ENroute Yearbook 2020-21
Positive Padlets Christine Surradge , School of Applied Sciences , Associate Fellow
During the pandemic , when teaching moved to an online environment , I was involved in supporting academics moderating online chats . During online Q & A sessions and tutorials , on Webex , I was asking questions on the students ’ behalf and dealing with any technical issues . This allowed the academic to focus solely on the questions and course material .
Halfway through the module , with permission from the module leader , I requested feedback from the students to see how my presence and moderation reflected in the sessions . Feedback covered : how students felt the Q & A sessions were being run , whether they preferred that I read out their questions and comments or if they would rather speak out themselves ; how they enjoyed the sessions ; if the sessions aided with the understanding of lectures ; and any improvements that could be made in the running of the sessions .
I created a Padlet ( an online bulletin board ) that the students could answer their feedback anonymously . It was useful to learn that the students who responded to the Padlet enjoyed the sessions and felt that they facilitated their understanding of lectures . Having an extra member of staff supporting the sessions made students feel more confident and comfortable asking questions – mostly favouring writing questions in the chat over microphone – and allowed the sessions to run more smoothly .
Padlet ( online bulletin board ) logo
Having another member of staff helps run the sessions more smoothly and flows in a nice way .
The Q & A is always useful , even when the content is clear , this session gives extra info for the topic and brings new points of interest .
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