Why digital? Three instructors share their experiences
Digital teaching continues to transform education in our fast-paced, connected world. Institutions that leverage digital capabilities effectively will reap huge benefits by attracting and retaining today’s tech-savvy students.
The role of the course instructor is key when it comes to the successful implementation of digital learning platforms. They must ensure that the tools available produce the best outcomes, both for themselves as teachers and for their students as learners.
We asked three instructors to share their experiences of using digital learning platforms as an integral part of their courses. Here’s a look of some of the benefits they reported and their advice for other instructors:
Ease of use
Digital learning platforms have become increasingly user-friendly, adaptive and intuitive as the technology that supports them has evolved. Dr Steffen Saxil who teaches marketing at Cphbusiness values the ‘easy set up’ and ‘versality of different approaches to learning’ on the McGraw-Hill Education Connect platform. Ali Abdullah, who lectures in Spanish at Community College of Qatar, is impressed by the way digital teaching allows him to ‘plan and maintain a course that is well organised’. Once instructors become adept at using the technology, course preparation becomes quicker and more streamlined.
Enhancing classroom learning
According to Bo van der Rhee, who teaches Business Statistics at Nyenrode Business University, ‘a digital learning platform allows for much more efficient use of precious class time’. Online preparation and evaluation complement offline learning by creating the space for a more focused, tailored approach in the classroom. He says that his students see the classroom as somewhere they can ‘define success and decide how to achieve it’. Clarity and understanding are key and Bo engages students at the beginning of each new academic year by clearly demonstrating how to navigate the digital functions of the course.
Monitoring student’s performance
Digital learning platforms allow instructors to carefully monitor and control the progress of each individual student. Steffen Saxil values the transparency entering the classroom ‘knowing exactly who are prepared, what were their difficulties and what are their understanding of the subject’. This detailed knowledge ultimately enhances student performance by allowing instructors to tailor their teaching to specific student needs.
Addressing areas of difficulty
Bo uses Connect to identify homework questions that a high percentage of the class have struggled with. ‘If any questions score below a 60% on average, I work it out step-by-step and post it on our Learning Management System and/or show it in class. Students really appreciate this focused extra help’. Access to these detailed insights and analytics helps instructors to continually revaluate and improve their teaching methods, collaborate more effectively with students and focus their teaching attention on the areas where extra support is needed.
Student engagement
As digital natives with high-expectations for their learning experience, students both value and expect a rich digital experience as part of their course. They appreciate the interactivity, instant feedback, improved outcomes and focused support that digital learning platforms offer. As Bo attests, his students don’t have to use McGraw-Hill Education Connect but ‘almost all of them do (typically 95% or more), as it really helps them understand the materials’. He goes on to say that ‘at the end of each class I do check the Online Engagement Indicator, as this always shows a very strong correlation with the Final Exam grades!’ Proof if proof were needed that Digital Learning Platforms get results.
Steffen Saxil has the final word saying that ‘it is paramount that we as lecturers move on from our decades (or even centuries) old vision of the textbook as the point of departure for setting up a course’. As Steffen, Bo and Ali have shown, the digital opportunities of learning are vast, offering instructors exciting and effective new ways to engage with materials and with students.
