Implementing online learning quality
Here are some straightforward options to implement or improve online learning quality in your subject.
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1. Weekly virtual office hours
Academic staff are available online at a designated time each week for individual student ‘drop in’ consultations.
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2. Weekly video ‘mailbag’
Subject coordinators prepare a weekly video announcement to update students on the way the subject is progressing, wrap up the activities of the previous week and introduce the week ahead.
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3. Discussion list – moderated general
Discussion lists of a general nature allow students to connect with each other around material that is presented in the subject. Students provide peer-to-peer engagement and support, and staff moderate to answer questions, direct traffic and provide encouragement and suggestions.
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4. Discussion list – moderated in discipline area
Discussion lists are used to focus on specific topics within the discipline area. Academic staff design and actively moderate discussion topics which are usefully organised around authentic problems, scenarios, cases or situations.
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5. Fortnightly synchronous Q&A session
A fortnightly informal catch up synchronous session using tools such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams are often seen as valuable by students.
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6. Fortnightly synchronous interactive seminar
Synchronous, interactive seminars are those in which academic staff members present subject material, then facilitate students to engage with it through collaborative activities in real time.
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7. Fortnightly student presentations
Student presentations are one way of encouraging student participation and peer-based learning in an online subject.
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8. Embedded quizzes/assessment in video
Educational videos in the LMS can be made more interactive and engaging by pairing with quizzes and automated feedback.
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9. Tri-weekly formative, developmental quizzes/assessment
These activities, run at least every three weeks, provide students with opportunities to check on their progress and measure their understanding of key topics in a subject.
This page was last updated on 16 Apr 2026.
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