Faculty Feedback:
CNDLS learning designers, pedagogy experts, and instructional technologists react to common faculty challenges.
My class prep takes twice as long as in person, if not longer.
“Yes. This is the reality of designing for a remote/online class. Unfortunately there are no shortcuts here, and we empathize. It does get easier though.”
“I agree that remote classes take way more work upfront — but I do think that I’m already seeing efficiencies develop in my own semester. To the extent that it takes time to master a tool, things get faster once you’ve done that; to the extent that it takes time to figure out what engages your students, things get easier once you’ve figured that out; a rhythm develops. So I think folks can expect a little speeding-up even within this semester.”
“Yes – no way around the extra time it takes to prep but I agree it gets easier as you discover what works well and you can replicate it.”
“The challenges you are facing aren’t unique, and ones that all new online instructors face. The changes we are making now in our pedagogy will carry over and improve the students’ learning experience when we return to campus. Seeing the connections between what you are learning and implementing now with your overall pedagogy and teaching practice helps you to value the effort you are putting in now as being worth it both immediately and long-term.”
It is hard for me to tell if students are engaged over Zoom.
“More active learning and fewer straightforward lectures will help with seeing student engagement. Think about whether you do anything during class that could be done asynchronously in order for you to make more time to gather evidence of student engagement during synchronous class time.”
“Instead of trying to see if students are engaged, create situations that engage them and that require them to engage (interact, apply, respond). Hell yes to active learning.”
“Agreed on all points. Consider especially using Google Apps: Jamboard and Google Docs work great and you can observe who is engaged/not engaged. Temperature checks also help; use Zoom polls or other polling solutions.”
“I’ll just second the point that investments of time and learning how to incorporate active learning are critical for this moment and will continue to pay dividends in the future.”
I am not sure how best to include students in other time zones in our class community.
“Create informal check-in groups for students in similar time zones so they can connect with one another.”
“I also know that some folks on the other side of the planet are doing the nocturnal thing, so having some full-group synchronous interactions is a real possibility. And of course asynchronous tools like Google Apps are helpful. Our guidebook on asynchronous engagement is a good place to start.”
”Check in individually with students in different time zones to gauge their flexibility. There is a possibility you may find synchronous time that may work for them to get together with at least some of their classmates.”
I am still getting the hang of seamless coordination across multiple tools and platforms, especially during synchronous sessions when there is no time for me to troubleshoot.
“Keep it simple and expect some technical difficulties. Plan out what tools and technologies you will be using in class and build in time to troubleshoot in advance. Come up with some backup activities just in case, and consider sharing a plan for what to do if Zoom fails.”
“Completely agree. And have reasonable expectations for yourself in this environment. We are all only human.”
“Yes, on simplicity – I think less is more when it comes to using tools. Pick a few that work and master them.”
