A wave of universities across the country has made the decision to move its classes online to address the new coronavirus pandemic. Arizona State University needed a little nudge from its students who created an online petition to cancel in-person classes. Harvard University Tuesday morning told students to move out of their campus housing; classes will be taught remotely. New York moved its entire public university systems to classes online beginning March 19th. That’s 700,000 students at 90 campuses. They call it a “distance learning model.”
I imagine our college students will have mixed feelings about all of this. On one hand, some will be thrilled to have their Spring Break extended and to attend class in the comfort of their home while a loving parent does their laundry. Others, if told to leave campus, may not have a home with wi-fi or even a home to return to. And still others will remain on campus perhaps feeling isolated and maybe even traumatized by the disruption in routine and anxiety of the unknown.
Professors now must find ways to support their students, honor their content, and assuage their own anxieties from disruption and maybe even technology. Indeed, many of higher education professors have been resisting digital learning management systems in favor of paper rosters sign-ins and blue book exams.
Years ago, I taught online while working on my doctorate. It was a great way to earn extra cash, and because the university was fully online, the faculty had to participate and pass an online teaching course in order to be hired/given courses. The course helped us develop routines in our discussions to develop community and engage students in content. This semester, at Oklahoma State University, I taught an 8-week intensive course online with a cohort of doctoral students in Belize. We met every Saturday for three hours via Zoom, a video-audio conferencing platform. While the thought of three hours in a video conference with anxiety-stricken college students in their jammies may make you cringe, let me tell you that it can really be a joy.
As you prepare to bring your courses online, you may be tempted to just keep all the contact asynchronous, meaning students submit content at different times. But I encourage you to try holding class as usual – -just move the classroom online. Zoom has 40 minutes free for anyone, but you can also use Google Hangouts/Meets. Please accept a few tips that I hope will support the good work you have already done to nurture community and facilitate student-centered learning experiences.
1. Faces Required
First, be sure every class member has their video and audio on, with the audio muted. It is very important that faces are on the screen to see one another and to be in the room.
I have also found it to be helpful to have some norms. Before we get started, I like to review and model preparing to be present with a “gathering checklist.”
2. Dance Party
Send a Google survey to your students now requesting their favorite songs and artists. Give some parameters such as no profanity or ask for the songs to be theme-focused if you wish. Then, create a playlist through your music app or YouTube.
Open your online video conferencing app 30-15 minutes before class so that students can gather and get situated. Start the playlist so that they have music to welcome them. This will help alleviate stress or uncertainty and set the tone for class that recognizes students with their favorite music. Also, they will continue to learn about one another in the music choices. You should also add your favorite song to the playlist.
Every 30 minutes to an hour, take a standing break and play a song. Invite them to stretch or dance for the duration of the song.
3. A Gathering Question
Students need a bellringer in every grade-level because it helps their brains transition from the stress and/or minutia of daily life to the course work. They also need to transition from their inner world to the social experience of the course.
Share your screen with a slide that has a gathering question or task. The tone and purpose of this question should be responsive to your students. For example, when I sensed heightened stress in the discussion board one week, I posted this: As we gather, think about the things in your life for which you are grateful. When I wanted us to transition from life to class, I asked students to share this: Tell us about how you spent your morning. When we were reading about place-based literacy, I asked students to share a place that was important to them and then asked them to share what their students would say. This helped us think about each other and the content as we prepared for class. Ask students to respond in the chat feature.
You can also post a poem, short excerpt, or video and ask your students to journal for 10 minutes. It is okay for there to be silence during the video class. They can write in their notebooks and then share out.
4. Discussion Leaders
For the remaining class you have, assign two or three students to be discussion leaders. Ask them to collaborate on a Google slideshow: about the author, the central claim, theoretical framework, methodology, results, implications, limitations and 3 text-based questions. Then, in the remaining class meetings, turn the online class over to these students to present and lead the discussion.
This is about agency and reciprocity. Students know they are coming to class as an equal member who must prepare as you do to engage the class in the content. In Zoom and Google Meets, you can share your screen, so students can do this, too. Class members should be encouraged to comment and respond in the chat box or be invited to speak using the audio feature.
Here is a brief guide to helping students create text-based questions to facilitate discussions:
5. Closing
To end your session, develop a ritual such as a quote you can share at the end of each session or an opportunity to reflect on the privilege of being together and learning in that shared space.
In the chat feature or out loud, say one nice thing about class today: a classmate who helped you understand a concept in a new way; a moment during class that you enjoyed; something you learned that you didn’t know before; something you discovered about a classmate that you didn’t know prior to this class; something you want to try in your own class or life…
Final Thoughts
Distance learning or online coursework is about accessibility, and light of the public health crisis, it is about safety. Keep in mind ways to support introverts and extraverts. You can ask students to group up on a shared Google doc or meet in a separate Google Hangout. Zoom allows you to make break out groups for small group work that you can pop in and out of. For students who need live captioning, try Microsoft Translator. Also, with Zoom, you can record the meeting, and Zoom will automatically create a transcript of the online session that you can share with students or post in your learning management system.
Your students need you to help normalize the situation, this change/disruption to their learning, but you do not have to carry the burden if you invite your students to share responsibility in the course success and community building. Faces, voices, and a dance party.
