Making the Most of Zoom: A Call for Attention, Connection and Communication

You’ve probably seen the meme. “Netflix: $108 a year. Spotify: $120 a year. Hulu: $72 a year. Stanford Graduate School of Business online: $119K a year.”

Funny. But enough already. I’m here to propose that we, the students, professors, and administration of the GSB share responsibility for making our Spring classroom experience the best it can be.

Rule following and the GSB don’t always go hand in hand — we see ourselves as innovators, as MBAs who break things and build them, better. But right now, we don’t have a choice — the rules regarding COVID are not flexible. One opportunity to follow rules and improve outcomes is to band together on Zoom norms and make the most of our nine weeks online.

This is a learning opportunity. It’s a leadership opportunity.

Buying into Zoom, at the beginning, will maybe feel awkward, particularly if some classmates are less than psyched about it. But, I think if enough of us really buy in, it will be contagious.

Why is learning over Zoom so concerning to me, to us? Why do I feel like many of us are tempted to throw in the towel and coast to June? I think it’s because it threatens our connection to our classmates and professors, challenges our attention and discipline, and weakens our communication. But, if we come together as a community, I think we can hone our attention (isn’t that why so many of us *try* meditating?), connect through and despite crisis, and learn to best communicate in less than ideal formats.

I’d like to dig into these three pillars of the classroom experience, and suggest ways in which we can hone each of these virtually, with the hope that we may all learn something that we will take back into the world, when we are again physically traversing it.

Attention

• Students: Unless you’re going for Arjay, ask yourself whether you’ll be more motivated by continuing to take a class for a grade;
• Students: find a way to stay off your devices. Perhaps show your hands on video as a way to remind yourself to stay present, or shut down everything on the computer during class time, and if you want to engage with someone in the class, stay in the bounds of the classroom and do it over Zoom;
• Professors: Cold call. Keep us honest and on our toes;
• Administration: if you make the Pass/Fail rule more lenient, explain why, and in what cases you recommend using it;

Connection

• Students: isn’t it fun when you get to know someone new in a class? Find ways to reach out.
• Students: reach out by text, email, Slack or Zoom when someone makes a great comment;
• Students: we started Shenanigans two Autumns ago, and now we should resume online. Bravo to the MBA1s for spearheading Zoom Shenanigans. Is someone up to the task of managing points?
• Students: Connect over coffee, lunch or dinner, this time virtually;
• Professors: In the same vein, reach out to us individually! This is a weird time and initiating connection may feel hard for many of us. It also may help incentivize commitment to the class;
• Professors: Leverage breakout rooms on Zoom to foster real conversations and help us connect.

Communication

• Students: Virtual classrooms will be new to all of us; inform the professors ASAP when teaching style isn’t adapting well to Zoom;
• Professors: Make sure you know one student who can fix the technology when it fails, and one who knows the general pulse of the students in the virtual classroom and can give feedback;
• Administration: Help those of us who live off campus pay for more broadband.

Now it’s your turn. At quarter’s end, we’ll write an article on what worked in the online classes, and what didn’t. We’d like your thoughts. I will be collecting feedback throughout the quarter; please email me at boleary0@stanford.edu. Consider this an important chance to improve teaching and learning, online and in the classroom too, for the students who follow you.