Contextual Background: In a three-hour workshop, limited time impedes the assessment of student understanding. Factors such as lateness, breaks, and introductory activities like UAL tours and icebreakers take up much of the session. This results in insufficient time to gauge student comprehension, address detailed questions, or effectively evaluate their overall experience.
Evaluation: With our three-hour workshops: they’re often a bit of a juggling act. Since each workshop is with a different school and we don’t know anything about the students beforehand, we end up spending a lot of time just explaining basic media terms. This means there’s less time for the hands-on stuff that everyone looks forward to.
Also, because the students usually come from general media backgrounds, we need to make sure they’re all on the same page before diving in. This prep time, combined with factors like lateness and icebreakers, eats into our session time.
What’s tricky is that with so little time, we can’t really gauge if the students are bored or engaged. We miss out on reading their reactions and adjusting the workshop on the fly. So, we end up with a lot of effort put in, but not always a clear picture of whether the students are getting the most out of it.
Moving Forward: To tackle the challenges of our three-hour workshops and enhance their effectiveness, consider these strategies:
- Pre-Workshop Surveys: Send out brief surveys to schools before the workshop to gather information about the students’ backgrounds and their familiarity with key terms. This will help tailor the content to their existing knowledge and reduce the time spent on basic explanations.
- Streamlined Content: Focus on essential concepts and streamline the introduction. Prioritise the hands-on activities that students find most engaging, and use clear, concise language to explain key terms quickly. Providing a pre-workshop reading or resource guide can also help students get up to speed before the session.
- Flexible Schedule: Adjust the workshop schedule to allocate specific time blocks for different activities. For instance, dedicate time for introductions, hands-on practice, and feedback. This will help manage time more effectively and ensure that each component of the workshop gets the attention it needs.
- Interactive Elements: Incorporate interactive elements throughout the session to keep students engaged and gauge their interest. Use quick polls, short discussions, or live feedback tools to get real-time insights into their reactions to the content.
- Check-Ins: Implement short check-ins during the workshop to assess understanding and adjust the pace as needed. These can be quick questions or activities designed to measure comprehension and engagement.