Schools get local support for digital teaching
Now all schools will offer their teachers help to make the education digital. Andreas Alm Arvidsson leads the project ”Local support” with the goal that KTH shall provide just as good support in digital teaching and examination as in physical.
Classroom-based teaching and physical exams - this is what teaching at KTH, well, at most universities, has looked like for decades. Although everyone expected a digitization trend, it was the pandemic that overnight would make us switch to online teaching and new forms of examination.
An organization that locally can support teachers who teach and examine digitally has up to now not been in place at KTH, for natural reasons. This is about to change. Each school will now build up a support that the school's teachers and administrators can turn to with questions concerning how the education should become digital.
” We’ve noticed that both teachers and students are calling for support closer to their school or department”, says Andreas Alm Arvidsson who will manage the project Local support.
Andreas usually work as the educational administrations manager (UA) at ITM, but after 15 years at KTH, he’s got a useful network of contacts and knowledge how KTH and its education system work.
38 people with representatives from all campuses and schools will, together with Andreas, build up knowledge about digital and administrative support, which will be passed down to the teachers.
” The exams are in focus, but digital teaching will also get a push forward. Exactly what it will look like is too early say”, says Andreas.
The ITM school is taking it one step further, and has employed seven amanuenses, i.e. seven KTH students interested in digital learning and teaching, and they have already started supporting the teachers.
” The teachers can email the group with their requests and the right person will offer support. It can be about structuring their Canvas pages, support in constructing exam questions, or help with creating automatic quizzes”, Andreas explains. But also about educating teachers in tools that can increase engagement and interactivity in online teaching, for example in zoom lectures.
The students will also help to build up a stock of exam questions in systems that can both randomize questions to individuals and facilitate the correction of exams and the transfer of grades in Ladok. Another issue on their table is to examine the best balance between digital and physical education.
” The teachers who have used these services have experienced a huge boost, and it has meant a lot to bring in the students' perspective. The teachers are so far very happy, I hope that the other schools will follow this example. Although all five schools have slightly different organizations, which is a challenge, we want everyone to receive the same good support. And the advantage of being a little different is that we can pick the best from all schools”, says Andreas.
Text: Anna Gullers