CREATING A PLATFORM FOR EFFECTIVE ACADEMIC AND PASTORAL CARE IN BORDERLESS TEACHING

This paper presents UCL's Bartlett School of Graduate Studies experience in translating a traditionally delivered face-to-face Masters programme into borderless teaching including a special focus on pastoral care. BSGS's MSc course Facility and Environment Management was established in London in 1992, to cover the provision and management of facilities and support services that sustain high performing organisations. Since 2010 it is delivered in two locations: London and Singapore, maintaining parity in terms of the course content and its assessment. The delivery in Singapore utilises blended learning methods including concentrated periods of block teaching and live video conferencing. The students in both locations share the same virtual learning environment that supports the course modules by providing readings, seminar presentations including still and video, a discussion forum and coursework hand-in. So far there is little difference in student results and satisfaction between the different locations or between the different modes of delivery making this course an important example of successful borderless teaching. However we believed that a better student experience and greater parity in pastoral care can be achieved by embedding the possibility of real-time, visual, face-to-face contact with the course director as well as with all module tutors within the existing VLE. This has now been developed. The students themselves evaluated the success of the introduced changes via a bespoke questionnaire study. The results indicate that the clear structure within virtual learning environment supporting tutor's visible social presents results in higher students satisfaction.

CREATING A PLATFORM FOR EFFECTIVE ACADEMIC AND PASTORAL CARE IN BORDERLESS TEACHING.

Marjanovic-Halburd, L., Marmot, A., Shayesteh, H. (2013)

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