4.1 Examples of activities to support Investigation
Learning through investigation guides the learner to explore, compare and critique the texts, documents and resources that reflect the concepts and ideas being taught.
So how might this look for our three teaching modes?
| Face to Face On Campus | Tools & Resources | Online Synchronous | Tools & Resources | Online Asynchronous | Tools & Resources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students work in smaller groups to analyse data/texts | Seminar room (25), printed texts to annotate, flip chart | Using breakout rooms in webinar tool to facilitate the analysis of data/text | Use of zoom or similar with breakout rooms, texts to annotate | Use of online discussion areas for small groups to analyse data/texts with guided tasks or questions | Use of Microsoft Teams channels, or private chat for small group work or discussion areas in VLE |
| Groups of students tasked with finding information relating to a specific topic | Physical room (although not necessary), Internet enabled device | Students tasked with finding information relating to a specific topic to bring back and discuss as a group | digital space (with realtime communication feature), internet enabled device | Students tasked with finding information relating to a specific topic to bring back and discuss as a group | Digital space, internet enabled device |
| individual or group completion of lab experiments | Lab and equipment, recording tool (book/ electronic notebook) Task with instructions | explore virtual lab software/ existing provision to see if your required experiment already exists. seek platforms where tasks can be developed and students log in/ access to complete them. Provide a time frame within which students must do this and be available for online chat during that time to provide support | Virtual Lab software, Teams/ Zoom, VLE | As per online synchronous but with less time pressure and asynchronous chat support instead of live chat | Virtual Lab software, Teams/ Zoom, VLE |
| Collection and analysis of data | Traditional survey methods for example interviews | The use of digital tools to collect and analyse data | Online survey tools | The use of digital tools to collect and analyse data | Online survey tools |
| Students asked to work individually or in groups to access archives/collections/ primary sources on campus (e.g. library/ museum etc)and analyse/ interpret content | Discipline specific databases/ archives/ collections. Task with instructions | As for face to face but online resources only to be used for tasks | Online only discipline specific databases/ archives/ collections. Task with instructions. if group work collaboration space either in VLE, Teams, Zoom or via email | As per online synchronous without specific time slot for activity | |
| Students work individually or in small groups to identify anatomical/ pathological/ genetic/ radiological normalities and abnormalities using wet/ dry prosections/ models/samples/ markers/ scans | HARC, Labs, prosections, clinical skills centre, appropriate sample materials. Tutors/ demonstrators/ tasks | Students asked to work individually or in groups to identify normalities and abnormalities using online materials only such as Anatomy TV etc | Online databases/ sources of appropriate materials. Collaborative document or diagram to label/ present findings if required/ oral presentation | As per online synchronous without specific time slot for activity | |
| Students take history from/ on behalf of patients | Patients. clinical/ community placement. Record form. Tutor or peer observed | Virtual patient software/ resources that enable students to do the same using videos of simulated patients followed by debrief from tutors | Virtual patient software/resources. Tutor, history taking task and form. virtual space in which to debrief/ student to present findings to tutor (Zoom, Teams, VLE) | As per online synchronous without specific time slot for activity | |
| Students are asked to evaluate information and write a report or present their evaluation | Physical room (for the presentation), Books, articles (both in electronic and phisycal format.), News, etc | Webinars- for the presentation. otherwise the evaluation process itself it's not sychronous | Webinar tools and maybe e-resources | The presentations can be recorded and played at any time | |
| Students are asked to compare two or more design/reports, theories/etc. This can be done individually or in groups. The activity can be in class activity or as a summative/formative assessment | Depending on the discipline they might need design studio, labs, or simply just various articles. They might need a seminar/lecture room for in-class activity | Using breakout rooms in webinar tool to facilitate comparison of the artifacts/test results/theories/etc | Webinar tools and maybe e-resources | The presentations can be recorded and played at any time. The activity can be done outside class hour and students report back or present | Webinar tools, e-resources, simulations, research data or results |