Adapting to online teaching at short notice: Classroom polling and other forms of student engagement Amanda Shaker Department of Mathematics and Statistics La Trobe University a.shaker@latrobe.edu.au September 3, 2020 Amanda Shaker (La Trobe) Classroom polling and engagement online September 3, 2020 1 / 14
Introduction Hello Until March 2020, the entirety of my teaching was face-to-face and/or blended; I had never taught a fully online subject (module) before Since March 2020, I have been teaching fully online This was not planned! So what I talk about today will be from the perspective of someone who has needed to adapt within a short timeframe, rather than someone who is an expert in online teaching I will share some of my experiences so far, including: classroom polling for student engagement, and some general reflections Amanda Shaker (La Trobe) Classroom polling and engagement online September 3, 2020 2 / 14
Outline Classroom polling with Kahoot 1 Other reflections on online teaching 2 Amanda Shaker (La Trobe) Classroom polling and engagement online September 3, 2020 3 / 14
What is Classroom Polling? According to the Center for Teaching Innovation*... Classroom Polling “Classroom polling allows instructors to quickly ask a question and instantly receive responses from students during class.” Depending on the method of implementation, some positive research-based outcomes: Increased engagement and interaction; lectures less passive and impersonal; Improved understanding and learning, even of complex material (Caldwell, 2007) Students more likely to ask and answer questions (Elliot, 2003; Beekes, 2006) Students not alone in their confusion or misunderstanding (Knight and Wood, 2005) Improved student performance, increased attendance, increased identification of student misconceptions (Caldwell, 2007) ∗ https://teaching.cornell.edu/learning-technologies/assessment-tools/classroom-polling-iclickers Amanda Shaker (La Trobe) Classroom polling and engagement online September 3, 2020 4 / 14
Other polling alternatives The classroom polling platform we’ll discuss today is Kahoot, although there are numerous other options available, such as: Poll Everywhere (requires license for larger classes) Slido (requires license for larger classes) Clickers (requires devices, logistics of handing out and collecting) Zoom polling (requires polls to be reprogrammed every meeting, limit on number of questions) Mentimeter (requires licence for unlimited quizzes / questions) Socrative (requires licence for larger classes) Amanda Shaker (La Trobe) Classroom polling and engagement online September 3, 2020 5 / 14
What is Kahoot? Kahoot! is ... “Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform , used as educational technology in schools and other educational institutions. The company was launched in August 2013 in Norway . Its learning games, “kahoots”, are multiple-choice quizzes for many people to play simultaneously on personal devices.” ∗ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kahoot! “Kahoot! enriched the quality of student learning in the classroom, with the highest influence reported on classroom dynamics , engagement , motivation and improved learning experience .” (Licorish et al., 2018) “Fosters a sense of community ” (Licorish et al., 2018) “Kahoot is fun , an effective platform for formative feedback ” (Ismail & Mohammad, 2017) Amanda Shaker (La Trobe) Classroom polling and engagement online September 3, 2020 6 / 14
Student feedback: Themes Amanda Shaker (La Trobe) Classroom polling and engagement online September 3, 2020 7 / 14
Example 5 minutes at the end lectures Running leader-board: students decided on this at the end of Week 1 (this was a smaller cohort; would be more difficult for a larger cohort) Friendly competition, students participated live from home/work End-of-semester winners, lots of running jokes Can also use readings comprehension at start of a class, class discussion, practice problems, revision at end of semester Amanda Shaker (La Trobe) Classroom polling and engagement online September 3, 2020 8 / 14
Adapting for face-to-face, blended or online teaching Kahoot (and other polling platforms) can be used in any of the following ways: 1 Synchronous polling in a face-to-face session 2 Synchronous polling in an online session 3 Asynchronous polling in an online environment Normally I would use option (1) and occasionally option (3). After we moved to fully online teaching, I adapted as follows... Amanda Shaker (La Trobe) Classroom polling and engagement online September 3, 2020 9 / 14
Adapting for face-to-face, blended or online teaching Semester 1: (March - June) Mostly asynchronous - option (3) 15-30% uptake, which is comparable to normal lecture attendance Some students still had friendly competition! Very positive feedback from students Semester 2: (July - October) Mostly synchronous - option (2) Students enjoy the friendly competition Asking for more when I have missed a week or two! Overall reflection - aside from the obvious benefits to learning, using Kahoot has been an invaluable way to retain some of the fun in learning , in what has otherwise been a very difficult year so far for students and staff alike. Can help with engagement especially when it feels like you’re talking into a sea of black screens! Amanda Shaker (La Trobe) Classroom polling and engagement online September 3, 2020 10 / 14
Other reflections on online teaching Online learning has been a new experience for many staff and students My number one tip would be to check in with students via short polls or surveys This has helped me reflect on what is and isn’t working, and make adjustments It is something we can do even when not teaching online, but I’ve found this particularly important since the move to online because I don’t have the in-person cues as to how students are going Amanda Shaker (La Trobe) Classroom polling and engagement online September 3, 2020 11 / 14
Other reflections on online teaching Some of the main themes that have arisen in students’ responses: 1 Hard to keep track of everything - so we introduced a weekly email summarising what was on that week. We tried to limit other written communication as students were feeling overwhelmed with the amount of emails 2 Motivation - this one is a bit trickier to address, but being aware can be helpful. Can acknowledge it, be understanding, but also maintain structure (it helps) 3 Readings potentially more difficult to grasp than normal - subject with mostly readings plus some short videos. Would normally have a face-to-face computer lab, but now that class is also online, students are finding it that bit harder to grasp concepts. 2nd half of semester: planning for informal lecture/workshop to go through readings. Of course, these themes are specific to context and dependent on timing in relation to (still current) lockdown restrictions. But the key thing is to check in with students as you go, and adapt as needed. Amanda Shaker (La Trobe) Classroom polling and engagement online September 3, 2020 12 / 14
References Beekes, W. (2006). The “Millionaire” method for encouraging participation. Active Learn. Higher Educ. 7(1), 25–36. Caldwell, J.E., 2007. Clickers in the large classroom: Current research and best-practice tips. CBE—Life Sciences Education, 6(1), pp.9-20. Elliot, C. (2003). Using a personal response system in economics teaching. Int. Rev. Econ. Educ. 1(1), 80–86. Ismail, M.A.A. and Mohammad, J.A.M., 2017. Kahoot: A promising tool for formative assessment in medical education. Education in Medicine Journal, 9(2). Knight, J. K., and Wood, W. B. (2005). Teaching more by lecturing less. Cell Biol. Educ. 4, 298–310. Licorish, S.A., Owen, H.E., Daniel, B. and George, J.L., 2018. Students’ perception of Kahoot!’s influence on teaching and learning. Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning, 13(1), p.9. Amanda Shaker (La Trobe) Classroom polling and engagement online September 3, 2020 13 / 14
Thank you! Discussion and questions Amanda Shaker (La Trobe) Classroom polling and engagement online September 3, 2020 14 / 14
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