Humanizing Online STEM Showcase
Mandeep Grewal, Biology Instructor at Butte College.
This site provides examples of instructional resources created in the Humanizing Online STEM Academy, a professional development program funded by the California Education Learning Lab and administered by the Foothill DeAnza Community College District.
Where I was.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, online faculty should regularly contact their students. Like many online instructors, I thought I was present in my online classes, but my students probably thought otherwise. After watching the students' voices video and reading about the related research, I realized students crave their teachers' one-on-one attention. They want to feel supported in their online classes. I thought meeting with some students in asynchronous classes for exam reviews was okay as long as I recorded my interactions with the students present. I learned that it is not entirely equitable. I tried to do my best, and now I know better.
In addition, I had heard about liquid Syllabi and its benefits and always wanted to create one. However, I thought it would be a significant and cumbersome task. As Michelle said in her video, finding motivation and accountability without a teacher is hard. So, I only found the motivation to do it when I took this course.
Where I am.
In the academy, I learned that videos could make online classes come alive. One does not need to make lengthy and fancy videos. As little as thirty seconds of videos can make a big difference in our classes. Teachers can use many free tools to make videos and caption them. There are not many hoops to jump to make the videos. The many examples in this course helped me emotionally and gave me ideas for making innovative videos.
Liquid syllabi are more equitable than a welcome letter in a Word document. Students do not have to download the liquid syllabus to read it. The Google slides are more accessible on handheld devices. I liked that the course started with simple assignments and proceeded to more advanced ones. Putting together this showcase seemed manageable because we created pieces of this throughout the six weeks. I want to make a similar feeling for my students in my classes by chunking the information rather than giving them big overwhelming assignments.
In addition, I enjoyed the personal feedback and style Kim used on my assignments. I felt encouraged to correct my mistakes and learn. Also, a letter to Jayden was a great activity. I have learned how to use written language to encourage students while keeping high classroom standards. It is possible to change students' perceptions of online classes even if they have had terrible experiences in online classes in the past.
I have taken multiple online professional development courses where I did assignments on Flip. It was nice to learn how to create interactive discussions with Flip. However, I am not a big fan of this tool. I like the Canvas voice tool better and easier to use. But I might evolve to like it when I use it in my classes.
Where I am going.
Reading about making and uploading videos is one thing, but creating and uploading videos is another. I am glad that I took this class and went through this process. Making videos, liquid syllabi, and YouTube videos no longer feels cumbersome. I was most worried about not being able to caption the videos appropriately. YouTube captioning is very quick and easy.
With the tools and language that I learned in this academy, I can connect with my students on a personal level. Getting an education was not easy for me. I tell my stories to my face-to-face students about how I kept going despite all the obstacles I faced. I see how engaged and connected they feel. I plan to do the same with my online students. This can also bring down some of the cultural and language barriers. I am planning on using videos to leave feedback. I enjoyed the video feedback left by Kim in this class. I felt special and encouraged.
Liquid Syllabus
How will I use the liquid syllabus?
I used to send my students a welcome letter two weeks before the class started. I created the letter on a Word document without a welcome video and images. I did not know many students wouldn't read it because only some can download and read Word documents on their phones. Students tend to use their phones daily rather than a computer. Sending this information through Google Sites is more appropriate. Most students can access this information and feel a sense of belonging before they meet me on the first day of class for my hybrid courses. The welcome video has added a human aspect to a dry letter. My students will be more prepared for the classes.
Course Card
Why did I choose this image?
Our culture implies that most female students of color are not good at science. I chose an image of females of color in the course card to discourage that way of thinking and convey that everyone can do science.
Homepage
What role does my course homepage play?
I have added my image on the homepage to put a face to their teacher. I tried to keep the text minimum and added spaces to make them feel comfortable and not overwhelmed with the information. I also provided direct links to the modules, so they feel organized and can find the required information faster. I congratulate them on reaching the homepage because it is a significant accomplishment. They go through many hurdles to finally get to my classes' website. All these additions and modifications to the homepage will make my students feel included and welcomed because I have put thought into creating their first experience of my course.
Getting to Know You Survey
How will I use the survey data to modify my course?
New Student Survey is a neat addition to my course. I will add these surveys to all classes, even face-to-face courses. I struggle pronouncing my students' names; however, I want to say them correctly to make my students feel special. I want students to tell me how they want me to say their names; therefore, this question is very important to make my students feel included. I do not want my students to tell me they do not care how I pronounce their names. I did it for a long time about my name, but I have become aware of the importance of my name.
The other important question for me is when I ask students about their life obstacles and how they want me to help them cope with them while they are taking my course. This will affect my late homework policy and the creation of alternative assignments. Not everyone studies the same way, and it is nice if a teacher can accommodate all forms of learning and demonstrations of understanding.
Ice Breaker
Fostering a Sense of Belonging.
In my courses, I ask students to create groups of 6 to 8 students on Canvas. They interact with each other in online groups to discuss lectures and lab content. Students submit their lecture discussion consensus and lab reports at the end of the week. In this Ice Breaker activity, I ask students to introduce themselves to their group, explain how they will support their group, and what knowledge of microbiology they already have. This discussion serves four purposes. It helps students connect, commit to supporting each other, build community, and learn how to politely and positively communicate with each other in an online environment. Through this activity, they know that they are different from each other, and that is a good thing about their group.
Bumper Video
How will the bumper videos improve my students' learning experiences?
Every week, I send my students an announcement to give them an overview of the module and assignments due. I have never included videos in my announcements. When I get a video of the facilitators in the STEM academy, it encourages me to watch it immediately and get excited about the week. I will embed the lecture bumper videos in my announcements to create curiosity about lecture videos and other content. I am excited to see what changes it brings. In the past, the students told me that their main mistake in my classes was to start watching videos too late into the week. This change will encourage them to click on the videos sooner and be better prepared for the online discussions and assessments.
Microlecture
How will microlecture improve my students' learning experience?
In the past, I listed all the learning objectives of a week's worth of videos in the first video and then made multiple videos afterward. My videos are randomly timed. Some are 20 to 30 minutes long. In the STEM Academy, I have learned how to chunk the information and make it enjoyable. It is a good idea to list the learning objective of one topic in each video and stick with that topic in that video. Also, the videos should be at most 10 minutes long.
For this microlecture, the learning objective is to describe the functions and anatomy of hair, an accessory organ of the skin. Students must learn multiple complicated images to understand the structure of hair follicle and hair. Therefore, in this video, I drew a picture of the hair follicle and invited students to draw it with me. I used different colors for the different parts of the hair follicle. I labeled each structure with the corresponding color to demonstrate note-taking skills. This video will be a short and comprehensive experience for my students. They will be able to master each objective fully via multiple micro lecture videos.