Off-SITE Blasts

Off-SITE Blast for May 13th, 2020: Mobile Devices and Remote Learning

A recent survey showed that "96.3% of community college students have a smartphone"? And data from Pew Research reveals that "Americans who are younger, people of color, and low income are more likely to rely on a smartphone than broadband for online access." That said, it's likely that many of your students are accessing your course or completing aspects of their coursework using a smartphone.

This week, SITE brings you the brief article "Yes! Use Your Phone in Class: Tips for More Equitable Temporary Remote Teaching & Learning" posted by @ONE (Online Network of Educators). Learn more equitable teaching strategies to better serve your students who are possibly using their smartphones rather than computers. Another article, "More Students Rely on Mobile Devices to Complete Online Classes," provides some additional tips and ways of thinking about how your students use their smartphones for schoolwork.

In addition, we want to recommend a series of YouTube videos called "Byte-sized Canvas." These short videos, created by an @ONE specialist, provide quick tips that optimize online course design.

Off-SITE Blast for May 6th, 2020: Racial Equity in Online Environments: A six-part webinar series to provide strategies for faculty and administrators to exercise agency on behalf of the most vulnerable students

USC Center for Urban Education (USC CUE) is doing great work in bringing equity-mindedness to community colleges and empowering people to act as agents for change. Below are the links to two webinars that have transpired, and one that is scheduled for 05/08/2020.

Webinar I – Series Introduction: The Importance of Equity-Minded Virtual Practices During COVID19: A Conversation with Students – Thursday, 4.23.2020

Introduction to CUE and webinar series by Chancellor Eloy Oakley and Dr. Estela Bensimon. This webinar session will provide a foundation of understanding to Equity-Mindedness. This webinar will introduce key terms and principles which will guide every webinar in this series. In addition, five student panelists will join to engage in a discussion about their experiences transitioning into online learning in the midst of COVID-19. The recording for webinar 1 is available at: bit.ly/cuewebinar1recording

Webinar II – Equity-Minded Online Teaching: Using Canvas as a Model – Thursday, 4.30.2020

Professor Jennifer Ortiz will illustrate how to use Canvas with an equity mindset. She will provide examples of techniques and strategies which can be easily applied in any course. For example, she will show participants the video message she uses to welcome students into her class. This session will also have a focus on the implementation of AB705. Professor Ortiz is the Chair of English at LA Trade Tech and a Fellow at the Center for Urban Education. She has collaborated with CUE’s staff on the development of equity-minded teaching materials. The recording for webinar 2 is available at: bit.ly/cuewebinar2recording

Webinar III – Being Aware of Learning Opportunities and Constraints Posed by Online Teaching and Moving Towards Anti-Racist Practices – Thursday, 5.7.2020

This webinar will address the “taken-for-granted” practices and assumptions that shape the online learning environment and ways in which they can be detrimental to the success of minoritized students. For example, many students only have access to a cellular phone and instructors are not considering how the materials they upload may become distorted on a phone. The current circumstances are overwhelming and it is easy for instructors to default to the students who have the know-how to navigate technology. Registration Link: bit.ly/cuewebinar3

After watching the webinar(s), please follow the link to Padlet and share your impressions. Here’s the link to Padlet.

Off-SITE Blast for April 29th, 2020: Addressing Racial Bias & Microaggressions in Online Environments

This weeks’ off-SITE blast is a 1.5-hour webinar that was held by Dr. Frank Harris & Dr. Luke Wood, co-directors of The Community College Equity Assessment Lab (CCEAL), a national research laboratory under the Interwork Institute at San Diego State University. CCEAL supports community colleges with research, assessment, and training activities that support the success of historically underserved students of color. This webinar explains how microaggressions and racial bias are employed in the online environment and then provides strategies that can be implemented to help avoid these pitfalls.

Here are additional seminars hosted by CORA Learning (Center for Organizational Responsibility and Advancement).

Off-SITE Blast for April 22nd, 2020: How This Crisis can Lead to Improved Learning

Our colleagues at 3csn have launched their Wayfinding Online Zoom Series, hosting hour-long Zoom sessions on a huge variety of topics selected to support us in our new work and world, practically, intellectually, and emotionally. (Check out http://3csn.org/ for weekly schedules.

Here is an asynchronous opportunity for the ECC community to have a similar experience. If we are going to make lasting and meaningful changes in our lives and professions, conversations in all sorts of venues and among all sorts of people need to take place. To do this, we are going to use a Padlet.

When you get to the Padlet, choose one or more of the texts (links in the Padlet) and take as much time as you like to read and think about what you have read. While you read, identify any golden lines - text that stands out for you or inspire you. After you finish reading, share your golden lines and any other thoughts you have in the appropriate column. What brought you to your choice of text? What takeaways have you gained? What new questions have the readings raised for you? Look at what your colleagues have said. Like or build on their ideas. Honor each other's perspectives and experiences, but don't be afraid to respectfully disagree or challenge.

Off-SITE Blast for April 8th, 2020: Tech Tips for Equitable Remote Teaching and Learning Environments

The first article, “Inclusion, Equity, and Access While Teaching Remotely,” is from Rice University’s Center for Teaching Excellence. The author provides suggestions and tips on how to address unequal access to technology, hardware, and software, provide a balance between asynchronous and synchronous tools and course materials, and create an environment that includes and values all students.

The second article, “Zoomed Out: Why ‘Live’ Teaching Isn’t Always the Best” is from The Chronicle of Higher Education. The author evaluates some of the risks associated using video tools and asks readers to examine their own use of Zoom, and she argues that tools like videoconferencing can “end up encouraging ‘teacher-centered learning.’"

Off-SITE Blast for March 27th, 2020: Teaching the English Co-requisite Course Webinar from CAP

"This is the recorded version of CAP's webinar featuring Jamie Dingman, a Citrus College English instructor who has been teaching corequisite-supported English composition since spring 2018. The webinar focuses on addressing questions and concerns of faculty who had to make the sudden shift to online instruction because of the Covid-19 pandemic, with an emphasis on how to adapt CAP instructional design principles to an online environment (e.g., support for students' affective needs, low-stakes collaborative practice, just-in-time remediation)."

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