Module Overview
The module From Disruption to Transformation: Digital Teaching and Learning in Higher Education is designed to initiate deep conversations about the impact and implications of digital transformation and pedagogical disruption in education.
We are not aiming in changing your mind about digital teaching or "selling" hybrid teaching. Also, we do not focus on digital tools per se, but on competence building.
Anna and Fredrik have incorporated creative assignments, such as capturing visuals of educational spaces, designed to inspire reflection and creative thinking.
– We are trying to model new practices that the participants can pick up on and maybe implement in their own teaching, that would also give them a good feeling of mastery and success, describes Anna.
Anna and Fredrik emphasise that this module is a community-driven initiative. They aim to create an experimental space where participants can collectively explore their experiences and challenges related to digital teaching.
– We test and try among ourselves, but also with the participants. We are intentionally challenging ourselves by experimenting with diverse teaching modalities: starting with blended learning, then moving to hybrid sessions, and concluding with fully online education. As our participants we also find these forms of teaching as interesting but challenging, notes Fredrik.
The Ambition Behind the Module
One of the core ambitions of Anna and Fredrik is to personalise concepts of transformation and disruption, encouraging participants to grapple with these ideas in their own pedagogical contexts. They suggest that true transformation occurs when individuals can relate to theoretical concepts on a personal level, establishing genuine connections that facilitate deeper learning.
– In general, we create a learning community in our module. We hear buzzwords like "disruption" and "digital transformation", so we want to provoke educators to think through these concepts in order to bring them closer and make meaning out of them. In adult education we know that creating something of relevance that has immediate value in their teaching context in this case is very important, says Fredrik.
Preparing for this module has allowed Anna and Fredrik to establish a supportive network of educators across the university, transforming it into a collaborative venture.
– After the module is finished we aim to make connections with the pedagogical centers at the faculty level, because participants will need a more discipline-specific follow-up. So we are essentially facilitating a space where people can meet, get to know each other, talk about things that they care about in this context, and also hopefully be able to nurture those connections over time, shares Anna with a big smile.
By integrating peer mentoring and community-oriented practices, they strive to establish a sense of belonging among participants, while enhancing the relevance of their learning experiences.
Since we are in adult learning, we know that participants have a lot of personal experiences that we can use as a vehicle to go further.
– We do try to help them make meaning out of the literature that we suggest and the assignments that we give. So this is a difficult but impactful process, we hope, highlights Fredrik.
This hands-on approach not only engages participants but also empowers them to bring back valuable insights into their own teaching practices and enables them to discuss the implications with their teaching communities.
Action research and module development
In their module, Anna and Fredrik are committed to collecting data and feedback from participants to continuously refine their approach.
– We want to do research on this module and see how it develops over time. We aim to follow up with the participants and do a check in one year after the module to see if it had an impact or not. Also longitudinal research would be very interesting in this context, because usually we do not get that chance to draw the long lines, shares Anna before she adds on.
– We start with a diagnostic survey that we send to participants to get to know them better before we even see them for the first time, to understand what they're dealing with in relation to digital learning, what goes well, what does not go well, and what do they think about the learning environments that they use at UiO, digital or physical.
Overall we want to understand how they think about digital learning before we deconstruct the concepts together.
Module relevance
– We have read quite a few documents before designing this module to understand the need for it locally at UiO, such as the report from Prosjekt digitalt l?ringsmilj? 2030, led by Lex Nederbragt. One of the things the report findings point out is that staff at UiO needs to develop their digital competence in relation to teaching and learning. That is one of the things that we are trying to facilitate in this module, explains Fredrik.
– What we know from the literature is that university staff, when it comes to digital teaching and learning, do not give enough time to the experimentation phase. They expect something that instantly works instead of giving some time and space for experimentation and continuous fine-tuning. There is not much growth within our comfort zones though, comments Anna.
Due to the variety of teaching contexts within the disciplines Anna and Fredrik decided on having a broad approach that is meant to spark critical reflection on the difference between merely using and thoughtfully integrating learning technologies whenever it is justified.
This is not a module about mastery of tools and skill training, but on exercising professional judgement.
– For all we know a participant might leave the room with a reflection that hybrid does not really work for them. But if they can make that decision based on lived experiences and some evidence from the research literature, then it is valid. At least they tried it out and then maybe willing to revisit it later when relevance occurs, concludes Fredrik.
To learn more about Anna and Fredrik and their collaboration creating this module read article Navigating Collaboration in Academia.