The adoption of online teaching in higher education has been facilitated by the COVID-19 pandemic and thus pedagogical innovation has also become a priority in learning and teaching. While learners start to adapt to online learning which has a myriad of benefits, education practitioners may be facing on-going challenges of creating engaging and effective learning experiences for the learners. This presentation aims to explore various approaches to pedagogical innovation in online teaching, the challenges of adopting those approaches, and the solutions to it.
Pedagogical innovation is defined as placing a deliberate effort to bring new elements into a given context, with the purpose of enhancing students’ learning experience through interaction and interactivity (Béchard, 2000, as cited in Walder, 2017). It includes the use of online apps, online discussion forums, and collaborative document editors, which benefits collaborative learning, leading to improved student engagement, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills (Carvalho et al., 2020). Walder (2017) also found that pedagogical innovation could increase student engagement, motivation, and satisfaction, as reported by the professors. Pedagogical innovation does not only improve students’ learning, but it can also enhance professors’ teaching practices and professional development.