Lessons Learnt From The 2020 COVID 19 Lockdown: A Students’ Online MS Team Project

Abstract

This paper outlines an investigation of the impact of a programme Students Online, which was created in Microsoft (MS) Teams during New Zealand’s level 4 lockdown of March-May 2020.  Students Online was set by the Learning Hub, the learning support centre, for a large tertiary institution in response to an international student’s request, asking for a way for students to meet and practise English.  The study aimed to investigate the experiences of those who engaged with the MS Team and derive implications for possible future improvement.  Offering focused learning support as well as sessions on life in New Zealand, the most significant benefit seen was the overall sense of connection when many aspects of life were disconnected.  Other benefits highlighted by the study’s participants include improved communication between students and the Learning Hub, a “mental release” in the day, relationships being built and adding to the institute’s value of being supportive. The MS Team provided a sense of normality in a time when life was filled with abnormality. Participants were drawn from Learning Hub staff and students who interacted within the programme.  This study found that the Students Online programme was considered generally useful and successful, modifications for future such programmes are suggested.