As COVID-19 disrupted on-campus teaching and learning, many faculty members started exploring ways to teach online. To support these faculty members, the Blended and Digital Learning Team at the Network of Quality, Teaching and Learning began offering workshops and consultations to help faculty members move to online teaching. 

At the same time, we knew that faculty members could learn from each other by sharing their capabilities and discussing new ideas. Therefore, we designed the EdTech Lounge, a virtual community of practice for AKU faculty members to discuss their teaching and learning experiences with technology. From April to December 2020, the EdTech Lounge sessions were held every Wednesday via Zoom. The session's format allowed the expert to speak for 15 minutes, followed by a round of Q&A from the audience. The sessions concluded with a summary of key ideas. The session recordings are shared on the AKU's YouTube channel to benefit a wider audience from AKU faculty members' experiences. 

 In 2020, we held 36 EdTech Lounge sessions attended by over 1500 participants from various academic institutions in South, Central Asia, Africa and the UK. In 2021, 10 EdTech Lounge sessions attended by over 300 participants from various academic institutions. In 2022, over 250 participants from academic institutions in Pakistan, the United States, Bangladesh, East Africa, and the United Kingdom attended 6 EdTech Lounge sessions. In 2023, we will continue with this virtual community of practice; the EdTech Lounge sessions will be held via Zoom

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