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ABC Online in context

Although developed to promote blended learning, during the COVID emergency ABC has been found to support our need for a rapid transition to online learning. 

At UCL the online course Connected Learning Essentials introduces teaching staff to the concept and key practices of Connected Learning, UCL’s approach for online teaching in 2020/21. Following the ‘pivot’ in spring 2020, the following principles were established.

The Essentials course addresses practical issues around supporting and engaging students in an online environment, such as providing consistency, building a learner community, assessment, the role of the tutor, developing resources and encouraging active learning. The image below illustrates the type of approach advocated, for example here in moving a traditional lecture format online.

Section 5 focuses specifically on designing for students’ active learning and introduces ABC

The other key context is the UCL Connected Learning Baseline setting out the minimum expectations, for the online delivery (mostly via Moodle) of connected learning for taught programmes and modules. the Baseline is supported by a  template and exemplar, and a Connected Learning Baseline Checklist that provides a development sequence but also links to the Baseline Pathway course for ‘how-tos’ on each section, and links to our extensive  Moodle Miniguides.

Online ABC builds on these approaches. As a ‘full’ programme or module redesign may be difficult in the current time-frame, we focus on a partial redesign, exploring online learning activities that that can address the same learning outcomes as ‘normal’ blended activity and the balance of synchronous and asynchronous activities.