果冻影院

Responding to popular demand for a virtual collaboration and hang-out space, the MSc Dental Hygiene programme team used Blackboard Collaborate to open the Blackboard Available Room (BAR).

, Director of the Dental Hygiene MSc, and , Deputy-director, describe听how the team have tackled the challenge of听providing opportunities for valuable听peer-to-peer interaction,听remotely.听听

Our challenge

We run a听blended learning MSc programme in Dental Hygiene. The programme is听3-year听part-time听programme which is largely distance learning,听with two weeks in-person teaching in the first year, one week in the second and one week in the third.听

We hold online sessions about once per month through as seminars to discuss literature,听or sometimes for them to present material to us. The students loved connecting via Blackboard and were requesting additional sessions. However, as we are teaching three years of students听alongside听other teaching commitments of taught programmes in our department, we suggested they could hold their own sessions without us present.听

The solution

We have created a听virtual, student-led听space called 鈥榯he BAR鈥� - Blackboard Available Room - which听is open to students at all times听and we have had tremendous uptake.听

To avoid the email traffic of them contacting us to request a time for the Blackboard session to be set-up, and so on, we set听it up as听a permanent space in their Moodle Hub. They can access it 24/7.听听

Students听can connect as a group听in the BAR;听present to each other; complete group work;听discuss articles; and collaborate听when it suits them,听which is a terrific advantage.听听As clinicians,听they听like to chat about clinical approaches with each other to get additional opinions and perspectives, and they鈥檝e found the space an outlet for chatting听about听life听during this pandemic.听

How we've done it

The BAR is simply a Blackboard Collaborate session .听

The link is housed听on听a听Moodle听space restricted听to each听year听group;听so,听Year 1 has a BAR separate from Year 2,听separate from Year 3. The Blackboard Collaborate session is given the custom name BAR to differentiate it from other sessions.听听

Students听agree amongst themselves on a time, e.g. do you听want to meet in the BAR at 5pm, and then听just click on the link to access the space! Easy!听

Top tip!

We would recommend this to all courses, but we think it鈥檚 important to keep听such a听space for听students only. We believe this听encourages the psychological peer-to-peer engagement.听We听seldom join听the BAR听as we want them to see it as their PRIVATE space, therefore we would only join if they invited us to do so听and only for social purposes 鈥� not teaching.听听

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