UNSW’s Education Festival 2021 | Page 60

Ms Agneetha Amarnath, Ms Syeda Zakia Begum, Dr Gee Chong Ling, Dr Tammy Tang

Over the last 2 years where we were plagued by

the COVID pandemic, it was( and still) a tough

challenge to establish a truly engaged online

learning community with our students. Within

The vicinity of the spatial distance resembles

the social interactions that we have missed

throughout the lockdown. The tool can be

adapted to different learning activity by

Agneetha Amarnath

Agnee is a Technical Officer within school of BABS who supports both F2F and online Teaching, and Research labs in the disciplines of Molecular sciences, Biochemistry and Biomedical sciences. She has wide experience in online teaching, course management system and platforms.

BABS, the technical team collaborated with

the teaching team in trialling novel interactive

platform which aligns with UNSW’ S 2025 vision

and initiatives of continuing innovative delivery

of our education and student experience

in and beyond the classroom. The platform i

mproves student interactions and engagem

ent in the virtual learning environment while

successfully delivering the course content.

customising the virtual environment and sharing

teaching resources in various formats.

The benefits of using spatial chat are, it i

mitates social interaction virtually during

lockdown, it promotes mental health and

wellness of staff and students, several

learning activities can be conducted on the

same platform and it also provides the educators

with a bird’ s eye view on the students in the newly

Syeda Zakia Begum

Zakia is a Technical Officer within the school of BABS who facilitates Research, on campus and the online delivery of laboratory teaching in the Disciplines of Molecules, Cells and Genes, Biochemistry, Applied Biomolecular Sciences, Molecular Frontiers, and Genetics. she is involved in conducting Hybrid class and digital resources for laboratory teaching.

Spatial chat was introduced in a first

introduced learning platform.

year( 300 students) and third year

( 42 and 65 students) courses to deliver live

online trivia, group discussion and symposium.

Students were represented in a personalised

icon, interacting with those who are in close

vicinity, hence“ spatial,” simulating a true

classroom interaction where mini group

discussion is possible without sending

participants away into another room.

We found that this platform provided students’ an

opportunity to experience a virtual classroom

atmosphere as well as a fulfil the learning

outcomes of the course. Students appreciated

the interaction and engagement element present

in spatial chat as it was flexible, efficient and

fun. Overall, this technology takes us one step

closer to reality, creating an exceptional learning

experience for our students.

Dr Gee Chong Ling

Gee is an EF Lecturer from the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Faculty of Science with strong interest in redesigning the delivery of laboratory teaching in a digital assisted format. Gee employs assessment as learning as the pedagogical design for the practical teaching activities in undergraduates’ courses, implementing electronic laboratory notebook as the tool to promote professional practices, particularly collaboration and communication.

Tammy is a Technical Officer within school of BABS who

support teaching delivery and research groups. She has

experience in digital uplift for teaching, such as video

designing for online teaching.

Dr Tammy Tang