Reflections on the DDA online course Project Management for Postdocs (April 2020)

The DDA has asked a participant, the organisers and the instructor about the lessons learned on a two-full day online course.

The participant: Paula Fernandez Guerra, senior postdoc at Clinic for Molecular Endocrinology (KMEB), University of Southern Denmark

Initial impressions

I was initially disappointed to hear that the course was not postponed due to COVID-19 and that it was going to be online instead. My experience with previous online meetings and seminars has been good, but I have ended up being very tired of looking at the screen, and I found it very difficult to keep my focus during them. Therefore, I thought it was going to be exhausting and not very efficient to have a two-full day online course.

Impressions after the course

It was a very positive experience to participate in the course. It was not as exhausting as I thought and quite more productive.

What worked: Receiving the videos and slides before: It helped to shorten the presentation time from the speakers during the course, which made it more dynamic; Breakout rooms in Zoom: they allowed for discussion in smaller groups of five people; Facilitator in each of the groups: it helped to keep the discussion flowing, provide input and linked together with the different discussion topics; Practical cases: to discuss and comment, to apply the theory presented before in practice; Discussing example cases to raise inspiration; Practical information before the course: guidelines in how to use Zoom, etc.

What did I miss: Lack of network: the breaks, coffee and lunch, cannot be used to network with other people in the course; No informal networking: it is difficult to establish this kind of networking online, which made it difficult to create a more long-lasting bond between the participants; Shorter breaks: it can be hard to sit and focus for one hour in front of the screen, more than in a regular course; A bit more relaxed schedule: having a tight schedule, it broke the discussion sometimes in the smaller groups if you needed five more minutes to discuss.

The organisers: Pernille Bruun Nielsen, Education and Networking Coordinator, and Amel Skobalj, Project Assistant and IT expert

Jumping into something new can be nerve-racking, especially during these times of uncertainty, but jumping off your “cliff of comfort” presents you with new opportunities as well.

To rearrange a physical course to a web course requires detailed planning. You suddenly realise that the programme specifics that previously could be arranged with the instructors or sessions that could be   restructured/prolonged/shortened on the course day, have to be agreed upon in advance. All organisors and instructors must know their specific areas of responsibility and have a meticulous timetable for the course days.

Thus, in our case we planned ahead, so that every minute was accounted for. All in all, you cannot deny the preperational work prior to an online course. We believe it to be that work, including thinking through/testing all possible scenarios, that make things work on the course day and that, in the end, delivers a positive result – both for the organisers, instructors and last but not least for the participants.

We were even as lucky as to have the technical aspect work. Imagine the all around experience being very different, and very hectic as an organisor and facilitator if there had been a glitch in the internet connection or sound or camera being of low quality.

The Instructor: Søren Barlebo Rasmussen, Partner, Mobilize Strategy Consulting

”I believe that the unique opportunity of an online course is that as a participant you can spend more time at the seminar talking about what you can use the models for in your specific situation (e.g.  the leadership models). And less time sitting passively listening to a speaker. Thus, shifting the time consumption towards more active participants and focus on their practical usage of the material.

This can be implemented by having the more academic presentations video recorded in advance – so you do not have to watch these at the seminar. Additionally, the participants can prepare better in advance and they can watch the recordings when they like – for example multiple times and also after the webinar.

It is amazing how well you can work closely together in a group during the course. If you are down to 5-6 people in a group, it is almost like sitting physically together. After a few hours, you forget that you are together virtually.

With regards to the process, it is easy dividing people quickly into groups. It is no problem doing this 3-4 times during an hour. It would be very time-consuming if you had to move physically to a group room.

	Paula Fernandez Guerra
	Pernille Bruun Nielsen
	Amel Skobalj
	Søren Barlebo Rasmussen