Making the Most of Remote Teaching Now (Part 2 of 4)
KRISTEN FERGUSON
Education has experienced a pedagogical whiplash. Our face-to-face classes have abruptly transitioned to remote teaching. Although this new scenario brings some tension to our students and to us, we can take a few tips from the field of online education to help us transition a bit more smoothly.
Length of the class period: The first tension between emergency remote teaching and online education is regarding the length of the expected video time. In a face-to-face class, most institutions plan for an hour and half block twice a week or a three-hour block once a week (or somewhere in between). To spend an hour and half or even three hours at one time in front of the computer screen is difficult for students and professors alike.
If we were in an ideal online education situation, we would recommend “chunking” the course content up into topics that result in videos or written lectures no longer than 20 minutes. Multiple videos/lectures can be assigned in a given week, but the limit on the time and topic allows the student to remain engaged longer. Then, we would have a discussion or activity related to the video/lecture to ensure the students have mastered the content.
Although you likely can’t (or shouldn’t) change the length of the class period mid-semester for remote teaching, you can attempt to make the class period more engaging by breaking it up into 20 minute segments. Add a discussion or activity (one where your students have to do something, not just listen) to keep them attentive and allow them to digest the content. Alternating between lecture and a short activity or discussion will help students stay alert through the whole class meeting.
Student engagement: The next tension that we are facing in remote teaching is a lack of engagement from our students. In class, we can see their facial expressions, sense the comprehension in the room, and hear from students on a whim with a quick question. Many times in a face-to-face course, engagement comes with ease because of the shared physical space and time. In our emergency remote teaching, we may ask a question or begin a discussion only to hear crickets through our computer speakers.
In a planned online education course, we would require intentional and regular engagement every week. Whether it be group work, discussion forums, or peer review opportunities, a large part of the final grade would be centered on engagement quality. The expectations for engagement would be communicated and established early in the semester even indicating the substance and frequency of interaction between students.
There are actually a lot of ways that you can enhance the engagement of students in your remote teaching. One way is to prime the pump prior to the class by giving them some content and some sample questions early in the week. Tell them that you expect to discuss that topic during the live meeting and you will be grading them on specific things like critical thinking, understanding of the content, and argumentation. Providing them warning and structure can enhance their motive to participate quickly. You can also set up a discussion forum on your learning management system or assign peer review opportunities to align with existing assignments for facilitated student interaction.
Assignment type and submission: One of the tensions that may not be felt quite yet but will be felt in full force near the end of the term is what to do about certain assignment requirements and submissions. It’s impossible to describe the full range of possible assignment changes that will be necessary given the remote teaching transition, but the biggest help with the transition of assignments will be your online office and IT department.
When you move a course online in normal circumstances, determining how you will assess the learning outcomes is the first and most important step. The online office helps the professor consider the different tools in the Learning Management Software, the particulars of writing clear assignment instructions, the tech support needs, and the various contexts that each student will encounter when accomplishing the assignment. This planning usually generates a good deal of creativity and a very specific plan of how you should execute each assignment.
In our COVID-19 online transition, our assignments are already set, criteria already determined, and the course already moving in that intended direction. There are a few things, though, that you should consider when shifting your assignments to a remote teaching format. First, understand your school’s learning management system so that you can determine the right tool for collecting your students’ submissions. Second, consider the variables of the students’ context such as access to resources, ability to secure a proctor if needed, and technical support provided by the institution. Third, be sure to communicate clearly, concisely, and consistently so that students know exactly how to earn their grade for the course.
It may be easiest for you simply to carry on with your class as you had planned, but in our new remote teaching reality, some tips from the online education field may enhance your students’ experience. In our next post, we will discuss what it may look like for institutions to prepare for the next semester of online education if it becomes necessary. Then, in our final post, we will take a deep dive into what it looks like to foster community and spiritual formation online.
Kristen Ferguson (Ed.D.) serves as Director of Online Education at Gateway Seminary.