In this Issue: Offline Activities for Online Classes

- Did you know… Not everything has to be done at the computer?
- How-To: Learn where you are with Place-Based Education
- Dig Deeper: Experiential learning and Riipen
- DEU support and contact information

Did you know…Not everything has to be done at the computer?

For many students, a completely online fall term will be a major change. Aside from the obvious challenges of getting comfortable with the learning technologies, screen fatigue may also become an issue.

But does everything we design for an online course need to be online? The simple answer is no. In this blog post we discuss how to include active learning opportunities away from the screen from observational data collection to kitchen supply science experiments to interviews and photo assignments. There are many ways we can help get students offline and learning on their feet.

Let’s look at a few things you might consider when designing your remote and online courses for this fall.

CC0 Photo by Ola Dapo from Pexels

How-to: Learn where you are with Place-Based Education

Place-Based Education (PBE) is an approach to learning that takes advantage of geography to create authentic, meaningful and engaging personalized learning for students. More specifically, Place-Based Education is defined by the Center for Place-Based Learning and Community Engagement as an immersive learning experience that “places students in local heritage, cultures, landscapes, opportunities and experiences, and uses these as a foundation for the study of language arts, mathematics, social studies, science and other subjects across the curriculum. – Getting Smart

Find out more about how you can leverage local assets including parks, public spaces, museums and businesses to create authentic learning activities in your classes.

Dig Deeper: Experiential learning and Riipen

Experiential learning also known as (EXL) is the process of learning through experience, and is more specifically defined as “learning through reflection on doing”. Often when designing opportunities for experiential leanring into online courses we try and make connections for students to the professional discipline they are studying. This might include partnerships with private sector companies, reasearchers, or organizations who can offer real-world experiences that cannot be simulated in a classroom or online learning environment.

Recently USask has partnered with Riipen, the leading virtual, project-based learning platform. Riipen’s platform and support team are here to help you connect to companies with real projects you can use as assignments in your remote class. The platform can also be used to manage existing experiential learning activities with your current industry or community partners.

Watch the Riipen product demo for more ideas on how they might become part of your remote class.

If you’re interested in more information about using Riipen with your USask course contact Brock Egeto (brock.egeto@usask.ca) for more information.