For several years I contemplated online teaching, but I was intimidated by the steep learning curve involved in the switch to online teaching. When the pandemic hit, like everyone else I only had a few days to move my classes from face-to-face to online. With support from the wonderful staff at HSU, I learned to teach online, and my students adapted well to the online format. There are so many options for online teaching that I can see will help students be more involved in their classes and that will help them succeed. However, in subsequent semesters my students did not seem as invested in the class, and many more students than usual were not succeeding. When I learned about the Humanizing Academy, I was pretty sure that a more personal approach was needed -- after all, during the first semester of online teaching I had already established a personal connection with my students! However, I was still nervous about the technology and learning lots of new tools and ways to do things online!
During this 6-week course I learned so much that I can hardly believe I was so nervous at the start! The learning modules were organized and we moved through the learning exercises smoothly. Although I was visiting family for much of the time, I was able to complete everything fairly easily (technology will never be my best friend!). I feel so much more confident and have so many new, interactive tools to use now. I can't wait to see how my next cohort of students feel about the new organization and humanized aspects of the class.
I want to use the strategies and tools I learned and apply them to not only my Human Genetics class, but the other classes that I teach. The tools in the Humanizing Academy were designed for the first couple of weeks of the class, but I want to apply them throughout the semester. I also will be encouraging my friends and colleagues to take the Humanizing Academy if they get the chance - it is absolutely worth the time and effort!