Fostering Pedagogical Alignment During a Distance Learning Migration: A SoTL Approach

Abstract

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the program team for an undergraduate university certificate in occupational health and safety began a migration to distance learning affecting all courses. The approach aimed, among other things, to respond to the diversity and needs of student cohorts in continuing education. The integration activities, particularly the INT110 educational activity, posed certain challenges: various issues (e.g. absenteeism, demotivation, disengagement and low success rate) were reported by the teacher in charge. A Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) process was carried out to reflect on and document these issues, to improve teaching practices and student learning. The SoTL approach has six iterative phases: analysis, appropriation, design, implementation, evaluation and dissemination. The analysis phase highlighted issues related to pedagogical alignment. The experiential approach and project-based learning have been retained. The educational activity was completely reviewed in the design phase to maximize educational alignment based on recognized theoretical frameworks that were explored during the appropriation phase. The educational activity has been refocused around the planning of an intervention in a company. The implementation of the new learning project was done in two stages (2020 and 2021). The evaluation phase has been postponed to the spring of 2022. The preliminary analysis of the results obtained suggests the positive effects of the educational innovation implemented.