Abstract:

The horseless carriage syndrome refers to the tendency for people to use new technology in very similar ways to the previous technology. The name derives from the fact that not only did the first cars look like horse drawn carriages, some even had buggy whip holders even though there was now no need for buggy whips.
There are many other historical examples of the syndrome. For example, the first few hundred movie pictures were films of stage plays shot from a fixed position in the fourth row. Early television newsreaders acted in a very similar fashion to radio reporters reading from scripts without looking to camera.

The move to online learning has provided opportunity for ‘pedagogical re-engineering’. That is, for teachers to reflect on the way they teach and perhaps adopt improved techniques. Before COVID-19 online teaching was often (but not always) conducted by those who had an interest in it. On the other hand, the pandemic brought about a rapid transition to online teaching whether the teacher was enthusiastic or not. Some gave up for obvious reasons, such as difficulties dealing with the technology. Others were lost for less obvious reasons, such as not liking the sound of their voice in video conferencing.

In my role, I was able to observe many online classes. I found that some teachers embraced the new technology and came up with, or at least adopted, innovative and engaging methods of teaching online. However, there were also others who fell victim to the horseless carriage syndrome. Chalk and talk lectures are difficult to engage with in a face-to-face environment. When they are replicated over Zoom they take on whole new level of boring.

This tended to reflect a lack of awareness of possibilities rather than a reluctance to provide more interesting online lessons. The challenge then was to help academic staff become aware of the tools and techniques that could create more engaging classes and perhaps incorporate some in their own teaching. This presentation will look at a range of methods that were used, from teaching and learning showcases to short ‘just-in-time’, ‘just enough’ online training modules, to help teachers increase their online teaching ‘toolkits’ with the ultimate aim of increasing the engagement and motivation of students.

Keywords:

Online teaching, motivation, engagement, active learning.