Reflecting on past experiences of the transition to distance and online teaching and learning provides an opportunity to pause amidst the crisis and chaos to assist in giving new meaning for the future ahead. Being able to lead not from a space of crisis and chaos through the use of reflection and understanding our lived and shared experiences, can result in resourcefulness and growth. The third and final Virtual Symposium series event focused on 1) making sense of the mass transition to distance/online learning modalities and future directions and 2) showcasing instances of reintegrating practices at various institutional levels. Keynote speakers, John Baker, Dr. Pascale Blanc and Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd shared ideas, practices, and transformations from the first two events along with current forward-looking research. These final sessions focused on offering insights into the potential future of teaching and learning.

Pre-Symposium Survey: Main Themes

Participants reflected on their teaching experiences in the last year and listed three tools, strategies, and/or practices they would keep, as part of the first question of the final pre-symposium survey. Participants reported the following tools as those they would keep: polls, Kahoot, quizzes, lecture tools, Q&A tools, videos, class recording, eClass, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams. Strategies and practices they would keep included screen sharing, asking students to have their cameras on, student consultations, weekly evaluations, take-home examinations, group work, in-class problem-solving group sessions, case scenarios/case studies, flipped classroom design and implementing Indigenous approaches to aide in the facilitation of learning. The second question of the final pre-symposium survey inquired about instructional practices participants would change or improve in their own teaching context going forward. Two key themes emerged: 1) increasing student interest and engagement (practical applications); and 2) altering online platform options to better meet educational needs.

Session 1

Like the first two events, this first session commenced with welcoming remarks and provided an overview of the day’s theme and results from the pre-symposium survey. John Baker, the founder of Desire2Learn (D2L) and the first keynote speaker, covered the rest of the session. He provided his insights on transformations in educational technology, the future of distance and online learning, the ever-evolving nature of technology, how to ensure that all students continue to be supported in their learning and how technology can break down geographical barriers, increase flexibility for students, and optimize the learning experience for all students. Key themes and takeaways include the needs for personalized education to support and better meet students’ individual educational goals and needs, through ways like decreasing geographical barriers and increasing flexibility and optimizing the learning experience.

Session 2: Keynote Speaker Dr. Pascale Blanc

Dr. Pascale Blanc served as the keynote speaker for this session and presented on E-Learning: Opportunities, Benefits, and a Lever for the Digital Transformation of Higher Education.

Dr. Blanc discussed how the use of the Internet, educational technologies and digital educational resources to support learning as means to address institutional closures during the COVID-19 pandemic was still limited in higher education teaching strategies, as demonstrated by the exclusive use of videoconferencing education. She explored changing the paradigm and developing learner-centered approach, including incorporating experiential learning strategies. Dr. Blanc reviewed practices and research of the uses and benefits of e-learning. Her presentation delved into ways to support the implementation of digital e-learning approaches and their potential for educational transformation. She highlighted the importance of institutional support. That is, this would not occur without total support of institutions’ management and technical teams in support of instructors’ “pedagogical approaches with the support of technologies.” Dr. Blanc’s session highlights the importance of collaboration, student-centered learning, experiential and peer learning approaches and supporting teachers and administrators in the post-pandemic digital transformation and pedagogical shift.

About Dr. Pascale Blanc

Session 3

This session centered around learning about the University of Ottawa’s Community Service Learning (CSL) program and how it has transitioned during the pandemic. Speakers provided course-based real-life examples of how students and employers have collaborated and supported one another during the pandemic, while also envisioning the future of CSL. A suggestion arose: virtual placements will continue to expand not only in number, but in geographical and international partnerships to harness even greater opportunities for more strategic client-consultant projects to benefit everyone involved. Participants were given the opportunity to ask questions to further the discussion. Key themes and takeaways include increasing local and international partnerships, decreasing barriers and increasing flexibility for students and building student competencies through increased opportunities.

Session 4

A panel of four guest senior administrators from different academic institutions guided this session. They addressed the topic of Lessons Learned and Transformations for the Future, which included delving into educational changes within their respective institution over the last year and how these changes will inform future teaching and learning. Participants were given the opportunity to ask questions, discussed and shared their experiences. The key themes that emerged include 1) the caveats to offering fully online courses, which include time differences for international students, difficulties with technology, emotional fatigue for students and instructors, and inclusivity; offering the best academic experiences possible which include the implementation of offering all student services through remote delivery too; and pivoting post-secondary education to a hybrid format as a “new normal.”

Session 5: Keynote Speaker Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd

Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd served as the keynote speaker during this session and delivered a presentation titled The Challenge of Shifting to a New Paradigm for Learning.

Dr. Murgatroyd highlighted how both learners and instructors globally had to adapt to new ways of learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, but not everyone adapted the same, however. While some created exceptional teaching and learning environments, others merely “limped through” and others failed to adapt to the technology enabled learning. These experiences revealed a limited understanding of pedagogy or the potential of engaged, peer to peer and constructivist learning models and approaches. In his words, “we don’t just teach, we provide meaning and purpose.” Dr. Murgatroyd provided insights into possibilities, highlighted the need to rethink learning and to re-examine assumptions about assessment. One suggestion includes the onset of using course teams and connecting instructors to those who have been teaching in the online environment for years to fast track some ways of working. Other themes and takeaways include having authentic assessment in online courses, the importance of collaboration (i.e., team course design), peer-based learning, stackable skills, individualized learning, and increasing students’ digital competencies.

About Dr. Stephen Murgatroyd

For more information, see http://stephenmurgatroyd.me/

Session 6

The final session tied the ideas, practices and themes that emerged throughout the day and highlighted the direction of scholarship emerging from this three-part symposium series. Participants shared their lived experiences during the last year with the transition to online and distance learning and the transformations that have occurred.

Participants’ Reflections

Students as Partners: Reflecting on Attitudes towards Learning during Covid-19 from the Viewpoint of Students and Faculty

Eileen O’Connor, Niloofar Nikoobin, Precious Ndukauba, Kai Zhang, Kolsoum Heidari, Mahsa Hadidi

University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario

During the stimulating three-part Transformation Symposium held at uOttawa in 2020-2021, one of the critical messages from keynote speakers was to try and identify opportunities in each challenge. Certainly, challenges abound in the Winter and Spring of 2020 – urgent care and precautions to safeguard our health and well-being, and those under our care, as well as transitioning to new ways of teaching, supervising, and doing research. This also involved time invested in training to quickly learn ed tech platforms used in our transition to online learning. The opportunities were clear – find ways to support your family, your students, and yourself during unsettling times. Try new ways to engage, stimulate, and provide emotional support to students during this pivot away from our traditional way of in-person teaching, discussions, and final exams. Receiving ongoing student feedback was critical to develop and assess new approaches to engage with the course curriculum, and to recognize the diverse ways students needed support. From their cues, some of the ways I met these challenges were to create online research activities for students and ask them to share findings through video presentations; develop alternate assignments to develop digital research skills and learning assessment; and hold small, weekly virtual discussion groups to check-in with students in a large, undergraduate class. In many ways, students and faculty needed to adapt together. I found greater ease when our focus was on the potential to try new approaches to learning during this pivot to online classes. In the following paragraphs, six graduate students in our PhD program share their reflections on the pivot to online learning.

Niloofar Nikoobin

For the most part of my life, I had made up my mind to do the best of my ability to “be present”. During Covid-19 and the shift to online learning, I have missed a lot. The smell of the new books, the sound of the keyboards, raising hands, and the resonance of long discussions. But I have gained even more. I sit and share my deepest ideas with classmates who are physically far away. I felt the warmth of the smiles through still screens. My mentors and supporters are always one email away. Now it always seems to me “being present” has changed. After all, we cannot stay silent in a world full of echoes.

Precious Ndukauba

As an international student from Nigeria studying in Turkey, Covid-19 impacted travel plans. So, I took a second master’s degree in hotel management to keep myself busy, and the classes were online. I found the online courses were very effective and suited my learning style. I was able to speak fluently without being shy. The shift to online courses also made me flexible and resourceful in finding resources online, i.e., digital journal articles, and for making contact and having virtual meetings with scholars. These are strategies and skills I will carry with me during my doctoral studies at the University of Ottawa.

Kai Zhang

I find the on-campus academic atmosphere to be helpful to my concentration on work tasks. However, during online learning, especially studying at home, it is not easy to keep self-disciplined. Also, it is tough to communicate or discuss with classmates after class, which hinders the chances of making friends. Nonetheless, online learning has some of its own advantages, which allows for flexibility in my daily schedule. Also, we have needed to learn new technologies related to online work. I feel this could enhance our readiness to be open to learning new formats of communication and training that could be effective in our careers and life. With this, attitudes toward online learning shifts from resistance to acceptance.

Kolsoum Heidari

Attending university is always full of unique opportunities to interact closely with professors and other students, which facilitates learning. A challenge of online learning is not seeing professors and other students, as well as being unfamiliar with the online environment. Holding training classes on the use of virtual software and meeting with staff and faculty can be useful. As I was using virtual software before March 2020, I was able to adapt quickly, which was very useful and saved me a lot of time.

Mahsa Hadidi

Adapting to our current way of studying online, and learning behind the screen in a self-isolated setting was not something that I looked forward to in my graduate studies. Nonetheless, I tried to use this pivot as an opportunity to expand my knowledge. Participating in training sessions at my home university, and current university in Canada, allowed me to become more familiar with technology and to adapt. I can now see positive aspects, such as learning in the comfort of my home while still connecting to peers, colleagues and professors when we discuss current research and theories.

About the Authors

Dr. Eileen O’Connor, Niloofar Nikoobin, Precious Ndukauba, Kai Zhang, Kolsoum Heidari, Mahsa Hadidi

Dr. Eileen O’Connor held a TLSS Chair in University Teaching (2017-2020) and is Associate Professor in the School of Human Kinetics at uOttawa. International PhD students Niloofar Nikobin, Precious Ndukauba, Kai Zhang, Kolsoum Heidari, and Mahsa Hadidi are in their second year of the PhD program in Human Kinetics at uOttawa.