Reignite the live learning experience

Abstract

Bandura’s timeless self-efficacy theory (Bandura, 1977) and its “I believe I can do it” theme informs learning across many domains. Whether it’s rewarding daily walking steps through a smart watch app or developing novel ways to improve tertiary level learning, creative use of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) tools and formative feedback strategies builds resilience, promotes continuous engagement and showcases personal achievement in the digital world (Garivaldis et al., 2022). For a suite of complementary financial reporting units in an undergraduate accounting major program, TEL tools from the publicly available HTML5 Package (H5P) open-source content collaboration framework and the tracking attributes of the Student Relationship Engagement System (SRES) developed by the University of Sydney have been innovatively combined to facilitate a deeper, emotionally supported learning experience. 

To promote confident student engagement during class time, playful interactive lecture and tutorial activities were created. Using branching scenarios, summary tools, dialogue cards, drag-the-word, and fill-in-the-blank H5P applications, the reimagined activities unpacked complicated, high cognitive load learning points into discrete and manageable learning steps. Each activity’s step by step approach carefully supports students through each aspect of complex concepts, calculations, flowcharts, mind maps, and real-world business problem-solving scenarios. At each step, H5P’s immediate and visual feedback functionality has been cleverly adapted to provide corrective feedback. As the activities allow unlimited attempts, they have also become supportive self-study resources that foster greater persistence.

An accompanying SRES reward badge portal was created and implemented in the unit’s Learning Management System. For each submitted interactive activity, the student’s effort is acknowledged with a reward badge, visible through the student’s sign in. Tutors regularly encourage students to view their reward badge status throughout the semester; the ongoing narrative heightens the live learning experience. This game like recognition promotes student motivation and participation and provides self-efficacy opportunities (Zirawage et al., 2017). It has also allowed teaching teams to identify, monitor, and support less engaged students.

There have been many notable benefits from the reignite the live learning experience. Through the student lens, it has provided a fun and enriching learning experience, consistent teaching across related units of study within a program, and deeper working in partnership connections. From a teaching perspective, it has made the teaching of abstract and complex concepts more accessible to diverse student cohorts and provided a layered, building block learning approach to facilitate, and at a broader level, achievement of program learning objectives.  

Reignite the Live Learning Experience’s beauty is its applicability. While suitable for all disciplines, it is highly recommended for first year units of study, units that have high student attrition rates or where student connection is at risk. The presentation will showcase the initiative’s development process, H5P interactive activities, SRES reward badge portal and live learning experience tutor narrative examples.