Ed-tech and didactic transformation

The challenge of online classrooms

Abstract

The enforced transition to the online space during the global pandemic is changing higher education policy and strategy, leading to a more flexible, scalable, and multi-modal delivery aimed at a more diverse student population. The term “hybrid”, in its varying interpretations, is a cornerstone of this evolution, with an emerging focus on remote classrooms and their ability to provide an interactive, human and engaging component in a potentially alienating online learning environment. This contribution explores an experience in hybrid asynchronous-synchronous learning, based on an online language course, which forms part of the activity of Federica Weblearning, Centre for distance education at the University of Naples Federico II. Weekly live sessions were offered to participants on a 40-hour, 6-module intermediate English language Mooc (Massive open online course) on the Federica.eu platform. The live sessions were delivered on the remote classroom tool (Rct) Engageli. The sessions provided an opportunity to activate the specific language goals of each module of the course, as well as the chance to interact and practice with the teacher and classmates. The experience provided planned and executed active learning sessions. The aim was to see whether the addition of synchronous live sessions improved the learning experience on the Mooc, reduced the sense of alienation, and encouraged learner motivation and retention. Observation data were combined with opinion and user data collected from the participants in the live sessions, and cross-referenced with report data from the Mooc platform. The positive outcomes of the experience for both teacher and learners seem to indicate the value of offering Rct as part of university strategy for developing hybrid learning environments; and therefore indicate the need to extend practices and collaborations to ensure that pilot experiences are capitalized on and become increasingly transferable.