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Digital Readiness for Teaching and Learning (DRTL)

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Lesson Delivery, Digital Learning

DRTL Policy 

The Digital Readiness for Teaching and Learning (DRTL) Programme (formerly known as EPTL) prepares instructors and students for baseline online teaching and learning skills.

In the event of unforeseen emergency situations or prolonged school closure where there are no face-to-face lessons, instructors are expected to deliver lessons via online platforms such as Zoom and facilitate online activities to ensure Teaching and Learning continuity. Students will be notified to access the Zoom platform for their online lessons. The class schedule will mirror the current face-to-face class timetable unless otherwise stated.

For SMU Instructors:

SMU instructors are required to implement a DRTL lesson via the Zoom for at least 45 minutes for at least one section per academic year. The stipulated minimum duration of 45 minutes serves to ensure a meaningful online learning experience for SMU students. Instructors can, of course, engage the class in a full 3 or 3 ½ hour Zoom session cum discussion. One possible arrangement for a short Zoom session is to engage students online via Zoom, followed by meeting the class face to face for the remainder of session.

Instructors will be required to indicate if they have fulfilled their DRTL implementation requirements through the Teaching Preference Survey sent out by the Office of Registrar. Instructors who have submitted Blended Learning proposals and obtained approval from their Schools to deliver 1/3 of their course through asynchronous online learning videos and related online activities, would be exempted for that Academic Year.

Make-up Classes for Public Holidays

For make-up classes due Public Holidays, Instructors are allowed two options of doing make-up classes: (i) online teaching (through online delivery via Zoom); or (ii) in-class teaching arranged by the Office of Registrar.

DRTL Courses 

In terms of developing digital capabilities, all new instructors new to SMU, are required to attend DRTL essential modules (formerly known as EPTL) designed to equip them with skills to teach in both face-to-face and online modalities. You can find these modules in our online courses page (use the category filter to find DRTL-specific courses). These four courses, listed below, will provide a broad overview of teaching online in the SMU context before instructors try out other pedagogical approaches and tools.

A DRTL committee was set up in December 2014 to provide strategic leadership in steering and implementing the DRTL measures in SMU. It comprises representatives from each school including the Centre for English Communication (CEC), CTE, and IITS. For queries, please contact your school representative. Click here for the list of committee members.

Best Practices

In an online classroom environment, learning activities that are conducted ‘live’ and offer meaningful interactive face-to-face interaction are commonly referred to as synchronous learning activities (Hrastinski, 2008; Harris et al., 2009; Simonson et al., 2012). Lessons are delivered at a specific time with the expectation that students are able to participate and instructors are able to adjust their instructional pace and provide the necessary support accordingly. Studies have shown that participants in such learning interventions experience high levels of social presence and active learning due largely to the immediacy of real-time and dynamic interaction (Bower et al., 2015).

To support faculty who wish to find out how peers engage their students in an online environment, CTE has developed a set of best practices and user guides on supporting instructors in online teaching and learning at this link. 

CTE has also compiled a set of best practices, contributed by SMU instructors, which aims to provide practical and useful tips for planning a DRTL-required Zoom lesson. Instructor and Student Zoom guides can be downloaded here for your reference.

Information for Students 

Students are informed about the DRTL Programme at the start of each academic year. Students are responsible for ensuring that their laptops are equipped with the necessary hardware and software for online learning that are supported by IITS (such as the eLearn learning management system).

References
  1. Benassi, V. A., Overson, C. E., & Hakala, C. M. (2014). Applying science of learning in education: Infusing psychological science into the curriculum. Retrieved from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology web site: http://teachpsych.org/ebooks/asle2014/ index.php
  2. Bower, M., Dalgarno, B., Kennedy, G., Lee, M., & Kenney, J. (2015). Design and implementation factors in blended synchronous learning environments: Outcomes from a cross-case analysis. Computers & Education, 86, 1–17.
  3. Clark,R., & Mayer, R. (2011). E-Learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning (3rd Ed.). Chichester: Wiley.
  4. Harris, J., Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. (2009). Teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge and learning activity types: Curriculum-based technology integration reframed. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 41(4), pp. 393-416. Retrieved from http://learnonline.canberra.edu.au/file.php/5963/TPACK_UC/pdf/harris_mishra_koehler_jrte.pdf
  5. Hrastinski, S. (2008). Asynchronous & synchronous e-learning. EDUCAUSE Quarterly, 31(4), pp. 51-55. Retrieved from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eqm0848.pdf
  6. Jarodzka, H., van Gog, T., Dorr, M., Scheiter, K., & Gerjets, P. (2013). Learning to see: guiding students’ attention via a model’s eye movements fosters learning. Learning and Instruction, 25, 62–70.
  7. Mayer,R.E., & Chandler, P. (2001). When learning is just a click away: Does simple user interaction foster deeper understanding of multimedia messages? Journal of Educational Psychology,93, 390-397.
  8. Mayer, R. E.,Dow,G.,& Mayer, R.E.(2003). Multimedia learning in an interactive self-explaining environment: What works in the design of agent-based microworlds? Journal of Educational Psychology, 95, 806-813.
  9. Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education. (5th ed.). Boston: Pearson.