To mark this year鈥檚 International Education Day, with its theme 鈥淩ecover and Revitalise Education for the COVID-19 Generation鈥, students, teachers and programme staff at the 鸟大大影院鈥檚 Department of Graduate Studies reveal the challenges posed by the pandemic, how the Institute鈥檚 programmes have responded, and what it鈥檚 like to teach and learn under lockdown.
Both 鸟大大影院 graduate programmes, the聽Secondary Teacher Education Programme (STEP)聽and the聽Graduate Programme in Islamic Studies and Humanities (GPISH), employed a blend of face-to-face and online teaching last term, but have since had to move completely online as a result of the most recent lockdown. 鈥淥ne of the challenges has been constantly adjusting to new government guidelines and figuring out how to apply these to the 鸟大大影院鈥檚 fairly unique case,鈥 says聽Dr Alex Henley, GPISH Programme Leader.
Energy, creativity and extraordinarily hard work
鈥淏ut it鈥檚 also been an exercise in thinking about how we can capitalise on our unique resources to give students more than other institutions can,鈥 Alex adds. Small student numbers, the spacious and well-ventilated teaching environment of the聽Aga Khan聽Centre, and nearby accommodation have allowed the Department of Graduate Studies (DGS) to keep Covid-safe facilities and study spaces open even when the rest of London has shut down, he says. 鈥淪ome staff have gone to extraordinary lengths to travel into work without contributing to the spread of the virus, while the rest of us have stayed home since March to keep our students safe.鈥 Dr Henley pays testament to the 鈥渆nergy, creativity and extraordinarily hard work that鈥檚 been put in by DGS staff, lecturers and students over the past year鈥.
Another challenge was ensuring that incoming students were able to reach the UK for the start of autumn term, according to Kate Holt, Student Services Manager. The importance of this was heightened by various issues of connectivity in several countries where students were having trouble connecting to class. 鈥淭hanks to tireless work on the part of DGS and also members of the聽Aga Khan聽Centre Estates team, and thanks to the extraordinary patience and tenacity of the students, we were able to get all but two students to the UK by the end of October, with the last two arriving in November and December.鈥
All together during this difficult time
Once here, students faced quarantine, restrictions on movement and eventually full lockdown, and the Student Services Unit have worked hard to support their wellbeing. Consistent and enhanced communications, from group check-ins to individual follow-ups, have been essential, Kate says. During initial quarantine聽the team provided daily meals and breakfast boxes, and checked in daily. They have also been sending out regular newsletters with wellbeing tips, as well as suggestions for things to do in London (in and out of lockdown). Alan Wake, Registry and Student Services Officer, has helped to run online events for the students, from an end-of-year quiz to an open-mic night showcasing poetry, singing, comedy, dancing and聽short stories,聽which have proved really popular he says. 鈥淭hese events are so important because they allow people to see each other. Although there can be Zoom fatigue, it is always great to see so many people and focus on fun activities, creativity, laughter, a little bit of competitiveness and a feeling that we are all together during this difficult time.鈥
Barely missed an academic beat
Samira Lakhani is one of the new 2021 cohort on the STEP programme and says that, as a mature student with varying needs, she鈥檚 found the 鸟大大影院 approach exemplary. 鈥淎ll the staff and faculty have been so caring and supportive in these very difficult times. Not to mention highly proactive so we barely missed an academic beat.鈥
To ensure teaching adapted effectively to the pandemic,聽Faheem Hussein, STEP Teacher Educator, and聽Dr Roy Wilson, Academic Skills Co-ordinator, have run a number of Zoom workshops on 鈥淓ffective Online Teaching and Learning鈥. According to Faheem, through these initiatives, 鈥渨e are not only responding to the current situation but also re-positioning and re-conceptualising our ways of 鈥榬outine鈥 teaching practices that are suitable for online platforms.鈥
Sense of community and problem-solving
The workshops have been attended by 鸟大大影院 staff and聽Time and Knowledge Nazrana (TKN) volunteers, and have provided a forum for individuals to share their expertise and experiences in teaching online during the Covid-19 crisis. This has allowed people to learn about useful software, platforms and content for enhancing their teaching and learning resources for students. Topics so far have included how to use a Moodle, platforms such as Zoom, Padlet and Mentimeter, and important concepts to consider when teaching online such as 鈥渟ocial presence鈥 and 鈥渟ynchronous and asynchronous鈥 learning. 鈥淭he sessions have helped to create a sense of community and problem-solving among teachers, trainers and academics involved with the work of the 鸟大大影院 during these difficult times,鈥 Roy says.
Online collections expanded
罢丑别听聽has also been working hard to adapt. After opening again in summer, as the situation improved and restrictions relaxed, it once again shut its doors in January with the announcement of the new lockdown. But the Library has ensured that access to its collections remains open, offering click and collect and home delivery services, as well as online inductions and training sessions for new students.
Use of the Library鈥檚 electronic collections has gone up exponentially, and the demand for eBooks and online collections has spiked since the beginning of the lockdown. The Library already had access to millions of online resources, but it has added another 80,000 titles to its online collections thanks to special funds given to the library by the聽Aga Khan聽University Provost, which has benefited users and particularly students enormously. It has also expedited its digitisation programme and added a further 60 key titles from its rare book collection to its聽.
Recover and revitalise education
The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic continues to pose an exceptional challenge to students, teachers and staff on 鸟大大影院鈥檚 graduate programmes聽but, with creativity and resilience, and through these numerous initiatives, they have聽demonstrated their commitment to聽. STEP student Samira adds 鈥淚 want to extend my deepest appreciation and gratitude to the entire 鸟大大影院 team for their courage, commitment and compassion.鈥
