In regard to teaching, the wheel does not need to be reinvented. Instead, a model that is already liked should be built upon
Lockdown rocked our world physically, emotionally and intellectually. Everything changed, and a whole world of opportunity opened up in the new reality that everyone was thrown into. There was an entire change in the approach to education within and beyond the aesthetics world. Zoom became an overnight must-have, and everything that could be digitalised went virtual. Video became the way to communicate.
Initially, there was something of an adrenaline buzz as everyone stepped up to the new normal (which was not normal at all), and a huge number of educational webinars, live streams and other material was produced within incredibly short timeframes to fill newly empty diaries. In all honesty, I found this all a little personally overwhelming. For those of us with existing NHS responsibilities, there was a conflict between our increasing NHS demands and the pressure to keep up with the torrents of new aesthetic educational material being presented to us. After a time, Zoom fatigue set in, and decisions had to be made regarding what to prioritise.
It became clear that, among the raft of new material, there was a considerable disparity in the quality of educational material being made available. There were also equally large differences regarding what kind of remote educational materials appealed to whom.
Learning styles
Venturing back to basics, authors have put forward a vast array of learning styles, with Coffield et al (2014) suggesting that more than 70 have been identified. For simplicity%s sake, I prefer the visual, aural, reading/writing and kinaesthetic approach (VARK) (Vark Learning, 2020), and this now comes with the caveat category of ‘multimodal learner’ for those who do not fit into one of these categories.
Although an appreciation that everyone learns differently is important, there is much debate regarding the usefulness of defining specific learning styles. However, there is a place for this when designing learning resources for a COVID-19-careful society.
Distanced learning
The array of quantity, variety and quality of online learning made available in recent months has been utterly overwhelming. Although the quality of education varies, whether in a classroom or online, there is significant ‘learning about the learning’ to be done. Many organisations have jumped in and delivered some exceptional sessions, others not so much; however, there is one organisation that has been teaching this way for quite some time (50 years, actually) and which has pre-established standards, quality markers and assessment tools that are proven to provide the optimum experience within the distanced learning environment. The wheel does not need to be reinvented; what we need to do is build on a model that we already like, know and trust, and that is held in high esteem internationally.
The Open University (OU) is way ahead of the curve in the distanced learning stakes. Its vision is to ‘be open to people, places, methods and ideas’ (OU, 2020). The OU ‘promote[s] educational opportunity and social justice by providing high-quality university education to all who wish to realise their ambitions and fulfil their potential’ (OU, 2020). Through academic research, pedagogic innovation and collaborative partnership, the OU seeks ‘to be a world leader in the design, content and delivery of supported open learning’ (OU, 2020).
There are a number of pillars that the OU builds each of its courses around, and which can be emulated to provide optimal learning experiences within our own teaching environments:
- Supported open learning: flexible teaching and learning opportunities that allow students to complete their learning when it is convenient and around their own schedule and commitments. Certainly, with many of us in medical aesthetics having stepped back into the NHS, or increased our existing NHS hours to support the COVID-19 effort, having the flexibility to study when we can is so important. There have been some amazing sessions conducted by some exceptionally well-respected medical aesthetic professionals, but when these sessions are restricted to ‘live’ viewing, the accessibility is vastly reduced.
- All-inclusive: one thing that is certainly admirable about the OU is its provision of teaching and learning materials. It provides students with everything that they need to know. This is not an exercise in finding things out or how to use a library/search engine (oh, the hours I have spent in a library searching for appropriate research in the pre-internet days!). Supplying, or being supplied with, all the information required is essential to good teaching and learning.
- Supportive and social: expert advice, guidance, feedback and group tutorials are where the personal touch comes in. It seems that, in the flurry of activity to pull educational material together in the lockdown world, supportive learning is what many struggled with the most. While many providers have tried to employ engagement strategies, there are others with none. To keep learners engaged, particularly those learners who favour a kinaesthetic and/or audible approach, there has to be a personal component. The responsibility to keep the learner engaged sits with the provider as much as it is the responsibility of the student to interact.
»Assessments should be used to support, uplift, encourage and educate, with enough post-assessment support to ensure this happens«
Supporting the learner
It is very easy to publish a video complete with learning information included. However, supporting the learner is another matter entirely. It is worth asking whether there is an opportunity for students and teachers to properly interact, ask questions and have some fun. This is not asking for the unachievable or the unreasonable, but it does take extra time and effort to make this element a success. This is where the real gold sits, and where the student feels involved in their learning, takes ownership of their education and gets pleasure from the whole experience. There are also assessments as part of each course and quality assurance with internal and external validation of the same.
All of the above does provide a positive open learning experience, one that all providers of distanced learning education should aspire to; however, it is not perfect for everyone. The problem is that we have had this open/distanced style of learning thrust upon us out of necessity in the current environment and, quite honestly, it just does not work for everyone.
Not for everyone?
Distanced learning is useful and effective (if it is of a good quality) for those learners pre-disposed to this way of doing things—those with enough self-discipline to ensure that they are committed to the course, dedicated enough to do the self-studying and with the home environment to support both. What many are struggling with is the lack of structured learning in terms of sessions, deadlines, assessments and the ability to properly interact with actual real living people.
Anecdotal evidence from a group of university students I have spoken with tells me how short-changed people are feeling with this style of education, how their sense of belonging has been eroded and their ability to ask questions diminished, and therefore their ability to perform and enjoy their learning has dissipated. Let us not forget also how much mental health has been and will be negatively impacted because of the aforementioned factors.
There are also financial considerations: university students in the academic year 2020/2021 are feeling very short-changed by being billed in the region of £10 000 per year for the privilege of learning from home and encountering very little of the student experience they were expecting—but what about the seasoned professional learners? Well, it seems that we are too! Many of us are paying thousands of pounds to watch video recordings of teaching done with other groups of students and then regurgitated to the masses with minimal personal input. The content may be of a high quality, but the student experience not so good.
Considerations for educators
This imbalance should be redressed. It is known that the current COVID-19 environment is not changing in the immediate future, and this will likely continue for months. When developing a course, or choosing to study one, the following should be considered priorities:
Supporting learners
It is worth providing ways of interaction, group sessions where communication is encouraged and social or ‘get to know you’ sessions before and/or after the formal learning has taken place. Icebreakers can be used in much the same way as is traditionally done with face-to-face teaching. Classes can do some small group problem-solving exercises (Zoom, Microsoft Teams and many other platforms allow this feature over live sessions). Forums can be created where people can share information, ask for help and socialise as much as is possible in the climate.
Ensuring that all the required learning material is provided
I have been part of a number of sessions over the past few months where all the required learning material has not been provided. This is disheartening for the student and gives a poor representation of the education provider. Trying to catch students out is not a smart approach and destroys teaching credibility, as well as student confidence.
Ensuring that the teacher is an expert in their area
Those who are teaching a course and need to bring in another expert to deliver a component part should do so. It will enrich the teaching and bring some variety to the learners. Teachers do not have to be experts in everything; they just need to know which friend to phone!
Testing students% knowledge
At the end of the training, an assessment should be offered to students to test their knowledge. Most importantly, this also needs to highlight the areas that they may need to study further and provide support to do so. I have seen some courses offering assessments that even seasoned professionals have failed, with absolutely no feedback. In this case, it is a reflection on the training provider that the training provision is inadequate in some way. Assessments should be used to support, uplift, encourage and educate, with enough post-assessment support to ensure this happens. An assessment without this provision is useless and will leave the learner demoralised and at a loss to know where they went wrong.
Checking in with learners on a personal level
In this day and age, checking in with learners on a personal level is not difficult. An introductory ‘hello’ email can be an automated feature. Check-ins throughout the learning are not onerous to achieve, and proper interaction cannot be eliminated in any high-quality teaching. A phone call or a group video call allows the student–trainer relationships to develop. Not only is this essential for a student's successful outcome, but it also greatly increases the likelihood that a student will study again with the same provider. Providers who skip this step miss out significantly in the re-investment from student stakes.
Health implications
Finally, there is another nod to the previously mentioned health implications within the emerging educational structures. Looking again to the OU, there are some clear examples to follow to provide the best support possible. First, if there is a barrier to learning (perhaps physical or mental health-related), this should be declared. There should be options available to students to support their learning if they are struggling in any way. For example, transcripts of lectures can be made available, especially as a speech-to-text converter is available on many video formats. There may be specialist equipment that needs to be signposted. The need to support the mental health of learners in theses unchartered times is of great importance. It is known that, generally, mental health issues are on the rise, and people are struggling with lockdown and many related issues. The lack of human interaction is playing havoc with attitudes, behaviours and emotions. Being mindful of this as an education provider is essential, and factoring in support mechanisms is a vital component in educational provision. Equally, a student looking to participate in learning needs to appreciate what the teaching school will provide in terms of support, interaction and value before they make the decision to invest.
A valuable opportunity to develop and improve teaching and learning has been presented, an opportunity that, without a global pandemic, may never have offered itself. Aesthetic practitioners should look to the best available resources, using tried and tested formulas, to provide and receive the best in education, support, learning and interaction.