I teach a unit on MA Arts and Cultural Enterprise and the course is paired with Hong Kong University. On average I have around 25 students, based in Hong Kong that I teach online. I have a teaching partner from Hong Kong University who also delivers content in person as part of my unit. The Hong Kong students tend to be working full time, often long hours, and fit their studies in around their working life during evenings and weekends. My classes with the students are scheduled for 8.30 – 10pm in line with the other units on the course. 

The classes are recorded so even though I may have 25 students registered, it would be standard for only around 12 – 14 to attend in person. When in class, it is challenging to get students to actively participate – often teacher led questions go unanswered. On occasion when I have initiated group work, I find there are usually a number of students who leave the class. Following group work, it is hard to persuade students to share their discussions with the group. 

In order to keep my classes as engaging as possible for students, I minimise the text on slides, provide interesting examples and engage students with questions and polls. I have found that polls can be a more effective way to get feedback from students on simple topics as the act of clicking a button is low-stakes for them. I could also look at the other tools contained within collaborate – for example asking them to contribute a single word answer to a shared board. Asking for regular engagement on a weekly basis may be enough to get them used to the idea of participating.

I have also spoken to colleagues for tips on how to better engage Hong Kong students. It has been suggested that if I am to pose questions, I need to provide notice so they can prepare responses in advance. A fellow tutor who is originally from China has also suggested that language may be an issue and the students may not feel confident using their microphones and speaking in English so perhaps soliciting written answers to questions may work better. 

Going forward, I intend to keep talking to colleagues about this issue. I have already had useful conversations with fellow students from the PgCert who have encountered similar challenges. I will also have a conversation with my co-tutor in Hong Kong and have a conversation with the course director about the student feedback from my unit to see if there are any further improvements I can make. I will look at the homework tasks for the unit with particular focus on the Hong Kong students to see if I help them to prepare for the sessions any further. Another tactic could be to simply lower my expectations around participation from this group and accept that they will engage with the course in a different way to the UK students.