We interviewed instructors this Spring to understand how they were adapting their classes with the rapid transition online. In close collaboration with these educators, we are sharing their key takeaways from what they learned along the way.
Preparing for Summer and Fall Classes to Be Online
“We can’t go back to normal. We’re at least partially online. That means that we have to go ahead and do some classroom flipping.”
In thinking about what the Fall term will bring, Professor David Mix Barrington is taking what he learned from the Spring semester. Flipping the classroom by recording 15 minute video lectures and using class time for discussion sections worked well for him this Spring, so he plans to continue with this format in Fall. He plans to make discussion sections graded, as he learned that helps with better turnout.
Professor Tara Craig of the University of Texas at Austin is using Piazza for faculty collaboration and development in preparation for Summer and Fall being online. Faculty are using this course to ask questions as they stumble upon issues with their online teaching, such as how TAs might access different breakout rooms for their discussion sections.
“I created a faculty development course on Piazza, we call it ‘MATH ONLINE’. I added faculty in my department as students to this Piazza class. It has been a lifesaver.”
Redesigning Courses for a New Learning Environment
Educators are rethinking the way they deliver class content to their students in this new virtual environment.
Professor Jeff Offutt learned quickly in the Spring term that students’ attention spans are shorter online, so he began to shorten his lectures and introduce more collaborative exercises. Students worked in groups and could use whatever tools they liked to work through the material together. Professor Offutt found that he had fewer students working alone with this method.
For hands-on sessions, Lecturer Sarbjit Sarkaria started recording short screen-share videos of him working through the materials so his students can take their own time learning and revisiting the materials. Students then have the ability to learn at their own pace.
Dr. David Joyner has discovered that in an online setting, the visibility that instructors have in the classroom is no longer automatic. He makes an effort to do something visible every day. Whether that be posting a check-in, endorsing a student answer, or sharing a funny GIF, he wants to make sure his students continue to “see” his presence.
Augmenting Online Classes with Additional Tools
Education tools have never been more crucial to education delivery. In addition to Piazza, instructors shared with us other useful tools they have adopted to bridge the gap between in-person and online classes.
To help teach computer science online, Professor Glenn Downing shares tools he has adopted that he plans to continue using moving forward: HackerRank for assigning programming projects and online exams, Perusall for class readings, and Zoom for breakout rooms, polls, and other in-class activities.
Figuring out how to get through to his students led high school teacher Jim Lerch to get creative with the tools he uses to stay connected with them. He uses Discord, Skype, email, and phone to get in touch with his students. He has also adopted Calendly to set up appointments, Mentimeter for surveys, and Gradescope for grading and feedback.
Professor Sean Fitzpatrick delivers his lectures at the regularly scheduled class time with YouTube Live so they are automatically saved and students can access them any time.
Lecturer Sarbjit Sarkaria uses url.live to host virtual office hours. Sarbjit finds this tool very convenient for his students, allowing them to easily connect and screen share. He shares the link and times he is available in Piazza so students can always find it.
Professor Jeff Offutt uses Webex to deliver lectures, and has his TAs monitor the chat window for student questions during live lectures to replicate an in-person classroom where students can raise their hands to ask questions.
Zoom’s virtual background feature is useful for adding some bright color, covering up an imperfect home environment, or transporting your students back to campus for your lectures or meetings. Professor Viji Sathy finds that she has fun with her students by adding fun backgrounds.
Creating Community and Fostering Participation
With students at home, they no longer have the same spaces to connect with each other, express their emotions or share their experiences, or pick up interesting conversations. Instructors are creating dedicated spaces online to build a community for their students to connect and participate.
Dr. David Joyner notes that peripheral participation, sitting in a classroom seeing your fellow classmates going through the same experience, goes away online. He creates anchors for activity for his students, such as posting a debate topic on an interesting subject in Piazza for students to go back and forth on. He increases student interaction by creating these dedicated spaces for students to share interesting resources. The activity in these online spaces in turn creates community.
By cultivating a culture of using discussion forums, even when they were still meeting face-to-face, Professor Sean Fitzpatrick’s students always know where to go when they have questions or concerns.
To spark discussion among his students, Professor Michael Liut posts technical current events and articles about technical aspects, or sustainability-type events and gives the students the space to discuss these topics.
Professor Luke Ziarek uses learning analytics available in Piazza’s statistics tab to identify and reach out to struggling students individually to encourage them to re-engage with the course.
Professor Gareth Denyer uses Piazza as a central place for his students to interact so his overseas students know that their classmates care about them, and that they are a part of a community, and that they have a single place to connect with each other and gather as a community.
Demonstrating Empathy for the Student Experience
Students are now at home with new responsibilities. Many do not have access to stable internet connections or dedicated learning spaces.
Professor Michael Liut hosts “life chats” on top of office hours to check in and see how his students are doing, so they know they have the space to let him know what they are going through.
With students now at home, maybe they have moved back to their home countries, Professor Sean Fitzpatrick began recording lectures so students who aren’t able to tune in live can watch the lectures whenever they get the time.
Professor Petra Bonfert-Taylor was surprised to learn how many of her students were stressed, lonely, sad, overwhelmed, and worried. As she is planning for the Fall term, Professor Bonfert-Taylor is taking into account that her students may be really struggling with their new situations and building in new flexibilities to ensure her students can continue to participate.
Encouraging Students to Stay Positive
Students are struggling and have lost their freedom of campus life. They are stressed over their degrees, jobs, and exams. Instructors shared with us ways to keep their students upbeat and motivated.
Professor David Gries encourages his teaching staff and students to share uplifting and inspiring content. He creates a dedicated place to share music and songs that highlight being together, helping one another, tips and videos for what to do to stay safe, and other uplifting and inspiring content.
Professor Michael Liut finds that his students really enjoy playing games online, so Professor Liut connects with them over online chess tournaments or the new Animal Crossing game.
By sharing one positive thing in her life everyday with her class, whether it be a photo of her dogs or things she bakes, Professor Viji Sathy encourages her students to find something that makes them happy each day, helping them to stay positive and motivated in the classroom.
Ensuring Staff and Students Are on the Same Page
Quick and consistent information is key when communicating to a dispersed class.
To ensure his students get the same information from the entire teaching staff, Professor Gareth Denyer has his teaching team respond on Piazza where the entire class can see the same information, reaching all students faster and more uniformly than individual emails.
By keeping response times low on Piazza, Professor Luke Ziarek ensures his students have the most up-to-date and accurate information. He also finds that quick response times increase student engagement. When students see their questions being answered, other students start jumping in and answering each other, so every student can get the help they need quickly.
