Summary of the discussion from E&PDE21 workshop on: Transition to Online: What Have We Learnt?

Following the E&PDE21 workshop on: Transition to Online: What Have We Learnt?, the challenges and examples of good practices in online education were shared and captured. 

Challenges identified: 

• Students reluctant to turn cameras on
• Digital Break out rooms are difficult to manage – You don’t get a good sense of student discussions – You might feel you are interrupting
• Early prototyping was greatly reduced
• Introverted students feel alienated
• Opportunistic interactions happen less
• First year students don’t build up a bond with each other and the staff. 
• Group think become prevalent
• Sharing design work becomes difficult
• Difficult to study at home – shared accommodation
• Lack of spontaneity because of overthinking
• The computer screen feels 2D and there is a lack of 3D thinking
• Difficult to get a sense of student wellbeing
• Team building is difficult 
• 1-2-1 discussions with students are heavily time constrained. 
• Hard to measure engagement
• Content needs rethought for online
• Online behavior can be less formal and more a kin to social media
• Screen fatigue
• The “human centered” element can get lost as part of the design process

Key challenges

• Opportunistic interactions happen less
• The computer screen feels 2D and there is a lack of 3D thinking
• Difficult to study at home – shared accommodation
   

Solutions to key challenges:

• “Fika Room” where students can drop-in
• Using novel technology such as Gathertown/slack/discord for a virtual university.
• Plan opportunities for spontaneity
• Using alternative materials to encourage early prototypes e.g. Play-Doh
• Change thinking of model making as a proof of concept and not an end goal
• Dedicating time to activates that students skip in a virtual environment
• Quick Hackathon type activates using £1 store materials
• Using AR/VR (still very expensive)
• Adapt public places to support teaching – Physical spaces for online learning. 
• More time at home = Productivity and more screen time. Designing value adding activates away from the screen. 
• Designing different types of activates. Eyes closed learning? 
• Learning on mobile
• Using Social media to create a sense of community
• Using meditation to alleviate stress
• Using novel technologies for peer-to-peer feedback
• Send students on a “walkabout activity” to observe and learn