Program Overview

Introduction to the Academic Practice Programme

The Academic Practice Programme (APP) is a credit-bearing program at Level 7, accredited by Advance HE. It is an institutional requirement, and successful completion of the relevant modules results in Associate and full Fellowship (AFHEA and FHEA), linked to probationary requirements for many colleagues.

Objectives of the Programme

The objectives of the APP are to support participants who teach and support learning, while retaining the 'heart' of the program. The program aims to design resources that enable everyone to engage as flexibly as possible with the materials.

Context of the Programme

Due to COVID-19, the program had to be redesigned from face-to-face teaching to online delivery within a short time frame. The program has sixty-eight participants enrolled in EDMAP1 and forty-five in EDMAP2, the first two modules of the APP.

Implementation of the Programme

The program was redesigned to include two mornings of synchronous online teaching using Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, plus a series of asynchronous self-access sessions. The team worked together to design webinars, share notes, and provide guidance to ensure a smooth transition.

Key Features of the Programme

• The program uses a collaborative, constructivist, dialogic approach.
• It includes the use of various tools and techniques for online learning, such as Application Share, Breakout rooms, polls, voting, and wikis.
• The program aims to create and nurture a social community online through announcements, emails, e-tivities, and skilled use of webinar tools.

Impact of the Programme

The feedback from participants has been incredibly positive, showing appreciation for the work done to move the APP online. The program has successfully modeled a broad range of tools and techniques for online learning, and the engagement was incredible, with many participants active in the chat box and on mic.

Reflections on the Programme

The team is aware that building an online community can be challenging, particularly when participants have not already met each other and bonded. The team felt lucky to be catching everyone at the start of lockdown, when online meetings were still a novelty. However, they noticed that it can be tiring to sit in a webinar and encouraged participants to get away from screens wherever possible.

Follow-up and Future Plans

The planning continues, with four more taught days to re-design. The team worries about workload for participants and keeps in touch with Advance HE. They still have a lot of meetings online to discuss next steps, with a mantra that revolves around going back to the Learning Outcomes, thinking about student and teacher presence, and keeping it simple.