Quote: “I was quite surprised by the richness of questions and the depth of responses.”

Challenge: How to maximize collaboration among students, and share out information in a virtual setting

Carleigh was looking for an interesting way to meet two of her learning outcomes related to the history and future direction of the wine industry, and about key wine producing regions. Preparing lectures on these topics was certainly an option, but she wanted something more engaging for the students.

Solution: Use the discussion tool to engage with team presentations

Carleigh assigned students to teams and had them create posters using Canva to communicate a variety of information related to “elements of terroir” (ie. climate, geography, soil) for a particular wine region. Teams researched regional history and key characteristics related to a wine region and then communicated this information in an infographic. Posters were uploaded to a VIULearn discussion forum so students could participate in a “Gallery Walk”, where everybody could see the posters. Then, to encourage real participation and exchange between students, each team had to post one question for each of the other posters. Teams then had an opportunity to respond to the questions asked of them. This method of participation seemed to engage students deeply, and Carleigh reflected that the depth of the questions and responses was rich and meaningful.