Education: Innovative Approaches to Online Learning and Assessment with Dr. Rose Babaee

In this episode, we explore transformative innovations in online learning and assessment that bring uniqueness and attractiveness to online education in higher ed. Over the past decade, technology has significantly reshaped teaching, moving beyond traditional methods to create more dynamic and engaging learning environments.

Dr. Rose Babaee from UCLA, with over ten years of experience in higher education in Australia and the USA, shares her insights into these changes.

We discuss how online learning has evolved to meet the needs of today’s students, emphasising the importance of creating high quality engaging and community-driven learning experiences. The conversation also highlights new approaches to assessment that focus on the learning process, ensuring that students are better prepared for the future of work.

For more information about designing effective assessments, check out Rose’s work at this link: https://roseebabaee.my.canva.site/rosebabaee.

Transcript

Ellie Manzari: Hello, and welcome to the Technology and Learning podcast series! I'm Ellie, a member  of the AARE Technology and Learning Special Interest Group, and I'm excited to have you with us today. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of online learning has become more evident than ever. It not only allowed education to continue during unprecedented times but also accelerated innovations and new approaches in teaching and learning. 

Today, we're exploring how these changes are shaping the future of education. In this episode, we’re delighted to have Dr. Rose Babaee join us from UCLA. Rose has over a decade of extensive work experience in higher education in Australia and the USA. She'll be sharing her insights on the evolving framework of online learning and how innovations are transforming the way we teach and learn. Rose, it’s a pleasure to have you here! 

Rose: Thank you so much, Ellie. Thanks for having me, and I'm so excited to be here.

Ellie Manzari: Online learning has evolved rapidly in recent years. Rose can you tell us, what are some of the most impactful innovations you've seen in this space, and how are they changing the way students learn?

Rose: Yes, I do agree with you that over the past decade, especially after pandemic, after covid, the way that we as educational designers, as educators, and as those who are responsible for quality of teaching and learning in the higher education sector, the way that we define online learning has changed tremendously, and also the way that students approach and perceive online learning spaces and online learning landscape has drastically changed.

Nowadays we know that students have this customer centric mindset. They demand quality. they want to enjoy. They want to be very confident. They want to have a sense of community when they're experiencing online learning. And these are all the changes that this landscape is experiencing, and also with the advent of technologies, for example, the emergence of AI, tremendous changes are even coming.

And in terms of innovation in the online space, I can tell that, for example, one of my experiences is that for one of the online programs that we had, we created an online community of practice for all of the students that were involved in studying a program so that they have exposure to different facilitators and teaching staff, to their peers and also to industry experts that were part of this community. So, when we're talking about an online environment, we talk about that kind of experience and that kind of engagement. 

Another innovation that I can bring up is an example from a course that I designed in MBA. We created a course in the Carousel model, which is block model short courses. The whole course was 6 weeks, and what we did, and when we completed the build, my academic and I sat together and we had some brainstorming, and we created a digital story based on all of the content that we created, the tasks and associated tasks that were designed so that students could see all of the input and the academic expertise. Research informed practices within the course, in the shape and form of a story. And then we ask the students to review the story, and as a follow up task, we ask them to find out which part of the story resonates with them, with their personal life, with their professional experience, with the content that is studied. And we ask them to create their own story. So the thing is that 1st we modelled this practice, and then we asked the students to get involved and share their story, and they received feedback on their stories. 

And in order to create the first draft, the preliminary draft that we designed with the academic, we used AI, and it was a very new experience for both of us. And then we advertised this. We were honest with the students, and we told them that they can start using AI as well, because I think it is unethical to not to teach students how to use AI because future employers demand employees who know how to use AI.

Another example that I can bring up in terms of innovation is the use of multimedia. For example we expose the students to some assimilative tasks that might include video, audio, text, some content in online courses. One innovation that we applied was the use of podcasts and instead of walls of long walls of text for students, at the beginning of each module, we started with a podcast and then associated activities. 

It is also valuable to invite guest lecturers and guest speakers to webinar sessions. But the challenge is that sometimes they might go off topic. And these videos can be reused. And also it's a much more controlled environment. The experts bringing their experience to the studio can focus on topics that are related to students learning outcomes, that are linked to the assessment, that are linked to the activities in the classroom. So we make sure that constructive alignment is applied which is one of the standards that we want to see. 

Ellie Manzari: Thank you for those insights, Rose.Given the rise of technology in education, how do you think assessment design should evolve to ensure academic integrity while still taking full advantage of these technological advancements?

Rose: This is a great question, because I believe that assessments derive a student's learning. They shape and form a student's learning, and it's one element of learning which is always very important to them.

In my Phd I investigated why a number of students were more successful than others in a technology learning. And my research results indicated that students perception of assessment, clarity of goals, quality of teaching and appropriateness of workload played a key factor in adopting a deep approach to learning or a surface approach to learning. And we know that a deep approach to learning is associated with higher learning outcomes. So again, students, perception of assessment is very important.

Another element to measure success, is constructive alignment, and making sure that the assessments that are designed are linked to the learning outcomes of the course program, learning activities involving, the content that is designed and is available to students.

And the second factor is continuity or formative assessment design. We know that we have different types of assessment diagnostics, summative, formative assessment. But these days, focus on the process of a student's learning and providing them with constructive, insightful feedback along the way and creating a feedback loop for them, so that, apart from, you know, giving them insight about the areas of weakness we give them feed forward.  Explicitly what can you do to improve that piece of assessment that you just provided? 

Another element are motivating sustainable practical assessments that are authentic. We have to make assessments authentic, that authentic that the students do not want to cheat.  Industry relevance makes our students more employable, and they prepare students for the future of work. So, implementing all these standards, ensure that assessments drive a student's learning as they supposed to.

Ellie Manzari: So considering everything we've discussed about maintaining academic integrity and evolving assessment practices. I'm very curious. What are some innovative approaches to online assessments that move beyond traditional methods? How can these approaches provide a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of student learning?

Rose: Yes, I think traditional methods of assessment were focused on the final product. But nowadays, I think, especially with the emergence of A.I. and considering academic honesty and resolving those issues around academic dishonesty. I think one solution can be focused on the process of a student's learning rather than the final product. E portfolios are the tool that has been around for a while. I advocate for them, and I think that these are suitcases that can students can develop and then take to with them for the future prospective employers.

Another innovation in terms of assessment design is co-design of assessments with the students. So that, like at the beginning of this session, we talked about how our students' demands have evolved and changed. I think this in this approach, we can be responsive to those kind of changes when we hear from students what they see, how they perceive assessment, and how they can demonstrate that they have achieved the learning outcomes in the courses. 

Another strategy which is proposed by Eddie Watson in the book of teaching with AI that just came out. Said that give students 48 hours of extension without any questions, so that we make sure students are not under pressure, so they don't want to cheat. I think strategies like that might be very helpful for both teachers and educators, and also students.

Ellie Manzari: That's great! For the last question. Do you have any recommendations or suggestions, or what strategies you could recommend for educators to uphold academic integrity, while still embracing these powerful tools? 

Rose: To answer that question, I think we need to consider the big picture. What do students need? Why do they cheat? And also what are their demands and how we can be responsive to those demands? I think, helping and empowering students and improving students learnability and teaching both hidden and explicit curriculum at the same time, is the key.

Ellie Manzari: Thank you so much Rose, for sharing your valuable insights with us today. It’s been a fascinating discussion on the future of online learning and the innovative ways we can enhance education in the digital age. 

To our listeners, we hope you found this conversation as enlightening as we did. Be sure to tune in to our next episode, where we’ll be exploring the latest trends and challenges in digital technology and education. Thanks for listening. And thank you very much. Again rose.

 Rose: Thank you, Ellie.

Ellie Manzari: Bye, for now.