Instructor Boaz Faraday Schuman on Recreating On-Campus Social Interactions in Online Classrooms

Instructor Boaz Faraday Schuman of the University of Toronto shares how he has been recreating on-campus social interactions in online classrooms.

Assessing student comprehension with Piazza

I can see how students are engaging with course material based on the kinds of questions they are asking and the back and forth that happens on Piazza. That allows me to assess where there may be difficulties or where something needs to be clarified online much as I could from frowns or puzzled looks in a traditional classroom.

Online substitute for on-campus social interactions

I like to encourage casual conversation in my classes because I worry that students are missing out on that experience in an online setting. I set up a tab at the top of my course page specifically for comments and questions that I categorize as ‘fun stuff.’ I kick this off by asking students “What’s a fun song to study logic to?’ I’m hoping that this additional fun stuff offers students a substitute for the social interaction they would be getting in a campus setting.

Find out more about how ‘Bo’ is staying connected with his students by following his blog: New Normal: what it’s like to move instruction online