Online Teaching Can Be Fun …

On our MSc programme, we have naturally taught in a distance way, and have always tried to supported on-line methods (we have been recorded lectures for years and putting them on YouTube). Our modules are all open source, running from GitHub, YouTube, Repl.it and Slack [here]:

But this semester we have gone full-tilt for on-line learning. What we want is for everything to have the same interaction, and to have a bit of fun and interest. And it’s not just the student who should have a bit of fun, it should be fun for the teachers. At the end of the lecture, each week, we always move to a Mentimeter test that challenges students for all the important things learnt in the lecture:

From the feedback, it’s always an enjoyable part of the lecture for students, and I love the buzz from it. So, today, I tried a bit of whiteboard, and while I taught some RSA and public-key encryption, the students doodled around the topic on a shared whiteboard. And, I must admit the results are so cool. In this one, we have an evil looking doctor Trent: