Different mobility constraints have influenced the development of online learning methods and tools at the Global and European Studies Institute (GESI) long before measures to deal with the corona pandemic made online learning a necessity at all German universities. GESI is responsible for three transnational study programmes: one in global studies, implemented together with a dozen of partner universities worldwide, which act as the study locations for the obligatory mobility tracks; one in European studies, with an obligatory study abroad period at one of around ten European partners; and one co-organized with Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, which promotes students receiving training in Ethiopia for three terms and in Germany for one term. In each study programme, the extensive mobility offered goes hand in hand with support through teaching material provided via the learning platform Moodle.
The current constraints to mobility are exceptional, but we have to confess that it is not the first time that we have been confronted with such difficulties: for example, late-issued visas and obstacles to enter certain European countries for students from various parts of the world or the overlapping of lecturers’ commitments at different places. Without a doubt, the causes have been different and not as systematic and severe as the current crisis. However, these difficulties already impelled us long ago to think about various formats of blended learning.
Former experience with online learning
Already in the winter term 2017/18, lecturer Geert Castryck organized a blended learning seminar on global history as part of the MA emphasis “Global Studies with a Special Emphasis on Peace and Security in Africa”, combining an e-tutorial on Moodle with a block (on-site) seminar in Addis Ababa.
Additionally, in the winter term 2019/20, GESI started to establish an e-library project, envisioning a virtual space that contains a growing collection of teaching materials, such as video lectures, which would facilitate blended learning in different programmes. During the winter term 2019/20, lectures in two courses, “Global History” and “Methodology in Global Studies”, were recorded, and these video lectures have been used in courses on methods for MA students, as well as for PhD students, during the summer term 2020.
Summer term 2020: New tools and new formats
Once it became apparent that the coronavirus was a pandemic, it was clear that the summer term 2020 had to be moved online. We quickly started to develop and communicate ideas on how to undertake a coordinated effort at the institute in facilitating online learning.
- Firstly, a short text providing information about the (expanding) possibilities offered by Moodle was shared with lecturers. Distinguishing between synchronous tools (webinars, video lectures, and chats) and asynchronous tools (forums, wikis, recorded video lectures, slides with audio, and podcasts), we provided examples of their usage and different didactic potential. A Moodle course “Online Learning for Lecturers” was prepared, and it was used by lecturers to test different tools in Moodle while preparing syllabi and activities for the start of the semester. We also provided links to official Moodle video introductions for different activities.
- At the same time, we tested different video conferencing applications, like Zoom, BigBlueButton, and Jitsi, and chat channels, comparing their availability, stability, efficiency, and security. By mid-March, we decided that three main tools would be used in the online teaching. We selected Moodle as the main platform for the organization of weekly sessions and the provision of materials as well as the organization of activities. We decided for Zoom for all kinds of live lectures and discussions. And we chose Slack for instant and direct communication with and amongst students. Information was shared with lecturers and students, and each lecturer was invited to organize a teaching plan with activities for each session using these three channels while combining weekly activities on Moodle. Responding to the ongoing discussion in the media about data protection and safety of Zoom, we discussed major concerns with teachers and students and agreed on strategies to combat some of the threats, like Zoombombing.
- The first experiences with different formats, like synchronous live chat sessions, were shared amongst teachers, so that preparations for usage of such tools would take into account limitations of the format, such as keeping the main topic in discussion while using a thread for digressions, moving personal messages to a direct channel, needing to signal by short messages that communication is ongoing while estimating delays in responses due to typing, etc.
- Regular biweekly meetings with lecturers were organized in order to follow up on the preparations for online teaching as well as to address questions regarding applications and availability, data protection, installation, usage, licenses, etc. The next major topic was online activities, like reaction papers, live presentations, quizzes and wikis, and lecturers shared their experiences and plans as well as the frequencies with which they would be implemented. By sharing individual plans, we also obtained an overview of the overall workload for students both online and offline.
- Additionally, and in agreement with student representatives, grading rules for the online semester were established, providing both students and teachers with clear instructions.
- Responding to the shared interest amongst students and researchers to look into the corona pandemic, we organized a new format of online research collaboration, to which we invited researchers as well as MA and PhD students from the GESI programmes to join. Divided into six main topics where theoretical approaches of global studies could contribute to the ongoing intellectual encounter with pandemics, we set up a Moodle course with various sections, inviting participants to recommend and share literature, write reaction papers, and join a webinar for discussions. Within a few weeks, more than 100 participants joined the forum, followed by fruitful discussions on the history of crises related to pandemics and corona as another moment of respatialization. This experimental project reveals unforeseen benefits of online formats, as written submissions and reaction papers provided better developed and more concise ideas than usual on-site discussions. Additionally, sharing literature provided a large survey of works while participants mutually benefited from reaction papers and engage in discussions. Finally, it contributed to the exchange of information and connections between ongoing research projects of different participants. Although the long-term outcomes of the forum are still not completely known, it is already clear that we are dealing with the new format of research enabled by such virtual collaboration. In other words, by not privileging physical participation and formal seminar structure, we were able to create a research community on a completely voluntarily basis, where asynchronous contributions are combined with synchronous webinars, thereby providing space for each participant to individually decide about the level and intensity of engagement.
Considering the intensive debate about online learning, here are some thoughts on the benefits of new formats:
- The diversity of tools for online teaching allows creativity in formulating tasks for students and different ways of collaboration on joint projects during the semester.
- Some of these tools (like journey trackers or discussion forums) can be used to follow the progress as students are developing their ideas and working on different topics.
- Required to submit their reaction papers before the class, students are actively engaging with teaching material, working more intensively, as well as contributing to discussions, sometimes even more fruitfully than in regular on-site seminars.
- Some online tools like quizzes enable quick evaluation of the knowledge learned while weekly evaluation of student reaction papers provides better insight into the progress of students.
- Open lines of communication (chat or video calls) enable easier and more direct communication with students, who in turn feel encouraged to contact lecturers more frequently and more freely than during official consultations hours.
- Some of the regular on-site events (summer schools, alumni meetings, and winter schools) were opportunities only for students who could physically participate. Rethinking these events in a virtual format provides everyone interested the chance to attend, even if roles of presenters and commentators are decided in advance. Increasing use of open webinars currently offered by a large number of universities, with a high number of participants joining, shows that there is both the need and readiness to take part in such online events.
At the same time, we want to point out some of the negative aspects of online teaching noted so far:
- Reducing direct communication to the online video tools creates additional stress (so-called Zoom fatigue), and both students and lecturers are struggling to keep up with the exhausting and never-ending online meeting experiences.
- The number of assignments and written form of their tasks creates a frustration with workload on the students’ side, although the actual amount of work required has not increased.
- Lecturers are also suffering from the additional workload because they need to react (comment, evaluate, and grade) to written papers weekly.
- Creating a learning community in the online course remains one of the main challenges of the format. Direct communication with each student, support and encouragement in participating in joint tasks, as well as facilitation of smaller groups with more direct and personal contact might be some of the necessary strategies for online learning, which require additional time and willingness to tailor the course to the needs of the students.
Amongst the particular challenges we are confronted with is the alumni conference that was foreseen for November 2020. Instead of cancelling or postponing the event, we decided to convene it in an online format. We hope to not only mobilize more of our alumni spread across the world through these means but also to better connect the experiences of alumni presented during the conference with the current cohort of students.
Chance to more systematically work
For GESI, the current crisis has proven to be rather a chance to more systematically work out its online teaching strategy and to connect it in a more structured way to the online strategy in research and science communication developed at the Leipzig Research Centre Global Dynamics. With the upcoming winter term in mind, we continue to work, together with teachers and students, in further developing an online learning programme that reacts to the needs of first-semester students as well as of more experienced students while at the same time taking into consideration the confusing and unpredictable situation of eventually new waves of the pandemic affecting our universities. Although the current online semester was enforced by the governmental measures to deal with the corona pandemic, some of the aspects of online learning indicate that this format deserves more attention, and probably more credit, than it usually receives. Mobility constraints might have been exacerbated by the pandemic, and for the vast majority of our students, they were an unfortunate reality even before the corona crisis. Our e-library, where we are collecting materials already used for online teaching, will become the essential tool to develop a systematic and regularly evaluated corpus of material for blended courses in different programmes while paying attention to the needs of the students and facilitating the organization of events with a broader public (e.g. former or future students).