First response: initial lessons from the digital pivot

Illustration of a man sitting on an hourglass

How Duke Kunshan University transitioned to online learning in two weeks

Faced with the rapid spread of Covid-19 on its doorstep, Duke Kunshan University in China decided to move all its teaching online in just two weeks to finish the third term. Here, we look at how this was achieved and the lessons they learned

Kevin Guthrie, Catharine Bond Hill, Martin Kurzweil, Cindy Le

Ithaka S+R , Duke Kunshan University

Illustration of remote learning

Balancing the needs of students, faculty and institutions when designing online courses

Students, faculty members and institutions all have different goals from their teaching and learning programmes. Thomas Cavanagh explains how to balance the needs of key stakeholders when developing online courses

Thomas Cavanagh

University of Central Florida

Illustration of a woman reading a book

Improving students' digital literacy for remote learning

The natural tech savviness of Generation Z doesn’t necessarily extend to remote learning tools. Here are three tips from the Open University of Hong Kong to train students to use collaborative working platforms

Heidi Cheng, Maurice Choi, Sylvia Sze, Candy Law, Kan Cho, Samuel Hong

Hong Kong Metropolitan University

Online video meeting

Running safe and secure online meetings and calls

New digital teaching methods risk exposing personal and sensitive information among students and staff. Here are best practice tips from Matthew Davis on running safe and secure online meetings and calls

Matthew Davis

Leeds University Business School

Illustration of a group of students

The secret to timely, relevant, inclusive communication with students

Effective communication is vital to engaging and positive remote study. Cathy Stone offers advice on how to ensure communication between institutions and students is timely, relevant and inclusive

Cathy Stone

The University of Newcastle, Australia

Illustration of using technology at work

Top tips for selecting and implementing new technologies

Effective technology is now instrumental to the successful performance of universities at every level. Here, Chris Cobb offers his top tips on what to consider when choosing and implementing new systems

Chris Cobb

University of London

What has been learned so far in the rapid transition to digital teaching and learning?

Lessons from navigating the digital pivot

Having reopened for a new academic year, universities are looking ahead to how they can deliver the best possible online teaching for the longer term. Here, Robert MacIntosh highlights what has been learned so far in the rapid transition to digital teaching and learning

Robert MacIntosh

Heriot-Watt University

Using Blackboard learning journals as a form of online assessment

Translating creative assessment styles online: Blackboard learning journals

Traditional exams can inhibit students, while more creative assessments provide a forum where their talent and knowledge can shine. Madeleine Davies discusses a technique to offer creative assessments online

Madeleine Davies

University of Reading

Advice on reaching remote students with limited access to learning technology

How to reach remote students with limited access to technology

Angela Owusu-Ansah of Ashesi University in Ghana explains how her institution has tackled this problem to ensure all students can access teaching online

Angela Owusu-Ansah

Ashesi University

How universities have tried to enhance the student experience after moving virtually all their campus activities online

THE Student success forum: taking student life online

Student affairs leaders from four US universities share insight on how they enhanced the student experience after Covid-19 forced virtually all their campus activities to move online

Martino Harmon, Erin Hoffman Harding, Nancy Young, Beth McCuskey

University of Michigan, University of Notre Dame, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Purdue University

How to design asynchronous online teaching to foster high levels of spontaneous student discussion

How I fostered multilingual student discussion in asynchronous online classes

Ioannis Gaitanidis explains how designed his asynchronous online teaching to foster the same level of spontaneous student discussion as his in-person classes

Ioannis Gaitanidis

Chiba University

What faculty need to know when designing online courses

Ask the experts: What faculty need to know when designing online courses

Find out what faculty need to know when moving their courses online in this Q&A with Kayla Jutzi, instructional designer at Tulane University

Kayla Jutzi

Tulane University