University Committee on Teaching and Learning

Q: What is Blended Learning?

A: The University of Aberdeen Blended Learning approach is a combination of on-campus teaching and learning, and online delivery. Our approach ensures that our students will have all the usual levels of support – whether they are studying on-campus or learning online initially. The specific learning and teaching experience will vary by discipline but we expect all courses to offer students the opportunity to actively engage in the learning process through a variety of approaches that foster a sense of student community and clearly demonstrate the learning pathways.

Q: How to we deliver the equivalent Will I be expected to provide the same number of contact hours of teaching per courses as I would under normal circumstances?

A: It is the achievement of the learning outcomes that is essential for the award of credit. We appreciate that there will likely be adjustments to the way in which your contact teaching is provided, the course schedule, or the type of classes as appropriate to the individual course. Learning outcomes must normally be fully achievable and able to be assessed through fully online delivery; where this is not possible, and a compulsory element of a course, Schools will provide opportunities for students to experience missed elements at a later stage.

Q: Are students expected to be in Aberdeen? What if they can’t travel due to country-specific restrictions or don’t want to for other reasons?

A: It is important that we prepare for all our students to be able to start or continue their studies in September regardless of their circumstances. As such we will work to support the teaching and learning of all our students and, for those who start studies in September online and then join us on-campus at a later date, we must do what we can to make this as seamless a transition as possible. While we hope students will be able to come onto campus, all first half session courses should be able to be completed fully online.

Q: Will there be a point in the academic year 2020/21 when we are require students to be on-campus?

A: Not at present. The health, safety and wellbeing of our students and staff is our primary concerns and has been the most important aspect of our planning for the new term and, of course, that planning is ongoing as the situation continues to evolve. While we hope students will be able to come onto campus, all first half session courses should be able to be completed fully online.

Q: What safety measures will be in place for on-campus activity?

A: Health, safety and wellbeing is the most important aspect of the planning that is taking place. We will be following national guidance, for our Aberdeen and Qatar campuses, to ensure the measures we put in place support us to keep our community safe. Further information will be provided as we develop the detailed guidance for a safe return to campus.

Q: What will students be able to do on-campus if they are able to travel to Aberdeen or Qatar?

A: In line with government advice to ensure we put in place measures to address physical distancing and any other requirements to support the health and safety of our staff and student community we expect students to have access to a range of teaching, learning and social experiences including:

• practical learning such as clinical, laboratory-based, or performance
• small group sessions with lecturers such as seminars and tutorials
• small group study sessions organised by staff
• access to the library print collections
• access to study spaces and PC rooms
• Aberdeen University Students’ Association activities
• In-person access to our University services (e.g. Employability and Careers)
• Outdoor activities so that students can remain active and socialise safely

This will continue to be expanded, in-line with Government advice.

Q: What support will students be able to access on-campus and on-line?

A: Students will be able to access all the support services that the university offers whether you are studying on-campus or studying online.

Q: Will I be expected to deliver on-campus lectures?

A:  No. There will be no in-person lectures on campus in the first half-session.  Lecture material should normally be available online asynchronously and be recorded. Guidance on how to adapt lectures for blended learning is available at https://www.abdn.ac.uk/staffnet/teaching/design-10827.php and https://www.abdn.ac.uk/staffnet/teaching/teaching-10727.php

Q: Will I be expected to deliver on-campus and/or online tutorials or seminars?

A: Yes. Small group on-campus timetabled sessions should be provided in line with national guidance and University guidance when this becomes available. Small group online sessions should be delivered for those unable to come to campus. Guidance on how to adapt small group sessions for blended learning is available at https://www.abdn.ac.uk/staffnet/teaching/design-10827.php and https://www.abdn.ac.uk/staffnet/teaching/teaching-10727.php.

Q: What are the fundamentals that must be covered within course design for Blended Learning?

A: First half-session courses should be ready for delivery by 14 September. Course design should adhere to our key principles for Blended Learning delivery available at https://www.abdn.ac.uk/staffnet/teaching/blended-learning.php

Q: What teaching sessions will be recorded? What if I need to discuss issues of a sensitive nature that were previously excluded from the Lecture Capture Policy? Will they continue to be excluded?

A: Lecture material should normally be available online asynchronously and be recorded. Recording of on-campus or online small group discussions is not a requirement but could be helpful in relevant circumstance and it is likely that discussion boards and other interactive activities will support students to engage in the debates across the wider student group.

Q: Will I be expected to be available to students outwith the ‘normal’ working day for students studying remotely in different time zones?

A: A Timetabling workstream has been set up as part of BLITFG. Principles for timetabling will be consulted on. Once further details are available, this response will be updated.

Q: How will I, and my students, able to access the library if the campus is open?

A: Access to the Library’s physical collections will be made available when it is permitted to do so under government guidelines and in line with wider University arrangements for reopening campus facilities. In the meantime, the Library’s staff will be available to support students and staff online and everyone will have access to all of our digital resources.

Q: How will my students be able to access the library if they have to study online to begin with?

A: The Library provides a very large number of books, journals and other resources in digital form and these will be available to students online. Advice, support and training will also be provided by Library and IT staff to ensure that students can use our library services effectively. Library staff are available to answer questions at library@abdn.ac.uk

Q: What IT equipment can I assume my students, who are studying remotely, will have access to?   What happens if I need to include specialist software or programmes?

A: Guidance around IT requirements for learning is being developed and will be made available soon. This will include information about equipment and internet access. These requirements are likely to be discipline specific. Where there are particular circumstances that mean your students cannot access the required equipment and internet access, please let infohub@abdn.ac.uk know and the university will do all that it can to support them to gain access.

Q: Do I have to use Panopto to record my lectures/tutorials/seminars?

A: Panopto is the recommended institutional solution for recording lectures as it gives staff and students the greatest flexibility and benefit when recording a recorded lecture. However, IT Services and CAD (eLearning) can provide links to resources for recording a lecture in other institutional applications. The recorded lecture should then be uploaded to Panopto in order to stream it, rather than uploading it to MyAberdeen directly.

Q: How will attendance be monitored? Will there be the same expectations as usual for on-campus and online students?

A: Expectations will be different and a piece of work is currently being undertaken through BLITFG. The response to this question will be updated when more information is available.

Q: Will online students and on-campus students be able to interact in an academic setting? How can I support my students to do so?

A: All courses should provide timetabled synchronous opportunities for peer to peer engagement and engagement with academic staff. These opportunities can be part of the assessed course (e.g. tutorials) or additional non-assessed activities. Guidance on how on engaging students in a blended learning environment is available at https://www.abdn.ac.uk/staffnet/teaching/engage-10829.php and https://www.abdn.ac.uk/staffnet/teaching/social-10722.php.

We are committed to delivering as much hands-on, practical, skills-based work as possible, however, the health and safety of our staff and students is the most important consideration as we reflect on our approach to the delivery of practicals. We aim to deliver as much practical work as is safe to do so, but this will be developed in line with wider health and safety guidance in the context of covid-19. The Practical Learning workstream is due to complete its work in June and will feed into the Guidance for Blended Learning at that point. These FAQs will be updated once the information is available.

Q: I deliver laboratory-based teaching as part of my course. Can this happen as part of the on-campus delivery from September? How can I deliver this to students studying remotely?

A: It is hoped that practical laboratory sessions will be able to take place on campus subject to government guidance however safety constraints may mean the scale of these will be reduced and may need to be focused on training in practical skills and techniques. Online teaching should be as comprehensive as possible, including where possible demonstrations of practical methods and student activities focused on data analysis and interpretation rather than data collection and practical skills.

Q: I deliver a field trip as part of my course. What will happen to this activity?

A: Physically distanced outdoors working is possible. However, there are challenges to be overcome with transport, and with accommodation arrangements for residential trips. For both of these we are reliant on independent providers who are experiencing difficulties of their own. Thus, it may be necessary to schedule trips at different times of the year, or change their duration, or delay some until second semester.

In some cases, you may choose to replace fieldwork with “virtual” alternatives that will cover many of the learning outcomes until such time as an outdoor trip is possible.

Q: I must organise school placements as part of my course Can this happen as part of the on-campus delivery from September? How can I deliver this to students studying remotely?

A: School placements which are a course requirement, will take place in line with guidance from the General Teaching Council Scotland (GTCS), following the placement setting requirements of social distancing.

Q: I deliver computer-based practicals as part of my course. What will happen with these?

A: The safety constraints of on-campus working likely will mean we are not able immediately to run the normal programme of computer classes.  We anticipate you will deliver computer-based practicals through online tools in the first instance however, where and when it is possible, we hope you will be able to provide on-campus teaching sessions in small groups.

Q: Can lab-based research projects for final year and PG students go ahead?

A: At this point it is unclear what laboratory work will be possible for final year projects in the new academic year. We recommend that staff develop desk-based alternatives, supported by online supervisory meetings, for students who are unable to be on-campus during the project period.

Q: Can field-based research projects be planned this year?

A: At this point it is unclear what field work will be possible in the new academic year. If field-based projects prove not to be possible, we recommend that staff develop desk-based alternatives supported via online supervisory meetings.

Q: I deliver clinical skills-based teaching as part of my course. Can this happen as part of the on-campus delivery from September? How can I deliver this to students studying remotely?

A: Decisions around placements will be guided by national guidance and health & safety requirements from the NHS and partners. Clinical placements and clinical activity will be restructured to reflect this and to ensure that students can demonstrate that they the required learning outcomes for their chosen healthcare profession. We will use online delivery for clinical skills learning where appropriate and facilitate clinical skills teaching with physical distancing where that is appropriate. It may be that some of your teaching is rescheduled to later in the academic year than normal, but all students must be given opportunities for all core learning.

Q: Individual and group student performance is integral to my course delivery. What guidance is available to support me in supporting my students both those who will study on-campus and online?

The Practical Learning workstream is due to complete its work in June and will feed into the Guidance for Blended Learning at that point. These FAQs will be updated once the information is available.

Q: Will there be a 2 -week examination diet in December as usual? If alternative assessment is anticipated, will this be centrally timetabled?

A: We will be unable to hold formal examinations due to the constraints of physical distancing and so the whole of the first half -session can be used to cover teaching and assessments. Examinations should be replaced with alternative assessment wherever possible. Where there is no alternative to timed exams (e.g. for PSRB requirements) these exams must normally be accessible to students for at least 48 hours. Guidance on adapting assessments for blended learning is available at https://www.abdn.ac.uk/staffnet/teaching/assess-10830.php.

Q: I am shielding on medical advice – will I have to deliver on-campus sessions to students?

A: Where a member of staff for health reasons is unable to come back on to campus, they will not be required to do so. Staff who are shielding should make their Line Managers aware if they have not already done so.

Q: What considerations are there to support staff who have disabilities / caring responsibilities / other Covid-19 related additional workloads to cope with the extra load Blended Learning will bring?

A: Staff with concerns and responsibilities of this nature should discuss the situation with their Line Managers in the first instance. The Principles and Guidance for Blended Learning website (https://www.abdn.ac.uk/staffnet/teaching/blended-learning.php) includes a toolkit for the development of blended delivery. In addition, the Centre for Academic Development is supporting staff in moving teaching to a blended mode of delivery; details are available at   https://www.abdn.ac.uk/staffnet/teaching/educational-development-1583.php.

Q: What support is available to staff to help them prepare for a blended learning approach?

A: The Principles and Guidance for Blended Learning website (https://www.abdn.ac.uk/staffnet/teaching/blended-learning.php) has been developed to support staff preparations and includes a toolkit for the development of blended delivery. In addition, the Centre for Academic Development is supporting staff in moving teaching to a blended mode of delivery; details are available at https://www.abdn.ac.uk/staffnet/teaching/educational-development-1583.php.

Q: What support is available to help me prepare ensure my online delivery and assessment takes account of accessibility and inclusivity?

A: The Principles and Guidance for Blended Learning website provides specific guidance on accessibility and inclusivity in course design at https://www.abdn.ac.uk/staffnet/teaching/inclusivity-accessibility-10852.php. Further information about creating accessible content is available on Toolkit at https://www.abdn.ac.uk/toolkit/skills/accessibility-for-authorscreators.

Q: Will the adoption of software that facilitates online assessment tools, possibly some using new technologies, be prioritised as a necessity to the Blended learning process?

A: The Centre for Academic Development is working with Schools to support the move to Blended Learning and can advise colleagues on tools to support online assessment. Please contact elearning@abdn.ac.uk.