The ‘at-home’ campus: self-paced solutions to engage online students in learning via practical experiences

This presentation will explore UNE examples of cross-disciplinary strategies to providing online students with opportunities for learning beyond the teacher-led and synchronous classroom. Using examples from Foundational Microbiology and Health and Physical Education (HPE), innovative strategies for self-paced, student-led, at-home solutions to practical learning will be presented. At the core of meeting these outcomes, experiential learning is a key andragogical approach to teaching adult learners, in order to stimulate deep engagement, critical reflection and lifelong learning. Within the discipline of HPE, 'at-home' Physical Education practicals and reflective activities supported by mini lecture podcasts enable student professional preparation for careers as Primary school teachers. Similarly, Microbiology at Home (M@H), is a novel method that combines hands-on microbiology experiments with interactive online simulations. M@H comprises eight practical activities complete with individually packaged kits sent to students, including DIY microbial culture media. Collectively, these innovations harness the synergy between traditional teaching methods and modern digital resources. They exemplify how UNE leverages the strengths of conventional and unconventional approaches to university learning to create holistic, contextually relevant, and future-focused experiences. The synergies between these approaches ensure that students receive a well-rounded education that prepares them for the complexities of the modern world.