Inquiry (CoI) Framework to Support Remote Teaching
Authors: Hui Ru Tan, Wei Heng Chung, Christian Chonardo, Magdeline Tao Tao Ng, and Fun Man Fung
Key points
- Many of the approaches that these scholars used help to facilitate more active discussions, such as using PollEverywhere, Padlet, and Zoom breakout rooms
- One novel approach that the scholars bring up is the importance of connecting current course material to the exceptional time in which we are all currently living (i.e., COVID-19 pandemic); The majority of students appreciated the opportunity to connect what they were learning to the pandemic, as they felt like it bridged the gap between their college learning and the chaos in the outside world
Abstract:
As numerous varsity campuses remain closed during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, educators must look for suitable digital tools to conduct lessons and engage learners online. In this report, we discuss how to structure the online lessons using the Community of Inquiry framework (CoI). The CoI was applied to the university elective course “Learning to Choose Better”, taught by chemistry faculty. By using the appropriate digital tools in our course, we found success in achieving engagement, active learning, and team teaching. Until the world finds a resolution to the pandemic, online teaching will continue to be the new normal. Educators could view this time as a prime opportunity to experiment, innovate, and break new grounds in the realm of remote online teaching.
What would this look like in a course?
- Consider altering parts of curriculum to reflect current realities. Are there any activities you could implement that ask students to apply their learning to the current situation?
- For example, if your course is about second language learners, consider an activity that asks students to think through how second language learning has been disrupted (or potentially improved) by COVID-19.