(Re-) Evaluating the role of digital technologies in democratizing seminar discussion and developing students’ critical thinking

McMullen describes active learning (particularly in relation to small group teaching) as ‘an informal social process where the exchange of ideas occurs through student involvement in interpersonal, intellectually focused activities’. This session reflects on the challenges of building a community of learning amongst students in seminars during the pandemic and the role of digital (social) media in “democratising” the classroom discussion and supporting all students to engage in the process of “challenge and transformation” identified in the Learning and teaching strategy.

The session offers my reflections on the purpose of seminar learning and how the pandemic experience has challenged my expectation of the “correct” way to support students to arrive at these learning objectives and the importance of providing spaces to think in order to develop students’ critical thinking. I will share my experience of this process with Level 5 students and invite colleagues to explore how digital and analogue media can continue to be used to develop critical, scholarly discussion that includes all students (not just those who speak first or longest).