Re-thinking Modes of Online Learning: Alternative Modes of Online Lectures and Student Engagement

The transition to online teaching and learning as a result of COVID-19 has been marked by a significant decrease in student engagement, motivation and interpersonal interactions. To combat this, our team has used Twitch, a public live-streaming platform, as well as Discord, a channel-based instant messaging platform, to increase student engagement and form a learning community for an introductory organic chemistry module at the National University of Singapore. Via publicly live-streaming tutorial sessions, as well as engaging students with additional questions, discussions, and other media such as memes, students responded positively and we were able to observe an increase in student-faculty interaction, as well as the formation of a learning community. Our approach is markedly different from current and traditional approaches to online education, and overcomes many of the invisible challenges that students face, such as an inability to rewind a video conference, or the difficulty in interacting with fellow students in online settings. While our approach cannot be generalized to all online classrooms, the consideration of our approach, challenges, and experiences will certainly improve online teaching and learning.