058-062: Virtual Reality (Reflections in Teaching)

058-062: Virtual Reality (Reflections in Teaching)

058: In this first episode of a 5-part series reflecting on a year of virtual teaching and learning, Diana describes her approach to having ‘serious fun’ in the classroom. Based on principles of play and experimentation, Diana asks: what if trusting your audience by opening up to the group is the secret ingredient that will allow for connection in meaningful ways? From improv to gifs and puns (oh my!) Diana has given herself a gift: permission to be vulnerable and show up in front of hundreds of students as her true self. Let’s have some serious fun.

059: This episode features Nat Lumby, Jay Wong and Chris Ambedkar who all teach in the same undergraduate program as Diana... and they all happen to be award winning university lecturers! Four colleagues and friends reflect on a year of virtual teaching, including what worked really well, what surprised them (for better or for worse) and what the future of virtual education might look like. You’ll hear the words ‘flexibility’, ‘community-building’ and ‘balance’ a number of times. You’ll also hear their thoughts on breakout rooms, their video conferencing software feature wish list, as well as how ‘edutainment’ has a bad rap and why that needs to change.

060: This episode features Psychological Science graduate student Daryll Wilson, whose research is focused on teaching and learning. In this conversation, Daryll addresses some of the challenges he’s faced while learning online and he provides ways that instructors can help students by offering flexibility; both in how and when students work through course content, as well as with flexible deadlines. Furthermore, Daryll sheds light on his research about incorporating ‘consolidation pauses’ during lectures and why this is a promising strategy to improve the student experience.

061: The debate around whether or not participants should be encouraged to keep their cameras on during virtual synchronous interactions is a hotly-debated topic. This episode features three reasons why instructors may choose to make their next classroom interaction ‘cameras optional’ or even encourage a ‘cameras off’ environment. Rooted in Universal Design for Learning (UDL), these reasons include levelling the playing field among students to encourage inclusion, removing unnecessary distractions, and encouraging participants to tap into their unique learning styles.

062: This episode features Dr. Maha Bali, Associate Professor of Practice at the Center for Learning and Teaching at the American University in Cairo. In this final episode in the Virtual Reality podcast mini-series, Dr. Bali underscores the need for equality in virtual classrooms, designing for flexibility and taking the time to determine why and how we assess student learning. If you’re an educator interested in creating a more equitable, meaningful and just world inside of your classroom so that it can be modelled by students once they’re outside of your classroom, this episode is for you.