Page 60 - The Wish Stream Year of 2020 Crest

for others by producing written staff guidance. This has been a key and much welcomed step in re-creating a wealth of shared best practices. These documents quickly became a reference point in the department and were progressively updated to reflect new online requirements. Second, and in conjunction with this first step, adopting a collegial approach also meant creat- ing space for discussing the difficulties that indi- vidual lecturers were encountering in adapting to the new eLearning environment. Online teaching specifically creates a physical distance between staff who were, until then, used to working in the same corridor. Despite this physical distance, the move to online delivery had the effect of increas- ing communication in the department. Being in uncharted territory meant that members of staff increased communication, exchanged lessons learnt, pedagogical tools or even more sim- ply their experiences and frustration with online teaching. Paradoxically, therefore, physical dis- tance can translate into digital closeness.
Furthermore, the departmental WhatsApp group became a central communicating tool. This group quickly became not only a tool for react- ing to sudden timetable changes or issues with the online platforms, but also a central means for sharing information about staff publications, external events and teaching resources. These sharing practices were not absent in pre-Covid times, but the new situation has enhanced such
exchanges. Another step in the same direction has been increasing the number of departmental (online) meetings. During the first online teaching term, these were an almost weekly event. These meetings have been a crucial tool to maximise the exchange of ideas and to receive information on an ever-evolving context. These have been ever more important in DIA, as, in the middle of the implementation of the online strategy, five new lecturers joined the department from dif- ferent UK Higher Education institutions. Their presence and contribution have been absolutely crucial in refreshing and progressing the profile of DIA across the spectrum of departmental activity, but also potentially further complicated the process of staff integration for a considerable number of new lecturers without offering face- to-face guidance. Regular meetings have been crucial here, not only to generate a collective approach, but also to create a familiar atmos- phere between new and older members of staff.
These communication efforts sat at the heart of developing a flexible and collegial approach to online delivery. This, however, carried the risk of transforming the working environment into a 24/7 routine. As the physical space of the class- room and its rhythms vanished, the online space became potentially timeless. This meant that work related communication can happen at any time and, in doing so, directly enters the digital door of each lecturer’s home. This has not been
Virtual classroom on MS Teams
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