James Rutherford, Rebecca Wells, Miranda Melcher and Robbie Crammond
This submission is for a paper that demonstrates the effectiveness of using student co-pilots in support of hybrid teaching at City, University of London. [Team, D.E.] The paper addresses the conference sub-themes of learning and teaching approaches and activities to build and support learning communities.
We intend to present the results of a research study that explores how City staff and students have experienced hybrid learning and teaching. The findings of the research showed that by using student co-pilots in support of hybrid teaching, there are notable benefits, including improving student engagement [Darby] and participation, enhancing the quality of learning experiences, increasing lecturer confidence in the use of technology, [Naffi] and creating opportunities for student co-pilots to develop their own skills in facilitation, communication, and academic collaboration.
The presentation will also present highlights from a recent evaluation of co-pilots to show how working closely with academics, co-pilots provide essential peer-to-peer support that helps to build a sense of community among students. They similarly facilitate group activities in breakout rooms that encourage collaboration, as well as deal with any pressing educational technology issues, an essential element of supporting effective learning communities. [Miller et al]
By taking on the running of hybrid teaching facilitation, City co-pilot students learned how to communicate effectively, work collaboratively in an academic environment, and manage group dynamics, which are important talents for building and supporting learning groups.
We are planning to share our research findings with attendees in a hybrid fashion with the research team online and in person. The paper will deliver session outcomes where attendees will gain insights and examples of best practice through learning of the effectiveness of the City co-pilot approach. They will see and hear highlights of the impact it has had on the learning experience of students. Our presentation will provide valuable insights into the use of student co-pilots as a strategy to enhance the quality of hybrid teaching and learning, as we expect to contribute to the conference’s sub-themes, particularly of learning and teaching approaches and building communities of learning.
Our dual-delivery presentation will include a 10 minute exposition of the key findings and recommendations, complemented with a 5-minute video interview with student co-pilots, giving a first-hand account of their experiences of hybrid teaching working in support of academics at City.
Following the video interview, we will encourage participants to ask questions for the remaining 5 minutes. We welcome comments and feedback from the conference participants and look forward to engaging in a meaningful discussion about the outcomes of our research and our objectives for how co-pilots are embedded within the community of learning and their role in the futureof hybrid teaching.
Participants will come away from the paper presentation with a set of top tips for the best use of the co-pilot resource, including guidance for what is usually required of students prior to and during the hybrid teaching session. We will highlight the basic guidelines taken from the ISLA Co-facilitation Agreement to set and manage expectations for staff and students, as an example of considered practice and adapted during the ISL project lifecycle.
The co-pilot evaluation study followed the major ISLA research undertaken in the summer of 2022, to focus more specifically on the experiences and reflections of co-pilots from both points of view. The evaluation report was limited in terms of recruitment of participants but aimed at the relatively small number of academics still engaged in hybrid teaching and co-pilots till employed by City. The methodology adopted was purely small focus groups and semi-structured interviews. In addition, we captured the experiences of students who were recorded on video and have consented to be featured in this presentation.
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Team, D.E. (2021) EdtechGuides: ISLA (Inclusive Synchronous Learning Activities) guide: Co-pilots. Available at: https://city-uk-ett.libguides.com/staff/inroom-teaching/isla/co-pilots (Accessed: 27 March 2023).
Miller, JB, Risser, M & Griffiths, R 2013, ‘Student choice, instructor flexibility: Moving beyond the blended instructional model’, Issues and Trends in Educational Technology, vol. 1,no. 1, pp. https://journals.librarypublishing.arizona.edu/itlt/article/id/1467/
Darby, F. (2021) How to engage students when some are in the room and some are on Zoom, THE Campus Learn, Share, Connect. Available at: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/how-engage-students-when-some-are-room-and-some-are-zoom (Accessed: 27 March 2023).
Naffi, N. (2020) ‘The Hyber-Flexible Course Design Model (HyFlex): A Pedagogical Strategy for Uncertain Times’, International Journal of Technologies in Higher Education, 17(2), pp. 136–143. Available at: https://doi.org/10.18162/ritpu-2020-v17n2-14.
