Redefining online learning

Online learning is taking on exciting new forms. In a bid to catalyse more innovative digital education content in its geNiUSworld multimedia repository, NUS launched the inaugural geNiUSchannel and geNiUSbooks 2021 competition to recognise the most creative video and eBook resources produced by the NUS community.

Assoc Prof Ryan BETTENS, Department of Chemistry, bagged two awards at the competition – geNiUSbooks Best Innovation and geNiUSbooks Best Teacher.

When he first started teaching at NUS in 2000, Assoc Prof Bettens saw himself more as a lecturer than a teacher, believing that the onus of learning fell solely on students.

Today, he sees it as his job to engage students. It is this engagement – what the students actually do – that “really sinks in and enhances learning”.

“Ultimately, each student must take responsibility for their own learning. But as teachers, we can do a lot to promote and assist them in that,” he explained.

Prof Bettens has certainly been successful in helping his students learn better. His strategy involves adopting different teaching methods and materials to pique and sustain their interest.

He believes that features such as automatic transcription of videos, additional notes and related resources presented logically and attractively in Sway motivate students to learn and engage better with the course content.

For his College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS) core undergraduate module – Scientific Inquiry I – online videos are enhanced by embedding them into Sway, with short quizzes (not counted to assessment) after each video to aid learning. Detailed notes and links to other enrichment material are provided. The lecture teachings are further enhanced and applied in face-to-face workshops.

Feedback from his students has been largely positive, with many appreciating the quizzes that come after each learning video to reinforce their learning.

Adapted from source article – Meet the content creators who are redefining online learning (nus.edu.sg)